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Anderson Ranch Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: a 4,607-acre Reclamation lake on the South Fork Boise that IDFG manages mainly for kokanee.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Gauge
4150.32 ft
Air / High
45 / 52 F
Wind
WNW 13 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13190000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The gauge reads 4150.31 ft, easing 0.38 over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 13 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 52. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:20 AM-12:20 PM and 10:50 PM-12:50 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Chinook salmonSlow

Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 57 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Idaho requires a fishing licence from age 14, from $35.50 for residents. What a Idaho licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with IDFG before you keep anything. The season dates for Idaho, read off the agency, are on the Idaho seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Anderson Ranch Reservoir at Anderson Ranch Dam.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13190000.

4150.654151.294151.934150.31 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp45 F
High / Low52 / 39 F
WindWNW 13-24 mph
Pressure1013.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 51%
Sunrise / Sunset08:05 / 18:45
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Anderson Ranch Reservoir this week

Today is the pick of the week on Anderson Ranch Reservoir, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:20 AM-12:20 PM and 10:50 PM-12:50 AM
Minor period
4:45 AM-5:45 AM
Sun
08:05 to 18:45
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 20 mph
Rain chance
51%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Anderson Ranch Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Chinook salmon illustration

Chinook salmon

Seasons follow the runs: spring, summer and fall runs on the West Coast, and late summer into fall in Great Lakes rivers

The largest Pacific salmon, caught by trolling and mooching at sea and by drifting and plunking in rivers as adults return to spawn; also stocked in the Great Lakes. Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

When to come: the Anderson Ranch Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Yellow perch
Chinook salmon
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Anderson Ranch Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 20 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Idaho requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Idaho fishing license. Check IDFG's current seasons and rules for Anderson Ranch Reservoir, and separately for the South Fork Boise below the dam, before keeping fish.

Access

IDFG lists a boat ramp, dock, toilets, campground and ADA access, with no motor restrictions.

About this water

A 4,607.7-acre Bureau of Reclamation reservoir behind 456-foot Anderson Ranch Dam (1950) on the South Fork Boise River, Elmore County, Idaho.

Fishing Anderson Ranch Reservoir: the full guide

A Reclamation reservoir in Elmore County

Anderson Ranch Dam stands 456 feet high on the South Fork of the Boise River, 28 miles northeast of Mountain Home. Reclamation says it was the world's highest earthfill dam when it was finished in 1950, and it serves irrigation, power, and flood and silt control, with 474,900 acre-feet of total storage. Idaho Fish and Game lists the reservoir at 4,607.7 acres.

Kokanee first

IDFG calls Anderson Ranch most notably a kokanee fishery, with rainbow trout, bull trout, fall Chinook, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and the occasional mountain whitefish also caught. Kokanee fishing usually starts in mid to late April, depending on the spring. Early in the season kokanee can be caught 1 to 15 feet down; as the water warms, IDFG says downriggers are needed to reach them at 35 to 80 feet.

What IDFG stocks

IDFG's stocking records list kokanee releases most years, including 70,263 fry in May 2025 and more than 360,000 fry and fingerlings in May 2024, along with fall Chinook and triploid rainbow trout in earlier years. Its surveys found kokanee and rainbow trout in 2025 and yellow perch in 2024.

The dam raise

Reclamation and the Idaho Water Resource Board signed a contract in November 2021 for final design and construction of a 6-foot raise of Anderson Ranch Dam, which would add about 29,000 acre-feet of storage. Reclamation notes that construction depends on a record of decision and that its timeline is subject to change.

Common questions

What is the main fishery?

Kokanee. IDFG also lists rainbow trout, bull trout, fall Chinook, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and the occasional mountain whitefish.

How deep are the kokanee?

IDFG says they can be 1 to 15 feet down early in the season and 35 to 80 feet down once the water warms, when downriggers are needed.

Is the reservoir stocked?

Yes. IDFG records kokanee fry or fingerling releases most years, the latest listed being 70,263 fry in May 2025.

Is fishing good at Anderson Ranch Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

South Fork Boise River2 miLucky Peak Reservoir32 miBoise River46 miMagic Reservoir55 miPayette River55 miLake Lowell63 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 13190000 β€” Anderson Ranch Reservoir at Anderson Ranch Dam
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 43.3583, -115.4436 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 7, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 7, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.