Fishing Report

Trout, Idaho

North Idaho’s most popular trout streams, now in good fishing condition, almost certainly will be swarming with anglers during the Fourth of July weekend if fishermen believe the weather will be warm and there will be no rain.

Although daytime temperatures were in the 50s and 60s and rain fell periodically last week, some streams, particularly the Coeur d’Alene River, were fished hard every day. Many more anglers and their families, however, will camp along the Coeur d’Alene, St. Joe, Lochsa and Selway rivers and Kelly Creek this weekend.

Fishing has been good along the Coeur d’Alene, with some anglers hooking and releasing up to 30 cutthroat a day. Most of the trout are small, but a few in the 14- to 17-inch bracket were caught.

This is the best time to fish the Coeur d’Alene. Some large, mature cutthroat are moving up the stream and its tributaries. Numerous anglers who have fished the river the last couple of weeks have described the fishing as “fantastic,” according to Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene.

The lower Coeur d’Alene and many of its tributaries opened to fishing Wednesday. Anglers should check the 1998 regulations before fishing the areas that opened.

For the first time this year, all the campgrounds along the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe likely will be full during the weekend if the weather is pleasant. Most of the Forest Service campgrounds along the Lochsa probably will be full.

Fister said fishing for mackinaw trout at Priest Lake and rainbows and macks at Pend Oreille has been good the last couple weeks.

He recommended fishermen troll or jig for the macks. The biggest fish have been caught in the north end of the lake, he said. Macks in Priest average 6 to 8 pounds.

Anglers have been trolling lures near the surface during early morning hours at Pend Oreille. When the sun is high, they’ve been going down to 40 feet.

Fishermen have been catching 5- to 7-pound trout at Hayden, Fister said. Best fishing has been from dawn to 10 a.m. Popular areas have been off Clark and English points.

The Henrys Fork in the Last Chance area has been producing good fishing, a spokesman for Henrys Fork Anglers reported. The Green Drake mayfly hatch is ending and most fly fishers have been fishing with imitations of Pale Morning Dun mayflies and caddisflies.

Trout, Montana

Some of Montana’s Blue Ribbon trout streams are low and clear enough for good fishing. However, the Clark Fork and Blackfoot were high and muddy earlier this week and may not be fishable during the Fourth of July weekend.

Doug Best of the Grizzly Hackle International fly shop at Missoula said the Bitterroot is “by far the best choice in the Missoula area for fishing now.”

He said golden stoneflies, Pale Morning Dun mayflies, some Green Drake mayflies and caddisflies are hatching along the Bitterroot.

Upper Rock Creek is high but fishable, he said. Golden stones and a few Green Drakes are hatching. The salmonfly hatch is over.

The Clark Fork, high and off colorx earlier this week, should be fishable during the Fourth of July weekend, in the opinion of Brooks Sanford, owner of Clark Fork Trout & Tackle in St. Regis. The water was dropping fast at mid-week. Sanford said Pale Morning Dun mayflies and Golden stoneflies are hatching in the afternoons and caddisflies in the evenings. He recommended anglers try size 10 Yellow Stimulators, Elk Hair Caddis, Yellow Humphies, Royal Wulffs, Deep Sparkle Caddis Pupa and size 14 bead head Pheasant Trail Nymphs.

The Madison is still high, but fly fishers will be on the lower river in anticipation of the start of the salmonfly hatch this weekend.

Trout, Washington

Fishing has been fair to good at several Eastern Washington lakes that usually are fished only by those who live near the lakes.

For example, fishing for 12- to 18-inch rainbows has been excellent at times at Coffeepot Lake. Fishing guide John Carruth of Davenport said he and a fishing partner hooked several 12-inchers while fishing for bass last weekend.

Some who concentrated on fishing for trout did well. Once in a while, a fisherman hooked a rainbow weighing more than 5 pounds.

Pacific Lake also has been yielding some good catches of rainbows, mostly in the 12-inch range. Most of the trout released into the lake last year went out the lower end during high water and the lake was replanted with several thousand fish this spring.

Lakes in Pend Oreille and Stevens counties almost certainly will attract good numbers of anglers during the Fourth of July weekend. Among the best producers should be Marshall, Yocum, Deep and the lakes in the Little Pend Oreille chain.

