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Hey all,
Im a student at BYU-I in Rexburg and I need to know where some good lakes are to fish. I am used to small mouth and have a kayak i usually fish out of. Being a poor student I don't have a ton of gas money to get far, where are the closest places around here?
Any help is very appreciated! thanks so much
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welcome man I am up here as well. for me usually in the after noon i just go down on the snake like to the sportsman's assesses around and i do pretty well catching small trout and suckers from the bank, but lakes and reservoirs i dont know anything about that one. my roommate and i tried Mcctucker ponds a few weeks ago and were catching bass galore, but then he hooked himself and we had to leave and go to the emergency care, but Mcctucker ponds is about 80 miles away. its a fun place to camp as well.
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[ul][li]Probably your closest warmwater species would be at Ririe Reservoir (smallmouth, perch), Roberts Gravelpond (cats and mini-perch), and Mud Lake sometimes still produces perch in the spring and winter.
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have you ever tried egin lake and if you have what type of fish are there?
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Egin doesn't have fish that I know of. Still waters right around Rexburg, one of the better ones close is going to be SandCreek Ponds north and east of the sand dunes. Ririe may be good but personally I wouldn't kayak Ririe unless you put in up in a cove. Way too many big wake ski/wakeboard boats on that thing. Roberts Gravel Pond is good for perch, won't have much size but there are lots in there. Its about 30 miles away probably.
Henry's is an hour north and has some trophy fishing but it is a shallow lake so the wind really does bad things as far as waves when it kicks up.
You are kind of smack dab in the middle of some of the best destination fly fishing stream/river fishing in the west. If I could offer some advice if you like to fish you should try it out while you're there. When I was going to school I tried to get out at a min 80 days a year either on the soft or hard deck chasing fish.
I see some one mentioned the snake, I would highly advise against a fishing kayak on the snake, that is just asking to either loose your gear or end up a headline.
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If you ever get enough gas money head up to Island Park and float the Henry's Fork from the Big Springs put in to Macks Inn. It's a fun and easy float that your kayak would do well in. When I was going to school at BYUI I would round up some buddies and rent some canoes and the canoe trailer from the rec center on campus. We would split the gas/rental fees and it was pretty cheap per person. Beautiful float with good trout fishing using either spinning tackle or fly gear. If you do go to Henry's Lake, heed the advice given about the waves- they get scary fast. Keep an eye on the weather and stay near the shore. The cliffs always treated me well when I used my float tube although I had some scary experiences with waves in both tubes and boats. Respect that lake. McTucker gravel ponds west of Blackfoot by Springfield has some pretty decent mixed species fishing opportunities, but its about a hour and a half drive from campus. You can camp there and fish for bass, blue gill, trout, and catfish(although I never caught one there). It's perfect for a kayak. I know you asked for lakes but give the rivers in your area a shot. I wouldn't recommend kayaking them. The Snake is Powerful. The Teton River can be pretty decent for trout too. Good luck and happy trails.
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Update!
Thanks so much guys for all the info! It sounds like I need to start getting into river fishing. I spent yesterday looking around mud lake and it was an interesting place.
I started hooking into some type of chubb I think. some type of sucker. It was a weird looking fish and I was kind of disappointed. Does anyone know if Mud Lake produces any serious bass?
Now this sounds weird but I think I have only gone river fishing once or twice. What are some basic tips to river fishing?
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No real bass in mud lake. You'll have to get to at least gem lake south of Idaho Falls or Ririe for those. Around Shelly the river can be good at times. As for river fishing tips, be careful. The current can be deceptive so take your time if wading. Target current seams, behind rocks and undercut banks. Around Rexburg I'd recommend the Teton River or the Henrys Fork between St Anthony and Ashton. Above Ashton is often pretty good as well.
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There are a lot of ways to fish a river, but I always like to work my way up the stream rather than down the stream, depending on a lot of factors of course. Cast up stream and drift/reel towards you with the current, or straight across or at an angle even. Target the structures that will give a fish some shelter from the current and pools as already suggested. Just do whatever it takes to naturally present your bait/fly/lure for the fish to bite! Fish typically will be looking for food coming from up river. Good luck.
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Best advice I can give you about fishing a river is to fish it small. Meaning that you don't just cast into the river, but cast to seams, behind rocks, at the bank, etc. If you just blind cast like you're fishing a lake in a river you're going to get frustrated most of the time. Fishing this way makes it a little less intimidating because you start to break down the river and each cast has a target. You'll also catch more fish because you'll begin to figure out where they're holding that day.
Basic gear is some silver and gold spinners, spoons of varying colors (I keep it simple), and the trusty nightcrawler. Don't be afraid of a little bit bigger lure sizes, they handle the current better and stay in the stike zone better, I also like rapalas if you can stomach $8 each.
There's a reason people come from all over to fish these rivers!
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[quote FishHunterSmoot]Update!
What are some basic tips to river fishing?[/quote]
Are we talking trout? Cuz that's mostly what is available around Rexburg. With trout in moving water, you'll usually catch 10 times more trout by using fly gear and covering some ground than you will by plunking bait in a hole. Ask for fly gear for xmas, is my first advice.
River trout tend to hold in specific zones rather than cruise around in schools as they do in still water. Moving water forces fish to conserve energy. You can "fish out" a spot in a river quickly and not many more fish will move in. If you stop catching, move. Rivers also have much more prolific invertebrate populations (bugs) than lakes so flies are often what the fish are taking. Hatches play a big role in where the fish are hanging out and whether the fishing is good or slow. When a hatch is really thick, trout will often get selective and ignore rapalas and spinners. Trout will be most responsive to flashy lures when the water is off color. You can also do very well tossing small, natural colored jigs in the fall after hatches wind down; river trout gorge on bait fish in the fall when the bugs are done. River trout also have a noticeable preference for feeding on bait fish in low light. Cloudy days are the best.
Ps. don't eat the fish from the Teton, the meat is full of worms.
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es reservoir. Pretty good trout fishing, and I see people fishing with kayaks when I go there. Its just a straight shot up 26. Or the snake Is decent pretty much anywhere for small trout with an occasional big brown. Im new to the area as well, but thanks to help from this board ive already found a ton of great spots. Not sure about your kayak on the snake right now though its pretty high and fast. Good luck!