Boise catfish.

I haven't caught anything but 12 inch rainbows for months. As a result I haven't posted anything. I finally got some time to do some real cat fishing and this is what happened..... 

We caught these at Quinn's pond. We were using dip baits and 10 pound test on trout rods so they fought like demons!!!

I will be spending much more time fishing for cats now that I see they're fully active and the water temp is right. 

Quinn's pond trout fishing.

Quinn's Pond Fun

(Clocktower Pond for those of us who actually live in Boise)

It was an absolutely fantastic day on the Greenbelt today. The sun was shining, it wasn't too windy. I had a blast. Literally.......... I apparently over inflated the tire on my tow along bike trailer I have affectionately dubbed "The Rig" and it blew up so loudly it scared some nearby ducks into flight. The tire waited 3 miles and 2 hours of fishing before letting go.The Rig is a tow behind 2 child bike trailer most people would put their kids in. Not me. Nope. I have a cooler full of ice and iced tea, 2 fishing rods, a milk crate full of tackle and snacks a backpack with rain gear and extra clothes and shoes, a 4 man raft (deflated) a bike tire pump, and  an air pump for the raft. The whole thing has extra reflectors and I coiled a 25 foot section of outdoor solar lights around the frame and clamped the solar charging panel to the top to charge while I cruise the mean streets of Boise. You don't believe someone  would be foolish or audacious enough to construct a vehicle that meets this description? Well check this out, if you look close you can see the flat tire on the trailer..... I wasn't gonna let it ruin a good day of fishing!

"The Rig"

Anyway... I started at Clocktower but after an hour with no action and trying a few different spots I decided to try the river. I was at that for an hour from the wave park by Clocktower on the Greenbelt all the way down to the veterans bridge. No dice. So I returned to Clocktower and set up on the dock by the Greenbelt and ate and set my rods both up on the bottom with worms and Power Bait. I was using the blue cooler on the ground and looking up at the rod tips when.. Bam! One of the rods went down and I reeled in this little beauty.

 

Unfortunately he gave me a sense of false optimism and I stayed at the pond till 9:30 trying to replicate the magic of my lunchtime catch. All in all still a pretty good day.

Another catch from Veterans Pond

Another Veterans Pond Catch!

It was a GORGEOUS day at Veterans Memorial Pond.  I was fishing with two poles and chilling in my chair. A little martin or weasel looking dude was swimming around and came right up to my chair. I tried to get a picture but he was too quick! I highly recommend this pond.

View from my spot. The Greenbelt is in the background.

 

View of the pond.

View from my chair, rods are in my custom made rod holder.

 
 
Caught another nice trout in the same spot as the last one. Same bait, too. A little bit of worm and a little bit of power bait (yellow trout variety). This time with a bobber about 3 feet from the surface. 

 

Veteran's Memorial Pond Adventures

Veterans Memorial Pond

This pond is actually broken into 2 parts with different target species in each. There is Veterans pond east and Veterans Pond West. This entry will introduce us to both.
Veterans has been stocked with several kinds of trout including Triploid Troutlodge Kamloop and Hayspur Rainbow Triploid trout (every year since 1967) as well as other species like Channel Catfish (2008 and 2009) and Bluegill (1981) several times over it's history as a local fishing hole. 

Veterans Pond East is Pictured below. I fished this pond a few times last week but I think it may have been too cold in the deeper parts to stimulate the larger fish. I caught a good Trout last night (3/29 at around 9 PM) after fishing only 15 minutes. He fought like a demon and hit my worm/Power Bait cocktail (regular ole nightcrawler with a pseudo jig-head of power bait, snell hook) so hard there was no need to set the hook. 

Many people fish the North End of this pond near the unimproved trail on the opposite bank from the Greenbelt. This is where I have had the most success from this pond as well. I will try to take my raft down there so I can cover more of the area but this pond seems to yield fish from all angles. Here are some of my favorite spots with good accessibility from the Greenbelt or a nice dirt trail. The IDFG site has the target species as Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and Rainbow Trout. 

Google labels this as Boise Cascade Lake. Google isn't all that smart sometimes.

Here is my most recent catch from the pond. It was getting dark and it was taken with a smart phone so the quality isn't great, I'll take my HD camera from now on.

Nice little trout caught right at sundown. Air temperature was around 50 degrees.

Veterans Park West is tricky to get to now because of the construction on Rose St for Esther Simplot Park and improvements to the Idaho Transportation Building. After 5 O'clock they seem to move out of the way.  I have yet to fish this pond this season but got catfish out of her last year. It is pictured here. The IDFG site has target species as Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Bullhead Catfish (stocking record says Channel Catfish) and Rainbow Trout.

Local Fishin' Holes

Here is the list of water holes I am actively pursuing If you know of more and would like them featured then by all means shoot me an email/comment.

(Water hole descriptions taken from the Idaho Fish and Game Website, commentary is my own.)

