Fishing in ponds? (Boise: home, neighborhood, restaurants)

[burbsgrrl]

I grew up fishing on the Snake River for sturgeon and steelhead. Around Boise, I see a lot of people fishing in man-made ponds, which I find very strange. Not sure I understand the draw of going to stocked pond. Please help me understand this. Thoughts?

[T M H]

Originally Posted by burbsgrrl

Not sure I understand the draw of going to stocked pond. Please help me understand this.

Strange? Not everyone is a purest, or wants to be. For families, a neighborhood pond is an ideal place for an outdoor experience without driving miles into the desert to reach the Snake River. It's convenient. Children can play in the grass, learn how to fish, and even younger children can observe from their playpen set up beneath a shady tree. There are trash cans. It's close. The elderly, the handicapped, or anyone else for that matter, can still enjoy dropping a line in the water without the need to navigate the banks of a river, or spend the extra time or the money on the gas needed to get there. I personally can walk out my door and be at a stocked pond in about five minutes - listen to an old-timer tell me about the fish he used to catch on the Kenai River. I can chat up the others folks there, and have a nice social exchange and an outdoor experience under the same sun that shines on the Snake River. A nice cup of expresso is just across the street, along with a half-dozen different nearby restaurants.

People aren't drawn to these man-made ponds in search of native fish, they're going there for pure enjoyment.

Folks who grew up in Africa or India in plain sight of an occasional elephant, can no longer do that, so now they go to the man-made zoo if they'd like to see one. It's the same concept.

[Hesster]

It's fishing and it's not too far from home for most people. Unless you want to fish the Boise River and put up with all the float tubers, they're pretty much the only close choice at this time of the year.

For still water other options are to drive up to Lucky Peak or Arrowrock (where you will have to put up with wake boats and jetskiers), Lake Lowell (ditto on the wake boats and jetskiers and eating the fish isn't a good idea) or C.J. Strike (which has much better fishing but is a good 50 miles away).

[IdaD]

There's fantastic fishing within an hour of Boise that to me is worth traveling for rather than dealing with a tepid urban pond. That's about as specific as I'm going to get, though... :-)

[californiasucks]

Originally Posted by IdaD

There's fantastic fishing within an hour of Boise that to me is worth traveling for rather than dealing with a tepid urban pond. That's about as specific as I'm going to get, though... :-)

Is there salmon fishing nearby to Boise?

Where's the closest place to Boise you can go salmon fishing (with license/etc)? Is salmon season still going on in September/October?

[photoshopper]

Originally Posted by IdaD

There's fantastic fishing within an hour of Boise that to me is worth traveling for rather than dealing with a tepid urban pond. That's about as specific as I'm going to get, though... :-)

Can you at least say whether you're speaking of cold-water (trout) or warm-water (bass) species? Don't think you'd be giving away too much...