Fall fishing season winds down

With the recent colder temperatures - and more predicted - fishing has been spotty on many area lakes and streams, said Steve Holweg of Cabela's.

"Steelhead fishing (near Lewiston) has been hit or miss," Holweg said. "One lady I spoke with who recently went down put 10 fish in the boat. Another guy only had one bite in two days. If you're going to go down, I'd say get down now and hope."

Kokanee fishing on Lake Coeur d'Alene also appears to be winding down.

"A guy I spoke with caught 11 last week on the north end of the lake, but the fish were dark and there were only three other boats on the lake," Holweg said.

Holweg said anglers will need to choose their battles for the next month until ice fishing season hits.

"I'd say get out and try it if the weather permits," he said. "But a cold front could shut things down for awhile."

Holweg said that while ice fishing is still a ways off, now is a good time to gear up for the season.

"I think we'll have a long winter," Holweg said. "Hopefully we'll have better ice conditions this year, but some lakes did really well with fishing last year."

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Salmon can still be snagged in North Idaho lakes, but the quality isn't what it was earlier in the year.

The season for kokanee will be over soon, said Dan Pierce with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

"In a couple weeks, probably," he estimated. "They're dying now."

But fishermen can still reel them in right now with spoons, or "anything shiny," Pierce said. The kokanee can be found in Lake Coeur d'Alene, Hayden Lake and the Chain Lakes, he added.

Chinook are also still swimming in Lake Coeur d'Alene, but fishermen shouldn't expect trophies, Pierce said.

"Chinook are biting pretty good, not real good, but good enough," he said.

He suggested using herring and helmeted herring, or flashers with mini squids.

"I'd go anywhere from 70 to 90 feet," Pierce said of depths to try to catch the chinook.

Trout are still chomping in Fernan and Hauser lakes, he said. He advised using powerbaits.

"All over, all different depths," he said of where the trout can be found.

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This is the time for great fishing. The lakes are turning, meaning water is circulating, and fish are hungry and active.

Or, in the words of Black Sheep Sporting Goods' Blake Becker: "The feedbag has begun."

Largemouth bass are easy pickings at Lake Pend Oreille, anywhere from 10 to 17 feet deep, and Hayden and Coeur d'Alene too.

Drop Red Eye Shads, half-ounce to three-quarters in size, or Rat-L-Traps or all sorts of Crankbaits and roll it in very slowly. You want just enough movement to wiggle the bait, but not to get snagged in the weeds.

Smallmouth bass fishing is going well on Lake Pend Oreille as well. Tubes, worms, plastic lizards and anything with a small plastic profile has been yielding the best results. Bottle Bay, or most of the bigger bays are where they swim between 6 to 30 feet deep.

Pike are going nuts on Lake Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake, hitting smaller medium-sized Jerkbaits, or any deep diving Crankbait, or spinners like Knotty Scotty's Bucktail Spinner. The best colors are firetiger white, red and rainbow. Move your line slowly.

Crappie fishing is going well too. They're swimming at 6 to 12 feet out, chasing grubs on little jigheads, or small gulp minnows.

"In all honesty," Becker said, "I'd say we have four more weeks if the weather holds up."