Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Oct. 30, 2025

Fly fishing

Amber Lake is open until Nov. 30 with a limit of one trout 18 inches or larger, and it should provide good fishing right to the end. Dark-colored wooly buggers are doing well.

By late October, most adult Westslope cutthroat in the North Fork Coeur d’Alene River have begun to migrate downstream from their spring and summer haunts. Opportunities to catch a trout have lessened, but still exist and blue winged olives and midges will still find some afternoon fish.

The Spokane River continues to plug along as one of the better fall fisheries as others start to get too chilly. Silver Bow Fly Shop says mornings are a little tougher now, but dredging with nymphs and streamers can still be productive.

St. Joe River mornings are slow for the fly fisherman, but afternoons can provide some decent fishing. Nymphing with smaller patterns will be a good starting point.

While the North Fork of the Clearwater River and Kelly Creek will probably have some good midday opportunities, the window of opportunity and good fishing are getting narrower.

Montana rivers are getting pretty cold, but there have been reports of good fishing from the Bitterroot, Blackfoot and Rock Creek. Pre-spawn browns are taking streamers in the deeper waters.

Trout and Kokanee

The fall trout bite can be good at times on Billy Clapp, and soon anglers will begin throwing Power Bait from shore. There will be some big trout landed. The Stratford Road Bridge may be closed right now, so the shortcut from Moses Lake is not an option.

Lake Roosevelt rainbow usually begin migrating to the north end of the reservoir about this time of year. Some good catches were reported recently near Gifford Ferry and Hunters. As the lake level begins to drop later this winter, those trout will head south again toward Grand Coulee Dam. Bank fishermen are not having much luck yet as most of the trout are holding in the top 20 feet over deep water.

Lake Bonaparte tiger trout are moving into shallower water. They will hit small jerk baits or small spinners. Rock Lake brown trout are also moving into shallow water to spawn.

Blue Lake trollers are catching a lot of rainbow trout by dragging Wedding Ring-type spinners.

Lenore, Dry Falls, Lenice, and Nunnally lakes are all open until the end of November, and fishing is usually good in the cooler water. Many of the Seep Lakes south of Potholes Reservoir are open year-round and can also be good.

Priest Lake anglers are jigging Berkeley Power Grubs for mackinaw in 80 to 100 feet of water. Most of these fish are under five pounds. Pend Oreille mackinaw anglers are catching most of their fish down deep on the troll.

You do not have to wait until the ice forms to catch rainbow trout at some area lakes. Diamond, Sacheen, and Waitts remain open year-round and trolling remains productive with a variety of flies, small spoons and spinners tipped with maggots or worm.

Deer Lake mackinaw are on the bottom now, but a few are taken each week by anglers who target them with big spoons and plugs. Last November, a friend and I also had good luck on rainbow trout by casting bait under a bobber close to shore. They were some of the best-eating trout I have had.

Steelhead and salmon

A friend and his wife had an epic evening by trolling lighted lures for steelhead recently on the Clearwater and confluence between the Railroad and Memorial bridges. They hooked eight steelhead and landed limits of adipose-clipped male fish in less than two hours between 7 and 9 p.m. Three of these were huge B-runs.

Salmon anglers are beginning to fish the Main Salmon River near Riggins, casting jigs under bobbers. Catch rates improved considerably compared to last week and have been the best so far this fall.

Steelhead anglers are beginning to do pretty well on the lower Grande Ronde and Snake rivers. The Shumaker stretch of the Ronde has been slower than the water above Boggan’s Oasis. The recent rains should move more fish.

The peak time for Lake Coeur d’Alene chinook will be in November. These fish will be at 90 to 120 feet, hitting helmeted herring behind a flasher.

Spiny ray

The crappie fishermen on Potholes Reservoir and Moses Lake are saying this is the best they have seen in a long time. They are catching lots of fish, many of which are a foot long or more, but the walleye bite is way off. Water level on Potholes has come up and launching is much easier now. Boaters should be able to launch from the State Park, Blythe and Sampson Pit.

Main bay points and flats on Lake Roosevelt in the vicinity of Porcupine Bay are producing eater-sized walleye as well as burbot.

Curlew Lake perch are biting in 25 feet of water around the island by the State Park. This is the area that receives early attention from ice fishermen seeking the tasty 9- to 10-inch fish.

Other species

Late fall and winter fishing are often overlooked on Idaho’s rivers and streams because many people do not want to deal with the cold, but trout and whitefish remain fairly active. Spring-fed rivers and streams, and those fed by dam releases often fish well during winter months because temperatures tend to be slightly warmer and more stable. Rainbow trout are a favorite winter quarry, and where you find them, you will often find whitefish. Whitefish school up in the fall and typically spawn in November, so where you catch one, you are likely to find more. They are frequently found in pools and deeper runs below riffles and tend to congregate near the bottom. They will readily take a single salmon egg, a chunk of worm, or other bait, such as maggots, and they will also take artificial flies, including dry flies.

Hunting

Waterfowl seasons are in effect in Idaho and Washington, and hunters are still waiting for the northern birds to show. Alberta contacts south of Edmonton say the snow geese have arrived, an indication that Canadian flights are on their way. Hunters in the Idaho Chain Lakes reported seeing a lot of widgeon and fair numbers of mallards last week.

The late general whitetail season runs Nov. 8 to 19 in units 105, 108, 11, 113, 117d, 121 and 124. Muzzle loading seasons for whitetail, blacktail and mule deer will be later in November. Modern firearm general elk seasons are over by Sunday except in units 203, 209-248, 250, 254-272, 278d, 284, 290, 373d, 379d and 381. Late archery general seasons commence in late November.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com