Fishing has tapered off at all the selective gear and fly fishing-only lakes. However, Amber, Bayley, Dry Falls, Lenice, Nunnally, Ell, Aeneas, Blue and Chopaka will be the destination of numerous anglers, mostly fly fishers.

Many shallow Eastern Washington lakes are covered with algae blooms, limiting visibility of trout to the first few feet near the surface.

Spiny rays

Bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill fishing has been good at several Eastern Washington lakes and reservoirs.

Sprague has been one of the most productive lakes for walleyes and crappies. Mike Mielke, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, said knowledgeable fishermen did exceptionally well last weekend.

Some anglers concentrated on walleyes and took many in the 18-inch-plus class. They also hooked and released numerous walleyes less than 18 inches long. Only walleyes 18 inches or longer can be kept.

Mielke said some anglers concentrated on crappies and did well. They also caught walleyes while fishing for crappies.

Trout fishing also was good at the lake last weekend, he said. The rainbows are 12 to 20 inches long, with most in the 14-inch class.

Carruth said he and his partner caught numerous small bass while fishing at Coffeepot, but also caught several 1- to 3-1/2-pounders.

Carruth said most of the walleyes being caught at Lake Roosevelt are small, but periodically an angler boats one longer than 20 inches. Fastest fishing has been in the Spokane arm of the lake.

Fister said bass fishing has been excellent at numerous North Idaho lakes. Among the best producers have been Coeur d’Alene and Hayden. The latter is full of both largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Incidentally, Hayden opened to catch-and-keep bass fishing Wednesday. The limit is two a day, none between 12 and 16 inches.

Kokanee

Hundreds of anglers will spend this weekend trolling for kokanee at Loon and Chapman in Washington, Coeur d’Alene and Mirror in Idaho and Mary Ronan lakes and Koocanusa Reservoir in Montana.

For those who are proficient at catching kokanee, Loon Lake might be a good choice during the early morning and evening hours. Water skiers and speed boats will churn up the lake during mid-day hours, scattering kokanee schools and rocking troller’s boats.

The lake seems to have a good population of 10- to 17-inch kokanee. When I fished the lake last week, the sonar on the boat registered big schools in both the north and south ends. The north end, incidentally, is plagued with milfoil, which gets on terminal gear.

Most of the kokanee in Loon are at 30 to 40 feet. This means an angler must get their maggot-baited lure down at least 30 feet. The kokanee limit at Loon is 10 a day.

Fishing has improved at Lake Coeur d’Alene, with some persistent trollers boating 25-fish limits. Best fishing has been in the south end. The kokanee average 11 inches.

Fister also said Mirror Lake has been yielding six-fish limits of 12- to 13-inch kokanee. At least one angler, proud of his catch, displayed at the Fins & Feathers shop 25 kokanee he said he caught at Mirror. When he was told the limit was six, he quickly left the store.

Some anglers, by trolling four to six colors of leaded line, plus one ounce of lead in front of flashers with maggot-baited lures, have been taking 20-fish limits at Koocanusa Reservoir, Mike Singer, spokesman for the Koocanusa Resort, said.

Trollers are catching more kokanee than still-fishermen at Lake Mary Ronan, according to Gary Thomas, an owner of Camp Tuffit. Generally, he said, still-fishermen catch the biggest fish, which are 14 inches long.

Fishermen also are still catching lots of 16-inch rainbows and 12- to 14-inch cutthroat, he said.

Salmon

Several chinook salmon weighing more than 10 pounds were caught during the chinook derby at Lake Coeur d’Alene last weekend, Fister said. Most trolled flashers and Hootchies or dodgers and herring at 40 to 50 feet in the south end. Top winners: First, Frank Whitney, Spokane, 15 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,000; second, Ernie Crossley, Spokane, $500; and third, Margery Pool, Coeur d’Alene, $250.

Shad

It’s still possible to catch shad below John Day and Ice Harbor dams. However, the big shad run, which now numbers more than 2 million, has peaked and fishing opportunities are ending.

Most productive area this weekend could be below John Day Dam. More than 900,000 shad have climbed the John Day ladders. Although shad were going over the McNary ladders at the rate of more than 10,000 a day this week and more than 280,000 had been counted, the fish have been slow to move up the Snake. The count at Ice Harbor as of Sunday was only 1,825.

Pike

Pike fishing continued good last weekend at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Fister said. Nearly all the fish caught were in 2 to 6 feet of water. All shallow bays hold ravenous pike.