Fishing still full of life in Lake Cd'A

Myriad species are still biting in Lake Coeur d'Alene, according to Dan Pierce with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Kokanee are biting across the lake, Pierce said.

He suggested using a spinner and some wedding rings.

Folks can keep up to 15 kokanee, Pierce said.

Catches of chinook salmon might be a little disappointing, he said, adding that larger fish have gone to spawn.

"They're catching a lot of smaller ones," he said.

The chinook can be snagged anywhere on Lake Coeur d'Alene, too, he added, with an 8-inch flasher and a mini squid.

Folks are also snagging northern pike in Lake Coeur d'Alene, as well as in Hayden Lake and the Chain Lakes.

The pike tend to congregate in weedy bays, Pierce said.

Local water bodies also host some active smallmouth bass, he said.

"There's a lot in Hayden Lake and Lake Coeur d'Alene," he observed.

The bass huddle around rocky shorelines, Pierce said, around 20- to 30-foot depths.

He advised throwing plastics, like a double tail grub, or a plastic tube with a jig head on it.

Cutthroat are still chomping lines in the Coeur d'Alene River, he added.

"The fish are biting good up there," Pierce said.

He suggested using flies or salmon eggs, and reminded that the cutthroat are catch and release.

It's prime time on area rivers

It's a great time to be out on local rivers and lakes, say area fishing shop owners and employees.

Jerry Brown of Cabela's recently fished the St. Joe River above Avery. He had success and an enjoyable experience.

"The water was very nice and floatable," he said. "Conditions are beautiful and the river is in great shape."

Brown said a small No. 18 dry fly worked well in the morning, while grasshoppers did the trick in the afternoon.

"We all caught 10 to 12 fish," he said, adding that it was all catch and release. "There were a lot of fish, but they weren't large. The largest we caught was 15 inches."

Brown said co-worker Steve Holweg has been having good luck on Lake Coeur d'Alene with kokanee being an average of a foot.

Customers report that panfish have been hitting well on Hauser Lake, Brown said.

Lake Roosevelt in eastern Washington, however, has been spotty at best.

"The majority of the fish went over the dam this year," Brown said. "With water skiers and the garbage in the lake, fishing has been difficult. There's a few walleye and trout, but not in numbers that it should be."

Brown said one angler only caught a few fish over three days in Spring Canyon on Roosevelt.