Fly fishing
The Silver Bow Fly Shop said the flow in the Spokane River dropped a bit last week, but the river is still flowing. Latah Creek is running cleaner, so fishing downstream of the confluence is back to being an option. Focus on slow-moving, winter-style water for best success. Heavy stonefly nymphs, hot bead attractors and streamers will do the job. Cover likely water completely, as fish will congregate there.
The Spokane River is closing Friday to protect spawning redband rainbow trout.
Flows on the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene are at good levels. There may be shelf ice and ice dams near Prichard. Fishing is best in the lower end of this drainage. Nymphing and streamer fishing will be most productive, but bring a few small dries in case a hatch appears. March Browns, BWOs and early Skwalas can show up any time now.
The St. Joe has some ice below Marble Creek, which will make floating difficult. Wade fishing will be an option around the Calder. Plan nymphing and streamer fishing.
Trout and kokanee
Amber and Medical lakes were frozen during last week’s cold weather, but with warmer weather, they should be open by the weekend. The boat launch access gate at Medical is still closed, and the boat launch at Coffeepot Lake may be icy. Fourth of July and Hog Canyon should be fishable through March.
Spring is one of the best times to fish Lake Lenore as the big Lahontan cutthroat come across the shore at the north end of the lake. This is a selective gear water with a limit of one at least 18 inches. All the fish in Lake Lenore are likely to be released, however, as they do not provide good table fare due to the alkaline water in which they live.
Lake Roosevelt rainbows are getting harder to catch, but the Keller area has been fair at times. A few small kokanee have been taken high in the water column, but the fishing is not expected to heat up until the water level drops significantly. When that happens, the trout will move to the warmer waters behind the bays. The water level is above average for this time of year. The water level in Lake Roosevelt was at 1,285 by the middle of the week and is slowly dropping. All launches are available.
Liberty Lake anglers casting Rapalas have caught some big brown trout as they cruise the shallows.
Rock Lake browns are also biting more than rainbows. Anglers fish in shallow water with Rapalas and spoons.
Pend Oreille Kamloops is doing well, and some of the best fishing of the year is just getting started.
These large rainbows stage at the mouths of rivers where they remain until the spring run-off is over.
Thorny rays
Blade baits are caught as a walleye-getter in Lake Roosevelt. Last weekend, there were about 30 boats in and around Porcupine Bay, and most of them were fishing. Friends trying blade baits for the first time said they caught 15 “eater-size” walleye between 16 and 18 inches.
Largemouth bass can be active on the east and southeast facing shorelines of lakes such as Rock, Silver, Sprague and Bonnie. Warmer days will be best.
Walleye fishing is picking up at Potholes Reservoir. They are in the early stages of prespawn and moving around, so success will vary from day to day. Vertical jigging or casting blade baits are better.
Lake Coeur d’Alene is all about northern pike fishing with bait. The bays at Blue Creek, Wolf Lodge and Harrison are popular places to fish dead bait under a bobber.
Other species
Burbot spawn in the shallow waters of Idaho’s Kootenai River and its tributaries, making them more accessible to anglers. This is the fourth burbot fishing season in the Kootenai following a 26-year closure.
Contact Alan Liere at [email protected]
