C. J. Strike Reservoir
The Lake
C. J. Strike Reservoir is a diverse fishery that offers a wide choice of
species to pursue and differing methods available to enjoy time at the lake.
The dam holds up the great Snake River and also the Bruneau River and forms
an oasis in the Southwest Desert in Idaho. This is a relatively low land reservoir
but does reach depths of 100 feet in the main lake area. There are two "arms"
at CJ, the Snake River arm and the Bruneau arm.
The lake covers 7500 acres. The two arms are quite narrow at times
and both reach several miles up river. A good time to fish is spring
when the water first warms up. Also October and November are good.
When the water warms in summer the fishing can be slow.
The Fish
Trout.
Perch
Channel Catfish
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth Bass
Crappie
Bluegill
Sturgeon
For a great experience join the crowd of campers and fishermen at the base
of the dam as they fish for giant Sturgeon in the tail waters. These fish
are up to 10 feet long and 300 lbs. It is catch and release and many
of the fish have first names. The fish are identified by markings and size.
The bank is lined with heavy duty rods, campfires,
campers, kids, and fishermen. Fishing goes on into the late hours, especially in the summer
when the hot desert days turn into warm desert nights. Fishermen tie alert bells
on the tips of their rods so they can jump up from the campfire and grab onto a
large Snake River Sturgeon.
When a fish is hooked people gather around and wait for the long fight to bring the
giant fish to the shore.
Pictures are taken and the fish released.
The crowd returns to their own campfire and waits for another bell to ring.
Fishing Reports for C. J. Strike Reservoir
Click Here to Send in a CJ Strike Fishing Report.
|
June 13
|
2008 |
|
Started fishing at 7pm. Fished up toward snake river
arm near small islands. Absolutley killed it!!!!! Buzzbait and top water hot!
Small mouth and Large mouth killing top water! Lost count after about 20 fish.
Pulled 5 or 6 three to four pound smallies and some big large mouth.
|
|
May 23
|
2008 |
Name: Hojo
Fished Black Sand Resort dock. Fishing was slow.
Caught about 8 bass in 3 hrs. Nothing of any size. Fished Cottonwood jetty
and caught a nice 2-3 lb smallmouth on a crankbait on the second cast and
then nothing for the next hour with 2 poles fishing. The water was murky
from the windy stormy weather. Turned out to be a nice day though with
threatening skies in the distance. Tried below the dam with same slow fishing.
Saw 2 sturgeon hooked.
I think it was the change to stormy weather that slowed things down. Hojo
|
|
May 16
|
2008 |
Name: Mel Morrell
Water Temp: 59
3 Fisherman - very windy, some rain, white caps.
Went up snake arm, tucked away in a cove on right side and caught 250+ crappie.
Only (1) decent 14" fish others were very small and cleaned about 60 for dinner.
Almost entirely males (pre-spawn). Used every color and caught fish on every color.
Didn't seem to matter.
Should get better with warmer water and air. Good luck and good fishin'
|
|
June 1
|
2008 |
Name: Hojo
Fished Cove Arm both in the backwater and in the River.
Also Cottonwood, Black Sand and the southside of the dam. Just a few small bass
but all the 7" crappie you could carry. Extremely slow for
anything but small crappie. I think the water is still too cool. Hojo
|
|
June 1
|
2008 |
Name: Galen
Water Temp: 66
Took some visiting relatives out to see if we could hit the crappie hard again.
The weather was poor with a front moving in. The crappie weren't nearly as
aggressive as a couple of weeks ago but we got quite a few in the 3-4 hours
we were out there. I did pick up a couple of nice smallies using a black spinner bait.
Galen
|
|
May 25
|
2008 |
Name: Camille
Fishing was great! Caught a little of everything. Crappie, Bluegill, Bass.
Fished from shore. Bait used was worms and gulp. I fished the top and bottom,
both were great. Not a slow moment all day!
