Chinook on the lake

It's time to catch some big Chinook salmon on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Catches are ranging from 2 to 20 pounds these days, said Jordan Smith with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

"One guy caught a 17-pounder this week. That's a pretty big one," Smith said.

Some fishermen are using the helmet herring setup, he said. Others are using mini squids.

Small kokanee are biting pretty well on Lake Coeur d'Alene, as well, Smith said.

Most are using wedding rings with a Jack Lloyd spinner.

Fishermen can also look for smallmouth bass on the lake, he said. He suggested fishing for bass around a 15-foot depth, and with a twintailed jig.

Folks should do the same for the smallmouth bass on Hayden Lake, he added.

Lake Fernan is the spot to head to for catfish fishing, Smith said.

Most are biting on regular worms or catfish bait.

"Just fish on the bottom for 'em," he suggested.

St. Joe and Coeur d'Alene rivers

The St. Joe and Coeur d'Alene rivers are fishing well right now, said Mark Roush of ROW Adventures in Coeur d'Alene.

"Terrestrials are in full swing and fish can be caught throughout the day while using hoppers, beetles and ants," Roush said. "The purple haze mayfly pattern is also deadly in certain riffles and runs."

If the surface bite is slow, throw on a wooly bugger or leech and slowly strip them through the deeper holes where there is no surface activity.

Nymphing with copper johns and princes will usually produce results, Roush said.

"With the water dropping on our local rivers, a little bit of stealth will go far," said Pat Way of Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene. "We're dropping our leader and tippet sizes down into the 4 or 5X range."

There are some sporadic hatches right now, but with terrestrial season in full swing, Way said grasshoppers, beetles and ants are doing the trick right now.

The midday has been tough fishing, so he suggests sticking to the early evenings or mornings.

"We're keeping an eye on the steelhead numbers, and it looks like we're on pace for a good steelhead season next year," Way said.

Area lakes

Roush was on Hayden Lake recently and had success using green frilled spinner baits.

"We were getting large and smallmouth bass to eat aggressively on them and also caught a few pike," he said. "Senko worms did not produce quite as well as they normally do, but we did get a few strikes while bouncing them off the bottom."

Standard gray-bodied rapalas also produced results, Roush said.

Ask Fish and Game: Fall steelhead fishing

Q: I hear rumors of a large steelhead run returning to Idaho this year. When can I start catching them?

A: The harvest season for steelhead opens Aug. 1 on the Clearwater River downstream of the Memorial Bridge of U.S. Highway 12 at Lewiston. Harvest season opens Oct. 15 in the rest of the Clearwater drainage. It's catch-and-release until then. Catch-and-release fishing for steelhead also opens in the Snake and Salmon rivers Aug. 1. Harvest season in the Snake and Salmon opens Sept. 1.