Fishing Report

Winter lakes

Only five days remain for fishing the winter trout lakes. Fourth of July, Williams and Hatch, as well as a few in the Columbia Basin, will close for the season after Wednesday.

Fishing has been terrific much of the time the last couple of weeks, with a high percentage of bait and spin fishermen taking home five-fish limits and some fly fishers hooking and releasing up to 35 fish a day.

Water temperature is in the mid 40s and the rainbows have become more active than they were soon after the ice cover melted.

Fly fishers have been using a variety of patterns, including chironomid pupa, shrimp, back swimmer and leech imitations. Some reported late last week they caught fish on most of the patterns they fished.

Bait and spin fishermen, many fishing from shore, have had little trouble catching limits.

Until recently, ice covered most of Williams and Hatch. However, anglers probably will be fishing out of boats the last few days of the season.

The rainbows in Williams are 10 to 16 inches long. Hatch apparently has only a few trout left. Best fishing is for 9- to 11-inch perch.

Trout, Washington

With scores of lakes, mostly in the Columbia Basin, open to fishing, there are many choices of places to fish after the winter lakes close and until the opening of the general trout season April 24.

Among the potentially most-productive waters are: Roosevelt, Rufus Woods, Coffeepot, Deer Springs, Pacific, Homestead, Lenore, Lenice, Nunnally, Warden, South Warden, the Hamptons, Upper and Lower Caliche, Dusty and the lakes in the Pillar-Widgeon chain. In addition, Rocky Ford Creek, a fly fishing-only stream north of Moses Lake, might be a good choice.

Trout fishing may not be as good as it’s been at Fourth of July, but a few of the lakes have good potential.

Launching a boat at Roosevelt is now a problem at a few of the launch ramps. The lake level was at 1,250 feet earlier this week and the Bureau of Reclamation said it expected to continue to drop to make room for the spring runoff.

All the major launch ramps, including those at Spring Canyon, Keller Ferry, Porcupine Bay, Hunters, Gifford and Kettle Falls, are still usable.

Anglers continue to catch rainbows averaging 16 inches long at Roosevelt. However, the action isn’t as hot as it was a few weeks ago.

This is the time of year when fishermen hook outsized triploid rainbows at Rufus Woods Lake. Because the best fishing is several miles from the launch ramps, most who fish for the sterile trout have boats powered by engines of 25 or more horsepower.

The Coffeepot chain of lakes is attracting fair numbers of trout fishermen. Coffeepot has been yielding some rainbows in the 12- to 16-inch class. Pacific still has a good population of rainbows, but there is a possibility some of the fish have migrated down through the system. Homestead, a selective-gear lake, has been yielding big rainbows.

Don’t expect to catch big trout at the Warden lakes. Most of the fish are 8 to 10 inches. The Pillar-Widgeon lakes apparently have small numbers of rainbows, but the fishing has been better than it was opening week.

Upper and Lower Hampton lakes have surprised anglers by yielding good-sized rainbows. The trout in the lower lake are 12 to 14 inches; those in the upper lake are larger, with a few to 22 inches.

Still good choices are the Windmill lakes, Canal, Blythe, Corral and Heart, recently rehabilitated and replanted with rainbows. Janet, Katey and Susan, year-round lakes south of the Lind Coulee, have been producing some nice rainbows.

For two or three big trout, try the Caliche lakes or Dusty in the George area.

With chironomids hatching in fair numbers, fly fishers have been hooking and releasing 12- to 18-inch rainbows at Lenice. A dense algae bloom has made fishing difficult.

Don’t expect fast fishing at Lenore, which holds huge Lahontan cutthroat. The lake is open to catch-and-release fishing until June 1, when the limit will be one a day.

There have been reports of a dieoff at Lenore. If true, fishing may be poor this season.

Rocky Ford has been attracting fly fishers from throughout the state. Tiny Baetis mayflies and chironomids have been hatching. The mayflies hatch in the fast water near the lower fish hatchery. Chironomids hatch from the upper hatchery to the fast water.

