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Alexander Reservoir/Bear River Cats - June 6th, 2007

Posted on: June 06, 2007

By
Dave Langston

This could be a fabulous year for the anglers of Idaho. With two years of above normal precipitation, look for waters across the state to be in good shape for the 2007 fishing season.

Catfish, by and large, are omnivorous feeders with a well developed sense of smell. This simply means they consume a wide variety of food items, and the fish is most often attracted to odoriferous or “smelly” morsels of food. The single greatest determinant of catfish food preference is body size. Smaller catfish, those less than 14 inches, feed primarily on bottom-dwelling organisms, such as aquatic insect larvae and other invertebrates. As catfish grow to a larger size, their diet changes and a wider variety of food items are eaten. Fish, however, either alive or dead, make up the bulk of their forage after they reach 16 inches.

Using the right bait is probably the most confusing part of channel catfish fishing, and there are nearly as many concoctions as there are cat fishermen. Bait selection ranges from night crawlers, chicken blood, chicken liver, chicken or fish guts, crawdads, grasshoppers, water dogs, live and dead minnows, cut bait, and a multitude of prepared “stink” baits. The prepared baits most often have one thing in common — cheese. All of these bait preparations and many others are excellent for catfish, and all will catch fish.

Anglers looking to cash in on a cat fish bonanza should concentrate their efforts on the Bear River system including Alexander Reservoir above Soda Springs. With an aggressive stocking plan, Idaho Fish and Game (208)-232-4703 has turned this waterway into a good fishery and hidden treasure. According to past stocking information, I.F. &G. has stocked on the average 10,000 channel cats since 1989.

According to fisheries biologist David Teuscher, fish up to 10 pounds were shocked up last year. “I remember that some of the fish we checked were in excess of ten pounds or better, but most were smaller in the 1 – 3 pound class,” he says.

“We typically stock fish over six inches, but anglers harvest a good number of these smaller fish as soon as we stock the reservoir,” says fishery biologist Jim Mende. As far as Fish and Game knows, cats in here are not reproducing successfully but a good population does exist with past stockings.

Anglers can expect to concentrate their efforts near the bridge behind the Soda Springs hospital near the river. On any given weekend night you will see small lights glowing along the banks where avid cat anglers set up to put a few on ice. Structure such as fallen timber and rock are also good areas to concentrate your efforts.

The Bear River from Alexander reservoir down to Riverdale is also a good bet to put cat fillets on the table. Although fishing below the Alexander dam is a good bet down to the town of Grace, the river below Riverdale to the Utah border can be excellent if you can get permission to fish private grounds. Concentrate on bends in the river and structure near deep water pockets.

Other species of fish are also present in theses waters. Anglers can expect to find walleyes, small mouth bass and trout sharing this stretch of water.

Access can be tough but landowners are willing to let you in if you ask first. Remember to bring mosquito repellent, one trip at night without it and you will be begging to get out the area.

For more information and current updates contact Sportsman’s Warehouse at (208)-238-7500. Ask for Grant Terrel in the fishing department.

WHERE: Alexander Reservoir in Soda Springs to the Utah border. WHEN: Early spring to early fall. WHAT: Channel cats, small mouth bass, walleyes and trout. BAIT: Night crawlers, chicken liver, chicken or fish guts, crawdads, grasshoppers, live and dead minnows, cut bait, bacon and hotdog pieces.

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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.

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