Mackay Reservoir Report-Kokanees started biting!

[DeeCee]

As some of you may have heard Mackay reservoir has been a slow bite this year for kokanee salmon. I ran into one of my reliable fishing contacts and was surprised to hear some good news about Mackay res. This is first-hand information hot of the fishing grapevine. He said Mackay had been very slow earlier in the season for kokanee. Trout fishing had been good at times near the dam but the kokes were mysteriously few and far between. Well that has changed! His last three fishing trips he and two other guys have pretty much limited out on the bluebacks. Most are running about the same size as at Ririe or slightly bigger. Some have been up to about 14" which is good for Mackay. They have been catching them in the same place as usual every year-- right off the main campground and landing half way up the reservoir.

He said they have been using a small ice jig (sorry I didn't get what type) baited with a meal worm. He also said that fishing at the dam has yielded success. One unusual note was that he and his fishing buddies have caught more brook trout that any time he can remember in all the years he has fished Mackay reservoir. Usually they are about six inches in length most years and few and far between. This year they have been running about ten inches in length and are more numerous. Rainbow trout are the mainstay with an occasional cutthroat trout which is something new at Mackay.

He also said one friend of his caught a rainbow trout around five lbs which is definetly bigger than most trout at Mackay. Caught a couple around three lbs. this year too. Might be an interesting year for such a sleepy start at
Mackay. If the guy hadn't been such a reliable source of information in the past, I might have thought he was telling big fish tales or something. Keep your ears open for anymore positive reports.

DeeCee []
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[ross220]

Great report DeeCee! I hope I can get over there and get one last ice fishing trip in before ice out. I am night calving though and it usually doesn't work out but I am still hopeing.
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[dublmmz]

Dee Cee - Any comments on ice conditions. Such a good report may have peaked my interest some. Thanks for all the information you provide to us here.

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[windriver]

Thanks for the report. I don't know if I will have time to get out again ice fishing, but if I do I definitely would like to hit Mackay.

Windriver
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[DeeCee]

[] Mackay reservoir is a colder place than most area so the ice is considerably thicker than other reservoirs in eastern Idaho. My contact told me that the ice is about three feet thick, considerably thicker than say Ririe res. at about 16" or so. On a warmer and bright sunny day there will be some thawing around the edges of the reservoir for several inches out. A trick I learned is that there is a gravel point jutting out into the res. just to the right of the main landing/campground and around the corner from it.
In the morning the ice is frozen up to the edge of the res. but, sometimes by the late afternoon the edge of the ice might be thawing a little. At the gravel point you can usually find a spot where the ice hasn't thawed much and step safely onto shore. Really it usually isn't an issue. To get through 3 feet of ice tho, you will need a power auger.

DeeCee
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[dublmmz]

Thanks, DeeCee, for the feedback. I have fished Mackay Reservoir during open water in the past, but, have never made it up ice fishing. It might be Karma, but, I just had the power auger blades sharpened. That's some kind of ice!

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[maghunter]

Thanks for the report. Its been at least 7 or 8 years since I ice fished Mackey. We would go up on a weekday and there was dozens of really nice ice houses, we noticed that several houses had notes on them saying go ahead and use this house just don't leave a mess. That was pretty cool. Do you know if there are still people willing to let others use their ice houses?
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[DeeCee]

I don't know the answer to your question on the ice houses being available for use. Sorry. On windy days, and Mackay res. is almost always windy, especially during the winter, we would cut holes to the south side of a unoccupied ice shanty to stay out of the wind and fish. The wind is enough of a problem at times that we used to joke about there being a wind goddess that lived up at the north end of the valley. There is only one remaining old cabin north of the res. at what use to be the tiny village of Chilly. Notice that is not spelled like the food chili that we eat. We don't use the four letter word "wind" on Mackay for fear the wind goddess will hear us and begin to stir the air and freeze us old ice fishermen to death.

DeeCee []
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[curt69]

Went up yesterday . Caught 12 kept 5 . Two Kokanne Three rainbows . All about 12" . The ice is 2 feet thick not Three as reported in an earlier post . I counted 13 Ice shacks at the middle boat ramp . I road my 4 wheeler out on the ice so the edges are firm . Curt G.
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[dublmmz]

Curt69 - Thanks for the updated report. I probably will head up Saturday and check out my luck.

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[curt69]

The bite was very lite . They just moved my sring bobber . There were two guys camped there from Burly . They said they had not had a bite in two Days . They were using full size fishing rods . I think they were just not feeling the bite . Good luck on Saturday . Curt G.
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[dublmmz]

Thanks for the tips and some good looking photo's. I will try to give some feedback after my trip.

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