Fished for about 8 hours, even during the lighting storm I was still catching em!
|
|
May 17
|
2008 |
Name: Galen D
I took my 2 sisters (who never fish) and my family.
We absolutely killed the crappie. We stopped counting after 150 in the first 3 hours.
Both black and white crappie using small 1/8 oz jigs with red and yellow tube baits.
Caught a few smallmouth on spinner baits near shore. It was a great day for a
couple of girls who seldom have caught a fish. It seemed to me that the crappie
were consistently larger than what I've caught at CJ in the past couple of years.
|
|
April 27
|
2008 |
Name: Hojo
Bank fished Cottonwood ramp area, Black Sand Resort dock
and below the dam at Idaho Power park. Extremely slow. Warm weather brought lots
of folks out but nobody was catching anything. At least 10 lines in the water at
Cottonwood and just one 13"trout caught in an hour period. Nothing off the dock and
just lots of very small perch and crappie below the dam.
Used worms, marshmallows, plastics and crankbaits. Nothing worked.
|
|
April 5
|
2008 |
Name: Randy
Date: 04/05/08 & 04/06/08
Fishing Report:
Fished through the weekend caught well over 200 crappie
and kept most of the bigger fish that were hand size. Fish are really deep
about 60 foot or deeper. Tried for perch at island and middle no luck just
crappie. Caught a few bluegill and a couple of trout. Was enjoyable weekend.
Caught crappie
on worms & green/red crappie jigs but were biting on most everything fished deep.
|
|
Feb 18
|
2008 |
Name: David B
Water Temp: cool
Crappie and
bluegill are biting slow, best bait is worm so far, tried jigs but doesn't work
|
|
May 13
|
2007 |
Bass fishing is pretty good. Use crankbaits and spinnerbaits to find the fish,
then hammer them with plastics.
Perch fishing is hit and miss if you find the schools. Try Jigs, Swedish Pimples,
and Roadrunners, with power nuggets or meal worms for flavor. Fishing has been
good near the cottonwood boat ramp, I got some nice ones last week.
Sturgeon fishing is picking up too in the Snake River below the dam, and in
the upper lake. We got one nice one last week (about 7 footer), another
that was 4-5 foot, and lost one in between. Cutbait is the ticket, the
fresher the better. Perch, trout or crappie.
This fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
April 29
|
2007 |
Name: rowdyfish
Water Temp: 62
Fishing is fantastic. Be prepared to catch lots of
smallmouth bass. Crankbaits and plastics worked extremely well..natural colors.
Most of the fish are 11.5 inch mark with a few solid keepers. All fish caught
and released. Some guys fishing for perch/crappie but no report on how good
they were doing.
Fishing was good most of the day with a lull during mid day. Morning/evening best.
|
|
April 7
|
2007 |
Name: trouty
Fishing Report: Went to loveridge bridge caught 10 tagged trout all
15 to 20 in.
|
2006 Reports
|
April 30
|
2006 |
Trolling for trout is slow, with the really muddy water and high flows.
Fish early and late in the lake. Pop gear with wedding ring spinners with a
worm and rapalas are the ticket.
Perch fishing is good if you find the schools. They are starting to spawn.
Try Jigs, Swedish Pimples, and Roadrunners, with power nuggets or meal worms for flavor.
Some bluegills are being caught up the Snake River Arm, but the water is MUDDY
and swift! Try worms on the bottom, or small crappie jigs with a half a meal worm.
Sturgeon fishing is slow, lots of water moving in the Snake River arm,
and lots of junk.
Bass fishing is picking up. We have done best with dark plastics and spinnerbaits.
A few fish have been caught on crankbaits as well.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
April 30
|
2006 |
Name: DR WILSON
Water Temp:
Report: BASS FISHING WAS SLOW FEW WERE CAUGHT ON CRANK BAITS
AND MOST ON SMALL DARK PLASTICS 1 KEEPER AND THE REST 10 TO 11 1/2 INCHES GOOD LUCK
|
|
May 23
|
2006 |
Bass fishing is good. We have done best with dark plastics and spinnerbaits.
