Fishing Report

Chinook derby

Lake Coeur d’Alene will be dotted with anglers’ boats the next nine days.

Fishermen will troll for chinook salmon, hoping to win the $10,000 awarded to the angler who catches the biggest chinook salmon. Lesser cash prizes will also be at stake.

Sponsors of the Big One Chinook Derby believe 1,100 to 1,500 anglers will pay $25 each to enter the derby. Entry tickets are on sale at numerous tackle shops and businesses in North Idaho and the Spokane area.

A clinic for those who want to learn how to rig up and troll for the salmon will be held from 6 to 9 tonight at the Coeur d’Alene Inn. The clinic, conducted by expert chinook fishermen, is free.

Chinook fishing has been good at the lake this year despite high and dirty water during much of April, May and June. Anglers caught immature chinooks near the surface on helmeted herring, Rapala plugs and other lures.

The chinooks are 40 to 50 feet deep. Anglers will troll flies, plugs and herring behind dodgers.

Kokanee

Both trollers and still-fishermen are continuing to catch 18- to 19-inch kokanee at Loon Lake.

Joe Haley of the Granite Point Resort said the most consistent fishing is early morning.

Most fishermen let out five colors of leaded line and troll the middle of the lake. They average a couple of kokanee a day, Haley said. Night fishing is spotty.

A high percentage of still-fishermen are catching 10-fish limits of kokanee at Lake Mary Ronan, Gary Thomas of Camp Tuffit said. The kokanee average 15 inches.

Fishing has been excellent at Koocanusa Reservoir, Nevin Zugg of the Koocanusa Resort reported. Most trollers are catching 20-fish limits of 10- to 12-inch kokanee from the Resort to 5-Mile.

Salt water

Tuna fishing has been excellent out of Westport, said the Westport/ Grayland Chamber of Commerce and Westport Charter Association.

Charter boats found big tuna schools 70 to 100 miles offshore last weekend. Boats averaged 150 to 160 tuna each during two-day trips. The fish were 18 to 20 pounds. Anglers used live anchovies for bait.

The chamber and charter operators said fishing for 6- to 12-pound coho salmon has been excellent. The season is expected to remain open through Labor Day.

Trout, Montana

The cool weather that discouraged vacationers last week and weekend proved ideal for fishing Montana streams. The cloudy skies and occasional rain showers were better than sunny skies for fly fishing.

Ed Trively of the Streamside Anglers in Missoula said fishing was good along the Clark Fork, Blackfoot and Bitterroot rivers and Rock Creek.

Pale Morning Dun mayflies and caddisflies hatched in large numbers, he said. Fly fishers used PMD and caddis imitations, as well as Prince Nymphs, bead head Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tail Nymphs. Rusty Spinners were effective at times along the lower Clark Fork.

The cool weather and showers cooled the streams a few degrees, but warm weather and sunny skies may result in difficult fishing.

Incidentally, biologists for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department reported this week that heavy metals flushed down the Clark Fork River during floods last winter apparently killed a high percentage of the rainbow and brown trout.

Biologists said electrofishing showed the rainbow population below Milltown Dam dropped 62 percent and brown trout numbers were down 56 percent from last year. Copper, zinc and arsenic levels soared after the flood gates were opened last February. Both insects and trout were killed.

Fly fishers are starting to hook trout on hopper imitations along the Missouri River in the Craig area. Guide Arnie Gidlow said hopper, PMD and caddis imitations are flies of choice.

The PMD hatch is thinning, he said, and the mayflies are hatching in the evenings. Caddisflies, imitated by #14 and #16 patterns, are hatching during midday hours and evenings.

Low temperatures last weekend and early this week cooled the water temperature considerably, Gidlow said. He predicted good fishing for this weekend.

Trout, Idaho

North Idaho’s cutthroat streams are continuing to produce excellent fishing. Most productive are the upper St. Joe, Lochsa and Selway rivers and Kelly Creek and its major tributary, Cayuse.

The rivers, particularly the upper St. Joe, are attracting large numbers of fly fishers from throughout the country. Most of the anglers, however, are Idaho and Washington residents.

Fly fishers are hooking 9- to 17-inch cutthroat on caddis and mayfly imitations, as well as on ant and beetle imitations.

Trout, Washington

Last weekend’s cool weather was good for trout fishing at a few lakes, particularly the selective fishery and fly fishing-only lakes. Trout became active during midday hours at some.

Now that warm days and nights have returned, trout are unlikely to feed actively during hot, sunny days. The best times to fish are early and late in the day.

Spiny rays

Anglers have caught numerous walleyes, as well as a few crappies and bluegills, at Sprague Lake, said Mike Mielke of the Sprague Lake Resort.

Mielke said most of the walleyes anglers catch are less than 18 inches and must be released. Fishermen have caught some walleyes, however, up to 24 inches long. He said a couple of anglers caught six keeper walleyes during the cool, windy weather during the weekend.

Pike fishing has been good at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Jeff Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop said. Smith said his clients have caught pike in shallow bays around the lake nearly every day.

Walleye fishing has been spotty at the Potholes Reservoir, with limited numbers of keeper-sized fish.

Steelhead

Anglers are hooking some steelhead in the lower Columbia River and along the lower Deschutes River. More than 60,000 steelhead have climbed the fish ladders at Bonneville Dam and are moving up the Columbia and tributaries.

The Corps of Engineers reported more than 13,000 have moved over McNary Dam since May 31 and nearly 1,500 have been counted at Lower Granite since that date.

Biologists assume that steelhead counted from March through May spawn this year. Those counted after the end of May will be in the river until next spring before spawning.

Not enough steelhead have been counted at Lower Granite for good fishing along the lower Snake River.

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