Fishing Report
Spiny rays
Sprague Lake is the place to go to catch a limit of walleyes in the 18- to 24-inch class.
Monika Metz of the Sprague Lake Resort said fishing for walleyes was excellent during the Memorial Day weekend. Numerous anglers, using Beetle Spins and other lures, took home limits. A limit is five walleyes 18 inches or longer, but only one more than 24 inches. Possession limit is two daily limits.
Metz said some anglers, fishing in water only a few inches deep, caught good-sized crappies and bluegills. Several hooked largemouth bass to more than 3 pounds.
“The word’s getting around that walleye fishing is outstanding,” she said. “We had the biggest crowd since the days when there were a lot of trout in the lake. Many came from Idaho.”
One Spokane angler standing on shore one evening last week reported hooking several keeper-sized walleyes.
Mike Meseberg of the Mar-Don Resort at the Potholes Reservoir said fishing was slow during the Memorial Day weekend. Some walleyes were caught at the reservoir and its Lind Coulee and at Soda Lake.
Bass fishing was good before the cold front moved in, he said, but the bass got lockjaw after temperatures dropped dramatically.
Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers Shop said anglers have been catching bass and crappies at several North Idaho lakes, including Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Fernan and Hauser.
Kokanee
Lake Mary Ronan is the best place to go in the Inland Northwest to catch big kokanee, and the Koocanusa Reservoir is probably the most productive spot to catch lots of the landlocked sockeye salmon.
Unfortunately for Spokane area anglers, Loon Lake still isn’t productive and there are indications the kokanee population may not be a big one this year.
Almost continuous rain didn’t stop the kokanee from biting at Lake Mary Ronan during the Memorial Day weekend, according to Mark Thomas of Camp Tuffit.
Even anglers who had never still-fished for kokanee, a technique that’s considered tricky, caught limits of 10 fish, he said. Most were 11 to 12 inches; a few were up to 16.
An inch and a half of rain fell in the area during the weekend, he said.
Koocanusa is continuing to yield 20-fish limits of 10- to 11-inch kokanee. Nearly all the fishing is in the lower end of the reservoir.
Veteran anglers have caught a few kokanee at Loon, but the fishing has been slow. The kokanee are big, some longer than 16 inches.
Trout, Washington
There are indications anglers have taken so many trout out of the put-and-take lakes in Eastern Washington since the opening of the general trout season that trout no longer have to compete with one another for the insects. As a result, fishing has been slowing down.
However, persistent anglers can take five-fish limits at many lakes in the Spokane region, including Fishtrap, Fish, West Medical, Williams, Badger, Marshall, Yocum, Ellen, Long, Swan, Deep and even Clear and Silver.
Blue and Park southwest of Coulee City still have good numbers of small rainbows.
A half-dozen lakes in Okanogan County continue to yield limits. Among the best are Alta, Blue, Conconully lake and reservoir, Fish, Patterson and Pearrygin.
Trout, Idaho
Several North Idaho lakes are yielding good catches of rainbows, cutthroat and Mackinaw trout, Fister said.
Best fishing for good-sized fish is at Priest Lake, where anglers, trolling baited lures on the bottom have been taking limits of small macks. However, trolling for rainbows off planing boards at Lake Pend Oreille has been fairly good.
Fishing has been slow for the rainbows and hybrid rainbow-cutthroat at Hayden Lake, Fister said. Some anglers believe a high percentage of the big trout left the lake when water was released through the outlet during the flooding.
Most small lakes have been planted with pan-sized trout and are providing fair to good fishing. Among them are Fernan, Cocolalla, Round, Twins and Kelso. Hauser has been particularly high, but it has dropped enough to receive its first plant of fish this week, said Ned Horner, Idaho Fish and Game Department regional fish manager.
The department also is holding off on its normal stocking schedule at streams such as the Moyie River above Meadow Creek and the Coeur d’Alene, St. Maries and St. Joe rivers until floodwaters recede.
Special waters
The most popular lake in Eastern Washington on Sunday will be Grimes in Douglas County, where anglers should catch 16- to 25-inch Lahontan cutthroat. Grimes, a selective fishery lake, opens each June 1 and closes Aug. 31. The limit is one Lahontan a day.
Best fishing will be opening day. For some reason, possibly because anglers spook the big fish out of the shallow water, the fish don’t return to the shallows in large numbers the rest of the season.
As water temperatures soar, the Lahontans seek cool water around springs in the upper end of the lake. Some anglers, knowing where the springs are located, have good fishing through the short season.
It’s finally possible to drive to Bayley and McDowell lakes and Potters Pond on the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge. The big puddle on the county road leading to the refuge has dropped low enough for most vehicles to get through without problems. At one time, it was 18 inches deep.
The two lakes are still extremely high. Fishing has been slow at both, but should improve as water temperatures increase.
Bayley holds some big rainbows and brook trout; McDowell and Potters Pond have good-sized rainbows.
Fishing has been slow at Dry Falls and Lenore lakes. Many anglers have given up on Dry Falls. Weeds prevent effective fishing in productive water at Lenore.
Best fishing has been at Chopaka, a fly fishing-only lake northwest of Loomis. Callibaetis mayflies and midges have been hatching. Damselflies will hatch in large numbers soon.
Fishing has been slow at Ell Lake in Aeneas Valley. It’s possible the trout population there is small this year.
Lenice and Nunnally, selective fishery waters along the lower Crab Creek channel, have been producing fair to good fishing during Callibaetis mayfly, midge and damselfly hatches.
Chinook salmon
Salmon fishing was slow at Lake Coeur d’Alene during the Memorial Day weekend, Fister reported.
The salmon are still near the surface, he said. Most fishermen are fishing helmeted herring and Pro-King spoons off downriggers in water from the surface to 20 feet. The lake’s level has dropped several feet the past week.
Northern pike
If you want to catch northern pike, now is the time to fish Lake Coeur d’Alene, Fister said. The pike are in shallow water in Squaw, Bennett, Wolff Lodge and Cougar bays.
Fister recommended anglers use Daredevle spoons, Johnson Silver Minnows and spinner baits.
The water’s too cold at lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River and at Hayden Lake for good pike fishing.
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