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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fishing Report

Fenton Roskelley, Correspondent

Ice fishing, Idaho

The average size of perch in 120-acre Gamble Lake, located 10 miles east of Sagle, is 9 inches with the spread 7 to 10 inches, according to Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers Shop at Coeur d’Alene.

Catching enough for a meal, though, is challenging. Anglers who catch 20 to 40 are on the ice long before dawn and usually leave by 8 a.m.

A conservation officer confirmed that fishermen who are on the ice by 3 a.m. catch most of the fish.

Other lakes where fishing is best before dawn include Shepherd and Hauser.

A friend and I stopped at Cocolalla Saturday, figuring we’d spend an hour or two if fishing had been good.

We walked out to an ice house. A fisherman who poked his head out told us there had been a fishing derby in the morning. The fishermen had caught thousands of perch. Biggest perch caught during the derby, he said, was slightly more than 9 inches long. Most were 6 to 7 inches.

Steve Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop said the most consistent fishing for good-sized perch is at Upper Twin. An angler can take home good numbers of 8- to 10-inchers by culling about a third of the perch he hooks.

Fishing has been fair to good at Fernan, he said.

Pike fishing has slowed down at the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River, and jigging for mackinaw trout at Priest Lake also has slowed, Smith said.

Fishing, Washington

The upper end of Sprague Lake was virtually ice-free Wednesday, but there was as much as 10 inches of ice on the lower end. A strong flow of water from the inlet stream at the upper end melted the ice.

Because of some ice around the launch ramp in the upper end, anglers couldn’t launch boats.

Incidentally, a few anglers have hooked fair-sized perch at Sprague, but the average size probably is 5 to 6 inches, not big enough to provide much meat. Big bluegills are scarce, but a few anglers have left the lake with four to eight.

Mike Mielke, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, said he and his wife have tried to find walleyes but have failed. Anglers keep trying because they know ice fishermen in Midwest states often do very well.

Biggest perch in the Spokane region are in Spokane (Long) Lake. A few fishermen last week filled 5-gallon buckets with 8- to 11-inchers. However, rains caused Hangman Creek to rise and pour muddy water into the river. As a result, Spokane Lake turned muddy and the perch stopped biting by Friday.

Eloika continues to be a good choice for 7- to 10-inch perch, although few anglers have caught more than five each time they’ve fished through the ice. When I was at the lake last Friday, however, a couple of anglers who fished near Jerry’s Landing caught 15 each in less than an hour.

The perch are not always on the bottom. One angler at Eloika mistakenly set his bobber 4 feet above the maggot-baited hook and immediately started hooking perch. He caught 20.

Hog Canyon Lake is continuing to churn out five-fish limits of rainbows measuring 9 to 18 inches, with most fish 9 to 10 inches. Best fishing seems to be in the mornings.

The lake is attracting large numbers of anglers. About 50 fishermen were on the ice Wednesday morning and most had left with limits by 2 p.m.

Because the fishing has been so good, some fishermen have been releasing the 9- and 10-inchers and illegally keeping five rainbows that are 14 to 16 inches long. A limit can include no more than two fish over 14 inches. Some other anglers have been offering to help strangers catch their limits.

When I was at the lake Wednesday, a couple of fishermen boasted as they left for home that they had kept eight trout more than 14 inches long. My friend and I also heard fishermen offering to help catch limits for anglers they didn’t know.

Fishing has been slower at Fourth of July, according to anglers who fished the lake in recent days. However, the big attraction are the 16- to 22-inch rainbows in the long, narrow lake.

About the only places anglers are fishing in the Columbia Basin are Long Lake below O’Sullivan Dam, Soda Lake and the upper end of the Lind Coulee, Mike Meseberg of the Mar-Don Resort said.

Anglers have been catching small perch and 14- to 20-inch whitefish at Soda and Long lakes, some walleyes at Soda and rainbows in the running water of the Lind Coulee.

Best fishing for whitefish is at Soda, but the ice was too thin at mid-week for safe fishing. The ice at Long is in good shape. Anglers are catching four walleyes for every legal fish, but a few of the legals are 6 to 7 pounds.

“There are more people hunting coyotes than fishing,” he said.

Steelhead

The lower Clearwater and the upper Grande Ronde provided excellent fishing last weekend.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported anglers averaged 9 hours per steelhead along the Clearwater between the Memorial Bridge at Lewiston and Orofino. The stream was muddy below Potlatch Creek and fairly clear between the creek’s mouth and Orofino.

The agency reported fishermen averaged 42 hours per fish in the North Fork.

The Snake River was high and off-color last weekend and may not be fishable this weekend, Jay Poe of Hells Canyon Sports at Clarkston reported.

Anglers had excellent fishing along the upper Grande Ronde last weekend, he said.

The Tucannon and Walla Walla may be too murky for good fishing this weekend as the result of rainstorms.

Salmon

Anglers are waiting for the weather to improve before trolling for chinook salmon at Lake Coeur d’Alene. Smith said too few anglers were on the lake last weekend to determine whether trolling for the salmon is worthwhile now.

Kokanee

If you want to catch 25 kokanee averaging 7 inches, fish through the ice at Spirit Lake, Smith said.

Until last weekend, fishing had been terrific, with anglers catching 25 kokanee in an hour or two. The fishing slowed down last weekend and anglers were having trouble catching limits this weekend.

The kokanee can be found about 20 to 30 feet deep.

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