A. Boise River: Rich with good fishing and easy access from the East Boise footbridge downstream to the Snake River.

I have seen people pulling Browns and Rainbows out of the River above and below the Glenwood Bridge. Last week I saw someone just over the Greenbelt from the Veteran's Memorial Pond pull in a 26 incher. He caught it on a yellow and black Panther Martin knock-off spinner. I have yet to catch one from the river mostly due to lack of time spent fishing there (20 minutes one day while scouting the ponds around Veterans Park)

B. Settlers Park Pond: An easy to access fishing pond in a park setting with park facilities nearby. Located at the northeast corner of Meridian and Ustick roads.

I have no information on this pond yet but intend to fish it this week. 
C. McDevitt Pond: Provides fishing in a park like setting. Located on the corner of Eagle and McMillan Roads in Meridian.

I catch my limit here in a round and hour/ hour and a half tops (2 fish as it is a "Family fishing water").  Always a few people there and lack of cover makes you feel like your'e fishing in a swimming hole but it is well stocked with rainbow Triploids that taste great after a few hours in my smoker. Great place to take younger kids. 

D. Merrill Pond: An attractive, well stocked pond in Eagle next to the Greenbelt and Merrill City Park. On Eagle Road just north of the Boise River turn east on Riverside Street, then right on Shore Drive.

I have no information on this pond yet but intend to fish it this week. 

E. Riverside Pond: Tucked in the trees off Glenwood Road and offers good bank fishing. Located on the corner of Glenwood Road and Riverside Drive.

I have no information on this pond yet but intend to fish it this week. 

F. Veteran's Park Pond: Along the Greenbelt and a short walk from a playground and park facilities. This pond sits at the back of Veteran's Park on the corner of Veteran's Parkway and State Street in Boise.

This pond is actually broken into 2 parts with different target species in each. There is Veterans pond east and Veterans Pond West. 

Veterans Park West is tricky to get to now because of the construction on Rose St for Esther Simplot Park and improvements to the Idaho Transportation Building. After 5 O'clock they seem to move out of the way.  I have yet to fish this pond this season but got catfish out of her last year. It is pictured here.

Veterans Pond East is Pictured to the right. I fished this pond a few times last week but I think it may have been too cold in the deeper parts to stimulate the larger fish. I caught a good Trout last night (3/29 at around 9 PM) after fishing only 15 minutes. He fought like a demon and hit my worm/Power Bait cocktail (regular ole nightcrawler with a pseudo jig-head of power bait, snell hook) so hard there was no need to set the hook. 

G. Quinn's Pond: Off the beaten path and popular for fishing, swimming and non-motorized watercraft. To get there go west on Main St. Turn north on 29th St. and go 3/10 of a mile and turn west on Pleasanton. Go to 31st Street and park on the left. Follow the Greenbelt to Quinn's Pond.

One of the ponds that intrigues me the most though I've yet to catch anything out of it after 2 plus hours of fishing. The Idaho fish and game stocked this with catfish a few years ago and I've heard they're well established. As I cut my teeth fishing back east (which means catfish and Bass) i would LOVE to be able to catfish 15 feet from the Greenbelt. Stay posted as i will certainly have my eye on this hole.

H. Park Center Pond: A popular fishing pond easily accessed from Park Center Boulevard just east of the Park Center Bridge.

An equally enticing candidate for Catfish. I have yet to make it down to this hole but as it contains Channel Cats and Blue Cats I will most certainly soak some stink bait in this hole as the weather warms. Stay tuned. 

I. Esther Simplot Pond: Not on the Idaho Fish and Game family fishing waters list but it has made their list of stocked ponds. Accessed off of Rose st. off of State St. this pond is the active construction site for Esther Simplot Park. The pond is hard to get to now (while invading the construction site I was yelled at by a worker who didnt know near enough english to run me off and I was through their site and on the water before he could get a translator. P.S I no habla Jibber Jabber so if you catch me on the water talk English or GTFO) or by jumping the fence along the green belt by the bridge that separates the little confluence/tributary that feeds Veterans Memorial Park. Isolated and stocked with catfish this pond will be interesting to fish. Check it out BEFORE they finish the park for the most secluded fishing you'll get right in the middle of Boise. 

Mission (fishin'?) Statement :)

Hey there folks.

 I have been searching high and low for a good resource on Boise's local fishing holes. Places such as Veterans Memorial Pond, McDevitt Pond, Settlers Pond, Quinn's Pond (Clocktower Pond for those of us that actually live in Boise ;) and the stretches of the boise river that run through city limits. I have found nothing except the stocking records from the Idaho Fish and Game. (accessible here) I also noticed that often times when I go out to these locations to soak a few worms that I am alone making it difficult to garner local knowledge on these bodies of water. Sooooooo as a result I have decided to chronicle my fishing experiences at these fishing holes so everyone can get an idea what's biting in Boise and where. Some of these fishing holes are rarely fished and have some great fisheries for Trout, Catfish, Bluegill, Crappie, and Bass to name a few.