IDAHO FISHING GUIDES
Fishing in Idaho is great with Idaho Fishing Guides. Local guides
for for Salmon, Trout, Steelhead, Sturgeon, Bass and Lake Trout at
Coeur d'Alene Lake and Hell's Canyon and the Snake River.
General Regional Information - Spring 2008
The following provides an overview of fishing in the Panhandle
Region. It is not intended to be a real time report of current
conditions.
Spring is a transitional time when water conditions change rapidly
and fish become more active as temperatures warm. Because fish are
cold blooded animals, their activity level and vulnerability to
anglers will change as weather conditions change. Many fish spawn in
the spring, both in lakes and in area streams and rivers when water
temperatures and flows are just right. Fishing is restricted in some
areas during this time of year to protect spawning concentrations of
fish. This report will give you some ideas on fishing opportunities
during the spring.
Lake Pend Oreille
The $15/fish incentive for rainbow trout over 13 inches and any
size lake trout harvested from Lake Pend Oreille will be in place
through 2008. The bounty also applies to the Clark Fork River and
starting April 1 Lightning Creek and tributaries, Grouse Creek and
the Pack River. Deep water trap netting and gill netting will also
be active during March, April and May. Up to 14 trap nets will be
set around the lake. Watch for the orange buoys and avoid trolling
with downriggers in the vicinity of trapnets.
For anglers wanting additional information on both lake trout and
rainbow fishing techniques, two DVD's have been developed; "Reliable
methods of catching lake trout on Lake Pend Oreille" and "Catch a
Kam with Captain Ken". Loaner copies are available for check out at
area libraries in Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Sandpoint and
Priest River, and at the IDFG Regional office in Coeur d'Alene. You
can order your own copy from from
oakeysmokes@hotmail.com.
Lake trout anglers generally are trolling or jigging just off the
bottom using the same techniques as described for Priest Lake
mackinaw below. Lake Pend Oreille is so deep that areas of suitable
depth are limited to the flats in the north end of the lake around
the islands, off the mouth of the Clark Fork River, along the Green
Monarchs, Garfield Bay, Whiskey Rock and in the south end around
Cape Horn and off the Eagle Boat Ramp in Idlewilde Bay.
When water temperatures are cold and uniform top to bottom, a
variety of lure types can be effective on rainbow trout. Many
rainbow trout anglers like to fish with planner boards 50-100 ft.
off the side of the boat and then troll surface flies another
150-200 ft. behind the board. The board slicing through the chop
creates a real erratic movement. The 3-4 inch long flies need to be
tuned so they troll upright, rather than tilted to one side or the
other. Other anglers like to troll Rapala, Rebel, Lyman or Apex type
plugs near the surface or at depths to 50 feet.
Bull trout are fairly numerous in Lake Pend Oreille, but they are
closed to harvest. Make sure you can tell the difference between a
lake trout and bull trout before you harvest a fish. Westslope
cutthroat trout are limited in number in the Pend Oreille system and
harvest is now closed. Lake whitefish are very abundant in Lake Pend
Oreille and their distribution overlaps that of lake trout
(mackinaw) very closely. They eat primarily invertebrates, so they
are difficult to catch. The few angler that do catch lake whitefish
carefully anchor over concentrated schools and then fish with
relatively light line and small glow hooks baited with a single
maggot. Lake whitefish have relatively small mouths, so a small hook
and minimal sized bait is recommended. The bass limit on LPO and the
Pend Oreille River is now 6, with no more than 2 largemouth bass,
and largemouth must be at least 16".
Coeur d'Alene Lake
Coeur d'Alene Lake provides a diverse fishery for both cold and
warmwater species. For 2008, the limit on Kokanee and Chinook is 6
to reduce harvest on Kokanee and increase harvest on Chinook to
reduce predation pressure on young Kokanee. Landlocked Chinook
salmon are in transition from their deep water habitat during the
winter to shallow water areas in the spring. Many Chinook anglers
like to fish on or near the surface during the spring when water
temperatures are in the 40's and fairly uniform from top to bottom.
Flutter spoons, Lyman plugs and herring in a helmet are all good
spring time type lures. As water temperatures warm and the fish go
deeper, many anglers will switch to flasher with a fly or hootchie.
Kokanee fishing generally starts in the southern portion of the lake
around the mouth of the Coeur d'Alene River and then the fishery
moves north as the spring and summer progresses. Westslope cutthroat
trout are the native species in Coeur d'Alene Lake, but their
numbers are greatly reduced from historic levels. The regulations
for cutthroat trout are now catch-and-release in the entire Spokane
River drainage (Spokane River above Post Falls Dam, Coeur d'Alene
Lake and all tributary streams).
