Mann Creek Reservoir & Ben Ross Reservoir

[doublewide]

As I mentioned in my earlier post regarding Sage Hen Reservoir, we opted to try Mann Creek Reservoir and Ben Ross Reservoir instead.  Hopefully, this will be helpful info for anyone considering either site.

We started at Mann Creek, arriving around 1130 this morning.  It's about a 75 minute drive from west Boise, and you can drive all the way to the Reservoir.  We drove across the dam and parked at the picnic area on the south side of the dam.  The vault toilets there, by the way, are unlocked (but bring TP!).  It was cold - about 12°F - but sunny and no wind, so actually quite comfortable.  The lake's water level is down significantly from the high-water mark, but I don't know what's normal there.  We saw old holes, so folks have been fishing there, but not lately.  While we were there, another guy came and fished on the north side of the dam and some kids had a blast sledding down the hill below where we parked.  Where we were fishing - about 100 yards from the bank, the ice was 16 inches thick and looks good, but - I gotta say - it was talking  A LOT, and I was nervous with the frequent groans, pops, and cracking sounds  At that thickness, I know it's probably safe, but that ice sounded unusually active.  The water was only about 15 feet deep, so the steep bank must yield to a fairly flat bottom.  We fished for a couple of hours - small jigs with bait - and only got one half-hearted nibble.  Gauging by the lack of fish gunk near the old holes, it doesn't look like anyone had caught much there, and that guy on the north side looked like he was getting skunked too.  So... we moved on.

To Ben Ross Reservoir.  Again, you can drive right to the Reservoir.  We saw lots of snowmobile tracks on the ice, but no old holes, at least not by by dam, where we fished for about an hour.  The ice there is a solid 14 inches, but didn't groan, crack, or pop like at Mann Creek.  We fished in about 15 feet of water, and - again - got zilch, not even a nibble.  By 4pm, the temp was back down in the single digits, the sun was getting low, and we'd had our fill of fun.  On the drive out to Midvale, the temp plunged to -7°F, so it gets cold fast out there.

I think we'll try somewhere else on our next outing, unless someone has a hot tip that will make these two Reservoirs a little more productive fish-wise.

Hope this helps!

[Perch Freak]

I usually do well at Manns Creek on a pink jig tipped with shrimp. I've always fished the north end in about 15-20 ft of water. I heard it slowed down the last week or so. The trout in there are hard fighters though.
I got skunked at Ben Ross last year and have never been back.

[doublewide]

Went back out to Mann Creek Reservoir yesterday.  Drove there in a Prius, so no problem with the roads.  Oddly, gas is $3.23/gal in Weiser, which is a almost a dime cheaper than Boise, so that helps a bit if you gas-up there. 

We fished near the boat ramp this time.  There's also a vault toilet there - unlocked, but bring TP. 

There's a gap - slush and even a bit of open water - between the shore and the ice sheet that might deter the casual fisherman.  Right at the ramp, the gap is about 10 feet-ish (varies a lot).  But, if you go a bit west of the ramp - so you're coming down the nose of the hill - the gap is much smaller, and someone has laid a 2x6x8 plank (thanks!) that allows you to get onto the ice.  If the gap grows much more, it's gonna take a longer plank to get onto the ice.  At the dam, it looks like the ice sheet goes right up to shore; however, we just eyeballed that from the road as we drove in/out.

Judging by the number of old holes in this area, this boat ramp area gets fished as much as the north side of the dam.  We fished about 120 feet from shore, where the water's 18 feet deep.  The ice was 14 inches and clear, with no snow on top.  Caught one 12 inch trout within the first two minutes (meal worm on small jig head, static), then nothing for the next hour and a half.

I guess those previous 2 sentences are the key info, eh?  Anyhow, I hope this helps someone - I certainly appreciate the updates others provide on this site!  I've never ice-fished for anything besides trout, so if anyone has some tips on getting the crappie to bite - at Mann Creek Res or anywhere else near Boise - I'd love to know.  And, is it true that there's no limit on crappie?  I know that's the case for perch, but we didn't see any limit in the Regs for crappie (or bluegill or any sunfish).  I only need to keep a few of anything, but it's good to know the rules!

Stay safe out there!

[StrikeMojo]

Doublewide, it is true there is no limit on perch, crappie, and panfish.  I have done well by finding them with my MarCum or Aquaview, and then fishing small ice jigs with a piece of worm or meal worm, as well as small jigging spoons with a maggot or 2, or a couple of wax worms.  Just drop it to the bottom, lift it a turn, then lightly jig a bit and let the bait set.  then a minute or two later jig and lift a turn.  keep that up till you find the depth.  They mostly hit lightly and when the bait/spoon is not moving, so a spring bobber is mandatory.

Hope that helps...