Fishing and gem hunting are two very popular passions of many people who live in southern Idaho, and many locals claim that certain sections of a small river that flow through portions of the Magic Valley are prime spots for doing both. There's a section of a smaller, less-occupied river that passes just north of Twin Falls that many say is a great spot to find jasper and agate stones, as well as hook some very decent trout.

If I'm given the choice of fishing or rockhounding, I'm gonna grab my pan and chisel all day. Nothing against those who love casting lines out into the cool waters of southern Idaho, but I like hobbies that could potentially reward me with something bigger than a fish carcass. Stumbling upon hidden artifacts of a long-ago time or precious stones is as exciting as a hobby can possibly get.

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I've been reading a lot lately about a section of the Little Wood River that supposedly has a good stock of brown trout hiding out in pockets of shallow water approximately 25 miles north of Twin Falls near Shoshone. There are some great YouTube videos produced by locals who walk viewers through the best sections of this river to flyfish for trout, which is exciting for those that don't mind following catch-and-release rules.

One of the state's most detailed rockhounding websites also mentions the same expanse of river as being a terrific spot to unearth jasper and agate. The website also contains GPS data to guide you right to these reported prime spots for gem hunting.

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