Warmwater anglers enjoy some of the best northern pike fishing in
the region in the Coeur d'Alene Lake/Lateral Lake system. Many
anglers start by fishing the bays (Cougar, Mica, Wolf Lodge, Rocky
Point) from shore with a dead smelt, herring or skinned perch under
a bobber, or fished on the bottom. Shoreline access may be limited
by low lake levels. Lake levels will fluctuate greatly during the
spring depending on runoff conditions because Post Falls Dam does
not close and "take control" of the summer pool level until sometime
generally in mid June in most years. Generally by mid April lure
fishing will become productive. Once the water warms to about 45
degrees, slow retrieve a large red and white Daredevil, J-13 broken
back perch or black over white colored Rapala, or double bladed
spinner bait. Coeur d'Alene Lake has perch and crappie, but few
anglers fish for them. Seek out structure in bays for the best
opportunity. The Coeur d'Alene system hosts numerous bass
tournaments for both smallmouth and largemouth bass each year. Both
species are found throughout Coeur d'Alene Lake. Smallmouth bass are
most numerous along rocky shorelines of the lake. Largemouth bass
are most numerous in the weedy bays. Concerns about negative impacts
on the popular largemouth fishery have prompted a moratorium against
redistributing tournament caught smallmouth bass into the Lateral
Lakes.
Priest Lake
Spring fishing for mackinaw on Priest Lake was traditionally one
of the best season openers of the year. As the water warms and
becomes uniform in temperature, lake trout can be caught near the
surface on light spinning tackle pulling spoons or plugs early in
the morning or in the evening. The most consistent method however is
bottom trolling with downriggers or leaded line. Try trolling slowly
just off the bottom using big spoons, Flatfish, Kwikfish, Litefish,
Apex, Rapala, Rebel, or Lyman type plugs or dodgers with hootchies
or flies on a short leader. A small strip of fresh cut bait or night
crawler will greatly improve your chances of a hook-up. Natural
color combinations of black or blue over silver or white are good
choices for lures, as are lighter colored, fluorescent and
glow-in-the-dark colors. Jigging with baited lead headed jigs,
spoons and buzz baits over rocky out crops and drop-offs is also a
proven technique for catching mackinaw if you find concentrated
fish. Use low or non-stretch line because many of the fish are
holding in 140+ feet of water and it is difficult to detect a bite
and set a hook with monofilament line. Reel fish up slowly from
those depths to prevent bloating. Not all boat ramps may be
accessible at this time or year due to low lake levels.
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Lowland Lakes
Trout stocking typically begins in April once load limits are
lifted on rural roads and the tanker trucks can access local waters.
All the trout that are stocked in north Idaho are raised at southern
Idaho hatcheries and they need to be hauled here in the state's two
tanker trucks. Most lakes receive catchable rainbow trout, although
we do stock fingerling cutthroat, rainbow trout and Kokanee fry in
some lakes. We also maintain fisheries by stocking channel catfish
and tiger Muskie in certain lowland lakes (see IDFG website stocking
information for lake and species specific information).
Warmwater fishing will improve as the water temperature warms.
Northern pike are generally the first species to become active in
the spring. Fernan, Twin, Spirit and Hayden lakes all provide
northern pike fishing. Try the techniques mentioned for Coeur
d'Alene Lake above. Perch are also an early season species. Perch
generally concentrate in mid to late April to spawn, so they are
vulnerable in shallow water both pre and post spawn. Crappie will
become active in shallow water during warm days, usually hugging the
northern shorelines where the sun warms the shallows. Try around the
lily pads or shallow brush or trees where structure provides cover.
Bass will become active on warm days, but you will need to check the
regulations of the lake you are fishing. Many lakes do not allow
harvest of bass until July 1 to protect spawning bass. |
River and Streams
In the Panhandle Region there are a limited number of large
rivers that remain open year round, including the Moyie, Kootenai
River, Pend Oreille River, Priest River, and the slack water
portions of the St. Joe and St. Maries rivers. IDFG extended the
Winter Stream season to the Friday before Memorial Day weekend on
the Coeur d'Alene, Little North Fork Coeur d'Alene, North Fork Coeur
d'Alene, South Fork Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe, St. Maries, and Spokane
River from the stateline upstream to Post Falls Dam. All other
streams in the region are managed with the general stream and river
season of Memorial Day Saturday in May through November 30. |
