Fishing the Boise River: A hidden urban gem

August 12, 11:10 PMBoise Fishing ExaminerSam Burbank

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Boise Fishing Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The Boise River winds its way through the main center of downtown Boise.

Boise, Idaho is home to what may be one of the most beautiful urban fisheries in the nation: The Boise River. Many areas claim home to urban waterways. Such as the Bitterroot in Missoula; the Cedar River, outside of Seattle; the Truckee River in Reno; or even the Rhein, in Austria; or  Kelvin in Glasgow, Scotland.Yet not many  hold a candle to the adventures and splendor of our own urban jewel, the Boise.

The Boise wasn't always named in conjunction with the states' capital city. Originally named "Reeds River" during the Astorian Expedition, the river took on its namesake in the early 19th century. During the "Boise Project", the dams along its length were constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation to facilitate irrigation, flood control, drinking water and hydro electricity. As a tributary of the Snake, the Boise flows 75 miles from its head where the confluences of the North, Middle and South fork join just 15 miles southeast of Idaho City. Here, it flows to its mouth where it enters the Snake just west of Parma, and three miles south of Nyssa, Oregon. From the late seventies, to the late eighties, laziness and poor conservation by locals created a rather dismal outlook for the Boise. It was gaining more and more trash from floaters and fishermen, and it wasn't until locals and clean-up groups such as Boise River Volunteers www.riverhelpers.com/, and the efforts of the Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited www.tedtruebloodtu.org/tuprojts.htm did the river make a strong comeback.

The fishery of the Boise is as diverse as the city's population itself. The river boasts Rainbows, Browns, Mountain Whitefish, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Catfish and Carp. In the fall, Idaho Fish and Game release Steelhead bringing a frenzy of fishermen out to try their luck. The river has both a warmwater fishery downstream of Eagle, and a coldwater fishery upstream from Eagle to the diversion dam below Lucky Peak. Yet with all the water and different species available, there is really not that many anglers present on any given day. Why? For many, the Boise in town is just not a destination point. With classic tailwaters and spring creeks dotting the state supporting wild trout populations, the Boise in town can often be overlooked. In addition, others complain that the Boise is mis-managed, and doesn't provide the fish per mile needs that would attract more anglers. In truth however, this is a beautiful river, with many fish just waiting in its depths.

Old railroad trestles converted to pedestrian pathways loom large over trout lies.

If that is true, just what would it take, and where does one go to catch fish in this urban waterway? Well, let's first look at a few things about the river itself, its habitat, and its residents that swim there. First let's take a look at habitat and its management. The Idaho Fish and Game is faced with the large job of balancing the management of this river's fishery against the demands of over 300,000 residents of the "City of Trees" and irrigation demands by local farms and ranches. Demands that are placed on the water alone constitute a relevant impact on where, and just how many fish are available. Runoff plays another major role in the conditions of the fishery. In 2008, during peak runoffs, the river reached levels of over 7200 cfs.  wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2008/pdfs/13206000.2008.pdf  June of this year the flows were over 3000 cfs waterdata.usgs.gov/id/nwis/uv, and now in August are currently at 747 cfs waterdata.usgs.gov/id/nwis/uv/. Those rapid changes affect dramatically where fish can be found, and what food sources are available.

Some complain that it is because of the radical flows, and the lack of management on Fish and Game's part that fishing is not as productive, and therefore, not worth the effort. The battle is said that for the irrigation water needed, and habitat available, sizes and quantity of fish are poor. Yet if you look at the record 20 pound brown that was taken just upstream from Friendship Bridge, that theory is shot full of holes. Fish have lived in streams with drastic flows for eons, and in the case of the Boise, complaints against F&G management come more due to it not being restricted to catch and release only. Yet Idaho Fish and Game's surveys and its attempts of stricter regulations in the late 80's proved that the habitat necessary to support more fish than are currently present was just not available. Idaho Fish and Game has taken on additional stocking efforts, and have limited the bag limit to two fish per day over 14 inches from Park Center Bridge to Barber Park fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/rules/sw.pdf. Local biology classes have shocked areas of the Boise in conjunction with Fish and Game and found that not only are the fish there, they are sometimes right under our noses.

So if fish are present in the Boise, and habitat and management are acceptable, why are there not just hundreds of fishermen dotting the banks? First, the Boise has a strange following in terms of fishermen. Seasonality plays a part in this. For the most part during the spring, runoffs make the river impossible to fish. During the day in the peak summer months, floaters along the stretches from Barber Park to Ann Morrison make the fishing impossible from around 9 a.m. until late evening. Other areas, such as in the sections below Ann Morrison, do show the occasional spin fisherman or the odd fly fisherman, but mostly people who can't get away to other streams, or business travellers that wish to get in some small amount of fishing time. On the weekend, the fishing is a little more enthusiastic, but again, not many. The misconception has come that the fishing on the Boise is slow and spotty, but what we need to learn is that we just need to be more creative.

A gravel bar seems to point where to cast in splitting two wide runs.

