Fishing Report

Shad

Now’s the time to start fishing for shad along the Columbia River. More than a half-million shad have been counted at Bonneville and The Dalles dams and the slab-sided fish are climbing the fish ladders at the rate of 70,000 to 100,000 a day.

The most productive area is above and below Bonneville Dam. The fishing will reach a peak in less than two weeks.

As the shad move up the river, anglers will fish near John Day and Lower Granite dams. Best fishing near Lower Granite usually is in early July.

Anglers use small lures and flies to entice the shad into striking. Small wobbling spoons and Mepps-type spinners are popular with spin fishermen. Bright flies are favored by fly fishers.

Because shad nearly always swim near the bottom, it’s necessary for anglers to get their flies and lures down to where the shad move.

Mackinaw trout

Two of the region’s lakes, Priest and Loon, are yielding mackinaw trout.

By far the best fishing is at Priest, where well-equipped anglers are taking three-fish limits nearly every time they troll lures and flies in deep water.

Most troll flies and hootchies behind dodgers. Many fishermen caught limits last weekend at the north end of the lake in 140 to 170 feet of water.

Another popular area is south of Barito Island.

Small macks don’t fight hard as they are brought up from deep water. They make up for their lack of spectacular fights by their table qualities. They gorge themselves on mysis shrimp these days; there are no longer enough kokanee in the lake for macks to grow fast and fat.

Loon Lake has been yielding enough macks to make trolling for them interesting, Glenn Biddle, owner of the Granite Point Resort, said.

Last weekend, 8-year-old Jessica Hilpert, fishing with her father, Scott Hilpert, caught a 17-pound mack.

The big mack isn’t the first big fish the young girl has caught. She’s caught macks at Priest Lake and rainbows at Lake Pend Oreille.

John Tracy, one of Loon Lake’s most avid anglers, caught his 15th mack of the season a few days ago, Biddle said.

Spiny rayed species

If you want to catch 10- to 12-inch crappies and bluegills, launch your boat about sunset at Sprague Lake and fish along the shoreline in 2 feet of water.

Don’t bother to fish during midday hours. Monica Mielke of the Sprague Lake Resort said fishing for the two species usually is poor when the sun is high. The crappies and bluegills move out of the deep water and to spawning areas along the shoreline after the sun has set. Fishing can be rewarding until it’s dark.

Anglers also are catching lots of walleyes, Mielke said. One angler brought a 27-incher to the resort a few days ago.

Walleye fishing also is excellent at Moses Lake and Lake Roosevelt, guide John Carruth of Davenport said.

Carruth said everyone who took part in a walleye tournament last weekend at Moses Lake caught lots of walleyes, many more than 18 inches long. The largest was a 7-pounder.

He said those who have been fishing Lake Roosevelt in anticipation of entering the Governor’s Cup tournament June 22-23 have been catching numerous walleyes along the big lake. Even the Spokane arm has been yielding good-sized walleyes.

Bass fishing is excellent at numerous North Idaho lakes. The bass are getting ready to spawn.

Kokanee

Persistent anglers who know how and where to fish for kokanee at Loon Lake are happy with the relatively few fish they are catching, Biddle said.

Trolling for the 16- to 19-inch kokanee, he said, has picked up a little and is “fairly good.” A few anglers have been still-fishing at night, but so far they’ve had poor luck.

Veteran Loon Lake anglers are catching two to four of the big kokanee per day, Biddle said. The kokanee are spread out and are 25 feet below the surface.

To get their lures down to the kokanee, Biddle said, most anglers are letting out four colors of leaded line.

Most are catching 20-fish limits of kokanee that run 10 to 12 inches at Lake Koocanusa, Nevin Zugg, owner of the Koocanusa Resort, said. However, they’re having to troll 3 to 4 hours to take limits; earlier, they limited in 1 to 2 hours.

Trollers are starting to hook good numbers of 8- to 9-inch kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Fister said. Some good catches have been made off Spokane Point and in Carlin and Mica bays.

Kokanee fishing has improved at Lake Mary Ronan, but few anglers are taking limits of the 10- to 14-inch fish, Gary Thomas of Camp Tuffit said. Most are catching 6 to 7 kokanee per day.

Thomas said the Callibaetis mayflies are hatching at the lake, but few fly fishers have been trying for trout.

Chinook salmon

Fishing for chinooks in Lake Coeur d’Alene has slowed a little, Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop said. However, anglers are still hooking salmon in the north end of the lake.

A few fishermen have hooked salmon in 50 feet of water, indicating the fish are moving to deep water.

Trout, Washington

Best fishing is at fly fishing-only and selective fishery lakes. However, the fishing can be frustrating at times.

The most popular specially managed lake in the state is Chopaka, northwest of Loomis. Fly fishers say the campground is so crowded every day it’s difficult to find a level spot to park a camper or motorhome.

Rainbows in Chopaka are 15 to more than 20 inches long. Most fly fishers are using chironomid patterns, even though Callibaetis mayflies are hatching.

Fishing has been spotty at Dry Falls, Lenore, Grimes, Ell and Lenice and Nunnally lakes.

Fishing has slowed at most of the trout lakes in the Spokane area, but anglers can still take five fish at such lakes as West Medical, Fishtrap, Williams and Badger lakes.

Trout, Idaho

Some anglers have been catching cutthroat trout along the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers. The streams are still high, but they’re clear.

The Lochsa and Selway are too high and muddy for fishing. For example, the Lochsa River, which normally runs at 3,000 to 4,000 cubic feet per second, now is running at 16,000 cfs.

The river is so high and wild that even some rafters are getting into trouble. Last weekend, a raft in which two men and a boy were riding, hit a log that had lodged across the river and turned over. The boy jumped clear, but the two men were pinned under the raft for a couple of minutes as the raft plunged through class 4 rapids.

All three eventually managed to get to shore, minus oars and equipment.

The Lochsa is full of logs and debris.

Northern pike

Fishermen are starting to catch good-sized pike at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Fister said. Pike fishing also has been good at the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River and at Benewah, Chatcolet and Round lakes.

Trout, Montana

Streams in the Missoula area are too high and roily for good fishing, but anglers are doing well in the West Yellowstone area.

Dick Green, owner of Bud Lilly’s Shop at West Yellowstone, said the salmonfly hatch in the Box Canyon area of Henry’s Fork is the best in several years and fly fishers are hooking large trout.

He also said fly fishers are hooking trout on caddisfly imitations below Box Canyon.

The Madison River between Hebgen and Quake lakes is high, he said, but fishing has been good. The river below Quake is off-color and fly fishers have been taking fish on bead-head caddisflies and San Juan worms.

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