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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fishing Report

Fenton Roskelley, Correspondent

Whitefish

This is the time to fish the inlet streams of Soda and Long lakes in the Columbia Basin to catch big lake whitefish.

Rod Meseberg of the Mar-Don Resort said thousands of whitefish are near the inlets of the lakes and anglers, using small flies tipped with maggots and other bait, have been hooking the 15- to 18-inch fish.

If you decide to fish for the whitefish, be sure your terminal rig isn’t set up to snag the whitefish. When the fish are near the inlets for a brief period in March and early April, wildlife agents frequently check the lakes to make sure anglers don’t try to snag them. They issue citations to fishermen who deliberately snag the whitefish.

Potholes Reservoir

Meseberg said thousands of big trout and smallmouth bass are in the lower Frenchman Hills Wasteway. Every year at this time, he said, anglers hook bass and trout that have moved up out of the Potholes Reservoir to spawn.

He suggested anglers walk up the wasteway and drift single eggs or egg skeins through eddies. Some fishermen drift Rooster Tails.

Lake Roosevelt

A lot of anglers keep complaining they’ve had poor luck catching kokanee, rainbows and walleyes at Lake Roosevelt, but some fishermen say they’ve been doing well.

For example, fishing guide Gordon Steinmetz of Coulee City said a few fishermen have been limiting on big kokanee and rainbows in the lower end of the lake nearly every time they go fishing.

Steinmetz said some experienced fishermen start trolling soon after daylight and fish plugs slowly off planer boards in 5 to 10 feet of water.Most anglers, when they see fish dimpling the water surface, troll over the schools with their boats. The wary fish spook easily and leave the shallow water.

Steinmetz said a father and son caught limits of 2 1/2 to 4-pound rainbows and kokanee last Saturday and Sunday about five miles above Spring Canyon. They trolled plugs.

A favorite plug is a 5- or 6-inch Rapala, trolled just under the surface.

Guide John Carruth of Davenport said he has been catching rainbows and kokanee near Keller Ferry. He suggested anglers troll a fluorescent red Rooster Tail behind a 000 Dodger near the surface. He tips the lure with maggots or corn or both.

The key to catching the fish, he said, is to troll slowly in shallow water near the shoreline.

Carruth said most of the mature walleyes are in their spawning areas. In fact, the Spokane River was closed to fishing for walleyes today (Friday) to protect the spawners.

It’s possible, however, for anglers to catch walleyes in Lake Roosevelt, he said. The fish are in relatively shallow water.

Sprague Lake

The water temperature still was too low earlier this week for good fishing. Joe Keller of the Four Seasons Campground said fishermen have been catching a few walleyes, rainbows and bullheads, but that the action has been sporadic.

Trout, Washington

With the winter fishing lakes closing today, the best fishing for rainbows and trout in the Spokane area is at Clear and Silver lakes.

Alan Johnson of the Rainbow Cove Resort at Clear Lake said fishing was fairly good last weekend, with fishermen catching mostly 10-inch rainbows and a few larger trout.

A few Columbia Basin lakes have been providing fair to good fishing.

Meseberg said anglers, fishing just before dark at Warden Lake, have been catching rainbows and browns. Generally, fishing has been slow at Warden and South Warden.

Some of the best fishing, Meseberg said, is at Corral, Blythe and Chukar lakes below the MarDon Resort. The rainbows in the lakes average about 1 1/2 pounds.

Fishing has been good at North and South Teal and Heart lakes, he said, but the trout are small.

Burke, Upper Caliche and Martha are still the best bets for trout in the Quincy Recreation Area. Largest fish are in Upper Caliche.

Chironomids began hatching by the thousands Sunday at Lenore Lake.

Fishing, Montana

Fly fishing is picking up fast along the Bitterroot and Clark Fork rivers, John Herzer of Streamside Anglers in Missoula said.

The Skwalla and little brown stoneflies are hatching.

Fastest action has been along the Bitterroot from Darby to the mouth, he said. The Skwallas are just starting to hatch along the Clark Fork.

Fishing, Idaho

Bass fishing wasn’t hot during a tournament at Lake Coeur d’Alene last weekend, but contestants caught several big fish ranging from 6 to more than 7 pounds, Jeff Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop said.

Twenty of the 44 two-man teams caught bass, he said. Mike Hulstrom and Rob Gable were the top fishermen. Their bass weighed 18 pounds 9 ounces.

Steelhead

Best fishing for steelhead now is along the tributaries of the Snake River. The Snake was closed to fishing for steelhead today and anglers who hook the sea-going rainbows while fishing for other species will have to release them.

Most steelhead now are in the Snake’s tributaries to spawn.

Fishing could be good along the Grande Ronde, Touchet and Tucannon rivers the next few days. The streams will be closed to steelhead fishing April 15.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported anglers averaged six hours per steelhead along the upper Clearwater River during the week ending March 26. Average for the lower river was 24 hours.

Fishing was good last weekend along some sections of the lower Salmon River, with the best area between the mouths of Vinegar Creek and the South Fork.

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