Fishing Report

Indian lakes

It’s still winter around some of the popular fishing lakes on the Colville Indian Reservation, but resort operators are looking forward to outstanding trout fishing when the lakes open April 17.

The most popular lakes are North and South Twin and Buffalo. However, McGinnis, which holds big brook trout, attracts numerous anglers.

Lorna Canody, an owner of the Log Cabin Resort on South Twin, said the Colville tribe did an outstanding job of planting the lakes last year and she predicted fishermen will catch good-sized rainbows and brook trout. Some of the trout will be 18 inches long.

Some ice was still on the lake earlier this week, she said, but there was 18 inches of snow on the ground. The ice will be off by opening day, she said.

Bob Hamlin, owner of the Reynolds Resort at Buffalo Lake, said he believes this will be one of the better years. Rainbow and brook trout should average 14 inches long.

The lake apparently has a large population of carryover fish 16 to 17 inches.

Kokanee spawn naturally in Buffalo.

Hamlin believes they’ll be 14 to 16 inches long. There’s no snow around Buffalo. However, there was a little ice on the lake earlier this week.

Tribal license costs: three-day, $15; seven-day, $20; season, $30.

Trout, Washington

Some Columbia Basin lakes that are open to fishing year-round are providing better trout fishing than the majority of the lakes that opened March 1.

Among the better producers have been Corral, Blythe, Heart, Katie, the Windmill lakes and Virgin.

With the small lakes in the Pillar-Widgeon chain on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge closed, anglers have fewer choices until the opening of the regular season April 24.

Fishing has been spotty at Warden and South Warden, but occasionally anglers take five-fish limits of small rainbows. The lakes were rehabilitated last year.

Fishing also has been slow most of the time at the Hampton lakes. However, Upper Hampton attracted a few fishermen who want to catch big rainbows. Yearling trout in the two lakes have been running 12 or more inches, but they’re not plentiful.

Mar-Don Resort at the southwest corner of the Potholes Reservoir released 160,000 rainbows from its net pens this week. Because the resort publicized the release, numerous anglers showed up to fish off resort docks.

By now, most of the rainbows probably have spread to the main reservoir. They’ll provide good fishing during much of the season.

Coffeepot and Pacific lakes have been providing fair to poor fishing for rainbows. Anglers apparently have cut deeply into the trout population of Coffeepot the last five weeks, but persistent fishermen have been taking home two-fish limits. The water has been too cold for good bass or crappie fishing.

Those who fished Pacific Lake last weekend said fishing was poor. The lake was planted heavily with rainbows last year, but most may have left the lake during the high water.

Fly fishers have been hooking a few good-sized rainbows at Lenice, a selective gear lake; however, the fishing has been spotty. Some fly fishers have been hooking rainbows in the upper end of Rocky Ford Creek, a fly fishing-only, catch-andrelease stream.

Lake Roosevelt is so low that several launch ramps are above the water line. Fishing for the 15- to 20-inch rainbows has been excellent at times at several places along the reservoir. Some anglers, fishing bait from shore, have taken five-fish limits. Trolling hasn’t been as productive.

Turkeys

If you plan to hunt wild turkeys next week and haven’t done any scouting, you should do so this weekend. Most flocks have left their wintering places and moved to the spots where they’ll spend the spring and summer.

As serious turkey hunters know, the populations in both Idaho and Washington may be at an all-time high. Turkeys have spread into places they’ve never been seen.

Washington’s season will open Thursday and close May 15. It’s possible for a hunter to take three gobblers in Washington if they buy a multiple tag on or before Wednesday.

However, the hunter who goes after a “grand slam” is limited to one Eastern, one Merriam’s and one Rio Grande subspecies.

Idaho’s turkey seasons are a little more complicated. There are two general hunt seasons, the first starting Thursday and ending May 25 and the second opening May 1 and ending May 25. Hunters are limited to specific game management units.

Idaho has several controlled hunts, some in the Panhandle. Opening days differ. The state also has controlled fall hunts in October.

Salmon

A few good-sized chinook salmon were caught at Lake Coeur d’Alene during the weekend, Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins and Feathers shop, said.

Ten-pound and 7-1/2-pound chinooks were caught in shallow bays, he said. Most of the salmon that were hooked were considerably smaller.

He recommended anglers troll helmeted herring, flutter spoons or plugs from near the surface down to 20 feet.

He also said this is a good time of year to use planer boards to get lures or bait near the shorelines. The salmon are looking for small spiny-rayed fish in the shallow water.

Northern pike

A couple of big pike were caught at Lake Coeur d’Alene during the weekend, Smith said.

Otherwise, fishing was slow.

Corey Pratt of Coeur d’Alene, fishing herring under a bobber, caught a 24-pound, 3-ounce pike in Wolf Lodge Bay. Another fisherman caught a 14-pound, 4-ounce pike, also on herring under a bobber.

The pike are still in 6 to 12 feet of water, Smith said. They’re expected to move into shallower water the next few days to spawn.

Pike fishing was slow at Hayden Lake last weekend.

Trout, Idaho

Several small lakes in North Idaho have been providing fair to good fishing for rainbows, Smith said. Among them have been Fernan, Cocolalla and Hauser.

He suggested fishermen slowly troll spoons, streamers of small plugs around the shorelines.

Most trout in Fernan are 10 to 14 inches long. Those in Cocolalla and Hauser are 12 to 18 inches.

Kokanee

Koocanusa Reservoir in northwest Montana has been providing outstanding fishing for 10- to 12-inch kokanee, according to Spokane anglers who have fished the popular lake.

However, there’s a downside, they said. The kokanee are skinny, indicating the reservoir is either overpopulated or there aren’t enough plankton for them to put on weight.