Fishing Report
Winter Lakes, Washington
Anglers may see thin ice on the winter fishing lakes this weekend as the result of low overnight temperatures this week.
If the volume of water entering Hog Canyon earlier this week is still heavy, the popular lake probably will be mostly free of ice.
The waterfall at the head of the lake was still spectacular Tuesday, but volume is down considerably from that of mid-February.
Fishing at Hog Canyon was slow much of last weekend. Most of the scores of anglers who fished the lake either caught only one or two rainbows or left without any fish.
The lake has been pounded hard by anglers the last couple of weeks. In fact, the parking area was jammed last weekend.
Fourth of July Lake doesn’t have an inlet steam. Consequently, the water is still and prone to freezing. Parts of the lake could be covered with thin ice this weekend.
Fishing picked up a little at the lake last weekend. Some fly fishers who packed float tubes to the lower end did well. A few reported catching rainbows to 19 inches.
It’s still impossible to launch a boat from the public access area at Fourth of July.
Columbia Basin Lakes
Some of the small lakes that were opened to fishing Wednesday may have ice covers this weekend.
Water temperatures of such lakes as Lenore, Warden and South Warden were in the low 40s before night temperatures dropped into the low 20s and teens this week. They’ll probably be ice-free this weekend.
Lenore is the best choice for big trout, but the water is cold and fishing probably won’t be good until the water temperature rises and insects start hatching.
Average size of the Lahontan cutthroat in the lake apparently is 20 inches. Some fishermen believe there are good numbers of 4- to 6-pound trout in the lake.
Population of the Lahontans seems to have increased as the result of the regulation that keeps the lake closed to fishing during December, January and February.
Several lakes in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge were rehabbed last fall and won’t be planted with trout until spring. They include the Hamptons, Sago, Hourglass, Wigeon and Dollar, as well as the downstream ponds to and including Marie Lake.
Other lakes in the refuge, including Pillar, Gadwall, Shoveler, Lemna, Hourglass, Snipe and the Teals, weren’t planted last year.
Quail Lake was planted last year, but fishing has been poor the last few years. Quail is a fly fishing-only, catch-and-release lake in the southeast corner of the refuge.
Fishing may be poor at Warden and South Warden lakes. Anglers will catch some 16- and 17-inch rainbows at Warden, but probably will catch only a few of the trout planted last year. Biologists believe the survival rate of the fish released last year was low.
Best bets in the Quincy area are Burke, Quincy, Upper Caliche and Gurney. Dusty holds good carryover trout, but the survival rate of fry planted last year apparently was low.
Lake Roosevelt
The Spring Canyon area of the big reservoir will be dotted with boats much of this month. Most veteran fishermen know that March is the best time to troll for the big rainbows and kokanee and the best area of the lake is the first 15 miles above Grand Coulee Dam.
Fishing has been spotty lately, with trollers doing well one day and nothing the next. The lake has been off-color from the runoff, but may be clearing as the result of the drop in temperatures this week.
Anglers will troll big flies and lures fairly near the surface most of the time this month. The trout and kokanee will be feeding on tiny midges and will be seen occasionally dimpling the water surface.
When trollers see the dimpling, they immediately go through the school, often spooking the fish.
The Bureau of Reclamation is continuing to draw down the lake. The level was at 1,257 feet a couple of days ago, or 33 feet below full pool. Fishermen say fishing is slow when the lake level fluctuates.
Walleyes
One of the better spots to catch walleyes is 3 miles below Grand Coulee Dam. Jeff Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene said he and a friend fished the area with jigs tipped with nightcrawlers and caught more than 20 walleyes, including two that weighed more than 5 pounds, as well as one ling and a 5-pound lake whitefish.
Northern Pike
Several big pike have been caught in recent days in bays at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Smith said. The largest caught last weekend was a 17-pounder taken by Dennis Ballard of Coeur d’Alene on smelt fished under a bobber.
Smith said the lake is high and off color, but the pike are moving into the bays, especially bays where a stream flows into the lake. Anglers are using bait under bobbers to catch the pike in such bays as Harrison, Blue Creek and Squaw.
Fishermen are catching 20- to 24-inch pike in bays at Hayden Lake, Smith said.
Priest Lake
Fishing has been fantastic for mackinaw trout to more than 20 pounds. Smith said most anglers have been trolling lures in deep water. Some have been hooking and releasing more than 20 macks a day.
Steelhead
The best fishing for steelhead the next week or so is likely to be along tributaries of the Snake River. Steelhead are moving rapidly into the Touchet, Tucannon, Walla Walla and Grande Ronde rivers and Mill Creek to spawn.
Biologist Art Viola said the streams that were high and muddy a few days ago are clearing, creating excellent conditions for good fishing. Fishermen will average less than 5 hours per steelhead in several of the tributaries.
Viola said female steelhead still are in fairly good condition, but most of the males are dark as their spawning time approaches.
Viola said fishermen who release hatchery steelhead aren’t doing the runs any good. Hatchery fish in the streams have the wrong genes for the streams where they’ll spawn.
He said the Fish and Wildlife Department is taking eggs from wild steelhead to be hatched and planted in the streams. Those fish have the best genes for the rivers.
The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported anglers averaged 9 hours per steelhead along the lower Salmon River last weekend.
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