Fishing Report

Winter lakes, Washington Despite the bitter cold forecast for this weekend, anglers should be fishing in open water at Fourth of July and Hog Canyon lakes.

The lakes are ice-free.

Water has risen a little at Fourth of July Lake as the result of recent rainstorms, but the level is still several feet below normal. Consequently, fishermen have to hike hundreds of yards from the access area to get to the water.

Most anglers have been fishing from shore. A few, however, have carried float tubes and other small flotation devices down the lake.

Fishing was slow at Fourth of July last weekend, wildlife agent Rod Bliss said. He checked 30 anglers with 10 rainbows, including a few carryovers.

It’s possible anglers will do well this weekend on 10-inch yearling rainbows and 14- to 18-inch carryover fish.

More than 30 anglers fished Hog Canyon Friday. Boat anglers did better than shore fishermen.

The Hog Canyon inlet stream has filled the lake and water is running down to Fishtrap Lake. The road into Hog Canyon is rougher than usual and water has been running down to the public access area.

Most of the rainbows in Hog Canyon are 10 to 16 inches long, with a few up to 20 inches.

Williams and Hatch were covered with enough ice at mid-week for ice fishing, biologist Curt Vail said.

Anglers have to take “a giant step” from the shore to the solid ice cover, he said. Ice around the shore is thin. A few fishermen have been catching skinny 7- to 12-inch rainbows at Hatch Lake.

Sprague Lake

If the water is clear this weekend, anglers may catch perch and a few walleyes and bluegills. Much of the lake was muddy last weekend because of runoff and fishing was poor. The lake lost its ice cover just before the weekend and fishermen thought that they’d do well. Many who had launched boats gave up after seeing the muddy water.

Unless the weather changes drastically, lakes southwest of Spokane, including Sprague, will remain ice-free the rest of winter.

Sullivan Lake

This big lake in northeast Washington is known primarily for its large rainbow and brown trout. However, a few fishermen discovered recently that there are large numbers of ling (burbots) in the lake.

Vail said a few fishermen, jigging in 80 to 100 feet of water, have been catching good numbers of ling that average 2-3 pounds, with a few heavier than 10 pounds.

In the past, Vail said, nearly all fishermen trolled for trout in relatively shallow water and didn’t know that the lake has a good population of burbots.

Priest Lake

Those wanting to catch a goodsized mackinaw trout should consider making arrangements to fish off a charter boat at Priest Lake the next couple of months.

Guide Gary Brookshire said that in past years February and March have yielded lake trout that most anglers consider trophies.

“The weather poses no problem on the professional rigged charter boats available at the lake,” he said.

Anglers have their choice this winter of two charter firms: The Priest Lake Guide Service and Priest Lake Outdoor Adventures.

The Priest Lake Guide Service has been operating on the lake for more than 20 years. Brookshire bought the firm four years ago and has won a reputation as an outstanding guide.

This is Pat Prentice’s second season operating Priest Lake Outdoor Adventures.

For information on mackinaw trout fishing at Priest, call the Priest Lake Guide Service at 800-453-7547 or 208-443-2956 or Priest Lake Outdoor Adventures at 208-443-5601.

Incidentally, Paul Croxford of Coeur d’Alene caught a 27-pound mackinaw last weekend.

Ice fishing, Idaho

Numerous Panhandle lakes have thick ice covers and some are producing good perch, trout and pike fishing, Jeff Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene said.

Ice ranges from 8 to 12 inches thick at such lakes as the Twins, Cocolalla, Round, Mirror, Dawson, Perkins, Herman and Smith.

Smith said perch are 7 to 9 inches in Round and Cocolalla, 8 to 9 inches at both upper and lower Twin lakes, 10 to 12 inches at Mirror, Smith, Herman and Perkins and 8 to 12 at Dawson.

Smith said anglers were still fishing for pike with tip-ups at the north end of Hayden Lake earlier this week. Most pike are 20 to 24 inches long. The south end of the lake is ice-free, and some fishermen have been plunking for rainbowcutthroat hybrids from shore.

Most of the ice is either gone or too thin to support anglers safely at the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River.

Anglers have been fishing for pike off the dike road at Harrison and at Thompson.

Steelhead

Most tributaries of the Snake River were high and muddy last weekend as the result of the runoff, biologist Art Viola said. However, fishing was good in a few places.

Anglers averaged 5.1 hours per steelhead along the Touchet and 10.8 hours along the Tucannon. The checks were made just before the streams became muddy.

Viola said most anglers fished near Little Goose Dam. More than 100 were checked with 31 steelhead for an average of 10.2 hours per fish.

The Fish and Wildlife Department is starting to check the Grande Ronde, he said. The river between Bogan’s and the Oregon border was high and muddy last weekend, and only one fisherman was checked with a steelhead.

Once the Ronde drops, Viola said, fishing should pick up as steelhead move toward their spawning grounds.

Fishing was slow along the Clearwater last weekend, the Idaho Fish and Game Department reported. Anglers averaged 21 hours per fish along the lower river and 33 hours along the North Fork.

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