Warmer temps ... better fishing

If anyone plans to drop a line in the water this weekend, they should hit the Chain Lakes.

"It's all open water now. They can fish for crappies, they can fish for northern pike, they can fish for bass," said Jeff Smith of Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Crappies will chomp on any small crappie jig, he said, adding that some will bait that with maggots or a crappie nibble.

"I'd say most fish it under a bobber," Smith said.

The best bet for pike is to bait with smelt or herring, he added, either under a bobber or on the bottom.

"Crappies and pike will bite. That's not to say bass won't, but you have a better chance with the other ones," Smith said.

As for which Chain Lake to try, he said, folks can take their pick.

"There's crappie, bass and pike in all of them," he said. "You could rip 'em all off and they'd be a little different, but in a way, all the same."

Fishing is also picking up on Fernan Lake, he added, where water is open on the east end.

"They're starting to catch some crappies and perch down there, either in a boat or on the shore," Smith said.

The popular method on Fernan is using a rocket bobber, he said.

"Rocket bobbers cast better than any bobber made, which seems weird, but they do," Smith said with a chuckle. "Underneath that, they (fishermen) use a small lead headed jig, one 64th or 180th."

He also suggested putting plastic tails on the jig.

"You could bait that with maggots, but they'll hit them by themselves, too," he said.

Most rainbows at Fernan are between 12 and 16 inches, he added.

Salmon fishing on Coeur d'Alene is decent these days, Smith said.

"(Last weekend) we caught 5 chinooks from 5 to 10 pounds," he said. "It wasn't necessarily fast fishing, but if you keep trolling, you'll pick them off here and there."

There's a limit of two fish over 20 inches per person, he cautioned.

"With a little patience and perseverance, you can get a couple," he said, adding that the fish are biting shallow, from the surface to 20 feet.

He advised using either helmetted herring with gold or glow green helmets.

"I've been catching some on Rapalas," he said. "Fire Tiger Rapala works for me, I caught the best fish on that."

uMid-week sunshine opened a brief window for fly-casters on the Coeur d'Alene River, but rainy weather and rising waters could dampen the fishing.

On Tuesday afternoon the Coeur d'Alene River was flowing at 3,000 cfs, according to Pat Way of Orvis Northwest Outfitters. That's a reasonable pace for experienced floaters.

"But the upcoming forecast certainly will bring the water up a little bit," Way said.

The keys for good fishing are the flows and the weather, he added. When conditions are right, anglers should fish a tandem nymph rig - a stonefly up top with a San Juan worm underneath.

In the afternoon, spring bugs are starting to show themselves. Blue-winged olives are taking flight, and stoneflies have made an appearance. Dry fly-fishing isn't out of the question.

"We've got lots of good new fly patterns here in the store to accommodate," Way said.

The lower stretches of the Coeur d'Alene are open for fishing. Higher up, the road isn't plowed past Shoshone Base Camp, but snowmobilers can get through.

It's still too early in the season for wading, and floaters who don't know the river well should seek advice. Accidents can be deadly in March.

"In these types of water temperatures, a person doesn't have very long," Way warned.

To the south, the St. Joe River has dropped slightly. The same type of insects are flitting about, and late afternoon is probably the time to be on the water. For Coeur d'Alene anglers, though, it's a long drive for a short window.

The Clark Fork could be worth a trip - on clear water days, an angler can hook rainbows, cutthroats and brown trout. But only drive to Montana if the waters are stable or falling, Way advised.

"You don't wanna fish that river if the graph is on the way up," he said.

Great fly-fishing is just around the corner, and lots of anglers are chomping at the bit.

"It's gonna happen here shortly," Way said. "It should be a great year."

uThe free North Idaho Fly Fishing Expo will be held on Friday and Saturday at the Red Lion Hotel, 621 21st St., in Lewiston.

"It's certainly worth going to," said Bud Frasca, owner of North West Classic Tackle in Hayden. "This is what people should be doing this weekend. They'll get more out of it than fishing if it's cold."

Hours are 1-5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. There is a dinner and auction on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

There will be fly fishing workshops, vendors and youth programs.

For more information, visit www.niffe.org.

If you choose to fish in the next week, the lower Coeur d'Alene River near Cataldo is catching on with trout, especially if the water continues to warm up and the water doesn't rise, Frasca said. Try midges and leeches.

Other options include fly fishing for rainbow on Rocky Ford near Moses Lake with midges and streamers and pike fishing with bait on both Coeur d'Alene and Fernan lakes.

"We need warm weather," said Frasca, adding that it's still a bit early for crappie fishing on Hayden. "The recent snow didn't help."