Some area fisheries spotty, others holding on

With the recent chilly weather, some area fisheries are getting spotty while others continue to hold on.

Dan Harris of Cabela's said he's hearing that kokanee limits are still being caught on Lake Coeur d'Alene, even with the season winding down.

"Most guys are using wedding rings with maggots or corn," Harris said.

Bass are still being caught in the weed beds on area lakes with crank bait fishing, while worms continue to work for panfish. Pike can be caught up until around Thanksgiving on repalas.

"Smaller lakes are slowing down a bit," Harris said. "When it gets cold, fish go lethargic and the biting times can be limited to the afternoons. With frost and ice on the edges of the water, it takes the sun to warm up the water so the fish get active again."

Bass on the Pend Oreille River are being caught on Husky Jerks, Harris said.

Steelhead fishing on the Clearwater River continues to be strong. The portion upstream from the Memorial Bridge near Orofino opened up earlier this week.

"Guys I work with hooked 12 off the bank," Harris said.

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"For those that are taking advantage of it, the fishing has been nothing short of spectacular," said Pat Way, of Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene.

The Coeur d'Alene and the St. Joe rivers are still fishing well, he said.

It's a mid-morning to early afternoon game, Way said. There are lots of small mayflies out right now - blue wing olives in the 18- to- 20-size range, and a few slightly larger mahogany duns.

"Since everyone's out hunting, there's just no pressure up there. Don't discount trial and error with your flies," Way said.

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Keep going after pike, large and smallmouth bass, and kokanee.

Largemouth bass are especially active on Coeur d'Alene, Hayden and Pend Oreille lakes, swimming between 10 to 20 feet deep, and feeding at much quicker rates now that temperatures are dropping.

Use Crankbaits and all types of mid- to deep-range divers, but the best bait going right now is Strike King Series 3, 4, 5 and 6. Rapala DT sixes are good baits too. Toss those lines around 10 to 15 feet deep, said Blake Becker, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

Pike are chasing all sorts of spinnerbaits, Rat-l-Traps and jerkbaits, especially on Lake Coeur d'Alene. They're about 15 feet deep, too.

Look for submerged structures to cast your lines, such as underwater grass patches. Kokanee are swimming at the deepest levels, around 40 feet under. Go after them with a banana weights with a flasher, with a wedding ring on the end.

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.

When the temperature drops, the fish will swim in, so move in closer to shore.