Both large, smallmouth bass become active eaters

It's the best of two worlds as both large and smallmouth bass are becoming active eaters for the season.

Largemouth are beginning their pre-spawning cycle on Lake Coeur d'Alene, so the fish are making their beds in the bays and shallows about 10 to 20 feet off the banks.

Anglers should cast lines loaded with Senko worms, spinner baits, or plastic lizards 5 to 8 inches in length into lillypad covered shallows where the fish like to hide. The best spots are the Chain Lakes of Cave, Anderson and Blue.

The best times are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again between 4 and 5 p.m., said Josh Kinghorn of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

They'll be active like this for the next two weeks, but the colder water has been slowing them up some, so if it warms up then it's going to be very active fishing, Kinghorn said, and should last for a couple of weeks, once they go into spawn cycle.

Out at Hayden Lake, smallmouth are just starting to chase lines for the summer season. Largemouth are active there too, but smalls are going after tube jigs, rattle traps, spinner baits, Senko worms, plastic baits or rattle trap crank bait.

Pike also are off in the shallows at Hayden Lake, chasing fire tiger husky jerk repalas or swim baits, all summer until winter. They're hiding under the lillypads in the shallows, too.

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It's time to go kokanee fishing.

The fish are plentiful on Lake Pend Oreille, said Jeff Smith of Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Fishermen have had success jigging for kokanee with glow hooks and maggots, Smith said, adding that the fish are only about 8 to 10 inches long.

"You've just got to figure out the depth - they're usually 25 to 30 feet deep," Smith estimated. "They'll school up and you can get 'em pretty fast."

Fishermen are also trolling for kokanee on Lake Coeur d'Alene, he added, most using wedding ring spinners and baiting with corn or maggots.

Catches are best around 15 to 30 feet, Smith said, either at bays on the north end or anywhere on the south end of the lake.

"They're not real big fish, but they're doing OK," Smith said.

Fishermen are trolling for rainbow trout and mackinaw on Lake Pend Oreille, too, Smith said.

"Fishermen are doing a lot of things. Using planer boards with the flies - that's good for the rainbow," he said. "A lot of people are pulling a lure called an Apex either on a long line or off the planer board, or shallow off the down rigger."

Smith added that individuals can obtain permits to run four rods at once on Lake Pend Oreille.

"You can bring all the rods you got and start putting them out there," he said. "But you don't want to get too crazy, or you're going to get tangled."

Be sure to throw back any bull trout, he cautioned, which fishermen aren't allowed to keep.

Pike are a big draw on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Smith said.

Fishermen are catching them with floating plugs and weedless spoons in most bays, he said.

"You can pick any bay," Smith said. "They're biting pretty good."

And anyone hoping to hook some salmon should head down to the Clearwater River, he said, almost anywhere between Lewiston and Orofino.

Some are fishing off the North Fork with slip bobbers and jig fish, he said, while others use the Kwikfish lure.

Fishermen need a salmon card to fish the river, he said, which can be obtained from any vendor.

"There's a good number of fish running through there right now," he said, adding that they run from 8 to 20 pounds. "It's really good eating salmon, they're really tasty. It's a little bit of a drive, but it's a lot of fun."

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Recent heavy rains and cooler temps have put a bit of a damper on fishing the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers this week, said Mike Beard of Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene.

The fluctuations have fish a little bit off the bite, he said.

"The cooler weather has definitely made the bugs smaller," Beard said. "Bigger stoneflies aren't hatching now. Look for BWOs (Blue Winged Olives) and smaller mayfly patterns."

Nymphing is the way to go, he said.

"With the water being up you can use a little bit bigger nymphs, such as a bigger stonefly with a prince nymph or pheasant tail dropper."

St. Joe and Coeur d'Alene rivers

The St. Joe and Coeur d'Alene rivers have not been fishing quite as well this past week, said Mark Roush of ROW Adventures in Coeur d'Alene.

"Water levels have risen substantially and the fish have just been less anxious to chase flies," he said. "When the bite has been on, fishermen have had success on the surface while using blue-winged olives."

With more rain, most fishermen will probably stick to nymphing with princes, buggers and copper johns, Roush said. Most of the heavy surface hatches will happen in late afternoon.

Area lakes

The largemouth bite has been pretty solid this past week, Roush said.

"Plastics and swim baits in a variety of patterns have been very productive," he said. "With another week or so of warm weather, the smallmouth bite should really start to turn on."

Fly fishermen can enjoy catching smallmouth in many of the smaller area lakes while using a bugger or leach pattern under an indicator. Pike have been chasing Fire Tiger Husky Jerks and are still looking to pick up a dead herring or perch that crosses their path.