Whitefish

Now is the time to fish for big lake whitefish at Soda. The canal from the Potholes Reservoir to the lake is running and the whitefish will be concentrated at the inlet to Soda.

Most anglers use small lures or flies to entice the whitefish.

Trout, Idaho

Anglers are just starting to become interested in fishing for trout at North Idaho’s lakes, according to Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene.

Fernan already is yielding carryover rainbows in the 12- to 14-inch range, plus newly planted rainbows.

Most of the ice was off Hauser a few days ago and fishermen were starting to fish with bait. The lake holds rainbows ranging from 12 to 18 inches long.

Round, now ice-free, is giving up some 10- to 14-inch rainbows.

Northern pike

North Idaho’s Hayden Lake has surprised fishermen the last few weeks by producing several pike weighing more than 30 pounds, Smith said. In fact, Hayden is the place to go to catch big pike.

Bryan Beck of Hayden Lake caught a 33-pounder a few days ago, the largest fish ever caught at Hayden, Smith said. Beck’s pike was the second weighing more than 30 pounds he’s caught there this year.

The 33-pound pike took bait fished under a bobber in the north end of the lake.

Fishermen also have been catching lots of pike in the 4- to 6-pound class at Hayden, Smith said.

While Hayden was yielding good numbers of pike, he said, fishing was slow at Lake Coeur d’Alene during the weekend. The biggest reported were a couple weighing 21 to 22 pounds. Most of the fish taken have been small.

Best fishing has been in the south end of the lake.

Spiny rays

The first bass tournament this year at Lake Coeur d’Alene will be Sunday, Smith said. Entry fees are $50 for a two-person team.

The water temperature is still a little low for good fishing.

Smith said some anglers have been going after crappies at Fernan and Cave lakes. Most have been using baited minijigs below bobbers. Best fishing at Fernan has been early and late in the day.

Fishing has been spotty at Sprague Lake, with a few anglers locating schools of good-sized perch and others finding some walleyes.

Walleye fishing has been fair to good at Lake Roosevelt and slow at the Potholes Reservoir.

Salmon

Salmon fishing was fair during the weekend at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Smith said. However, most of the chinooks were small, running 2 to 6 pounds. The largest reported was a 9-1/2-pounder.

Smith said the chinooks are near the surface and anglers have been trolling flutter spoons and helmeted herring 15 to 20 feet under the surface.

Steelhead

If you plan to fish for steelhead in Washington streams, you should do so soon. The Snake River will be closed to the keeping of steelhead after Wednesday. However, the tributaries, including the Tucannon, Walla Walla, Touchet and Grande Ronde, will remain open through April 15.

Generally, Idaho’s streams will remain open through April. However, you should check regulations for earlier closures.

Fishing was slow along sections of Idaho’s Clearwater and Salmon rivers last weekend, the Idaho Fish and Game Department reported. Anglers averaged 26 hours per steelhead along the North Fork, 21 on the South Fork and 20 hours along the Salmon from Whitebird to Riggins. Averages along the lower and upper Clearwater: lower, 90 hours, and upper, 105 hours.

New licenses

Washington’s new license structure will become effective Thursday.

If you haven’t already purchased a fishing license, you’ll be in for some pleasant surprises, particularly if you fish for steelhead. For $20, you can buy a season freshwater license that will include a steelhead permit. If you plan to fish for freshwater and saltwater fishes, as well as shellfish, you can buy a combination license for $36.

In past years, you have had to buy an annual license and spend $18 for a steelhead card and $5 for a warmwater fish enhancement permit. Under the new structure, there are no more enhancement fees.

Anglers 70 and older formerly paid $3 each for freshwater and saltwater licenses. Now they pay $5 for each license. However, they get a steelhead card with the new license; in addition, they don’t have to pay the $5 warmwater license fee.