any place to fish around Burley, Idaho

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Not the best time for Minidoka Dam although a late hunch produced 5 in the five pound range for me this past Wednesday. In April May and June the dam was just short of spectacular on many days. I fished it five times this past week and saw only two boats one day and two different days I was the only boat on the lake. Oakley was tough but we were able to pull a couple limits of walleye yesterday before my nightly pontoon fly fishing adventure on Walcott. The fishing has been spectatular below the dam on the south side for five weeks but the workers at the dam are trying to save the fish for themselves and until the dam is completed this winter, access immediately below has been controlled. Hundreds of five pound fish however have been caught after hours and on weekends. The cat and mouse game with a possible tresspassing charge has kept me away except for a couple trips. A friend reported over a hundred trout some as big as ten pounds were taken off the weir this week when they treated for moss on the third lift diversion outside of Declo. The southside canal just below the dam has been excellent but the top 200 yards is restricted where the best fishing is. The new gates at the dam and southside canal allow too many fish to escape threatning one of the best fishery's in the state. The water is released fifteen feet below the surface and any fish in the area is gone. The new canal issue needs addressing as 75% of those fish are wasted.

Smallmouth fishing at the dam and in the river around Burley is very productive. You have to drive another 60 miles to find the sturgeon.
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