Fishing Report

Chinook derby

The largest chinook salmon caught during the first three days of the Big One Chinook Derby at Lake Coeur d’Alene was a 23-pound, 4-ounce fish boated by Bob Oberg of Grand Coulee. He hooked the salmon Monday night in Squaw Bay.

Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop said more than 100 chinooks were weighed in the first three days. He estimated 1,000 anglers have paid $25 each to qualify for cash prizes. Top prize is $10,000.

The chinooks are 40 to 60 feet deep, Fister said. Most anglers are trolling dodgers and flies and dodgers ahead of helmeted herring.

Most fishermen troll in the north end. However, some chinooks have been caught in the south end. Jim Hassenearl of Garfield caught a 22-pound, 8-ounce salmon off the mouth of the Coeur d’Alene River.

Kokanee

Some of the kokanee in Loon Lake are 20 inches long, the largest in the Inland Northwest.

But don’t expect to catch a limit of 10. You’ll be lucky to put two in a cooler during a day’s trolling or a night’s still-fishing.

Even though the 18- to 20-inchers aren’t plentiful, anglers are happy to take home a couple, Joe Haley of the Granite Point Resort said. A 20-incher is big enough to cut into steaks.

A few experts catch two to five each morning they troll the lake, Haley said. They start before sunrise and go to breakfast about 8.

Haley said most anglers put out five colors of leaded line ahead of flashers or dodgers. They tip their lures with maggots.

Night fishing for the kokanee is spotty. It can be fair one night and poor the next three or four.

Incidentally, Red Crass, who trolls often for mackinaw trout, caught a 19-pounder a few days ago.

Both Coeur d’Alene and Pend Oreille lakes are yielding 25-fish limits of kokanee, Fister said. Best fishing at Coeur d’Alene, he said, has been in Mica Bay. At Lake Pend Oreille, the most popular areas are off Whisky Rock and in the “slide” area out of Bayview.

Some still-fishermen are taking 10-fish limits of 15- to 16-inch kokanee at Lake Mary Ronan, Mark Thomas of Camp Tuffit said.

They’re fishing in 30 feet of water.

Trout, Idaho

The upper St. Joe, Kelly Creek and the Lochsa and Selway rivers are the top producing trout streams in North Idaho. The 9- to 17-inch cutthroat in the streams hit flies and lures even during hot, sunny days.

If you want to get away from crowds, fish the Lochsa and Selway rivers. The Lochsa attracts numerous anglers, but it hasn’t received the publicity the St. Joe gets. And most of the Selway runs through roadless wilderness, making it necessary for anglers to float it.

The lower part of Kelly Creek attracts numerous fly fishers, but few hike up the stream above the mouth of Cayuse Creek. Hike up Kelly 5 miles and you’ll see few other anglers.

Priest Lake is still the top trout fishing hole in North Idaho, Fister said. Three-fish limits are the rule rather than the exception for those who have the right equipment and know how to troll for the mackinaw trout.

Trout, Montana

The best trout fishing in the Missoula area is along Rock Creek, especially during hot, cloudless days, Gary Westerland of Streamside Anglers said. The stream is cooler than the Clark Fork and Bitterroot.

Pale Morning Dun mayflies and caddisflies hatch daily along the three streams, but fishing can be poor during sunny, hot days. Fishing can be good on cloudy days.

Westerland said guides haven’t noticed a big drop in the populations of rainbow and brown trout along the Clark Fork River. Biologists for the state fisheries agency reported recently that metals flushed into the river below Milltown Dam last February killed a high percentage of the trout.

“The trout below Missoula are healthy and strong,” Westerland said. “They’re averaging 15 to 16 inches long. We’ve seen only a few thin fish.”

Fishing has been slow along the Bitterroot during sunny days, he said. Most fly fishers are casting PMD, caddis and hopper imitations along the three rivers. They’re also doing well with bead head Prince Nymphs, Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tail Nymphs.

If you plan to fish the Missouri in the Craig area, have plenty of hopper, Trico, PMD and caddisfly imitations, Justin Kane, manager of Montana River Outfitters at Craig, suggested. Tricos hatch in the mornings, PMDs in the afternoons and caddisflies in the evenings. Hopper fishing is good during windy days.

Kane said fly fishers use bead head Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tail Nymphs and Hare’s Ear Nymphs when the trout aren’t rising.

Spiny rays

Anglers are wondering why the fishing at Lake Roosevelt has been poor the last few weeks. They fish long and hard to catch a few walleyes and rainbows, and the kokanee seem to have vanished.

Guide John Carruth of Davenport said it’s possible to catch a few small walleyes during a day’s fishing, but almost no bragging-size fish.

Trollers have been hooking a few small net pen-reared rainbows, but no kokanee. Many think the kokanee followed plankton over Grand Coulee Dam.

Monika Metz of the Sprague Lake Resort said persistent fishermen are continuing to catch walleyes and a few good-sized rainbows at the lake, even during hot days. However, fishing pressure has been light.

This has been a good year to catch bass at Loon Lake, Haley said. Numerous 2- to 3-pounders, as well as a few more than 4 pounds, have been caught, mainly around docks.

Walleye fishing has picked up dramatically at the Potholes Reservoir, wildlife agent Dan Rahn said. Anglers have been hooking numerous walleyes at the mouth of Crab Creek and near the entrance to Lind Coulee. When he checked anglers, he said, they were averaging one keeper (18 inches or longer) per boat.

Bass and pike fishing has been good at Lake Coeur d’Alene and the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River, Fister said. He recommended anglers fish early and late in the day.

Steelhead

Steelhead are starting to climb the fish ladders at Lower Granite Dam at the rate of more than 100 a day, but not enough are in the Snake and its tributaries above the dam for good fishing.

Only 2,500 steelhead have been counted at the dam since May 31. All those tallied before the end of May are presumed to have spawned and aren’t available to anglers.

The Snake’s temperature has been running 68 to 70 degrees, too high for good fishing. If you fish the Snake, Clearwater or Grande Ronde, fish from dawn to 8 a.m., when temperatures are a few degrees lower than afternoon temperatures.

More than 90,000 steelhead have been counted at Bonneville Dam. Most are still in the lower Columbia River.

Best fishing during the next few weeks will be along Oregon’s Deschutes River.

Sturgeon

Shore and boat fishermen are continuing to catch good numbers of sturgeon along the Columbia River, Rahn said. Shore fishermen set up 1 miles below Priest Rapids Dam and boat anglers fish below White Bluffs.

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