Fishing Report

Trout, Washington

Some anglers have found large schools of 14- to 22-inch rainbows and some good-sized kokanee along Lake Roosevelt and have caught limits in an hour or so.

The spots aren’t easy to find and you won’t get much help from fishermen who don’t want any competition. If you fish only from a boat, launch at Seven Bays, Jones Bay, Keller Ferry or Spring Canyon on a weekend and look for trollers who are catching fish. There are some good spots where you can do well from shore.

One Spokane fisherman said he and a friend have been fishing from shore between Spring Canyon and Seven Bays about twice a week. They’ve caught big, bright rainbows and a few kokanee every time.

He said he uses a slip sinker rigged so it stays 12 to 16 inches above the baited hook. He uses a couple of marshmallows and bait on a large hook. The marshmallows keep the bait suspended a few inches above the bottom.

Fourth of July Lake may be ice-covered this weekend as the result of night temperatures in the teens this week.

The lake still holds plenty of 10- to 18-inch rainbows for excellent fishing at times. The trout don’t always swallow bait or hit fly patterns. In fact, fishing can be downright slow. If you’re lucky, you’ll fish on a day when the fish are feeding actively. Keep in mind that a five-fish limit can’t include more than two trout 14 inches and longer.

Fourth of July rainbows have a grassy taste. If you want to catch good eating rainbows, fish Hog Canyon. The 12- to 13-inch trout make good table fare, but they’re no longer plentiful in the lake.

Several lakes and reservoirs in the Columbia Basin have been yielding trout. None is producing the kind of fishing you’ll experience at Fourth of July, but you can do well at the Potholes Reservoir, some of the seep lakes south of the Lind Coulee, the coulee’s inlet, Blythe, Corral and Heart.

If you fish the Potholes Reservoir, either bank fish off Medicare Beach or try the Frenchman Hills or the Winchester wasteways or troll near Medicare Beach, off the mouth of the wasteways or off the face of O’Sullivan Dam.

The Potholes Reservoir is the best bet for action. It still has a good population of net-reared rainbows that range from 14 to 20 inches.

If you’re a fly fisher, try Rocky Ford Creek. Midges and Baetis mayflies are hatching. The rainbows in the fly fishing-only stream north of Moses Lake are picky and won’t take a fly that’s poorly presented or doesn’t suggest the insects on which they’re feeding.

Trout, Idaho

Few anglers have been trolling for the big rainbows and mackinaw trout in Lake Pend Oreille since the big lake was opened to fishing.

The majority of those who have been on the lake have trolled for the macks, which have been easier to catch than the rainbows. Easiest fish to catch is the bull trout.

Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feather shop at Coeur d’Alene, said trollers have been hooking a few bull trout nearly every time they fish the lake. All bull trout must be released.

Smith doesn’t expect large numbers of boats on the lake until late March or early April. The weather will be warmer and the fish more active.

Fishing for rainbows and mackinaw trout has been slow at Lake Pend Oreille, Ed Dickson, operator of Diamond Charters, reported. However, he said his clients hooked a few macks over the weekend.

“When all else fails,” he said, “I go to a large dodger and a fly.”

He said he rigged trolling gear with dodgers and flies and his clients hooked a few.

He reported that a friend and other members of his party hooked a huge bull trout and two Brown trout weighing 5 and 10 pounds a few days ago.

Meanwhile, the 10- to 16-inch rainbows in Round Lake have been attracting a lot of attention. As of last weekend, there was plenty of ice for safe fishing.

Kelso also has been producing limits of rainbows averaging 10 to 12 inches long.

Hauser, which usually produces fairly good fishing for trout this time of year, has been tough on fishermen, some of whom think the tiger muskies have cleaned up on the trout, as well as perch and crappies.

Spiny rays

If you can find them, you may catch some big perch and legal-sized walleyes at Sprague Lake. I’ve used the word “may” because some fishermen have located the fish on their sonar units, but they’ve been unable to interest them in biting.

When the upper end was covered with thin ice, several anglers caught jumbo perch and some big walleyes. One fisherman reported a school of big perch moved into the area near the houses. He said he and other fishermen loaded up on the perch. Then the perch moved out and walleyes moved in. The fishermen caught walleye limits.

