Fishing Report

Trout, Washington

Fifty-one lakes in the Columbia Basin will open to fishing Monday, but it’s unlikely any of them will provide trout fishing as good as that at Fourth of July Lake.

And it’s unlikely more than a dozen or so Spokane-area anglers will pass up the good fishing at Fourth of July to fish lakes that have produced mediocre fishing the last few years.

Among the most popular lakes that are opening Monday will be Lenice, Nunnally and Merry along the lower Crab Creek channel, Coffeepot Lake west of Harrington and Upper and Lower Caliche south of George.

Some fly fishers who have had memorable days at Lenice, Nunnally and Merry in past years will show up at the lakes, hoping the chironomids will be hatching and they’ll hook and release a dozen or so rainbows and brown trout in the 14- to 18-inch class. It’s possible they may do so.

The three lakes are overdue for a rotenone treatment. The pumpkinseed sunfish population is so big the small spiny rayed fish affect the growth rate of the trout.

Sadly for anglers, it’s unlikely the three selective gear lakes will be rehabilitated for several years.

Coffeepot almost certainly will attract numerous Spokane-area anglers who hope they’ll catch a few outsized rainbows, even though most of the big trout in the lake on opening day last year were caught the first few days of the season.

The department released 10,000 rainbows into Coffeepot in 1997 and 5,000 last year. Many of the 10,000 fish released in 1997 were caught last year; those that weren’t should be good-sized, probably more than 14 inches. Few of the 5,000 released last year were big enough during the 1998 season to interest fishermen.

About 5,000 fingerlings will be released April 6.

Some anglers will fish for bass and other spiny rayed species. However, the water may be too cold for good bass fishing. Perch fishing may be fair to good.

The Caliche lakes could be the best producers of good-sized rainbows in the Basin next week. Regional fisheries biologist Joe Foster believes the fry released last year could be 12 inches long. The lakes also hold good numbers of 14-to 18-inchers. Warden and South Warden were treated with rotenone last fall.

Foster said they have been planted with 30,000 catchable-size rainbows.

He hopes the Pillar-Widgeon chain of lakes and Upper and Lower Hampton will provide fairly good fishing, but he’s skeptical. It’s possible the cormorants ate most of the rainbow fry released into the Pillar-Widgeon lakes, as well as the Hamptons. In addition, the Hamptons are contaminated with sunfish.

Upper and Lower Caliche lakes could be sleepers. Fry planted last year are 12 inches long. The carryover trout population isn’t big, but the fish are 14 to 18 inches.

Quincy and Burke are full of sunfish and Dusty is loaded with shiners. In past years, the three lakes northwest of George have been producers of rainbows averaging 12 inches long.

Spokane-area anglers hope they’ve seen the last of the ice at Fourth of July. For a brief period, the lake was ice-free and then sub-freezing temperatures put ice back on the upper end of the lake. The ice was too thick to launch a boat.

The ice went out Saturday afternoon, making it possible to launch small boats. The lake will remain open through March.

Anglers have been standing on ice at Williams and fishing in water kept open by an aerator. Hatch Lake, east of Colville, still is covered by ice. However, the ice may be rotten this weekend as the result of 40-degree-plus temperatures this week.

Roosevelt and Rufus Woods lakes continue to attract fair numbers of fishermen. Trout fishing has been spotty at Roosevelt, but trollers continue to catch lots of big kokanee they must release because the fish have intact adipose fins. Some anglers have been fishing off the north shore of Rufus Woods Lake 20 miles down from the head of the lake. The fishing has been slow, but once in a while a fisherman hooks a 4- to 10-pound triploid rainbow.

Incidentally, Lake Roosevelt is too low for anglers to launch boats at several ramps. It was 1,260 feet earlier this week and dropping. The water is well below the ramps at Hanson Harbor, Hawk Creek, Daisy and Snag Cove. Fishermen still can launch boats at Spring Canyon, Keller Ferry, Lincoln, Fort Spokane, Porcupine Bay, Hunters and Gifford.

Steelhead

Snake River tributaries are the best bet for steelhead now that the fish have started migrating to their spawning areas.

Fishing has been so good along the lower Clearwater that anglers have depleted supplies of jigs at the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene. Jeff Smith, owner of the shop, said one-eighth- and one-quarter-ounce jigs with marabou or bucktails have been popular with fishermen who fish jigs under bobbers.

The jig-and-bobber technique has been deadly on the big steelhead in the river.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department has been transporting steelhead it doesn’t need for egg-taking back from the Orofino hatchery to the lower river to give fishermen second and third chances to hook the big fish.

The lower Grande Ronde should provide fair to good fishing the next few days if it’s not muddy. The Tucannon, Touchet and Walla Walla also may provide good fishing to those who know the spots where the steelhead stop while en route to the spawning areas.

Salmon

Smith said fishing for immature chinook salmon at Lake Coeur d’Alene seems to be picking up. Trollers did well last Thursday and Friday and fair during the weekend. Several 7- to 10-pounders have been caught in recent days. However, most of the salmon are 1 to 3 pounds.

Smith said most of the salmon have been caught 20 to 30 feet under the surface. Popular areas last weekend were Beauty Bay and off Kidd Island Bay.

Kokanee

Ice fishermen have been pulling 25-fish limits of 7- to 8-inch kokanee through 10 inches of ice at Spirit Lake, Smith said. The fishing has been so good, he said, experienced anglers are consistently catching limits.

Fishermen also are catching a few big kokanee at Mirror Lake.

Trout, Idaho

If you want a good chance of catching a 16-inch-plus rainbow from the Spokane River in the Idaho section, try your luck this weekend. The Idaho section will close to fishing after Sunday.

Smith said shore fishermen have been catching the trout from the state line to Corbin Park. Although most plunk bait, a few fly fishers have been hooking trout in the section.

Spiny rays

Cocolalla Lake south of Sandpoint probably was the top perch producer in North Idaho last weekend. Smith said ice fishermen caught lots of small perch, but enough of the 7- to 9-inchers for a meal or two.

Perch fishing was slow at Fernan during the weekend, he said, but good at Upper Twin Lake, where fishermen sacked 7- to 8-inchers. Sprague Lake is ice-free.

However, fishing has been slow, possibly because the water is still in the low 40s.

Pike

Big northern pike apparently are moving to bays around Lake Coeur d’Alene. Smith said a few big pike, including 22- and a 17-pounders, have been caught the last 10 days.

The 22-pounder was caught in Cougar Bay.

Nearly all pike fishermen have been fishing smelt or herring under bobbers.