Fishing Report

Winter lakes

Fishing could be good at Hog Canyon Lake the final 10 days of the winter season, but anglers may not do as well at Fourth of July Lake.

Anglers have been hooking five-fish limits of 9- to 17-inch rainbows at Hog Canyon. Most of the trout are 11 to 13 inches.

Fishing hasn’t been nearly as good at Fourth of July, particularly for fly fishers. Bait fishermen have done well, many taking limits. Fly fishers complained that fishing has been slow.

Some anglers are convinced the trout population in Fourth of July isn’t nearly as large as last year.

The lake is high enough for anglers to launch small boats at the public access area.

Although the final few hundred yards into Hog Canyon are rough, anglers have had no trouble pulling boat trailers to the launch ramp.

Anglers can use gas-powered engines at Hog Canyon, but only electric motors at Fourth of July.

March 1 waters

Although anglers have caught trout at some of the lakes that opened March 1, fishing hasn’t been as good as they hoped.

So far, Warden and South Warden have been a big disappointment. Some have fished for several days and caught only a few rainbows and browns. A few 4- to 7-pound browns have been caught at Warden in recent days.

Fishing is slow at the Hampton lakes on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, but anglers are starting to catch rainbows at the Pillar-Widgeon lakes.

Whitefish

Now is the time to fish the inlet to Soda Lake just below O’Sullivan Dam. Water is being released out of the Potholes Reservoir and whitefish are concentrating at Soda’s inlet. The good fishing will last only a few days, so those interested in hooking the big fish should try their luck this weekend.

Lenore-Rocky Ford

Lenore Lake is ice-free, and spin and fly fishermen are hooking some big Lahontan cutthroat.

As usual, many fly fishers have worked the shorelines with large patterns to catch cutthroat trying to spawn. The Lahontans near the shorelines this time of year are vulnerable to fly fishers and aren’t capable of fighting hard.

Anglers who fish water away from the spawners catch immature Lahontans in excellent condition.

Jim Randall of Coulee City said some fly fishers, using small chironomid pupae patterns, have done exceptionally well at the lake the last week.

It’s too early, however, for good bug hatches. Most fly fishers are casting leech and attractor patterns. A few chironomids are hatching, but the best fishing will be in April and May.

Randall said most of the Lahontans seem to be 16 to 18 inches long, but anglers have hooked some to 25 inches.

Many fly fishers are casting Baetis, midge and leech patterns along the upper mile of Rocky Ford Creek, a fly fishing-only stream north of Moses Lake.

Some are convinced there are fewer rainbows in the stream than last year. They say they’re seeing fewer fish in the clear, slow-moving section than in past years.

Lake Roosevelt

Anglers are still catching walleyes, but few are hooking rainbows and kokanee.

Fishing guide John Carruth of Davenport said he and clients did well on walleyes last weekend. As usual, he said, he fished the lake between the mouth of the Spokane River and Hunters.

He found the walleyes in 35 to 40 feet of water. Jigs with curly grubs accounted for most of the walleyes.

Carruth said some still-fishermen have caught rainbows in the popular still-fishing spots, but no one has caught kokanee.

The lake, more than 35 feet under full pool, is murky below the mouth of the Spokane River.

Kokanee, Clearwater

Dip-netters are taking home up to 50 kokanee a day from the North Fork and main stem of the Clearwater below Dworshak Dam.

The kokanee salvage season could end March 31, but the Idaho Fish and Game Commission is considering extending it through April 15.

Kokanee, concentrated just above Dworshak, are flushed over the dam, where spills are running to 12,000 cubic feet per second.

Fisheries officials have warned anglers that dip-netting can be hazardous because of high, fast water, but large numbers are dip-netting every day. The kokanee run from 7 to 11 inches.

Steelhead

Steelhead fishing has been excellent along the Grande Ronde between Bogan’s and Troy, Ore., Jay Poe of Jay’s Gone Fishing said.

The river has been murky and high, but anglers, drifting Corkies and bait, are hooking lots of fish. The Touchet and Tucannon could provide fair to good fishing this weekend. They have cleared considerably the last week.

Lake Coeur d’Alene

If you can’t catch chinook salmon when you join the trollers at the north end of the lake, try for northern pike.

Big pike are starting to move into the places where they’ll spawn in a few weeks, Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene said.

Fister suggested using smelt under bobbers in shallow water in Cougar, Wolf Lodge and Blue Creek bays. Some of the big fish caught last weekend were hooked in 3 feet of water in Cougar Bay.

Salmon fishing can be fair or poor. Anglers caught a few chinooks Saturday, but nearly all the 50 or more trollers who fished Sunday got skunked.

Fister said most of the chinooks, which run 6 to 10 pounds, are caught near the surface. Even though the water is murky, the salmon find the helmeted herring when they’re interested in feeding.

Trout, spiny rays, Idaho

Anglers have caught good-sized trout at Fernan and Hauser lakes and mackinaws at Priest Lake, Fister said.

Rainbows averaging 14 inches are biting in the south end of Fernan and crappies are active in the northeast end.

Still-fishermen have taken rainbows at Hauser.

Fins & Feathers will sponsor a team bass tournament at Lake Coeur d’Alene on March 30. Entry fee is $40.

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