Open-water fishing, however, remained fruitless.

“I’ve fished in every place I have had good luck before,” said Don Ostlund of Spokane. “I don’t know where the perch go. They just seem to vanish. Maybe we’ll start catching them later.”

The ice on Eloika Lake is no longer solid enough for safe ice fishing. In fact, some parts of the lake are ice free. One angler started to walk out on ice near the public access area and broke through. Fortunately, the water was only 2 to 3 feet deep and he was able to get out quickly.

Fishermen had been catching good-sized brown trout, bass, perch and pickerel through the ice.

Several Columbia Basin lakes are loaded with small perch. They include Soda and Long below O’Sullivan Dam.

Gamble Lake in North Idaho has been targeted by perch fishermen the last couple of weeks. Fishermen have been catching 9- to 11-inch perch that are on the bottom at 20 to 22 feet. Ice was 6 inches thick last weekend.

“The fishing hasn’t been fast,” he said. “If you find a school or two, you might leave the lake with 20 to 30 fish. The perch move in and out. You may also catch a few bass.”

Fastest perch fishing is at the Twin lakes, he said. However, the perch are small, with keepers running 8 inches. Round Lake also holds large numbers of small perch.

Steelhead

The deep holes of the Clearwater River just below Orofino become so crowded at times on weekends fishermen have to coordinate their casts so they won’t get their rigs tangled.

Fishing has been so good at times fishermen line up almost shoulder to shoulder along the shore. Last weekend, one popular hole yielded at least 20 steelhead, maybe as many as 30.

The North Fork below Dworshak Dam also has been popular with shore fishermen. Anglers caught several steelhead Saturday and Sunday.

The deep holes along the Snake between Asotin and the mouth of the Grande Ronde also have provided fair to good steelhead fishing. Numerous steelhead seem to be in the holes just below the Grande Ronde’s mouth and getting ready to move up the Ronde.

Fishing has been productive along the Tucannon and Touchet, as well as along the Snake at the mouth of the Tucannon.

Salmon

Fishing for chinook salmon at Lake Coeur d’Alene was slow last weekend, Smith said.

Most of the salmon seem to be near the bottom and move to the surface to feed. The only salmon anglers caught last weekend were taken in the top 50 feet of water.

Helmeted herring and Rapala plugs were trolled by the few anglers who tried for salmon.

For the first time since 1994, sport fishing for spring chinook in the lower Columbia River may continue into late March, the Fish and Wildlife Department announced.

The mainstem Columbia will remain open to salmon fishing downstream of the Interstate 5 bridge until a quota of 1,200 Willamette River spring chinook are taken.

The daily limit is six chinook, two of which may be adults. Barbed hooks are permitted.

The Columbia is closed to spring chinook fishing upstream of the I-5 bridge.

Whitefish

The deep holes in the lower Coeur d’Alene River have been attracting fair numbers of fishermen, Smith said.

They have been using bead head nymphs and small flies tipped with maggots. They locate a school, fish until the whitefish no longer bite, then move to another hole.

The whitefish are small, averaging 10 inches. They’re tasty when smoked.

Fishermen continue to catch whitefish along the Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam. The whitefish are mostly 12 to 14 inches long.

Trout, Montana

Perhaps surprisingly, trout fishing has been good along streams in the Missoula area. It’s been particularly rewarding along Rock Creek east of Missoula.

The Kingfisher Flyshop at Missoula said Rock Creek “is a happy place to be” from Philipsburg down to the confluence with the Clark Fork River. The stream has been more productive than other rivers in the area.

Although some midges have been hatching, the shop recommended stonefly nymph patterns, as well as the Hare’s Ear Nymph and Prince Nymphs. Keep the flies deep and slow.

The Clark Fork River has improved dramatically from what it was a couple weeks ago. You’ll catch more whitefish than trout, but you’ll hook several trout. Cast trailing shuck emergers or size-20 Royal Wulffs on top and fish flashback Pheasant Tail Nymphs under the surface.