Six-year-old Tabor lofts a couple of big crappie from C.J. Strike Reservoir, an Idaho
Lake where there is no limit on how many crappie you can keep. (Photo: Gary Lewis)
Destination Idaho – C.J. Strike Reservoir
by Gary Lewis
“You ought to come over and go crappie fishing.”
My friend, Joal Reece, makes his home in Fruitland, Idaho, near the Oregon border.
It is very easy for any of us to say “let’s go fishing sometime” and then it never happens.
Of late, however, I have tried to do a better job of taking people up on such friendly offers. In this case, the six-hour road trip to Idaho was also a great excuse to visit my cousins as well.
Trevor Barclay and I rolled in to Black Sands Resort and Campground on the shore of C.J. Strike Reservoir on a Friday night. In the morning, our group assembled at the launch.
Cousin Neil, his wife, Amy, 6-year-old Tabor and Lance Souvenir were in Neil’s North River, while Joal Reece with his son Dylan and Trevor and I rode to battle in Joal’s Hewes Craft. We motored away from the dock at 8 am, driving out through the narrows and into the flats of the Bruneau arm. C.J. Strike totals about 7,500 acres.
And unlike most other lakes across the country, there is no creel or size limit on crappie. You can keep all you can catch.
A bass club derby was underway. There are big smallmouth in C.J. Strike. And Bill Reece, the owner of Black Sands Resort, had just caught and released a sturgeon in the Snake River upstream from C.J. Strike the week before that could have set a new state record. His fish, as near as he could measure it, stretched the tape to 126 inches (10.5 feet). The current Idaho state catch-and-release record is 124 inches and also came from C.J. Strike.
While it was tempting to consider doing battle with such a behemoth fish, we were here to fish for crappie that would swamp a dinner plate. And if we caught enough, we would make fish tacos.
First lure out of the box was a buffet rig from TTI-Blakemore. We began to troll in 15 feet of water along a grassy shoreline and the rod bent over with a strong fish. It fought like a crappie all the way to the boat, but at the net it turned out to be a 16-inch rainbow. Not a bad start. After that the crappie began to bite.
We experimented with colors and did best with greens and purples. But at first, the crappie were average-sized and it was time to go hunt bigger fish.
Reece fired up the big motor and after a short run, shut it down swapping outboard power for trolling motor power. We began to work across a flat adjacent to a stream inlet. In a few minutes my rod bent over with the first bigger fish of the day – a solid slab that measured 12 inches.
Joal, Dylan and I all boated big ones, including one fish that measured 14-1/2 inches. With consistent bites, it was a good time to rotate through my boxes to experiment with crappie baits that were usually too big for the crappie back home.
Honestly, it was hard to beat a simple green grub on a 1/8-jighead for sheer numbers, but the Roadrunner Bang Shad in limetreuse provoked a lot of grabs and I caught a several on chartreuse/orange Slab Runner jigs.
Eighty fish to the net is more than enough for fish tacos. We cleaned them with electric fillet knives.
Lance prepped the fillets with egg batter and bread crumbs. Then he made a sauce of yogurt and mayonnaise with dill, cayenne, oregano and cumin, adding cilantro and capers. With fried crappie topped with cabbage, the mayo sauce and a touch of lime, fish tacos were the perfect cap to a great day of family fishing.
THERE’S A LOT MORE TO DO
Located 87 miles east of Boise and 21 miles from Mountain Home, C.J. Strike Reservoir also offers a low-key stay-and-play spot for the non-fishing members of the family.
The restaurant has a great menu and there is an adjacent bar. A store offers tackle, bait, souvenirs and grocery basics, but don’t dawdle, it closes early.
Campers can rent paddleboards and kayaks.
Only a few miles away is Bruneau Dunes State Park where you can try “sand surfing.” Yes, sand surfing is a thing. At Bruneau Dunes sandboards are available to rent to surf the dunes.
The astronomical observatory is open Friday and Saturday evenings mid-March through mid-October and the public is invited to view the unpolluted night sky.
This is a great area for hiking especially with an awareness of the early history. This region was home to the Snake (Shoshone) Indians and is tracked by the still-visible remnant ruts of the South Alternate branch of the Oregon Trail. Other historical highlights included the sheep camps, silver mining and early farming machinery. The Lawson’s Legacy Museum which contains relics of the old Owyhee era is located in Grand View, just a short drive from the Black Sands Resort.
Campers can bring their own trailers or motorhomes or call and reserve a furnished RV.
The Black Sands Resort and Campground does not have a web site but they are active on Facebook. To make reservations, call 208-834-2798
For more information, click on Visit Idaho.
From Bend, Oregon, enduring freelance writer, TV host, and podcaster, Gary Lewis’s distinctive voice has brought extraordinary power to his expression, capturing the world of the hunter and fisherman. He is twice past president of the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association and winner of Excellence in Craft, Enos Bradner, and Legacy awards. Learn more at www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com
