McTucker Creek Management Area
By
Dave Langston



Weather in south east Idaho is always unpredictable. But this year it seems most reservoirs are taking a bit longer to finally clear of ice. Mctucker Creek ponds have finally cleared and anglers should be able to cast a line to open water.

Last year anglers reported fair to good catches of trout, sunfish and catfish with a few bass thrown into the mix. Trout were averaging 12 -14 inches with a few bigger and catfish are under a pound but anglers reported a good population of them.

Sunfish have taken over most of the ponds. The green sunfish as Idaho Fish and Game calls it is stunted (only about 2-3 inches long) and booming in most of the ponds. These guys are perfect for breaking in that first time angler; they simply won’t stay off your hook.

Bass fishing looks good this year in a few of the ponds with largemouth’s pushing the four pound mark and over. Last year just before winter, I went on a bass fishing exploration at Mctucker and found that the majority of the ponds hold bass and almost every pond that held bass also held a few large fish pushing four pounds.

Now is the time to head out, with open water fish should be aggressive and are on the lookout for an easy meal after a long winters nap. Your best bet at this time is live bait like worms or crawlers.

Now here is the bad news. Jennifer Jackson of Idaho Fish and Game 208-232-4703 reported to me that there has been a fish kill at the ponds but does not know the severity of it or which ponds were affected. “It may only be a few fish, we just do not know yet. This is the first I have heard of it but we will be checking it out,” says Jackson.

I have been reporting how well McTucker Creek has been fishing and what do you know, an avid Fishing & Hunting reader from Pocatello took my word and landed a 27 inch brown. Congratulations! There are more fish in the system like that one but a brown of that size is not common in most cases. Expect fish to be in the 14 – 18 inch range.