Fishing Report

Trout, Washington

If you want to catch several pan-sized trout, and possibly one or two bigger fish, you have numerous choices.

For big fish, troll Loon Lake for mackinaw trout. Twenty-four macks, several weighing 12 to 20 pounds, were caught when the fishing season opened last weekend.

For several weeks, Williams, Badger, Fishtrap and West Medical in Spokane and Lincoln counties likely will yield limits of 10-to 13-inch yearling trout, plus some carryover fish to 22 inches, for most anglers who are fairly proficient. Clear and Silver may be good choices for 12- to 16-inch rainbows and brown trout, but limits will take time.

Many lakes in Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties have enough trout to provide good action. Among them are Deep, Marshall, Yocum, the lakes in the Little Pend Oreille chain, Ellen and Ledbetter. Deep Lake yielded a high percentage of five-fish limits of 10- to 11-inch cutthroat and 11- to 13-inch rainbows on opening day.

To veteran Loon Lake mack anglers, the opener was the best in several years. Some released several 4- to 8-pounders. Red Crass of Loon Lake caught the biggest, a 20-pounder. Other big fish, all caught by Spokane residents, were kept by Matt Fechter, 18 pounds; Rick McCulloch, 19 pounds; Don Ostlund, 13 pounds; and John Tracy, 12 pounds.

Joe Haley, manager of Granite Point Resort, said most anglers trolled Silver Lord plugs, Blue and Silver Flatfish and Sutton Spoons. He also said a few kokanee averaging 14 inches were caught.

Blue and Park lakes southwest of Coulee City are full of 11- to 12-inch rainbows. They’ll be popular with anglers for several weeks. So will Jameson in Douglas County; yearling rainbows average 11-1/2 inches and there seems to be plenty.

Top producers of 10- to 11-inch trout in Okanogan County are Alta, Conconully, Pearrygin, Fish and Wannacutt.

Trout, Idaho

Biggest rainbow boated during the K&K derby at Lake Pend Oreille was a 17-pound, 8-ounce fish taken by Carl Bartz of Hope. Biggest mackinaw trout, weighing 19 pounds, 12 ounces, was caught by John Bowman of Post Falls. Both were caught on flies.

The derby ends Sunday evening.

Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene, said cutthroat are feeding on mayflies at many places, including Silver Beach and Wolf Lodge Bay, at Lake Coeur d’Alene. The cutthroat, 10 to 18 inches long, feed actively on and near the surface when the Callibaetis mayflies hatch. Fly fishers, using various mayfly imitations, hook and release large numbers of cutthroat.

The daily limit is one cutthroat longer than 14 inches.

Experienced trollers did well at Priest Lake last weekend. Priest, on an late April through November season, opened Saturday. Nearly all mackinaw caught during the weekend were small, few more than 8 pounds.

Specially managed waters

Fly and lure fishermen who want to catch 12- to 25-inch trout have numerous choices.

One of the best, at least for a while, could be Dry Falls, a selective gear lake within Sun Lakes State Park. Fly and lure anglers who fished it opening day did well, most hooking and releasing numerous rainbows in the 11- to 18-inch range. The yearling rainbows are 11 inches, but there are good numbers of 15- to 18-inch rainbows and browns.

Lenore Lake, also a selective gear water, is yielding fair numbers of big Lahontan cutthroat. Fly fishers, using chironomid pupa imitations, have been hooking and releasing fair numbers of 16- to 24-inch Lahontans.

Amber holds a big population of rainbows and some cutthroat. Some fly fishers hooked and released up to 40 of the 11- to 15-inchers opening day. One in five rainbows was sterilized, identified by a clipped adipose fin. All sterile fish must be released.

Medical Lake holds good-sized brown trout, but few fished it last weekend.

Lenice and Nunnally, selective gear lakes, have been producing good fishing the past two weeks.

Little Ell Lake in Aeneas Valley, with large numbers of 12- to 18-inch rainbows, should attract crowds the next few months.

A sleeper is Blue Lake in Okanogan County. A selective gear lake, it’s been overlooked by big fish hunters the last few years. Anglers are starting to realize the lake holds some tackle-breaking rainbows.

Kokanee

Kookanusa Reservoir in northwestern Montana is still the best place to troll for good-sized kokanee. Some have been taking 20-fish limits of 11- to 14-inchers.

Few, if any, anglers are expected to troll for kokanee in Lake Roosevelt the rest of this year. Effective today, regulations require fishermen to release all kokanee that don’t have clipped adipose fins.

Fishermen say nearly all kokanee caught this spring didn’t have clipped fins.

Lennie Mayo, guide at Lake Roosevelt, said two clients caught five kokanee Monday and all five had intact adipose fins. He also reported the San Poil River is pouring muddy water into the lake, making fishing below the river’s mouth virtually impossible.

Chapman Lake in Spokane County yielded some kokanee opening weekend.

Spiny rays

With the surface waters of the region’s lakes warming fast, anglers are catching bass at numerous Idaho and Washington lakes and reservoirs.

“Bass fishing this weekend could be the best so far this year,” Smith said.

Washington anglers are starting to do well at numerous spots, including Banks, Moses and the Potholes Reservoir.

Anglers are hooking good numbers of crappies and bluegills at Sprague Lake, Mike Mielke, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, reported. Most bluegills are 8 to 9 inches and the crappies are 10 to 11 inches.

Mielke said the best time to catch the bluegills and crappies is late in the evening. Fishermen also are catching walleyes on bass plugs in the shallows in the evening, he added. About one in 10 is a keeper (18 inches or longer).

Pike

Pike fishing was fairly good at most of the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River last weekend, Smith said. However, the pike in Lake Coeur d’Alene were in the midst of spawning and wouldn’t hit.

The team of Dan Palmer of Hayden Lake and Mike Rust of Boise took home $700 for placing first in the F&F pike derby during the weekend. Their pike, all caught in the chain lakes, weighed a total of 44 pounds, 4 ounces.

Jeff Smith of Fins & Feathers said pike fishing should be excellent at Lake Coeur d’Alene after the fish get through spawning.

Trout, Montana

The Clark Fork River has risen and turned cloudy as the result of warm weather, Brooks Sanford, owner of the Clark Fork Trout & Tackle shop at St. Regis, reported. Visibility was about 6 inches earlier this week.

If warm weather continues, the stream, which was running at 11,400 cubic feet per second this week, will continue to be muddy.

Sanford said Grey Drake, March Brown and Baetis mayflies are hatching between 1-4 p.m. and caddisflies from 4 p.m. until dark.