The Boise's fish are there, and the trick to finding them comes from a little more savvy on how to read the water, what to use, and just where NOT to fish. When you walk along the Greenbelt, which encompasses over 15 miles of the waterway from Lucky Peak to Garden City, you can see areas that look as though they may be prime trout lies. In many cases they are, and the trout are down there. Yet because this river is passed a hundred times an hour by pedestrians, bicycles, and the occasional angler, the fish are not going to necessarily take the first Prince Nymph thrown their way. Neither is a really fast moving Rooster Tail going to pop 'ol daddy brown from his lair to belt your line into the next county! The trick to finding fish on the Boise, depending on whether you are looking for quantity (loads of Whitefish) or quality (Rainbows and Browns), is to pay closer attention to the river itself. What impact have flows had on habitat this year? What type of food is readily available to the fish in that run? So many times we stop looking under the rocks to see what's available to fish because we are in an urban situation. When did basic rules not apply to a river just because it flows through town? If a run appears dark and overgrown with moss and algae, would temperature readings of the water tell you whether it was inhabitable for trout? Are you standing downstream from an irrigation runoff or dairy farm that has increased the flow with "bovine syndrome"? If the latter is the case, more than likely you should get out your carp gear www.examiner.com/x-19310-Boise-Fishing-Examiner~y2009m8d11-Carp-on-the-fly.

To get trout in the Boise consistantly, you have to be a little more creative. First take a look at the food sources available. If your a fly-fisheman, every Tom, Dick and Harry is out there throwing dry lines with double rigs and Pheasant Tails. That doesn't mean they won't work, but if you look under a nearby rock and find a selection of caddises and small stonefly nymphs, why not break into one of those? Try a size 12 or a 10 olive stone, non-weighted. Drift it slow and steady with the current on about a nine foot leader. Make sure it swims freely with the current. Most insects dislodged from the rocks don't bounce across the bottom flyfisherman.com/environment/FF_bugsoftheunder_200902/index3.html. Try that method and  you might come up with a tactic that the last five anglers never tried. In addition, if you are looking into the water ahead of you and you see a school of minnows dart out, or a frog splashes off to your left, this is an excellent time to reconsider your approach for browns. Start thinking about how they feed. The Boise is loaded with browns, and although they will take a dry, or a nymph suspended below an indicator, a sinking line with a zonker, or a muddler minnow drawn down the run as the sun sets low is a more likely alternative. www.hawkinsflyfishing.com/flycastbigflies.php Face it, if you are a big fish, in a river with few places to go, and you're competing with two other fish, would you prefer a size 20 midge or a size 4 streamer? There are stories from all over of big browns engulfing baby birds off the branches. If a brown had a chance at taking a frog darting through its hole, do you think it would take it?

Look under the rocks, the Boise is home to Stones, caddises and mayflies.

If you are spin fishing the Boise, the same rules apply. Sure, you might get the occasional fish on a gob of power bait or a pinch of worm, but if you take into account the previous comments, you too can match conditions to increase your bag count. Rooster tails and Panther Martins might work great, but a fast diving crawdad lure or a rattlin' minnow is probably going to bring out something a little more solid. Ever looked at a worm in the water? How big is it? Nightcrawlers work good, but trout worms are sized for freestones. How does a worm look in the water? Is it cut in half, or whole? A worm threader www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_74346_100011001_100000000_100011000_100-11-1 will present the worm more realistically, and allow the angler to set the hook without the trout swallowing it. This provides for some safer releases, especially if you de-barb your hook. If the area is clogged with pedestrians and bikes, go downstream and out of the angle of the trout's vision www2.tricities.com/tri/sports/high_school_prep/article/trout_on_the_look_out/27909/. Break out that crawdad or minnow and cast upstream bringing it back fast. Most baitfish and craws are swept down with the current, so this will seem natural to the fish. Remember, to work urban waters well and catch the fish that are there, we need to work smarter, not harder.

Frogs are not an uncommon sight along the shores of the Boise.

If trout aren't your game for the day, or the pressure just seems to have put the fish down, take a drive west past Star and find access to the river there. Here you will have some chances at bass, catfish, and yes, our old friend the carp. If you have access to, and can find areas for portage, this can be a great drift in either a pontoon or drift boat. This fishery is loaded with opportunity, and if you're patient and willing to break out of the pack, you may find that the reward of one of the larger fish in the run just waiting for you. In the summer months, if you work the waters above Barber Park, you will find areas loaded with runs up to the area below the Shakespeare Grounds. Here the water is backed up by dams, and without suitable access so if you re-group and head upstream there is some fairly nice runs downstream of Diversion Dam. These can get hit pretty hard, so if you don't think outside the box, you may wind up empty handed. 

Today, the Boise River offers great diversity for fishermen. Its spledid scenery, and ample angling opportunities still continue despite rapid growth and development. With continued proper management, and care by those of us that choose to utilize its recreational opportunities, the Boise can provide all with years of enjoyment. The fishing of the Boise may be difficult at times, but by adapting our thinking and utilizing more ingenuity to the changing conditions, we can all find that this urban jewel still has plenty of surprises in store.