Fishing Report

Ice fishing, trout

Sub-freezing temperatures early this week solidified ice caps on many of the region’s popular ice fishing lakes, making it possible for the most squeamish fishermen to trust the ice.

Although ice on most lakes was honeycombed and covered with water before temperatures plunged, hundreds of fishermen ignored the potentially dangerous conditions and spent hours on the ice.

Depending how long current above-normal temperatures continue, lakes such as Fourth of July, Williams and Sprague will be dotted with anglers hunched over ice holes the next week or so. The ice fishing season likely will end by late February.

Fourth of July still is the most productive ice fishing lake in Eastern Washington. Its population of 10- to 18-inch rainbows is still large enough for anglers to catch limits in an hour or two, provided fishermen can catch enough rainbows under 14 inches to legally take home five. The limit is five a day, only two of which can be 14 inches or longer.

Williams and Hatch lakes will attract anglers living in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties. Williams is the best bet for five rainbows.

Trout, open water

Sub-freezing temperatures failed to discourage some from trolling and bank fishing for the deep-bodied, bright rainbows in Lake Roosevelt last weekend and early this week.

However, pressure on the slab-shaped triploid rainbows in Rufus Woods Lake was light. Most fishermen seem to be waiting for the temperatures to moderate.

Incidentally, those who troll Lake Roosevelt often catch more big kokanee than rainbows. The downside is they must release nearly all the kokanee. Unless a kokanee’s adipose fin has been clipped, it must be released. Unfortunately for anglers, nearly all the fish they’ve hooked have intact fins.

A couple of Spokane fishermen are telling friends they have hooked more than 90 kokanee while fishing for trout at the big lake the last few weeks. Only two of the kokanee had clipped adipose fins.

They said they believe nearly half the kokanee they hooked had torn, bleeding gills or were hooked in their eyes. Although they felt the kokanee would die, they had to release them or take a chance on being fined.

Some fishermen aren’t concerned about what may be wasted kokanee. They’re having fun hooking the fish while trolling for rainbows.

Most popular section for both rainbows and kokanee has been from Spring Canyon to the mouth of the Spokane River.

Most productive time to catch the triploid rainbows in Rufus Woods Lake is from now through April.

Ice fishing, spiny rays

Some die-hard ice fishermen continue to fish for perch and crappies at Sprague Lake. Fishing has been spotty during daylight hours. It improves in the evenings, when the fish often move into shallow water.

A few have caught enough 8- to 10-inch perch at Spokane (Long) Lake for a meal or two.

Eloika Lake has been attracting a few fishermen every day. Most of the perch are small, running 5 to 7 inches. However, anglers, by tossing the small fish on the ice and keeping perch in the 7- to 9-inch size, catch enough for several meals. Most productive fishing, according to anglers who have fished the lake, is from dawn to 8 or 9 a.m.

Incidentally, Idaho’s Hauser Lake is best fished very early. Fishermen who consistently do well are on the ice by daylight.

Several North Idaho lakes have been providing fair to good fishing for small perch, Steve Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene reported.

He said ice conditions were good earlier this week at lakes in Bonner and Boundary counties and marginal at the lakes south of Coeur d’Alene. It’s possible the ice at Hauser and the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River may be thick and hard enough this weekend to support anglers safely, he added.

Shepherd Lake holds some big perch, Smith said, but catching enough for a meal or two can be difficult. He said his brother, Jeff, and son fished the lake last weekend and had to work hard to catch a few.

Perch fishing has been good at Lower Twin and Cocolalla.

However, the perch are small, keepers running 7 to 8 inches long.

Kokanee

If you are willing to spend several hours on the ice at Idaho’s Spirit Lake, you have a chance to take home 25 small kokanee. Keep in mind, though, fishing has been slow at times in recent days.

Catching the kokanee can be frustrating. Schools of the landlocked sockeye salmon move around and you may watch others hooking the kokanee while you can’t pull one through the ice.

One of the keys to catching the kokanee is to fish at the right depth, which may vary from 20 to a little more than 30 feet. And of course, another key is to put your lure where there are kokanee.

Smith said the most popular terminal tackle consists of a bead chain spinner, 6-inch leader and a glow hook baited with maggots.

Mirror holds big kokanee, but not enough for good fishing. Anglers fish the lake for a variety of fish, including trout, kokanee and perch.

Steelhead

The Snake River and its tributaries were high and muddy earlier this week, but could clear enough this weekend for fair fishing.

Gary Rolbiecki, a boat captain for Beamer’s Hells Canyon Tours, said the Snake, Salmon and Grande Ronde were too muddy last weekend and early this week for even fair steelhead fishing. The Clearwater, however, although off-color, was clear enough for fair fishing.

Incidentally, 2,000 steelhead, most run B fish, climbed the fish ladder at Lower Granite Dam the last 10 days. They should be in the lower river.

Rolbiecki said unusually high temperatures in the high country, plus rain, put the Salmon, Ronde and Snake out of shape. Although the Snake was muddy last weekend, he decided to try his luck, but didn’t get a touch from a steelhead.

The Ronde and Salmon have the reputation of clearing up slowly after they’ve become muddy.

If the tributaries to the lower Snake River are clear, steelhead fishing could be sensational the next week or so. Anglers have done exceptionally well lately.

Jerry Dedloff of the Fish and Wildlife Department’s Snake River Laboratory reported that from Jan. 18-24, anglers averaged 15.2 hours per fish along the Walla Walla, 9.1 on the Touchet, 9.4 on the Tucannon and 6.9 on the Grand Ronde.

Salmon

Salmon fishing was good last weekend at Lake Coeur d’Alene, with some fishermen hooking and releasing several during a day’s fishing, Smith said.

Most of the chinooks weigh 3 to 5 pounds. Once in a while, though, an angler hooks a salmon weighing 6 to 7 pounds. Most troll helmeted herring. When the salmon are 60 or more feet deep, some troll squids behind flashers. Trolling herring seems to be the most productive method when the salmon school in shallower water.

Northern pike

Pike have been taking herring under bobbers in some Lake Coeur d’Alene bays, Smith said. The bait of choice usually is smelt, but it’s been nearly impossible to get smelt large enough to interest the pike. Smith recommended fishing Squaw, Wolf Lodge and Blue Creek bays.

If the ice is safe enough to support anglers safely at the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River, anglers will set out tip-ups this weekend. Smith said few anglers trusted the ice last weekend.