Hunting and fishing

Fly fishing

The Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers, though high, are relatively clean, and fly fishermen have had some good days from shore. The St. Regis River is greening up some, too. Fishing is a possibility, but the river is still high and fast.

The Yakima River is dropping. The lower canyon is still high but clear, and it could be fishable by the weekend.

A type III full sink fly line with a dark olive leech should provide all the action you can stand for Coffeepot Lake rainbow. Some are hogs.

Bluegill are on their spawning beds now and providing huge catches for fly fishermen tossing a chartreuse spider fly. Winchester Lake, 30 miles from Lewiston, has a lot of hand-sized bluegill, but all area panfish lakes offer the same opportunity for slightly smaller fish.

Trout and kokanee

Five net pens by Nespelem on Rufus Woods have broken, releasing huge numbers of large triploids into the reservoir – possibly well over 100,000 fish. Anglers trolling flies and plugs are catching and releasing dozens of fish. Some bait casters say they have caught their two-fish limit in two casts. Remember, Rufus Woods has a two-trout limit. Any fish caught with bait, whether released or kept, is considered part of that limit.

Upper and Lower Twin lakes on the Colville Reservation have been “phenomenal” this spring, says biologist Ed Shallenberger in Colville. He says there are a lot of 16- to 19-inch rainbow in the lake and some triploids in excess of 5 pounds were also planted “to keep things interesting.”

Big Rainbow are still coming out of Lake Roosevelt’s Spring Canyon, and kokanee, though smaller, are also biting.

Loon Lake kokanee are spreading out. My boat had fair success fishing the Shore Acres bay this week, but a friend in another boat who went exploring found an excellent bite south of the island. The fish are running 9 1/2-14 1/2 inches, with most around a foot long. At midweek, they were holding at 25-40 feet in water more than 35 feet deep.

Other area trout lakes are still producing, but the best reports come from Badger, Fishtrap and Williams. Diamond Lake rainbow and browns are fairly easy to catch in 20 feet of water close to shore.

Coeur d’Alene kokanee are biting at both ends of the lake. Larger fish seem to be more abundant on the south end. In Montana, Koocanusa Reservoir kokanee are biting well on the west side of the lake, but are extremely small – 5-8 inches. On Lake Mary Ronan, the kokanee are also smaller this year – 9-10 inches.

On Lake Chelan, you have to search a little harder for your kokanee. The face of Mill Bay from Rocky Point to Wapato Point is best. 

In Idaho, Fish and Game planted many of the small lakes prior to Free Fishing Weekend. Lakes such as Fernan and Kelso have a lot of catchables, with a few larger fish in the mix.

Priest Lake mackinaw fishermen trolling plastic Squids behind dodgers are taking limits by trolling or drop-shotting deep. Most weigh 3-6 pounds, but fish in the teens and twenties are also coming in.

Blue Lake in Grant County is kicking out holdover rainbows. The bite isn’t as fast as it was two weeks ago, but a fly tipped with a worm behind a dodger will eventually put limits of 15- to 18-inchers in the boat.

Salmon

The Clearwater River is high and fast, but chinook anglers are catching lots of jacks and a few adults from Orofino down. Guide Toby Wyatt says one of his boats took 17 jacks and five adults in one day this week.

A chinook season in the Vinegar Creek section of the Lower Salmon River upstream of Shorts Bar opens Saturday; seasons on the South Fork Salmon and a section of the upper Salmon rivers open June 25.

Salmon have just now started to enter the Columbia at Bonneville Dam in good numbers so they should be near Brewster by July 10. The fish now passing Wells Dam are shooting straight up the Okanogan River and will continue to do so until the runoff stops.

The Icicle River is running hard and chinooks are in abundance. Rig a double hook rig with whole herring or tie on a Spin ‘n’ Glo. Add enough weight to hold your offering in the holes and you’re in business.

Spiny ray

Eloika Lake crappie have spawned and moved out of the shallows. When they begin biting again in a week or so, they will be at midlake. Largemouth are spawning now and the bite is very good.

On Lake Roosevelt, the Porcupine Bay launch is in the water and anglers launching there are finding walleye averaging about 14 inches above the narrows in 10-15 feet of water.

The water at Hauser is still high, and if you plan on launching a boat, take waders. Smallmouth fishing is good in about 15 feet of water.

Coffeepot Lake is kicking out some huge perch for anglers drop-shotting small plastics in 15 feet of water. No bait is allowed at Coffeepot.

Lower Twin in Idaho has been fair for crappie. A friend fished there this week and caught 10 crappie on a small white shad tipped with maggots.  He said the largest three were 11 inches, the rest 9-10 inches.

Pike fishing is excellent in the bays at Lake Coeur d’Alene. Smallmouth are hitting aggressively within 20 feet of the shorelines. Fernan Lake crappie are hitting, but are scattered. The bluegill bite is crazy. Anglers are also catching 2- to 4-pound channel cats.

Bonnie Lake is hard to get to, but the fishing for big crappie, perch and bass makes it worthwhile. A few positive reports for each species came in this week.

The Pend Oreille River is beyond flood stage, and pike anglers are finding fish in what used to be someone’s flower beds. The fish are concentrated and shallow.  

Trolled worm harnesses in 12-16 feet of water are taking Potholes walleye in the Crab Creek area. Banks Lake smallmouth are hitting aggressively on the inside weed lines, and so are largemouth. Walleye fishing is best at midlake to the south end.

Other species

Shad angling is good at Bonneville Dam. Bank anglers in the gorge averaged 4.39 shad each, and boat anglers 25 shad per boat.

Sturgeon anglers on the Snake River are taking some huge fish in Hells Canyon.

Hunting

Idaho hunters still have a chance at 13 leftover moose controlled hunt tags available in the second drawing. The second controlled hunt application period for leftover moose tags runs through June 25. Any permits left over from this drawing will be available first-come, first-served beginning July 10.