Crystal Springs Lake, ID
Outing Information
- Date
- Start/End Time
- 5:15pm to 6:45pm
- Best Fishing Time
- -
- Rating
- Poor
- Classification
- Public
- Water Temp
- -
- Water Clarity
- Clear - 5'+ visibility
- Water Level
- -
- User
- Jason Hansen
Fish Caught
Peamouth Chub
| Caught | Avg Size | Pattern | Optional Fields |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10" | #14 Black Chironocone | |
| 2 | 10" | #14 Orange Sucker Spawn | |
| 3 | 10" | #14 Prince Nymph | |
| 8 | 10" |
Weather
| Skies | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mostly Sunny | X | ||
| Precipitation | |||
| None | X | ||
| Wind | |||
| Light - 5 to 10 knots | X | ||
| Medium - 10 to 15 knots | X |
- Air Temp High/Low
- - / -
- Wind Direction
- -
- Weather Front
- -
- Barometer
- -
- Moon Phase
- 27% Full (Waxing crescent)
Other Patterns Tried
No other pattern information for this outing.
Hatches
No hatch information for this outing.
Insect Seining
No seining information for this outing.
Fishing Partners
No fishing partners were saved with this outing.
Waypoints
No waypoints were saved with this outing.
Notes
I had intended on fishing Clear Lake Country Club, paying $10, and hopefully getting into some big (planter) fish. I called the country club when I got into Wendell around 4, just to make sure they were still open. The guy that answered told me not to waste my gas money coming over, since there were no fish in the lake. Apparently the pelicans wipe them out, especially in the spring, so they don't even bother planting fish. He did say late winter can be okay fishing there, and the fall sometimes.
I decided to hit Niagara Springs instead. I walked down the creek a little bit and didn't see any fish or much going on, so I decided to head back to Crystal Springs lake. I again didn't see many fish in there, but fished it anyway for a bit. Just below the lake, there's a separate springs that dumps into the Snake, and there were many hundreds of Peamouth Chub stacked in the clear springs water, spawning. So I fished to them for a bit and landed 8. Then I fished the downstream side of the road, where the clear spring water dumped into the high and murky snake. I could see very large carp and who knows what waiting below the outlet. I nymphed a variety of patterns through them but never enticed any to bite. Given all the riparian trees and vegetation, I'm not sure I could have landed a big carp or sucker from that spot on a fly rod.
I had seen these Peamouth Chubs in Niagara before, years ago, but at the time I thought they were Northern Pikeminnows. Turns out they're not, and the Peamouth Chub is actually a native fish to the Snake/Columbia. So that's cool.
http://www.idahoafs.org/fishes.php?id=33