Fishing Report

Steelhead

You can find most of the region’s steelhead anglers along Idaho’s Clearwater River the first mile or so below Orofino.

In fact, the famed Pink House hole is so jammed with boats at times that anglers’ lines cross and fishermen have to spend time untangling their lures. The crowds are especially large on weekends.

When I drove up the Clearwater from Lewiston to within 2 miles of Orofino last weekend, I saw only a half dozen anglers’ boats. As I approached the Pink House hole, I saw 26 boats. It reminded me of West Medical Lake on opening day.

Fishermen were in every kind of boat, from 12-foot cartoppers to 21-foot cruisers. Only a few were alone. Most boats carried at least two. A few held 8 to 10 fishermen.

There were a dozen more boats at the Poleyard hole just below the Dworshak fish hatchery.

The fishermen were using all accepted techniques. Many were jig-and-bobber fishing. Others repeatedly drifted the 400 yards or so between two riffles, bouncing their bait on the bottom as their boats drifted slowly down the hole. A half dozen cast lures and baits and retrieved as their boat drifted. And a few anchored and cast and retrieved.

They used a variety of baits, including nightcrawlers, shrimp and salmon and steelhead eggs. I watched the fishermen from the highway for nearly 2 hours, hoping to see someone catch a steelhead. I never saw one hooked. Perhaps the water was too muddy that day.

The water was fairly clear Sunday, and they resumed catching steelhead.

It’s probable the Clearwater will be even more muddy this weekend as a result of mild temperatures, rain showers and the melting of snow on the mountains adjacent to the river.

Muddy water is what steelhead fishermen will have to contend with the next few weeks. It may make fishing tough on the Snake River and its tributaries, including the Salmon, Grande Ronde, Tucannon, Walla Walla and Touchet.

As air temperatures rise, water temperatures will move into the 40s. As a result, steelhead, which have been lying in deep holes during much of the winter, will start migrating toward their spawning grounds.

If the water isn’t too muddy, fishing can be outstanding. For example, the Grande Ronde can produce sensational fishing the latter part of each season.

Trout, kokanee

Fifty-three Columbia Basin lakes will open to fishing Wednesday, but only a few hundred anglers are apt to fish them. The March 1 lakes aren’t nearly as productive as they were 20 years ago.

Cormorants and other big fish-eating birds apparently dine on a high percentage of trout stocked each spring in the lakes, leaving small numbers for fishermen.

The lakes include more than a dozen on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge known as the Pillar-Widgeon lakes and numerous lakes in the Quincy area.

Upper and Lower Hampton, once fished by hundreds of anglers on an opening day, will be more popular than the Pillar-Widgeon lakes since they are more accessible.

Fishermen have to walk one-quarter to three-quarters of a mile to fish the Pillar-Widgeon lakes.

It’s possible Coffeepot, now a selective-gear lake, will be one of the most popular spots. The trout daily limit is two of any size. The bass limit also is two, but the maximum size limit is 14 inches. Anglers can keep 10 crappies, but it’s unlikely anyone will catch that many.

Some big rainbows are in Coffeepot, having migrated down from the upper lakes in the chain.

Three selective-gear lakes in the lower Crab Creek drainage will be opened. They are Lenice, Nunnally and Merry. Trout fishing has deteriorated the last few years as the result of an increase in the number of sunfish. However, a score or more fly and spin fishers will fish the lakes the first few days of the season.

Lenore Lake southwest of Coulee City may attract some anglers. However, all Lahontan cutthroat hooked from March 1 through May 31 must be released at the selective-gear lake. A crash in the Lahontan population a couple of years ago resulted in poor fishing. The Fish and Wildlife Department has been attempting to rebuild the population.

Quail, a fly fishing-only, catch-and-release lake 5 miles north of Othello, is opened year-round. A few fly fishers may visit it while in the area.

Anglers fishing Lake Roosevelt now can keep two kokanee whether or not they are marked by a clipped adipose fin. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission enacted an emergency regulation late last week authorizing fishermen to keep two kokanee. The current regulations pamphlet says only marked hatchery kokanee can be kept.

Fishermen have contended nearly all the kokanee they have hooked have been unmarked fish and the fish died as the result of hooking and handling problems.

The Fish and Wildlife Department has determined, as the result of research, that a significant portion of the kokanee in the big reservoir are healthy up-river Canadian stocks. Biologists also confirmed that unmarked fish were dying from hooking-related injuries.

Effective May 1, anglers can keep five rainbows and two kokanee, marked or unmarked.

Trout, Idaho

Last week’s low temperatures firmed the ice caps on most of the Panhandle’s lakes, and squeamish fishermen were back on Fernan, Round and Upper Twin this week.

However, rain most of the week may have softened the ice again.

Justin Kimberling of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene said the best choice for nice-sized trout is Round Lake. There are enough rainbows in the lake for fairly good ice fishing.

He said Mirror has been yielding some fair-sized brook trout, as well as kokanee. Most anglers who trolled for rainbows, brown trout and mackinaw trout at Lake Pend Oreille last weekend were disappointed. Few fish were caught. The lake is open for trout fishing under emergency regulations designed to reduce the fish that prey on kokanee.

Spiny rays

Fishing for northern pike has been fairly good at Coeur d’Alene and Hayden lakes, Kimberling said.

Anglers have been using big bobbers 10 feet above smelt- or herring-baited hooks over and near weed beds in Wolf Lodge, Squaw and Blue Creek bays at Coeur d’Alene.

They’ve been using the same rigs at Hayden off the Dyke Road. Although most pike caught this winter have been small, a few big ones, including a 33-pounder, have been taken.

Fernan is the best lake to fish for 9- to 12-inch perch, Kimberling said. He said he and a friend caught 20 through the ice a few days ago.

Other perch producers have been Upper Twin, Gamble and Cocolalla. The perch are small but plentiful at Upper Twin. It’s a good lake to take kids fishing, Kimberling said.

Whitefish

The lower Coeur d’Alene River and the Columbia below Priest Rapids Dam continue to yield whitefish.

Fastest fishing has been along the Coeur d’Alene.

Anglers also have hooked cutthroat trout, but have had to release them.

The whitefish in the Columbia are bigger than those in the Coeur d’Alene. Fishermen have been using tiny lures and flies tipped with maggots or eggs.

Trout, Montana

Rock Creek is the place to catch trout in the Missoula area, the Kingfisher fly shop reported.

“Consistent nymphing will only get better as daytime temperatures rise,” the shop said in its weekly report. If those temperatures rise into the 30s, fly fishers may take fish on dry flies.

Meanwhile, fly fishers should fish nymphs deep and slow. The shop recommended Kauffman stoneflies, flashback Pheasant Tail nymphs and San Juan Worms.

Egg patterns have continued to lure trout along the Bitterroot, but some fly fishers have taken fish on stonefly patterns and other nymphs. Fishing hasn’t been fast.

The lower Clark Fork has been yielding a few trout on the San Juan Worm ands flashback Pheasant Tail nymphs under the surface and on midge emergers and size 20 Royal Wulffs on top.