SCHIESS: Ririe Reservoir is iced over — and the fishing is good
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Ririe Reservoir capped over on December 30, but did not have safe ice for coldfooters until Thursday, January 5, when it was four inches deep. Due to the bitter cold the ice had deepened to eight to 10 inches by Saturday when about 30 fishermen braved the cold to get some kokanee and perch.
“The kokanee and perch treated us really good on both Friday and Saturday,” said Lucas Ingram of Rexburg after braving the cold weather. “They were hitting anything pink and were easy to catch when they showed up.”
In most early ice fishing at Ririe, the fishing area is limited just around the Juniper boat ramp area, but with the quick building ice, fishing is available to all the area open to the hard-water fishermen. Ice fishing is limited to a mile south of the dam to protect the wintering wildlife south of that line.
Fishing has been very good for many fishermen working the ice the past week. Kokanee are the targeted fish for most part and are being caught from 15 to 30 feet below the ice on pink jigs or ice flies. The lures are usually tipped with mealworms, wax worms or a piece of red dyed corn about eight inches below a flasher.
Most kokanee are running from 10 to 14 inches with a limit of 15. The key is to wait for a school of them to show up, but be ready for hot action when a school comes through. Jigging the lures increases the odds of harvesting these landlocked salmon.
Another popular fish targeted at Ririe are the Yellow perch, which are usually caught near the bottom in water from 30 to 70 feet deep. Glow jigs tipped with bait including perch eyes or strips of perch meat are the most effective. This year the perch has been running from eight to 11 inches.
The rainbow trout are usually not a targeted species, but can run up to 16 inches and usually come in singles and are deeper than the kokanee, running about 30 to 50 feet below the ice.
The thieving eagles have already showed up. While landing a kokanee and another flopping on the ice, one fisherman heard the whistle of wings and felt a breeze created by a Bald eagle trying to get lunch. The huge bird continued circling until he zeroed in on a fish far enough away to grab it in a dive that would make Olympian divers proud. The thief appeared to be old and is probably the same one that has stolen many fish in previous years.
A couple things are to be remembered about Ririe. It is a county park and a fee is required to park there. On week days the fee is $3 while weekends and holidays there is a $5 charge per vehicle. Also the ice is very slick and cleats should be worn to protect fishermen from falls.
This weekend if you chose to try Ririe, look for a groups of fishermen on the ice. They are usually experienced fishermen who have been there during the week and know where the fish have been passing through. Patience is the key to get the prized landlocked salmon.
