Fishes Anderson Ranch Reservoir
Reservoir · Elmore County, the South Fork Boise River impoundment above Pine and Featherville in the Boise National Forest of south-central Idaho · Idaho
Anderson Ranch Reservoir Fishing Guides
A deep mountain reservoir on the South Fork Boise known for large kokanee and a strong smallmouth fishery, with a gauge at the dam reading a pool that swings hard through the season.
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Guides on the Anderson Ranch Reservoir
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
About the Anderson Ranch Reservoir
Anderson Ranch sits on the South Fork of the Boise River in forested mountain country above Pine and Featherville, a Bureau of Reclamation storage reservoir rather than a recreation pool, and understanding that distinction explains most of what an angler needs to know. It is deep, cold and steep-sided, holding water through the winter and spring and giving it up through the irrigation season to farms far downstream. The fishing is excellent and the access changes month by month as the pool moves.
Kokanee are the reason the reservoir has a reputation. Anderson Ranch grows them larger than most Idaho waters do, and trolling for them through the summer is the dominant fishery, worked with downriggers over the deep main body. Smallmouth bass are the other half of the story and are abundant on the rocky shoreline, which is extensive and largely undeveloped. Rainbow trout are present throughout, brown trout turn up in the inflow areas, and bull trout are protected and must be released. Mountain whitefish move between the reservoir and the South Fork above it.
The gauge at the dam reports reservoir stage, and here that number genuinely determines the trip. Drawdown through late summer and autumn can be dramatic, leaving ramps stranded and exposing long stretches of bank, and by October the reservoir can look like a different body of water than it did in June. Anglers towing a boat should check the reading rather than assume a ramp is usable. The South Fork Boise below the dam is a celebrated tailwater fishery in its own right and is a natural companion trip. Anglers combining the two waters in one trip usually fish the reservoir early for kokanee and drop down to the tailwater in the afternoon, which is a productive way to use a long summer day. Cell coverage in the drainage is patchy and should not be relied on.
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Access
Pine - the small settlement on the reservoir's upper end, with a store, lodging and the nearest services. / Featherville - further up the South Fork, the approach to the inflow and the upper river. / Anderson Ranch Dam - the outlet at the western end, nearest the gauge and the tailwater below. / Curlew Creek and Fall Creek - forest service recreation areas with ramps and camping. / Mountain Home - the town on Interstate 84 an hour southwest, the main base for supplies. / Boise National Forest roads - the network reaching the shoreline, rough and slow but extensive. / South Fork Boise River - the tailwater below the dam, a separate and well-known trout fishery.
Seasons
Spring: the pool is high and rising, ramps are usable and smallmouth move shallow onto the rock as the water warms through May. / Summer: kokanee trolling is at its peak over the deep water and the reservoir is at its busiest, with bass holding on the shoreline rock. / Fall: heavy drawdown strands ramps and reshapes the shoreline, but the fish concentrate and the pressure disappears. / Winter: cold, low and largely inaccessible, with mountain roads and weather closing most of the reservoir to practical fishing.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Anderson Ranch Reservoir?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Bull Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch on the Anderson Ranch Reservoir in Idaho.
Are there fishing guides on the Anderson Ranch Reservoir?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Anderson Ranch Reservoir. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Anderson Ranch Reservoir?
Pine - the small settlement on the reservoir's upper end, with a store, lodging and the nearest services. / Featherville - further up the South Fork, the approach to the inflow and the upper river. / Anderson Ranch Dam - the outlet at the western end, nearest the gauge and the tailwater below. / Curlew Creek and Fall Creek - forest service recreation areas with ramps and camping. / Mountain Home - the town on Interstate 84 an hour southwest, the main base for supplies. / Boise National Forest roads - the network reaching the shoreline, rough and slow but extensive. / South Fork Boise River - t...
When is the best time to fish the Anderson Ranch Reservoir?
Spring: the pool is high and rising, ramps are usable and smallmouth move shallow onto the rock as the water warms through May. / Summer: kokanee trolling is at its peak over the deep water and the reservoir is at its busiest, with bass holding on the shoreline rock. / Fall: heavy drawdown strands ramps and reshapes the shoreline, but the fish concentrate and the pressure disappears. / Winter: cold, low and largely inaccessible, with mountain roads and weather closing most of the reservoir to practical fishing.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Anderson Ranch Reservoir?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Idaho agency site: https://idfg.idaho.gov/rules/fish