Fish starting to bite this time of year

The leaves are changing and lakes are cooling.

That means this is the time of year when everything starts biting, says Jeff Smith of Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

With kokanee populations strong in Lake Coeur d'Alene, fishermen have been reeling in some satisfying catches in their 15-fish limit, Smith said.

"It takes a little work, but you end up with a pretty nice limit of fish," he said. "They're pretty thick. They've gotten a little bigger, which they generally do toward the end of the kokanee life cycle."

Folks should be able to catch them anywhere on the lake around 30- to 40-foot depths, he said.

The bulk of boats have been sticking to the east arm near Wolf Lodge and Beauty Bay, he added.

"Use the same stuff we've been using all along, some type of flasher with a wedding ring spinner, baited with corn and/or maggots," Smith advised. "It's been really fun, and it should be good for a couple more weeks."

He's noted that chinook are starting to bite, too, though there are plenty still beneath the 20-inch length requirement to keep.

"It seems there are lots of those sub-legal fish," he noted. "Troll around, you'll get one or two of the better sized keepers."

The best bites have been on flashers and mini squids like the Mexican Flag mini squid, he said.

The chinook are hiding out at depths of about 90 feet, Smith noted, usually in front of Carlin Bay and Arrow Point.

"You might have to play around with the depth a little bit," he said, adding that the chinook will stay deep throughout the fall. "I've caught some in the 80s and some in the 100-foot depths."

Some sizable pike are roaming the waters, too, he said, adding that he caught a 21-pounder last Friday.

"Those fish are starting to go after plugs," he said. "We're using either husky jerk, rapalas, another big one we caught on a Bomber Long A, which is a minnow style plug."

Some are still being caught on spinnerbaits, he added.

Smallmouth in the lake have been just OK, he said.

Smith suggested drop shotting a tiny fluke or using a little drop shot tube.

"Or the standard rigging is a lead head with a twin tailed grub down 25 to 40 feet," he said.

The water at Fernan Lake is also cooling down, he said, so rainbow trout are getting hooked again.

He suggested fishing with nightcrawlers or Powerbait off the shoreline, or off the docks.

If folks are willing to road trip for some mammoth salmon, he suggested heading to the Columbia River by the Vernita Bridge in Washington.

"These fish will go from 20 pounds on up. They get some huge fish, like 20 to 40 pounds," Smith said. "They're massive."

Some folks will quick fish, others use a super bait or helmeted herring, he said.

"They do it a lot of different ways," he said. "It's pretty much out of a boat, though."

Kokanee, steelhead fishing continues to be strong

Fishing on area lakes and streams continues to be great as fall weather settles in, said Steve Holweg of Cabela's.

Anglers are still having good luck with kokanee on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

"With kokanee spawning, there's still probably another three weeks of good fishing," Holweg said. "I was out last week and we got two limits (30 fish). All the fish we caught were still in really good shape."

Holweg said now is a good time to go out because many anglers are turning to hunting.

"There won't be quite as much competition," he said.

Holweg said he hears that steelhead fishing on the Clearwater, Salmon, Snake and Grand Ronde continues to be good.

"If we get a lot of rain, that may mess things up because when the water becomes high and muddy, that keeps fish from moving up the river," he said.

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The Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers are fishing great with October caddis patterns and blue-winged olive hatches, said Bud Frasca of North West Classic Tackle in Hayden.

"Streamers will also work along with nymphs to match the caddis and mayflies," Frasca said.

The lakes are also fishing well.

"Pike are starting to come back into shallow water along with both smallmouth bass and largemouth bass," Frasca said. "Fall is a great time to get out and fish. Autumn colors and less people."

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The Coeur d'Alene River is still giving up fish, said Bryan Gregg, of Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene.

On Gregg's most recent trip to the Coeur d'Alene, he was getting bites casting caddis and non-specific mayflies - pale morning duns, blue wing olives and mahogany duns.

"But what actually got me more fish was nymphing," Gregg said.

He used a tandem nymph rig with an October caddis and a smaller dropper beneath.

Steelhead fishing has been Gregg's primary focus lately, mainly on the lower Clearwater River near Lewiston.

"I'm just swinging a traditional early season fly," Gregg said.

The steelhead hot spots are starting to shift a bit as the weather changes.

"The Snake and the Ronde are starting to pick up. It's really going to turn on," he said.

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Rainbow trout are all the rage on Lake Pend Oreille.

The lake hosted a fishing derby recently, with the biggest rainbow coming in at 14 pounds 7 ounces.

To catch one of your own, troll the water slowly, around one or two miles an hour, with Frisky Jenny Flies tied on. Use most any of the lake patterns, said Tina Padgitt, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

On Lake Coeur d'Alene, anglers are trolling for kokanee at the same speeds, but loading lines with wedding rings. Smallmouth bass are 25 feet deep in Coeur d'Alene and Hayden lakes, too, chasing Trick and Gulp worms, so anglers should drag those lines on the lake's bottom.

They're also going after Zoom Finesse worms, just as they have been for a while so don't change your approach if you've been going after them.

When temperatures drop, both small and largemouth bass will swim closer to shore, later this month most likely. Until then, they'll stay out, so anglers cast all kinds of mid to deep range divers, too.

Strike King, series three, four or five, are especially good, said Blake Becker of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

Northern pike are active right now. They're swimming in 10 to 15 feet of water, chasing Swimbaits such as Shad-A-Licious. Be sure to weigh those lines down to sink them. They're whacking those Spinner and Crankbaits too, and will be until November or December.

For those wanting to hit the road, the small stretch of the Clearwater River is open, and loaded with steelhead. Casting from the banks or trolling from boats with lines loaded with shrimp or lighted lures.

Bobber set ups and tolling spoons are really popular too.

The entire river opens Oct. 15.