Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The sports section declared, “Trout Anglers Are Now Joyful.”

That’s because the trout season was set to open and “there will be many hundreds of Spokane fishermen lining the banks of the rivers and small streams” when morning arrived.

The paper deemed that it was “too early” for fly fishing. The paper advised using “salmon eggs, black crickets, grub worms and angle worms on a snell hook.” It also advised “a small Wilson spoon or an Indiana spinner.”

The best spot on the Spokane River was said to be “above the water works” or near the Idaho border at Spokane Bridge. “Many fishermen left last night on the late Inland train for Spokane Bridge,” said the paper.

All of the local gun stores were offering weekly prizes for the largest fish and greatest number of fish caught. A $2 prize was offered for the “first trout caught in the Spokane River weighing over a pound.”

The local game warden also recommended a number of good options north of the city, including Skookum Lakes and Brown’s Lake, near Usk, and Bead Lake, near Newport.

A “rough estimate” showed that 2,200 licenses had been purchased in the city alone.