Ice fishing in full swing

Ice fishing on most of the small lakes north of Coeur d'Alene are in full swing.

"It's game on," said Dan Harris of Cabela's.

The lakes that are more secluded such as Blue, Round and Priest have better ice than those closer to larger lakes.

Glow jigs with maggots are a good bet.

Tiger muskie can be caught with larger jigs or herring. Harris said he heard one angler caught a tiger muskie near Priest River just below a tip-up, which is rare.

Trout can be caught with eggs or marshmallows about 5 feet below the ice, but most anglers are going for perch.

"I've been hearing that there's lots of perch, but nothing huge yet," Harris said. "Pend Oreille is still a ways away from being able to catch big perch."

Harris said anglers should use caution on the ice, even if there are anglers out there.

"I like there to be at least 6 inches," he said. "If you're on 3 inches, you can take three steps to the right and there may only be an inch. If there's 6 inches, you could take three steps and at least you'd be on 3 inches. Definitely test (the thickness of the ice) the whole way out."

Many anglers are also fishing Rocky Ford in eastern Washington for trout.

"With the nicer weather, it's been shoulder to shoulder," Harris said. "The nastier the weather, the better for Rocky Ford because it doesn't see as many flies per day."

Steelhead fishing is still going strong on the Clearwater River and will continue into January.

•••

Blake Becker of Black Sheep Sporting Goods Ice said fishing is taking off.

And the farther you travel north, the better the fishing gets, Becker said.

Upper Twin and Round lakes are proving successful, as is Sportsman's Access on Hayden Lake.

Pike are popular right now, so drop a line with smelt and a steel leader to land those. Perch are going after tiny jig heads, tipped with a maggot, dropped anywhere from 4 to 10 feet deep.

Every lake isn't iced over.

On Priest and Pend Oreille lakes anglers are dragging lines from boats to catch trout. The lines are loaded with 2 or 3 ounce weights with some type of bright grub, like Gulp grubs, around 120 to 180 feet deep, Becker said.

To catch trout ice fishing, like on Fernan Lake, drop jigs with maggots or use Powerbaits, like a Rainbow Powerbait, or any type of small spoon.

"It seems like the perch has been the best," Becker said of the fish being pulled this winter. I'm hearing a lot of numbers on the perch."

•••

Steelhead is still the best game in town, said Mike Beard of Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene.

"Guys have been picking up fish with sink tips and weighted or un-weighted flies, depending on how deep the run is they're fishing," Beard said.

Dark colors are a good choice for flies - blacks, blues and purples. This time of year, Beard said he likes to start using brighter colors - pinks and oranges.

"Just bringing the fly across real slow, waiting for that grab," he said.

The Snake River is still giving up fish, but Beard said the Clearwater "has been the gem."

There are still a few decent trout reports coming from the local rivers. The window of opportunity remains short, a few hours in the afternoon.

Streamer fishing or deep water nymphing are the ways to go, Beard said.

"The nice thing about that is, you don't have to go up too high in the drainage, it's a quick trip," he said.

•••

Ice fishing continues to be reliable on most northern lakes, said Dale Odenbaugh with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

He suggested cutting holes in Kelso, Granite, Round and Gamble lakes, for starters.

The fish are hungry, he added, so folks will reel in all sorts of fish when they drop their lines.

"You're going to catch perch, crappie, bluegill, bass, catfish and your trout," he said. "That's on all of them."

Fernan Lake is frozen near the boat dock on the upper end, he said. He suggested avoiding further down.

Ice fishermen are best off using ice jigs, maggots or ice worms, he said.

Some who are pike fishing on the Chain Lakes are tip-up fishing with dead bait harnesses, he added.

Folks are still catching chinook on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Odenbaugh said, though the fish must be 20 inches to keep.

"Generally, we're getting one or two keepers every time we go out," Odenbaugh said.