Fishing Report

Trout, Idaho

The St. Joe, Lochsa and Selway rivers, as well as Kelly Creek, are still higher than normal for this time of year, but they’re clear and low enough for fair to good fishing.

The Clearwater and its Little North Fork have been clear and fairly low for more than two weeks. Fishing has been good at times as numerous insects, including golden stoneflies and small mayflies, hatch.

The St. Joe was running at about 3,900 cubic feet per second a few days ago, more than twice the flow for this time of year. However, anglers caught fish during the Fourth of July weekend.

The Lochsa was flowing at about 5,900 cfs early this week, compared with a mean flow of 3,360 cfs. The Selway was clocked at 8,000 cfs, as against a mean flow of 4,900 cfs,

The dropping of the St. Joe, Lochsa and Selway into good fishing condition will take the pressure off the Coeur d’Alene, which has been crowded with anglers the last two to three weeks.

Of the big North Idaho lakes, Priest is the most consistent trout producer. Veteran trollers usually take limits of small mackinaw trout.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department has released 9- to 12-inch trout in numerous Panhandle lakes the last few months. Most, such as Hauser, Fernan and Kelso, are good bets for a few fish.

Trout, Montana

The Clark Fork River is finally providing fairly good fishing in the Missoula area, said Hagan Wonn, a guide for the Grizzly Hackle fly shop. The flow in the St. Regis area, however, is too much yet for even fair fishing. The river was flowing at 16,000 cfs near St. Regis this week.

Wonn said he floats the river just below Missoula nearly every day and catches fish. He has been using big flies, including Woolly Buggers. Golden stoneflies and Pale Morning Dun mayflies have been hatching, but the fish still weren’t interested in floating flies.

Best fishing in the Missoula area, he said, is along Rock Creek, which is clear but still high. Although the stream is higher than usual for this time of year, it’s wadeable. Fly fishers have been using yellow Stimulators to imitate the golden stoneflies and PMD and caddisfly imitations. Rock Creek was running at 1,380 cfs this week, compared with a mean flow of 758 for early July.

Golden stoneflies and Green Drake mayflies are hatching along the Bitterroot, but most fly fishers are fishing the upper reaches of the stream until the lower part drops. The Bitterroot’s flow at Darby was 1,540 this week; mean flow is 1,320.

The Blackfoot has been one of the better producers in the Missoula area, Wonn said. One angler caught a 26-inch brown trout during the Fourth of July weekend.

The Missouri River below Holter Dam was still running about 9,600 cfs early this week and it was off color, making dry fly fishing difficult. Guide Arnie Gidlow said fly fishers have been fishing nymphs and Woolly Buggers.

Caddisflies and Pale Morning Dun mayflies are hatching. When the flow drops under 7,500 cfs and clears some more, he said, dry-fly fishing should be excellent. The Big Hole River is exceptionally high, he said, and is responsible for keeping the Missouri high and off color. Salmonflies are hatching along the Madison.

Trout, Washington

It’s no longer easy to catch trout at Eastern Washington lakes during hot mid-day hours.

For example, McDowell, a fly fishing-only lake on the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge, holds good numbers of rainbows and cutthroat, most only 12 to 14 inches long, but fly fishers a few days ago went home after only hooking and releasing less than a half dozen each.

And even the rainbows in Bayley Lake, also on the refuge, refused nearly everything thrown at them during the Fourth of July weekend.

Rock Lake has been yielding good-sized brown trout and some crappies.

Trout fishing has been slow in the Columbia Basin.

Spiny Rays

Sprague Lake continues to surprise walleye buffs. Mike Mielke, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, said fishing slowed during the Fourth of July weekend, but he saw more walleyes 5-pounds-plus than he’s seen this year.

He said a few caught good numbers of crappies. However, bluegill fishing was slow. Some also caught some good-sized rainbows.

Bass fishing has been good at Lake Coeur d’Alene and numerous other Panhandle lakes, Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop said. He has been casting “plastics” to interest bass in the big lake.

Crappie fishing has been good at Hauser and Fernan. He said those in Fernan are 10 to 12 inches; those in Hauser average nine inches.

Walleye fishermen did well along Lake Roosevelt during the Fourth of July weekend, guide John Carruth of Davenport said. The walleyes were scattered and in 15 to 20 feet of water.

Some have been catching smallmouth bass there, too, he said.

Walleye and bass fishing was slow at the Potholes Reservoir and Moses Lake during the Fourth of July weekend, wildlife agent Dan Rahn said. One of the reasons why, he said, was the unusually large numbers of people just enjoying good weather on the two big lakes.

Rahn said smallmouth bass and walleye fishing usually is good in the White Bluffs area of the Columbia River this time of year. However, the river has been extremely high and somewhat difficult to boat.

Kokanee

Lake Coeur d’Alene is still the best place to fish to catch large numbers of ideal-size kokanee in the Inland Northwest.

Fister said an angler can take a limit of 25 kokanee 10-11 inches long in two to three hours by trolling in front of Bennett Bay or near the Wolf Lodge ramp. Best fishing is early. Kokanee are 15-20 feet deep.

Most trollers are baiting lures with maggots and/or corn, he said.

The 12- to 13-inch kokanee in Lake Mary Ronan finally started biting again just before the Fourth of July, Mark Thomas of Camp Tuffit said.

Twenty-five to 35 boats usually cluster around the favorite still-fishing hole each morning. Most fishermen jig Swedish Pimples baited with shrimp to catch 10 fish.

Limits are still the exception at Koocanusa Reservoir, a resort representative said. However, experienced trollers have been doing well, some catching 20 fish.

Trollers have been catching a few kokanee in the 11- to 12-inch class at Loon Lake. Most are immature. The mature kokanee are 16-20 inches long, but they are not plentiful this year.

Salmon

Fantastic fishing along the Little Salmon River near Riggins has attracted anglers from throughout the Northwest. Anglers have two more days to try their luck. The season is scheduled to end Sunday.

Meanwhile, the first summer chinook salmon fishing season since 1964 on the South Fork of the Salmon River opened Thursday.

The season was proposed by the Idaho Fish and Game Department after biologists forecast that a surplus of hatchery-raised salmon would return to the river’s hatchery.

Anglers already were flocking to the Little Salmon River for a hatchery salmon season that began last month.

The South Fork season was approved recently by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Fishing hours will be 5 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until further notice or Aug. 2, whichever comes first, said Sharon Kiefer, an IFGD spokeswoman.

The chinook run up the Columbia River has been much larger than biologists had predicted.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department is holding 4,000 chinooks in a hatchery, plenty to provide eggs for hatching. Officials have released several thousand in the lower part of the river so fishermen can have a second chance to catch them.

Fister said salmon fishing at Lake Coeur d’Alene has improved a little, but the fish remain somewhat elusive. Most experienced anglers troll dodgers and flies or plugs 45 feet deep. Popular areas are between Arrow and Hudson points and near Silver Beach.

A chinook derby, sponsored by the Lake Coeur d’Alene Anglers’ Association, will be held Saturday. Entry fee is $10. The angler who catches the biggest chinook will pocket $1,000. Second prize will be $500, and third, $250.

Shad

Now is the time to fish for shad in the Snake River below Ice Harbor Dam. Enough have moved up the Snake for fair fishing at times.

Pike

If you like to catch pike, now is a good time. Toss lures in relatively shallow water at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Fister said. He advised looking for new weed growth, then cast plugs and Daredevle spoons. Most pike are 8-10 pounds; the bigger fish 14-20 pounds.

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