Idaho Examiner: S.E. Idaho warm water lakes taking off"Common Sense News"

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S.E. Idaho warm water lakes taking off

Posted on: April 26, 2007

By Dave Langston

The bite is on and anglers in the know are loading up on bass, bluegills, and perch in many southeast Idaho reservoirs.

Winder reservoir near Preston is pumping out bass upwards of six pounds. Although these behemoths are tough to locate, you can count on plenty of small 12 – 14 inch fish to keep you busy looking for that lunker. Although the water is still frigid, bass are cruising the shallows during the afternoon hours as the water temps rise.

Good bets at this time are grubs and worms crawled slowly over the bottom in the morning hours. Pumpkin with a chartreuse tail works well but salt and pepper is also a good bet. During the afternoon, switch over to twitch baits / stick baits. Rapalas, thunder sticks and reef runners are good bets in a rainbow or even a perch color.

Twin lakes, a short 5-mile drive from Winder is a top bet for bluegills and perch. This year looks to be an excellent one as gills were running up to seven inches last year with a few pushing the ¾ pound mark on rare occasions. I have found over the years that the corner of both dams are good bets to concentrate on. Last year we harvested over 60 bluegills within a three-hour span using worms and micro grubs in a hot pink color.

Perch are huge in here. You will find lots of five – eight inch fish, but 10 – 13 inch perch are showing up in angler’s creels. Last year we netted a 13-½ inch perch floating belly up in the middle of the south lake. Anglers should concentrate on the south side of the island. Perch are holding in 15 – 20 feet of water at this time, but the spawn should be coming on anytime and will drive fish into the shallows. Worms and micro jigs are good bets.

For fishing and weather up dates contact Sportsman’s Warehouse in Pocatello at (208) 238 – 7500.

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About Dave Langston

Outdoor writer Dave Langston resides in Chubbuck. He grew up in the Midwest and south fishing and hunting across the country.

... more About Dave Langston >>

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