Fishing should heat back up with warmer temps

With warmer temperatures predicted this weekend, area fishing is expected to improve, said Steve Holweg of Cabela's.

"The cool weather we had slowed things down a bit, including with kokanee on Coeur d'Alene," Holweg said. "But with warmer temperatures and the water coming up a couple degrees, fishing should pick back up."

Holweg said he was on Lake Coeur d'Alene last week fishing for kokanee, and it was "a little slow."

"But we stuck with it, changed our presentation a bit and picked up fish," he said. "Stick with it; it's going to happen. It may just take longer than it has been."

For kokanee, try either a Ford Fender with a wedding ring or triple teaser tipped with maggots and corn.

Holweg said getting out early isn't as critical as it was during the summer months.

"Now, if you wait an hour or two, it's not so bad," he said.

Holweg said he continues to hear good reports of steelhead fishing on the Clearwater and Snake rivers. The Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers are also fishing well, he said.

There is a lot of mayfly activity right now on the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers, said Pat Way of Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene.

"Blue wing olives in a 16- or- 18-hook range, and mahogany duns. Those you can fish a little bigger," Way said.

The October caddis is also starting to appear. The insect calls for big caddis patterns, Way said, and can be fished in a size 8.

A little farther away, steelhead fishing is keeping casters busy over Granite Dam and near Lewiston.

"We've been swinging real traditional patterns - signal lights, green butt skunks, silver hiltons and purple perils," Way said. "Again, it's steelheading. It's just the number of casts that you're willing to make."

The status quo is holding steady in the fishing world, so anglers should still cast lines far from shore as the summer season winds down.

Right now, smallmouth bass are deeper, about 15 to 30 feet out in lakes Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Fernan and Pend Oreille, going after Zoom Finesse worms and Crankbaits.

When temperatures drop, small and largemouth bass will swim closer to shore, around early October or so. Until then though they'll stay out, so anglers cast all kinds of mid to deep range divers. Strike King, series three, four or five, are especially good, said Blake Becker, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

"Anything that's reaction bites," Becker said of the type of baits catching the attention of the fish. "Anything that has a little bit of flash to it is working really well."

Crappies are hitting small tubes, especially Eagle Claw Small Tubes, Becker said.

When it cools - around October - toss lines in the shallows loaded with spinner and crank baits like Rapalas. Look for stumps or grass patches that are alive and still green to find where the fish, including pike and largemouth bass, cluster.

Steelhead season on the Clearwater River is just under way and anglers can troll for trout using fresh shrimp, with oils, off lines that use divers in the front to sink the bait.

Bobbers with Steelhead jigs also work well.