Hunting & Fishing

Trout, Washington

For the first time in several years, you have a choice between five lakes within an hour’s drive from Spokane where you can catch a limit of 10-inch-plus trout.

Fishtrap Lake isn’t the only one in the Spokane area that’s loaded with rainbows. Don’t overlook Williams, Amber, Badger and West Medical.

The thousands of anglers who descended on Fishtrap last weekend removed up to 20 percent of the 10- to 14-inch rainbows; therefore, fishing might not be as good this weekend as it was when it opened. But there still are plenty of trout for excellent fishing.

Williams and Badger surprised fishermen last weekend by yielding limits of 10- to 11-inch rainbows to nearly all who fished the lakes. The yearling trout in Badger are the biggest they’ve been in years. If you go to Badger, you must have your own boat. The only resort on the lake is closed.

Fishing at Williams was nearly as good as it was at Badger. Most anglers went home with limits.

If you plan to fish West Medical, do so soon. It’s possible the annual brown diatom bloom will develop within a week or so. When it does, fishing will slow down. Meanwhile, you should have little trouble catching 10- to 11-inch yearling rainbows and a carryover trout or two.

Amber, a selective fishery lake, provided sensational fishing last weekend, with some anglers hooking and releasing 25 to 40 rainbows and cutthroat a day.

If you like big brown trout, fish Clear Lake. Numerous anglers took home 16- to 18-inchers last weekend.

Forget for a while most of the small lakes in Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties. Those that were accessible and popular were hit hard last weekend and reaching many of the others may be difficult for another 10 days.

Dry Falls Lake disappointed most fishermen on opening day. Anglers hooked an average of only 2.8 trout each. Yearling rainbows were 12 to 14 inches; carryovers were 16 to 18 inches.

Blue and Park, rehabbed last October and planted last month, provided good fishing. Park was the best, yielding an average of four 11- to 12-inch rainbows per fishermen. Average for the 10- to 11-inchers in Blue was 3.1 for each person.

Fishing was fair at Perch Lake, with anglers averaging 2.4 rainbows each. Yearlings are 12 to 13 inches; carryovers, 15 to 16.

Ell Lake, a selective fisheries water in Okanogan County, may be one of the best lakes in Eastern Washington to catch big rainbow trout. Checks showed fishing was good on opening day. Average size of the rainbows was 16 inches.

K&K Derby

Jerry Wilhelm of Spokane caught the biggest fish entered in the Kamloops & Kokanee derby during the weekend at Lake Pend Oreille.

Wilhelm boated a mackinaw trout that weighed 30 pounds, 4 ounces. Largest rainbow was a 21-pound, 8-ounce fish taken by Van Sawyer of Sandpoint.

The derby continues through this weekend.

Turkey hunting

Pressure on the region’s gobblers has dropped dramatically since seasons opened. However, because the turkeys apparently are either nesting or preparing to nest, the gobblers no longer are doing much gobbling. In fact, it’s sometimes difficult to get the elusive birds to reply to a call.

There no longer seem to be gullible gobblers, as there were on opening day. Eager hunters, tromping through the woods making phony turkey talk, have seen to that. Turkeys, as veteran hunters know, may have pea-sized brains, but they make up for their stupidity by being extremely wary.

The elusive gobblers are so skittish now that most of the road hunters and those who try to get near enough to flocks for a shot or two have put away their shotguns and are trying to snag fish.

Chinook salmon

Lake Coeur d’Alene’s chinook salmon weren’t interested in bait and lures during the weekend, according to Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop.

Anglers had boated numerous chinooks to 16 pounds last week. It’s possible that the rapidly rising dirty water from the spring runoff had something to do with the slow fishing.

Idaho is on the verge of approving its first season in several years for hatchery chinook salmon on three Snake River tributaries.

The decision on whether to allow limited fishing for hatchery-raised chinooks on the Little Salmon, Clearwater and South Fork of the Salmon will be made by the Fish and Game Commission on May 8-9.

The seasons could open May 17. Anglers could keep only salmon with clipped adipose fins to protect endangered wild salmon.

Northern pike

Fishermen have caught some 10- to 12-pound pike in bays around Lake Coeur d’Alene. However, they’ve been unable to get into most of the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River because of high water.

Spiny rays

Sprague Lake is one of the best lakes to fish for keeper-sized rainbows, as well as catfish and a few crappies and bluegills.

Monika Metz, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, said fishermen hooked a fair number of 16-inch-plus walleyes last weekend. One caught a 10-pound channel catfish. Bullhead catfish, as well as some crappies and bluegills, have been caught.

Several North Idaho lakes, including Fernan and Hauser, have been providing good fishing for crappies.

Trout, Idaho

A few large rainbows were caught by trollers and shore fishermen when Hayden Lake opened Saturday, Fister said. Largest reported taken was a 12-pounder.

Fister said most anglers are trolling in the vicinity of the golf course and off Clark Point.

Several Panhandle lakes are producing good trout fishing. Among the best has been Fernan.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - Fishing and Hunting Report