Hauser offers right stuff for boaters
Fourth in a series: Last time, The Lake Lady cruised on North Idaho’s Spirit Lake. This week, she’s returning to the same neighborhood to explore Hauser Lake for another powerboating tour of Inland Northwest waters.
It was a partly cloudy, partly windy, partly warm afternoon on Hauser Lake in North Idaho. We put in at the public launch with slight difficulty due to the drop-off at the end of the ramp. The local sheriff had warned us so it wasn’t a surprise.
“Power loading,” he said, “is ruining our ramps.”
Power loading involves drivers running their boats or jet skis up onto their trailers without cutting the motor until the last moment. The force from the propeller or jet digs a hole at the end of the cement ramps creating problems for other boaters.
Fortunately for us, the rig we used to pull the boat that day had no problems getting out of the hole we found ourselves in when loading out.
On the right of the launch is a public beach and picnic area. On the day of our visit, it was populated with only one family enjoying the barbecue and beach all to themselves. While the lake seemed relatively quiet, the sheriff told us that Hauser Lake is a popular place on weekends, being only 30 miles from Spokane.
To the left of the launch is a thick growth of lily pads where a fisherman in a small boat was settled in with his line in the water.
I asked the sheriff if he knew what kind of fish a person might catch in this lake.
“Largemouth bass and catfish,” he said. “And there’s supposed to be tiger muskie, too, but I’ve never seen one pulled out.”
Well, muskie anglers might not garner a lot of attention, but Hauser just happens to be Idaho’s top trophy fishery for tiger muskies. With the exception of 1996, one or more state-record tiger muskies had been caught at the Panhandle lake every year from 1995 through 2001, when the current record of 38.7 pounds was caught.
Other fish you’re likely to snag are perch, crappie and rainbow trout.
Hauser is approximately 550 acres and, being fairly round, most of the lake can be seen from the launch. Around much of the lake, the hills fold into one another and are populated with houses and a thick growth of evergreens.
We traveled north along the eastern shore, which changes from marsh to rocky to sandy beach and back again.
A hillside pasture nestles in between two hills at the north end of the lake. At the top of the pasture is a large house with a long white fence lining a drive that leads toward the water but stops some distance before.
Down shore, a row of three-story lake houses line the beach with docks, boats and water toys. Two dogs and a boy were playing at the end of one dock.
We stopped and drifted awhile to observe the lake and enjoy the warmth of the sun, which had begun showing itself more often than not. The wind was blowing gently, creating a few small waves that lapped against the boat. The only other boaters on the lake were fishermen and there were several of them along the shoreline. I hadn’t noticed anyone pulling in a catch, but they all seem to be intent on the task at hand.
We saw a sign on shore that reads “Hauser Lake Resort: Family Camping and Pizza to Go.” Good combination. Nearby is what appears to be a small farm with a tall steel windmill that stands idle.
Around 5 p.m., a horse began whinnying loudly and continuously. The water amplified the sound and carried it over the lake. A hound dog or two joined in barking and howling then the geese began to honk, drowning out the usual lake sounds.
“Downright noisy aren’t they,” I said to my husband, Roger, who was head-down in a magazine.
“Must be dinnertime,” he said looking up, and we both laughed remembering feeding time on our ranch.
The farm sounds stopped as quickly as they started and we could hear the whine of a Jet Skier who had joined us on the lake. The on-water activity continued to pick up as the evening wore on into the after-dinner hour.
The partly cloudy, partly windy day turned into a mostly sunny, calm summer evening and a perfect time for boating.