Fishing Report

Kokanee

Fishing for 14- to 20-inch kokanee at Lake Roosevelt has been so hot experienced anglers have been taking five-fish limits every time they’ve trolled the lake.

The sudden appearance of what seems to be a large number of kokanee has surprised fishermen, most of whom assumed they went over Grand Coulee Dam with the big lake’s rainbows. The kokanee fishing last year was a bust.

However, according to fishing guide John Carruth of Davenport, anglers started hooking kokanee earlier this month and tried to keep the news from spreading. Gradually, though, the word got out and now serious fishermen are trolling between Keller and Spring Canyon every day the weather permits.

They’ve been trolling baited flies behind dodgers near the surface, Carruth said. Best time to fish for the kokanee is from just before dawn until 8 a.m., but the fish have been hitting lures all day.

Some North Idaho anglers have been catching limits of 12- to 14-inch kokanee through several inches of ice at Lake Mary Ronan in northwest Montana, reported Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene.

The lake is open for ice fishing.

The 7- to 8-inch kokanee in Idaho’s Spirit Lake have been hard to find, Smith said. Usually, ice fishermen take large numbers of the fish in January and February.

Ice fishing, trout

Rain and mild temperatures the last few days have softened and melted some of the ice on many of the region’s most popular winter fishing lakes.

Unless temperatures drop lower, the ice on Fourth of July and Hog Canyon lakes southwest of Spokane and on Hauser, Fernan and Hayden lakes in Idaho may not be safe for ice fishing this weekend.

Because it holds rainbows to 24 inches, Fourth of July has been the most popular winter fishing lake in the Spokane area. It’s covered with ice, which was 4 inches thick earlier this week.

However, mild temperatures have caused the ice to recede a little from shore. One angler, en route to his pickup truck Sunday, hit a soft spot near the boat launch and crashed through the ice.

Incidentally, fishermen have started to catch good numbers of the 10-inch rainbows in Fourth of July. During the early part of the season the yearling trout didn’t compete with the older fish for the food in the lake. It was nearly impossible for an angler to catch trout under 14 inches; consequently, because the limit is five fish a day, only two 14 inches or longer, many fishermen went home with two big trout.

Some of the fishermen I talked with last weekend as they came off the lake had five 10-inch rainbows.

The mild weather has made it possible to drive the 2-mile access road to Hog Canyon Lake without having to buck snow. In past winters, snowstorms have prevented fishermen from reaching the lake.

Hog Canyon has been popular with ice fishermen since the ice thickened to 4 inches. It’s possible, as the result of mild temperatures, the ice in some spots will be honeycombed and unsafe.

Fishing at Hog Canyon has been so good that anyone who knows how to catch trout through ice leaves with a five-fish limit.

The ice on the Twin lakes just above Coffeepot Lake was thick enough to support anglers safely earlier this week. The lake holds enough rainbows for good fishing, but few have been fishing it lately.

Several North Idaho lakes are yielding trout, including Mirror, Fernan and Hauser.

Ice fishing, spiny rays

Ice on Sprague Lake early this week varied from 4 to 6 inches. However, some who intended to fish for the perch and crappies decided not to walk on the ice after testing it near shore.

Fishing has been spotty. It’s been fairly good one day and poor the next. When I was at the lake last weekend, fishing was slow. Two who had fished the lake for 4 hours caught only a half-dozen small perch. They said no one had done well while they were on the ice.

Eloika has been attracting a few fishermen. However, because most of the perch are small, running 5 to 7 inches, the lake hasn’t attracted as many anglers this winter as last. Weeds are a problem at Eloika.

Perch in most North Idaho lakes are small, running 6 to 8 inches long. Some of the better producers include Hauser, Rose, Round and Cocolalla. Anglers catch lots of small perch at the Twin lakes, but, by sorting, they get enough 8- to 10-inchers for a meal or two.

Ice fishermen have been catching lots of pike at the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River, Smith said. Most are 3 to 5 pounds. Anglers bait hooks with herring.

Trout, open water

Ice fishing isn’t the only game in the region. If you’re a proficient fly fisher, you can take a few good-sized rainbows on a dry fly.

Blue-winged Olive mayflies are hatching along some streams, including Rocky Ford Creek north of Moses Lake. Midges also are hatching, mainly in the slow-moving water below the hatchery.

Those who fished Rocky Ford, a fly fishing-only spring creek, last week and weekend were surprised and delighted to see the tiny mayflies hatch along the fast-flowing portion of the creek. The trout eagerly ate the nymphs and duns during brief mid-day hatches.

Blue-winged Olives are actually Baetis mayflies. There are several Baetis species in the West. Earliest to hatch are the Baetis tricaudatus and Dipheor hageni.

The Blue-winged Olives are so small, fly fishers tie patterns on sizes 18 to 22 hooks.

Midges hatch all year at Rocky Ford and many Inland Northwest creeks and rivers. Midge hatches have been so massive along the Columbia River in the Ringold Springs area they’ve become important food for ducks.

Rock Lake, south of Spokane, is one of the few lakes in the region that rarely freezes over. Consequently, anglers often troll for the rainbows and brown trout throughout the winter.

Some knowledgeable anglers have been taking browns up to 3 pounds by trolling lures fairly near the surface in recent weeks.

For some reason, mackinaw trout in Lake Pend Oreille developed lockjaw last weekend, said Ed Dickson of Diamond Charters.

He fished from sunrise to sunset Sunday and suffered his first skunking in a month.

Steelhead

Steelhead fishing was good along parts of the Snake and its tributaries last weekend, but heavy rains this week caused the streams to start turning muddy. It’s possible they won’t be fishable this weekend, said Jay Poe of Hells Canyon Sports at Clarkston.

Both the Snake above the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater and the lower Grand Ronde produced good fishing.

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