Autumn and spring are the best seasons to practice river fishing.

Where are Bull Trout in the River

In the summer and late spring, Bull Trout are often found in the sea. And in winter, while fly fishing is possible in some rivers, water levels are low and the northern parts of their distribution can be very cold.

If you are going to fly fish in the winter, be sure to have the right gear with you. Warm and breathable clothing is very important as are gloves.

While most Pacific climates are temperate, many angler have become disoriented from hyperthermaia due to lack of proper clothing. Gortex is a good fabric used for all weather climates.

If you are fishing in a new area, be sure to make a kit consisting of a compass, hot pockets, bandaids, cause and hydrogen peroxide. Hot pockets are pads that generate heat for a few hours once they have been broken.

Bull Trout on the Boise River

Not many folks outside of Idaho know much about the Boise river, let alone come here for Bull Trout fishing. However, we would like to showcase this little known river.

The Boise River is surrounded on both sides by trees and shrubs for most of its length, grasslands in others.

Make sure you get away from the urban areas, moving upstream closer to the headwaters where there is freshwater.

The Boise River is filled with many great species like the rainbow trout in addition to the Bull Trout. Rainbows in this area grow to over 24 inches so you won’t feel sad if you don’t end up catching any Bull Trout.

Endangered Species

As mentioned in our section on Bull Trout distribution, Bull Trout are endangered and exist in a small fraction of the rivers and stress that they were found in the 1800s. It is estimated that they have lost between 94 to 96 percent of their original habitat.

As such, we recommend practicing catch and release with Bull Trout. I know it seems like we are over emphasizing catch and release on the Bull Trout but we enjoy fishing so much we feel it is our duty to conserve these great fish or they will be gone one day.

While we understand that mining an forestry are critical to our way of life, we need to be careful when planning ventures to include measures that don’t harm them.