Spring is in the air

Spring is in the air, so with ice fishing long gone, it's time to start looking for pike, said Tina Padgitt of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

Pike are starting to hit at the Chain Lakes and on Hayden Lake, she said, chasing smelt bait with a bobber, still leader and trouble hooks.

Anglers have been tossing from the banks, and using rapalas to cast from the boat.

Water temperatures are still cold, so they aren't biting as quickly as they will when it really warms up, but the early spring season is a good sign.

On Hauser Lake, one angler landed a big husky, which typically don't start biting until the end of May or early June, she said.

"It might be time," she said of the shift to spring fishing. "I'm hoping it is a good season."

Fishermen are also fishing for Chinook on Lake Coeur d'Alene, dropping herring helmets and a herring while trolling at around 1.8 mph, she said.

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All the big action is on Lake Coeur d'Alene, said Jeff Smith with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service, where pike fishing is at its peak.

"On a lot of days, you can go to almost any bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene and you've got a reasonable chance," Smith said. "You can catch them anywhere from 3 pounds to 25 pounds."

Fishermen should be wary of places too shallow, though, he warned. Most pike will be found at depths from 4 to 12 feet, and biting on smelt or herring.

A few have been caught on rapalas, he added.

Salmon fishing is still tepid on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Smith said.

Catches are ranging between 6 and 10 pounds, most caught on helmeted herring or rapalas.

"I'd say most of the catches were from the surface to 30 feet," he said, adding that fishermen should drag rapalas at shallower depths on the south end of the lake, where the water is murkier.

As for Fernan Lake, lines are catching panfish, crappie, bluegill and perch.

"Fernan is one of these lakes that's an early season lake," Smith said. "That should steadily improve here over the next couple of weeks."

He suggested using a rocket bobber, with a mini jig or a screw grub run about two feet underneath.

Trout fishing is also big right now on Fernan, he added. Trout are biting on crank baits.

Rose Lake also holds some promise for panfish, perch, crappie and bluegill, Smith said.

Running small jigs will get results, he said.

"If you fish with a couple rods for pan and a couple for perch, you'll find something to bite there," he said.

Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers

Local rivers are fishing better and better every day, said Mark Roush of ROW Adventures in Coeur d'Alene.

"Fish are starting to look up and are far more prone to make an aggressive strike at a fly that runs over their nose," he said. "Many fishermen are having luck while running wooley buggers through holes and pocket water. Drifting them under an indicator and slow stripping them are both productive techniques to be used with these flies."

Nymphing with copper johns and princes still remains a lucrative technique, Roush said. There has been some more dry fly activity, so bring along some small mayfly patterns and a few Golden Stones.

Area lakes

Area lakes are also really starting to heat up, Roush said.

"Most of the bays in Lake Coeur d'Alene are starting to produce some pike, and some chinook are also being boated by trolling fishermen," he said. "Shore fishermen will start targeting Cougar and Wolf Lodge bays soon. I have heard some reports that fishermen are starting to dislodge some bass from the weeds on Hayden, Coeur d'Alene and Fernan lakes."

When fishing bass this time of year, be sure to pull your plastics or crank baits in a slow, methodical way.

Steelhead

Fishermen continue to stick good numbers of steelhead on the Grande Ronde River, Roush said.

Drifting nymphs and egg patterns with a sink tip is producing the best results. Things will start to slow down soon, so grab your rod and hit the river, Roush said.