Fishing Report

Trout, Washington

West Medical and Fishtrap may be the most productive trout lakes in the Spokane area this weekend. The lakes produced limits for most anglers on opening weekend and should continue to yield good catches for a few weeks.

The biggest trout are in West Medical. About 20 percent of the trout hooked during the opener were carryovers and a few were more than 20 inches long. Most of the rainbows in Fishtrap are 10 to 13 inches.

Other good bets are Liberty, Badger, Williams, Starvation and Deep.

Anglers averaged three 11- to 12-inch rainbows at Blue and Park last weekend. The lakes, between Coulee City and Soap Lake, are to be rehabilitated next fall.

In Okanogan County, some of the most productive waters for pan-sized trout have been Conconully lake and reservoir, Pearrygin and Patterson.

Specially managed lakes

The fastest fishing since the opener has been at Amber, Nunnally and Ell lakes, selective fishery waters.

Although fishing got off to a slow start at Amber last weekend, anglers did well, hooking an average of a half dozen 13- to 15-inch rainbows.

Nunnally is one of four lakes in the Lenice-Nunnally chain. Normally, the best fishing is at Lenice, but the most productive lake in the chain last weekend was Nunnally. Anglers averaged five trout each. Yearlings in Nunnally are 12 to 13 inches long; carryovers are 16 to 20 inches. One out of every five fished hooked during the opener was a carryover.

At Lenice, anglers, mostly fly fishers, averaged 2.5 trout. The rainbows and browns were 13 to 20 inches long.

The fastest fishing at a selective fishery lake last weekend was at Ell Lake. Anglers averaged nine each, considered an exceptional average. Yearlings are 12 inches and carryovers 18 inches.

Fishing was slow and the trout smaller than usual last weekend at Dry Falls, a selective fishery lake on Sun Lakes State Park. Anglers averaged two rainbows each; yearlings are 12 inches, carryovers 15 to 16 inches.

Fly fishing was slow at Aeneas. Fly fishers averaged one rainbow each. Yearlings are 12 to 13 inches, carryovers 16 to 17 inches. Chopaka, another fly fishing-only lake, wasn’t checked.

Trout, Idaho

The annual K&K Derby at Lake Pend Oreille got off to a slow start last weekend. The largest rainbow, an 18-pound, 4-ounce fish, was caught by Burt Evans of Bayview.

The derby will continue through this weekend. Because the lake doesn’t have a large rainbow population, fishing wasn’t expected to be fast during the derby.

Hayden Lake was opened to trout fishing last weekend and anglers, fishing both from shore and boats, did well, hooking nice-sized rainbows and rainbow-cutthroat hybrids.

Kokanee

If you want to catch big kokanee, troll at either Loon or Deer lake. The kokanee are 16 to 18 inches long.

Loon is the best bet. The big kokanee aren’t plentiful in either lake, but Loon probably has the largest kokanee population.

Anglers who have fished Loon for more than 30 years can’t remember bigger kokanee than are in the lake. Although the kokanee are big, fishermen almost certainly won’t hook as many as they did last year. Trollers did unusually well last weekend, however, some hooking as many as 15 of the big landlocked sockeye salmon.

Joe Haley of the Granite Point Resort at Loon said the kokanee are cruising 15 feet under the surface. He suggested trollers let out two colors of leaded line.

To attract the kokanee, he said, some veteran anglers have used two-bladed Jack Lloyds 12 inches ahead of 3/0 dodgers. The attractors are tied at the end of 30-foot leaders. Popular lures, tied 12 inches behind the dodgers, have been the McNaughton Special Happy Hooker and the Fisher Pink Fly.

Haley said kokanee mouths are especially soft this time of year; consequently, veteran trollers set the drags on their reels loose enough for the fish to run. Even then, many kokanee are lost when they run.

Chinook salmon

Chinooks, averaging 6 to 8 pounds, are continuing to take trollers’ lures and bait near the surface, Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers Shop said.

Nearly all anglers are trolling in the north end of the lake, particularly between Arrow Point and Wolf Lodge Bay. Fister said muddy water coming into the lake from the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers has turned the water in the south end too murky for good fishing.

Fister said trollers are using helmeted herring and various plugs, including Rapalas, in the top 20 feet of water.

Northern pike

The Rose Lake General Store’s annual pike tournament was postponed until June 1-2 because of flooding along the Coeur d’Alene River. Most of the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene are high and muddy.

Pike fishing was slow in the north end of the lake, but Jim Anderson of Hayden Lake boated a 25-pounder last Friday, Fister reported.

Fister said pike fishing has been excellent at Hayden Lake. There’s no longer a limit for pike at the lake.

Spiny rayed species

Anglers who know where walleyes hang out this time of year at Sprague Lake have done well, a few of them taking home 22-inch-plus walleyes.

Monica Mielke of the Sprague Lake Resort also said fishermen have caught bass in shallow water along the edges of the lake. Perch, crappie and bluegill fishing, however, has been extremely slow.

She said one angler who fishes the lake frequently on Monday caught 11 walleyes, including three keeper-sized.

Walleye fishing is picking up in the Lind Coulee arm of the Potholes Reservoir, Dave Meseberg of the Mar-Don Resort said. Anglers have worked their lures on both sides of the bridge that goes over the west end of the coulee.

Fishermen also have started catching a few walleyes off the face of the O’Sullivan Dam at the Potholes Reservoir, he said.

Fister said anglers are catching big crappies at Hayden Lake. They’ve fished around docks and in shallow water. Crappie fishing also has been good at Rose, which isn’t affected by flooding of the Coeur d’Alene River.

If the weather is mild and the wind doesn’t blow, anglers could hook numerous crappies and smallmouth bass this weekend in the Steamboat Rock area of Banks Lake. Fishing for the two species has been excellent during warm, calm days.

Montana streams

Rock Creek was the only stream in the Missoula area that was relatively low and clear earlier this week. The Bitterroot may be fishable this weekend, but it was high and slightly off color Tuesday. The Clark Fork was high and muddy and isn’t expected to produce good fishing this weekend.

Gary Westerland, manager of Streamside Anglers, said he fished Rock Creek last weekend. He and clients did well on beat head Prince Nymphs, Zug Bugs and Hare’s Ear nymphs. A few used Gray Drakes and Blue Winged Olives hatches, he said.

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