I'd make sure I had some senko's in my bag of tricks too.
Perch fishing is good if you find the schools. Try Jigs, Swedish Pimples,
and Roadrunners, with power nuggets or meal worms for flavor. I'd start off
the cottonwood boat ramp.
Some bluegills are being caught up the Snake River Arm, but the water is MUDDY
and swift, although it is slowing and clearing some. Try worms on the bottom,
or small crappie jigs with a half a meal worm.
Sturgeon fishing is getting better, lots of water moving in the Snake River
arm still,but less junk. As the water drops it should get better. Folks are
still doing really well below the dam.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
June 6
|
2006 |
Name: MARC
Caught a few perch off of the dam but kinda slow.
All were nice size though. Crappie jigs with 1/3 nightcrawler. Also picked
up two really nice bluegill (10-11 inches). Caught and released two sturgeon
afternoon/evening. One on trout and the other on squaw um, er pike minnow.
The first was probably 7 1/2 and the second was 6 1/2. Good day all around.
|
|
June 19
|
2006 |
Name: Bill S
Water Temp: 69
Went trolling all weekend and some of the week
NO Trout
only small Bass
and a few perch
but all were 6 to 8 inch range .
Water is like blended mud
only 1 to 2 feet visibility,
disappointing for sure.
Recommendation:
Don't waist you're time until the water clears up
|
|
July 4
|
2006 |
Name: Bill S
Water Temp: 74
Fishing Report: Fishing at Cj continues to be dismal this year.
f
Few were catching bass and perch (small). The water is clearing up however.
But the lightning storms and the thunder, " WOO HOO "
Stayed at the AF side on the 4th pretty much alone.
I keep hoping to see those big trout soon.
|
|
August 7
|
2006 |
Bass fishing is good. Think dark plastics and spinnerbaits. I'd make sure I had
some crankbaits and SENKO's in my bag of tricks too. Try topwater in the late
evenings. It is the best time to fish right now, (and more tolerable with this heat).
Perch fishing is good if you find the schools. Try Jigs, Swedish Pimples,
and Roadrunners, with power nuggets or meal worms for flavor. Fishing has
been good near the cottonwood boat ramp and the South end of the Narrows.
Sturgeon fishing is decent in the Snake River Arm. Folks are still doing
really well below the dam. Cutbait is the ticket, the fresher the better.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
November 19
|
2006 |
Bass fishing is slow, but they are still biting. Think dark finesse plastics
fished deep. Dropshotting is probably your best bet.
Perch fishing is getting better if you find the schools. Try Jigs, Swedish
Pimples, and Roadrunners, with power nuggets or meal worms for flavor.
Fishing has been good near the cottonwood boat ramp and through the Narrows.
Sturgeon fishing is decent in the Snake River Arm. Folks are still doing well below
the dam as well. Cutbait is the ticket, the fresher the better. Perch, trout or crappie.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
December 31
|
2006 |
Name: Beave
Water Temp: cold
Fishing Report:
Trout is slowly coming back; five caught on dam and
next to the park. Perch is pretty good on the dam, and inside the tanks
on the other edge of the dam. The perch bite very softly so watch your
line. In the late morning fish the tanks for more cut bait.
What to use: Perch- mainly cut bait(bluegill/perch) worms, no mallows. Try a
small cut bait style jig with a small head and hook. Drop your line out
about 10-15 ft. out and rest it at about 3 foot up from bottom.
4-6 lb. test will work if you're good enough.
Medium hooks for worms(make sure they are sharp.
|
2005 Fishing Reports
|
2/25/05
Fishing is slow, but a few people are catching fish between the dam and the narrows.
|
|
4/05/05
Fishing is fair. Folks are catching Bass in the Snake River Arm.
Try trolling the narrows and by the dam for trout.
Fishguy.
|
|
4/29/05
Perch, crappie and bluegill fishing has been pretty hot near Cove Arm. I use
crappie jigs with mealworms for flavor. Drop your rig to the bottom and start
jigging up. Yellows, whites and chartreuses seem to be the best colors lately.
