With winter upon us, many of you might be wondering where you can go ice fishing in the Magic Valley. Below is a comprehensive list of where anglers can ice fish this winter and the current ice conditions;
Wood River Valley
- Carey Lake - The ice is approximately 4-5”, but we have not received a fishing report or checked any anglers yet.
- Fish Creek Reservoir – The reservoir is fishable with approximately 5-6” of ice on it. Moderate to slow catch rates, trout size has ranged between 10”-14”.
- Little Wood Reservoir – The ice is accumulating on the reservoir with approximately 4-5”, with no current fishing report.
- Penny Lake –Approximately 5-6” of ice. The lake was stocked with 800 catchable Rainbow trout in August and tends to receive moderate to low winter angling pressure.
Twin Falls County
- Cedar Creek Reservoir (Roseworth Reservoir) – Little to no ice accumulation, open water.
- Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir – Little to no ice accumulation, open water.
Elmore, Camas, and Gooding County
- Blair Trail Pond – No report for 2019 yet, but reports from last year’s ice fishery and this year’s summer suggest poor catch rates.
- Dog Creek Reservoir – Approximately 2 inches of ice, keep an eye on ice conditions, as thin ice is extremely dangerous.
- Little Camas Reservoir – No report for 2019 yet. Little Camas did receive its full allotment of stocked fish this year; which bodes well for its future fishery potential.
- Camas Pond #2 (Camas Kids Pond) – The pond is fishable with approximately three to four inches of ice, and received fall stocking of broodstock trout.
- Mormon Reservoir - The reservoir is fishable with approximately 4-5” of ice on it. Trout in the 10-16” range are being caught with moderate to slow catch rates.
- Magic Reservoir – There is still open water on the reservoir with approximately 3-4” of ice accumulating at Moonstone and Hotsprings access points. Summer fishing reports saw good catch rates of large trout in the upper reservoir and perch ranging from 8-11” in the lower reservoir.
- Thorn Creek Reservoir - The ice is accumulating on the reservoir with approximately 4-5” of ice on it. Trout fishing can be good early near the dam
Mini-Cassia Area
- Burley Pond (Connor Pond) – No ice! Open water fishing remains available.
- Lower Goose Creek Reservoir (Oakley Reservoir) – Trapper Creek and Goose Creek are starting to form some ice, but there’s still a lot of open water. That said, catch rates from bank anglers of 16-20” rainbows have been good.
- Emerald Lake – The lake has approximately 2.5-3” of ice forming near the bank. At this point it is not safe to ice fish.
- Lake Cleveland – The office has not received any reports regarding ice conditions. The lake only provides fishing opportunities for those willing to hike into the lake. If you fish here, please call the Magic Valley Region Office to provide a report.
- Lake Walcott - The lake has approximately 2.5-3” of ice forming near the bank. At this point it is not safe to ice fish.
Ice fishing is generally a safe activity if you pay attention to ice conditions and remember that they can change from day to day. Three to four inches of solid ice is the minimum to support a person, and thicker ice is needed for groups. Please visit the webpage to review rules and safety guidelines for ice fishing.
For additional information on rules and regulations, please visit the 2019-21 Idaho Fishing Seasons and Rules or click on the body of water to review stocking reports and fishing rules.