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Spokane River is fly fisher’s local ace in the hole

Casting call: Hoping for a bite from a redband rainbow trout, Mike Thomas casts his line into the Spokane River near Riverside State Park on Wednesday. Thomas, a student at Spokane Falls Community College, said he took the day for himself to get in some time at the river before temperatures start to drop. Thomas said he plans to transfer to North Idaho College to pursue studies in wildlife biology. (Tyler Tjomsland)
Casting call: Hoping for a bite from a redband rainbow trout, Mike Thomas casts his line into the Spokane River near Riverside State Park on Wednesday. Thomas, a student at Spokane Falls Community College, said he took the day for himself to get in some time at the river before temperatures start to drop. Thomas said he plans to transfer to North Idaho College to pursue studies in wildlife biology. (Tyler Tjomsland)

FLY FISHING -- It's summer and anglers are making and executing all sorts of travel plans related to the pursuit of fish.

But savvy fly fishers don't consider it down time to be here in Spokane.  Here's a report from Mike Berube of the Spokane Fly Fishers from his Spokane River float-fishing trip on Friday:

A friend and Ihad a great float yesterday. Put in just below Monroe St  Bridge at about 6AM and took out at TJ Meenach Bridge at about 1PM. River is fishing great. The fish were primarily at the end of riffles and loved any type of brownish olive streamer. I fished a sz 6 woolhead sculpin on a sink tip. All were in the 12-14" range with a couple to 20".  Nymping was productive also.

Hard to beat a Pat's Rubber Legs with a Lightning Bug dropper on the Spokane.

Wading to some of the really good holes should be better in about a week if it continues to drop.

Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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