Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for April 2, 2026
Fly fishing
The Spokane River from the Washington-Idaho state line down to Nine Mile Falls Dam is closed until the Saturday before Memorial Day. This closure is to help protect spawning redband rainbows.
Flows have come down considerably on the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, but anglers should still focus on soft inside bends, slower moving back-eddies or side channel areas. Dry fly fishing should be starting soon. Silver Bow Fly Shop recommends having some skwalas, nemouras and March browns at the ready. If there’s no surface activity, focus on nymph rigs with a stone/worm combo or streamers fished through the soft pockets.
It might still be a little early for good dry fly fishing on the St. Joe River, but it fished well last Saturday. Sticking to the “slower” water areas is key to success. Streamer and nymph rigs are always reliable for finding some action, but fish are beginning to look up and will eat your skwalas and nemouras. The river above Avery is not ideal yet and the road conditions are not good. Silver Bow recommends not waiting until summer to fish as there was minimal snowpack this year and water conditions this summer might be very skinny.
Trout and kokanee
The big Lahontan cutthroat that inhabit Omak Lake on the Colville Indian Reservation cruise close to the shore in the spring. Casting spoons and spinners and flies work very well, even from shore. Tribal permits and licenses are required to fish.
The annual Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby was last week on Quincy and Burke Lakes. Fishing was very good on Friday with lots of big rainbow landed, but slower on Saturday. The Quincy Chamber had amassed a huge number of prizes, and thanks to a donation from the Quincy Valley Medical Center, every child got a rod and reel.
Area lakes are putting out some nice-sized rainbow trout now, with Coffeepot leading the way. Medical Lake trout are a little tougher to catch, but the big trout there are worth the effort. Sprague Lake also has some huge rainbow, and the bite is picking up. Further north, large Curlew Lake rainbow are being taken on the troll.
Steelhead and salmon
Idaho spring chinook seasons will open on April 25 in the Snake River, Lower Salmon River, Little Salmon River, Mainstem Clearwater River, Middle Fork Clearwater River, North Fork Clearwater River, South Fork Clearwater River and Lochsa River. Bag limits and days per week open to fishing are variable by river section. See the full Spring Chinook Season and Rules information on the Chinook Fishing rules webpage. The run is just starting, and as of the end of March, few salmon had crossed Bonneville Dam.
Spiny ray
The lone open boat launch on Long Lake is where the Little Spokane runs in, but the water has been so high lately that it has been unusable. Friends who live on the lake and have launches on their own property, however, say they are catching a lot of walleye and big perch.
Walleye fishing has been good in the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt, especially around Porcupine Bay. The reservoir has leveled off at about 1,251 feet above sea level, which makes launching still possible there. Smallmouth bass are starting to show in anglers’ catches.
Other species
The season’s next round of razor clam digging opportunities at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks runs through April 7. The lowest tides during this window will be Tuesday and Wednesday at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Copalis. Tentative dates for additional digging are April 17 through April 23, with the Long Beach Razor Clam and Shellfish Festival on April 17 and 18.
Hunting
On Friday, Grays Harbor Superior Court Judge Katherine Svoboda sentenced Richard Loren Pratt to serve 116 months concurrently in prison, pay $10,000 in fines, and forfeit two firearms for a senseless killing spree during which he shot and left to waste five cow elk south of Cosmopolis. It’s about time a wildlife criminal received more than a slap on the wrist. This was the longest big game jail sentence in Washington in the last 10 years.
The application period for Idaho moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat controlled hunts opened Wednesday and runs through April 30. Hunters can apply online, at any Fish and Game office, license vendor, or by calling 1 (800) 554-8685. For more information, review the 2025-2026 Moose, Bighorn Sheep, and Mountain Goat Seasons and Rules booklet, which is available online, at Fish and Game offices and license vendors.
Washington’s multiseason deer and elk tag applications offer you a chance to extend your hunting season and get in on special hunts under any weapon type. If selected for the 2026 multiseason tag, you can hunt in any open unit during all general seasons starting with archery, then muzzleloader, and finally modern firearm. Multiseason applications can be purchased online at myWDFW.org, by calling (360) 902-2464, or at dealer locations.
In the Idaho Panhandle, hunters will find the highest concentrations of turkeys in Units 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and the lower Priest River and lower Coeur d’Alene River drainages. In Eastern Washington, the greatest concentrations of turkeys are from Spokane north to Colville and east to Idaho – a lot of country with a lot of birds. Private land between Spokane and Colville holds one of the highest concentrations of Merriman turkeys in the west. WDFW’s LeClerc Creek and Rustlers Gulch wildlife areas will be good. In southeast Washington, WDFW’s Asotin Creek, Chief Joseph, and W.T. Wooten wildlife areas also have a lot of turkeys.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com.