The trout anglers are catching some decent fish in the middle Snake River Arm.
Try worms and marshmallows at first light, or trolling near Crane Falls Ramp.
It seems there have been a bunch of hatchery fish dumped in the lake around Crane Falls recently.
Sturgeon fishing is getting better. I've been using cut bait (crappie or trout)
and worms and averaging a fish or two a trip lately. Move around if you aren't
getting bites, they are where you find 'em. There is an ongoing population survey
in the upper lake and river, so those fish might have sore mouths for a few weeks.
Catfish are biting. I caught a bunch yesterday with the biggest around 12 pounds.
I kept 5 smaller ones and let the big guys go. Worms and crickets were the hot bait.
16 feet of water was the hot depth. I'm not giving GPS coordinates though.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
8 May 2005
Bass fishing is off the hook. Some fish are bedding already. I've had good luck
with dark plastics. My buddy has been wacking them on crank baits. I'm guessing
a spinnerbait would work great as well. Go get 'em...
Catfish are biting. I caught a bunch last week with the biggest around 12 pounds.
I kept 5 smaller ones and let the big guys go. Worms and crickets were the hot bait.
16 feet of water was the hot depth. Try below Loveridge Bridge (Hint-hint).
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
June 24, 2005
Perch, crappie and bluegill fishing has been very good in the Snake River Arm.
Look in the shallows right now.
Bass fishing is still good. It's kind of turned into a summer pattern,
with mornings and evenings being the best time to fish
(both for the catch rates and because it's cooler).
Try topwater baits right at last light!
Sturgeon fishing is good. The key is fishing where
there aren't big mats of weeds drifting into your line all the time.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
July 17, 2005
Perch, crappie and bluegill fishing has been decent in the Snake River Arm.
The fish are scattered with the summer doldrums upon us. I use crappie jigs
with mealworms or crappie nibbles for flavor. Perch are back on the bite in the Bruneau Arm.
Bass fishing is slowing with the hot weather. The best times are at first and
last light. Plastics, spinnerbaits and cranks all are producing. As always,
topwater in the evenings as the light gets lower.
Sturgeon fishing is slow. The Snake River Arm is pretty weedy. and the water
is quite warm and algae is blooming. We fished hard last night, and had 2 bites.
Cutbait and worms were what the bites were on.
Catfish are still biting well. Worms and crickets are the hot bait.
The upper Snake River Arm around Cove Arm is probably the best area right now.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
|
October 10 2005
Name: AlumacrafterF60+F8
Lake: C. J. Strike Reservoir
Air Temp: 60 - 65
Water Temp 55 - 57
Water Clarity and Color Somewhat clear - green(algae)
Fishing Report: Fished just off the USAF ramp toward the dam.
Four rainbows, 18 - 19" trolling rainbow rapalas. All fish were 2 - 3 lbs.
Depthfinder quickly found fish between 30 - 40 foot depth. Could have caught
more; quit with 4 for my smoker.
|
|
November 6, 2005
Bass fishing is reportedly still good.
Trout are harder to find.
|
|
November 28, 2005
C J Strike Fishing Report
Perch fishing has been very good in Strike this fall. The perch are schooled up
again, and they are big. I use crappie jigs with mealworms or crappie nibbles
for flavor. Big perch are back on the bite in the Bruneau Arm near the narrows
and in the Snake arm.
Bass fishing slowed down with the cooler weather. Try drop shotting or working
small plastics really slowly.
Sturgeon fishing is slowing. The Snake River Arm is less weedy this time of year.
Cutbait, roll mop, and worms were what I rely on in the fall.
Catfish have slowed down. Worms and crickets are the best bait right now.
Fish the upper Snake River Arm and around Cove Arm.
C. J. Strike fishing report courtesy of the fine folks at
www.idafish.com
|
Click Here to Send in a CJ Strike Fishing Report.
|
