Weather puts damper on fishing

Whipping winds and wild weather have pushed the crappie and bass down to depths that are making it hard for fishermen to catch them.

It also hasn't helped water temperatures, which have remained a little cooler than what active fish like.

"Things slowed down once the weather hit," Zierer said. "The winds came in quick and the bass and crappies slowed down."

In the meantime, large mouth bass are most active on Hauser Lake, chasing spinner baits and sinko rubber worms, said Brad Zierer, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

But the fishing should pick up this weekend, he said, as temps are expected to rise, making crappie and bass fishing better.

Once lake temps hit 55 degrees -they're at 53 degrees right now - the fish will become more active, Zierer said, chasing spinner baits and rubber worms in the area lakes.

•••

Hitting the small lakes is a good idea right now, said Dan Pierce of Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

"Most of the small lakes right now are doing pretty good with trout," he said. "Quite a few guys are trolling for trout right now and catching them."

Particularly on the far end of Fernan Lake, he added, where most trout are snagged on nightcrawlers or power bait.

Crappie are popular on Fernan, too, he said, and they are chomping on crappie jigs.

Lake Coeur d'Alene still has some salmon to offer, most biting on plugs and herring helmets.

Bass are also just starting to bite on Coeur d'Alene and Hayden lakes, Pierce said.

"There are all kinds of ways (to catch them)," he said, adding that the most success has been with crank bait and plastics.

Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe rivers

The rivers saw spiking water levels earlier this week, so the fishing died off considerably, said Mark Roush of ROW Adventures in Coeur d'Alene.

There looks to be some more rain in our near future, so it could be a while before the rivers come back into shape.

"When the rivers clear up and the water starts to drop, surface activity should pick right back up as the trout will be feeding heavily on stone flies in a variety of sizes and patterns," Roush said. "Also be sure to bring a healthy supply of small blue-winged olives."

If the water levels stay high, you will have most of your action sub-surface, so don't forget your buggers, prince nymphs and flashy streamers.

Area lakes

If you can push through the rain and high winds, there is excellent fishing to be had on area lakes, Roush said.

Hauser, Hayden, Coeur d'Alene and the chain lakes are producing well for bass, blue-gill and crappie, he said.

"Fly fishermen should choose to strip streamers for large and small mouth bass, while terminal fishermen should use weedless plastics and/or mid-sized crank baits," Roush said.

Pike are also striking on Husky Jerks and spoons.

Fishing should only continue to improve, so find time to get out on the water, Roush said.