Fishing Report

March 1 lakes

Fishing seasons opens at more than 50 Eastern Washington lakes Sunday.

More than 40 of the lakes are in the Columbia Basin; seven are in southeastern Washington.

Coffeepot, west of Harrington, will open after being stocked last fall with 10,000 10- to 12-inch rainbows. The Fish and Wildlife Department plans to stock another 5,000 this spring.

Coffeepot, open to public for the first time in years, has become a “selective gear” lake. The only public access is at the launch on the property BLM purchased last year.

Bait is banned. Only single barbless hooks can be used. Limits will be two rainbows, two bass under 14 inches and 10 crappies a day.

Four other “selective gear” waters that open Sunday include Lenore, a 7-mile-long lake southwest of Coulee City that holds big Lahontan cutthroat; Lenice; Nunnally; and Merry, southwest of Royal City.

Fishermen will have to release the Lahontans they hook at Lenore. They can’t keep fish there until June 1.

Lenore has been ice-free for more than two weeks. It’s possible the fishing will be fair Sunday, but big trout are not feeding actively.

Fisheries biologist Jeff Korth thinks fishing may be slow Sunday at Lenice, Nunnally and Merry. However, fishing has been excellent at times at the winter-fishing lakes near Spokane despite the 38-degree water. Temperatures of the three Basin lakes are 3 to 4 degrees higher than those of Fourth of July and Hog Canyon.

Fly fishers, using chironomid pupa, scud and dragonfly nymph patterns, may hook good numbers of the rainbows and browns.

Perch have taken over Warden and South Warden, but some catchable-size rainbows have been released in the two. Also, there are a few big rainbows and browns in the lakes.

Anglers have been disappointed with the fishing at the lakes on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in past years. Cormorants and mergansers usually eat most of the rainbow fry planted in the Pillar-Widgeon lakes and Upper and Lower Hampton each spring. Korth not only planted the lakes last spring, but also in the fall after cormorants migrated out of the area.

He’s keeping his fingers crossed.

Best bets for five-fish limits in the George area include Martha, northeast of George; Upper, Lower and West Caliche lakes, near Interstate 90 4 miles southwest of George; and the walk-in lakes on the Quincy Wildlife Management Area northwest of George.

Winter lakes

Fishing has been so good much of the time at Fourth of July and Hog Canyon that Spokane-area anglers won’t want to drive 100 or more miles to fish lakes that open Sunday.

High winds last weekend made fishing difficult for cartop boaters and those who use float tubes and pontoon boats at the two lakes.

Anglers have taken so many fish out of Fourth of July and Hog Canyon that fishing has slowed. However, when the fish are feeding actively, they still catch limits in less than an hour.

A high percentage of the rainbows hooked at Fourth of July are 10-inch yearlings. The rainbows that measure 16 to 22 inches are no longer plentiful.

Hog Canyon, more protected from winds than Fourth of July, has been attracting large numbers of fishermen. Most of the fish are 10-inchers, but there are good numbers of 12- to 16-inchers and a few more even longer.

Rufus Woods Lake

The outsized rainbows in this reservoir are continuing to attract anglers from throughout the Northwest. The word’s out that the average size of the fish is 4 to 6 pounds. Some weigh as much as 15.

Most productive area is near the Colville Indian net pens halfway between Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams. That means boaters have to run 20 miles regardless of which end they launch their boats.

Guide John Carruth of Davenport said anglers have been using a variety of lures, including plugs and jigs. A few fly fishers have been casting sinking tip lines and using streamers.

Fishing has been extremely slow at Lake Roosevelt.

Steelhead

Two Snake River tributaries, the Touchet and Grande Ronde, were the Washington streams to fish during the seven-day period ending Sunday, reported Jerry Dedloff of the Snake River Laboratory.

Anglers averaged 3.9 hours per fish along the Touchet and 6.9 hours along the Washington portion of the Grande Ronde. The average along the Oregon section was 5.2 hours. The Walla Walla provided good fishing, with anglers averaging 19 hours per steelhead.

Anglers averaged 8 hours per steelhead along the Clearwater’s South Fork Friday through Sunday, the Idaho Fish and Game Department reported. Other Clearwater averages: Lower river, 24 hours; Upper Clearwater, 22; North Fork, 56.

Best fishing along the Salmon last weekend was between Riggins and the South Fork, where the average was a sensational 3 hours per steelhead. The Little Salmon was muddy and the average was 36 hours per fish.

Pike

Northern pike seem to be moving to the shallow bays of Lake Coeur d’Alene and Hayden Lake in preparation for their spawning cycle. As a result, fishermen started catching good numbers the last week.

Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene, said anglers caught numerous pike in the 3- to 7-pound bracket and some to 18 pounds. Nearly all anglers have been using smelt or herring under bobbers.

Most popular areas at Lake Coeur d’Alene are Blue Creek, Wolff Lodge, Beauty and Squaw bays. The pike are just starting to move into Cougar Bay.

Most of the ice is gone from Hayden and fishermen have been catching some pike. Cave and Medicine are among the best pike producers among the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River.

Spiny rays

Anglers have been catching a few crappies, bluegills and catfish at Sprague Lake, but they’ve been unable to find the perch schools.

Fishermen have been catching some small perch at Columbia Basin lakes, including Long and Soda. The big-lake whitefish in Soda still haven’t concentrated in large numbers at the inlet.

Fernan at Coeur d’Alene is one of the few North Idaho lakes that has been yielding some perch.

Salmon

Smith said chinook salmon in Lake Coeur d’Alene are starting to work toward the surface. Most caught the last week were 20 to 50 feet deep.

Most of the salmon caught in recent days were 3 to 7 pounds. Anglers have been using herring and flutter spoons.

Lake Pend Oreille

The spot to hook big mackinaw at Lake Pend Oreille apparently is between Warren Island and the highway in the north end, guide Ed Dickson reported.

The U20 Flatfish has produced the biggest macks, he said. Most productive finishes are the Fire Tiger and the frog.

Clark Fork River

The Clark Fork in the St. Regis area is low and clear, Brooks Sanford, owner of the Clark Fork Trout & Tackle shop, reported.

Trout fishing has varied from very good on days of 50 degrees or higher to very poor during 30-degree days with cloud cover and rain, he said.

He suggested fly fishers use bead head black stonefly nymphs, Brassies, Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tail Nymphs and Bead head Bitch Creek Nymphs.

Those who float the river should concentrate on the Superior to Sloway float or the 14-Mile to Cascade float.

Cream and black midges have been hatching, as well as some black winter stoneflies.

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