Fishing Report

Winter lakes

There are 11 more days to fish the lakes that have provided the best trout fishing in Eastern Washington since December.

Four winter fishing lakes will close March 31. Fourth of July and Hog Canyon have yielded five-fish limits of rainbows to a high percentage of knowledgeable anglers nearly every day they’ve been fishable. Fishing hasn’t been quite as good at Williams and Hatch in the Colville area.

The two Spokane-area lakes still apparently hold big populations of rainbows. Last weekend, some fly fishers boasted they hooked and released as many as 30 trout a day at Fourth of July. Fishing hasn’t been as good at Hog Canyon, but most of the time anglers have had no trouble taking five fish.

Trout, Basin

Rufus Woods Lake, the reservoir between Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams, has produced a state-record rainbow. The Fish and Wildlife Department said that the trout, caught by Robert Halverson of Republic, weighed 25.4 pounds. The old record was 22.5 pounds.

Halverson caught the huge trout last month while trolling a Rapala.

Ray Duff of Spokane, department biologist, said the trout’s most striking characteristic was its nearly square shape. The trout was 31.5 inches long and 35 inches in girth.

The huge rainbows in Rufus Woods Lake have attracted hundreds of anglers from throughout the Northwest the last few weeks. Most of the rainbows being caught are 4 to 6 pounds, with some heavier than 10 pounds.

Pressure on the trout is expected to increase with the opening Thursday of the Bridgeport State Park at the lower end of the lake.

Apparently, most of the 3- to 9-pound rainbows that were in Coffeepot, when it was opened to the public for the first time in many years, have been caught.

When I was at the lake a few days ago, none of the fly and spin fishers caught any of the huge trout. Only one fly fisher hooked a big fish; he lost it while getting ready to take a picture. Nearly all who fished the lake during the morning hours left by noon.

Anglers had hoped Pacific, the lowest lake in the Coffeepot chain, would provide excellent fishing this spring. However, the fishing has been slow.

It’s possible many of the rainbows have migrated out of the lake. There’s still a strong flow of water through the lake.

My friend and I didn’t fish the head of Pacific. In past years, the best fishing in March has been near where the water flows into the lake from the lakes in the chain. Trout of spawning age were attracted to the relatively fast-moving water.

Fishing pressure has continued to be light at the Pillar-Widgeon lakes on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Upper and Lower Hamptons, the Warden lakes and the small lakes in the Quincy area.

However, Lenice, Nunnally and Merry along the lower Crab Creek channel and Lenore, southwest of Coulee City, have been attracting anglers who want to catch big trout.

Most of those who fished Lenice, the most productive of the three “selective gear” lakes, last weekend were fly fishers. Midges are hatching at the three lakes, but the hatches have been spotty.

The big Lahontan cutthroat in Lenore aren’t feeding actively on chironomid pupa yet, but some fishers have hooked fish in the 17-inch class. Spin fishermen, trolling a variety of lures, have been hooking some fish. Fishing is expected to improve as the water temperature rises and bugs become more active.

Rocky Ford Creek, the fly fishing-only spring creek north of Moses Lake, is continuing to attract numerous fly fishers. The rainbows that escaped from the upper hatchery last week are 11 to 13 inches long and seem to be plentiful enough to provide good fishing. In addition, there are some big carryover rainbows in the upper end of the creek.

Spiny rays

An angler who fishes Sprague a lot had this comment about the fishing at the popular lake: “It’s either feast or famine …”

He has fished the lake at least a half-dozen times the last three weeks. He and friends have filled 5-gallon buckets with perch on several occasions; they’ve also fished hard for several hours for a half-dozen perch each.

Perch fishing seems to have become more reliable at the lake. The fisherman and friends filled buckets with 9-inch-plus perch the last two times they’ve been at the lake. They’ve caught some perch more than a foot long. One caught a 14-1/2-incher that weighed 2 pounds.

Walleye fishing apparently is picking up at Lake Roosevelt. Guide John Carruth of Davenport said he and a friend caught limits last weekend in the lake’s Spokane arm. He said most of the walleyes were small, measuring less than 16 inches. Carruth said he and his friend caught lots of 15- to 16-inchers.

Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene, said northern pike fishing has been fair to good in bays along Lake Coeur d’Alene. However, he added fishing won’t pick up until the lake level rises and there is more water in the bays.

Most of the pike caught last weekend were 24-30 inches. Anglers have been using smelt under bobbers.

A few small Idaho lakes are yielding panfish, he said. Rose, Fernan and the chain lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River are producing small crappies. Smith said the chain lakes are so low yet that big boats can’t be launched.

Kokanee

Trollers are starting to catch kokanee again at Lake Roosevelt, guide Lennie Mayo reported.

Despite 20- to 30-mph winds earlier this week, he said, his two clients caught nine kokanee that measured 13-16 inches. They also lost several others.

The most productive area of the lake was in the Keller area, he said.

Mayo said others who trolled during the high winds did well.

Steelhead

Steelhead fishing continued good along several of the Snake River tributaries last weekend.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported anglers averaged 14 hours per fish along the lower Clearwater. Fishing was slow along the upper river and the North Fork and South Fork.

Parts of the Salmon provided good fishing, with averages ranging from 11 to 22 hours per fish. The average along the Little Salmon was 14 hours.

Washington tributaries of the Snake continue to provide excellent fishing. Jerry Dedloff of the Fish and Wildlife Department reported anglers averaged 3.1 hours per steelhead along the Touchet River the week ending Sunday and 5 hours along the Washington section of the Grande Ronde. Average for the Oregon section was 18 hours.

Trout, Montana

Skwala stoneflies and March Brown mayflies are hatching along the lower Clark Fork River, Brooks Sanford, owner of the Clark Fork Trout & Tackle shop at St. Regis, reported.

“When temperatures rise in the afternoons, fishermen can experience some productive fishing with cut-wing Skwala or deer hair Skwala imitations,” he said. “Size 18 Parachute BWOs and sizes 14 and 12 March Browns fished in tandem with a Skwala pattern is a good combination.”

Most productive section has been from Superior to St. Regis.

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