Fishing Report

Trout, Washington

Anglers who don’t like their boats to be rocked continuously by the wakes left by speed boats - usually between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. during summer months - have lots of places to go. Most of the small lakes in Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties are good choices for fishermen who want a little peace.

Here are some suggestions: Pend Oreille County - Brown’s Lake, fly fishing-only, cutthroat; Marshall, 189 acres, cutthroat; Mystic, 17 acres, cutthroat; No-Name, 18 acres, cutthroat; North (39 acres) and South Skookum (32 acres), rainbows; Big Meadow, 30 acres, brook and rainbow trout; Yocum, 42 acres, cutthroat; Stevens County—Black, 70 acres, brook and rainbows; Cedar, 51 acres, rainbows; Mudgett, 32 acres, rainbows; Ferry County—Davis, 17 acres, cutthroat; Ferry, 19 acres, rainbows; Swan, 52 acres, brook and rainbow trout.

The above lakes are shown on large-scale Forest Service maps.

Trollers are continuing to catch good-sized rainbows at Lake Roosevelt. Most anglers troll small baited lures or flies behind gang trolls and leaded line from Spring Canyon to Kettle Falls. Good areas: Seven Bays area and Spring Canyon to mouth of the San Poil River.

Trout, Montana

Fishing for big rainbows and brown trout along the Missouri River below Canyon Ferry Dam is the best it has been this year, guide Chris Goodman of Craig said.

The Bureau of Reclamation has reduced the flow to 5,500 cubic feet per second. As a result, Goodman said, fly fishers can wade easily along the river below the dam.

He said fishing has been fantastic in the evenings during caddis and Pale Morning Dun hatches and good in the mornings, when Tricos hatch and spent caddisflies are on the water. Fly fishers are using Nos. 14 and 15 caddis patterns and No. 16 PMD imitations.

Trout streams in the Missoula area are dropping fast, but they’re still a little high for this time of year. They’ve been providing good fly fishing, John Herzer of Streamside Anglers at Missoula said.

Fly fishers have had success along the Clark Fork on attractor and hopper patterns during mid-day hours, especially on overcast days. They’ve been using bead head dropper patterns tied to the bends of Stimulator and hopper hooks.

Some Pale Morning Duns have been coming off in the mornings. Best dry fly fishing has been in the evenings, when caddisflies and PMDs hatch.

Herzer said the Bitterroot should be in excellent shape in a few days, especially above Hamilton. PMDs and caddisflies are hatching.

PMDs have been hatching in the mornings and caddisflies in the evenings along Rock Creek, he said. Most fly fishers are using bead head Prince and Hare’s Ear patterns during mid-day hours.

Kokanee

The best time to troll at several of the region’s kokanee producers is from dawn to about 8 a.m., resort operators say. It’s true at Loon and Roosevelt lakes in Washington and Mary Ronan in Montana.

Trollers are continuing to do well at Loon on 13- to 14-inchers, but 10-fish limits are rare. Most veteran anglers are on the water nearly an hour before the sun rises. Still fishing at night has been slow.

The Bureau of Reclamation is dropping the level of Lake Roosevelt. As a result, according to guide John Carruth of Davenport, fishing has been tough the last 10 days.

Trollers have been most successful from 3:30 to 7 a.m., he said. Many troll with leaded line, but more and more are using down-riggers to get down to the kokanee. Carruth said the fish are 60 to 90 feet deep.

Trollers can take limits of 7- to 9-inch kokanee at Pend Oreille and Coeur d’Alene lakes and the Dworshak Reservoir.

Still fishing for kokanee that average 14 inches was excellent early this week at Lake Mary Ronan. Mark Thomas of Camp Tuffit said some experienced fishermen took 10-fish limits.

Thomas also said some are fishing for perch, which average 10 to 11 inches.

Best fishing at Koocanusa is from 5 to 9 a.m. The fish are about 30 feet deep and most anglers are trolling the lower 10 miles of the reservoir.

Walleyes

Several Eastern Washington lakes and reservoirs have been providing fair to good walleye fishing.

For those who know where the walleyes are this time of year, fishing is good at Lake Roosevelt, Carruth said. Most of the walleyes are looking for food fish along weed areas in 15- to 35 feet of water.

Fishermen have been doing well at the Potholes Reservoir, wildlife agent Dan Rahn of Moses Lake said. They’ve been catching keeper walleyes and some bass in the Crab Creek channel and off the face of the sand dune islands, as well as near Goose Island.

Walleye fishing has been good on the Columbia below Wanapum Dam, Rahn said.

Sprague Lake still has a dense algae bloom, but walleye fishermen are continuing to catch lots of fish. About one in 10 is a keeper 18 inches or longer, Mike Mielke of the Sprague Lake Resort said.

Spiny-rayed species

Bass fishing has been good at several lakes, including Sprague. Mielke said fishermen have been hooking largemouths early and late in the day.

Gamble and Shepherd lakes in North Idaho are good for 10- to 12-inch perch.

Sturgeon

Wildlife agent Rahn said sturgeon fishing has been good along the Columbia River from Priest Rapids Dam to the Hanford Reach. Anglers have been catching numerous keeper-class (4 to 5-1/2 feet) sturgeon.

Steelhead

Best fishing in the Columbia River drainage is in the lower Deschutes River. However, a few anglers, fishing from dawn to 8 a.m., have been hooking steelhead in the Ringold Springs area.

Chinook salmon

Trollers are doing well at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop said. Most are fishing herring behind Hot Spot flashers. Best times: dawn to 8 or 9 a.m. and the 3 hours before dark.

Northern pike

Fishing for good-sized pike at Lake Coeur d’Alene has been surprisingly good for this time of year, Fister said. Anglers have been fishing in 6- to 18-feet of water near weeds early and late in the day. They’re using spinner baits and red Daredevles.