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Boise River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Idaho's urban ribbon: wild trout and whitefish through downtown Boise, steelhead trucked in each fall, and a greenbelt that makes it all walkable.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
683 cfs
Air / High
57 / 60 F
Wind
ENE 2 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13206000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

Boise River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 683 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings cloud cover, wind ENE around 2 mph, falling pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 60. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 74 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Boise River at Glenwood Bridge.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13206000.

668724779683 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp57 F
High / Low60 / 48 F
WindENE 2-2 mph
Pressure1013.9 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 84%
Sunrise / Sunset07:12 / 20:15
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 60/48 F, wind 10 mph, rain 84%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Boise River 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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 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 Boise River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 76 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 77 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 86 F, wind to 19 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 license. Town reach: standard trout rules, some catch-and-release sections: check IDFG. Steelhead permit required in season for the stocked fish.

Access

Greenbelt access the entire town reach: Barber Park, Ann Morrison, Glenwood Bridge; SF Boise via Anderson Ranch Dam road.

About this water

Urban tailwater through Idaho's capital, Ada County. Wild trout downtown plus a trucked steelhead season.

Fishing Boise River: the full guide

The city's wild vein

The Boise runs straight through its namesake city as a legitimate trout stream: wild rainbows and browns in the riffles behind office parks, tubers overhead in July, and 25 miles of greenbelt path making every run bike-accessible. Locals fish lunch breaks: caddis at the Broadway bridge is a genuine scene.

The trucked-steelhead bonus

Each fall IDFG trucks surplus hatchery steelhead from the Snake into the town reach: for a few November-December weeks, Boise commuters swing jigs and beads for 6-10-lb ocean fish within sight of the Capitol. It is a manufactured fishery and a beloved one: check the stocking announcements and join the friendly chaos.

Reading the urban flows

Lucky Peak dam controls the river: summer irrigation flows run high and brisk (fish the edges), fall drops it to intimate wading levels, winter runs low and clear (midges, small nymphs, careful feet). The caddis blizzard of May-June is the signature hatch: evening swarms that turn the greenbelt bridges into theater.

Beyond town

Above Lucky Peak, the Middle Fork and the South Fork of the Boise (a blue-ribbon tailwater of its own) offer the wilder versions: the SF Boise's rainbows below Anderson Ranch Dam rank with Idaho's best on stoneflies and pink alberts. The town river is the gateway drug: the drainage rewards graduation.

Common questions

Are there really steelhead in downtown Boise?

Every fall IDFG trucks a few hundred from the Snake: announced publicly, fished hard and cheerfully. A steelhead permit and single barbless hooks apply: check the current release dates.

When is the Boise River caddis hatch?

May into June, peaking at dusk: the greenbelt bridges swarm. An Elk Hair Caddis and a bike beat a drift boat here: urban fishing at its best.

Is fishing good at Boise River 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

Lucky Peak Reservoir14 miLake Lowell21 miPayette River21 miOwyhee River39 miSouth Fork Boise River45 miAnderson Ranch Reservoir46 mi
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