Rain slows fishing - for now

Recent rain slowed fishing on area lakes and streams, but there's still a lot of good options when there's a break in the weather.

It's still a little early to wade on the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene River, said Jerry Brown of Cabela's.

"It will be another week or two before it comes into its own," Brown said. "It's still got a fairly decent flow."

Fishing from the bank is a popular option, however.

"I recently went way above Prichard and there's people fishing all along the river," Brown said. "The guys fishing from shore were having very mediocre luck. I didn't see anyone floating."

Brown said recreation enthusiasts can travel over Fernan Saddle from the Coeur d'Alene area now without making the loop to fishing spots because the snow is gone.

Brown said he hears the pike action on Lake Coeur d'Alene, panfish on Hauser Lake and smallmouth bass fishing on Hayden is going well.

Kokanee fishing on the south end of Coeur d'Alene and Spirit Lake is also heating up.

Brown said wedding rings with a maggot or kernel of corn is a good choice.

"Anything pink seems to be an effective lure for kokanee," he said.

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Largemouth bass are spawning, so their attention has waned as far as chasing fishing lures. Colder weather, too, has slowed bass fishing a bit, but anglers are landing nice-sized kokanee from Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Troll for kokanee at speeds at less than one mile per hour, dragging three colors worth of lines with a flasher and wedding ring tipped off with a maggot, said Blake Becker of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

"Big, big ones," Becker said of what anglers are pulling from the lake. "The kokannee are doing fantastic."

Pike fishing isn't far behind.

They're going after lots of Hallow Belly Swim Baits, sized 4-10 inches.

"However long you want to throw them," Becker said.

All the rage right now, Alabama Rigs, with five swim baits, are becoming more popular for pike fishing. Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Chain Lakes are the best places for those.

While bass fishing has slowed, it's still possible to land both large and smallmouths.

Same tricks apply, largemouth are 2 to 10 feet deep in Fernan, Hayden and Coeur d'Alene lakes, using Spinnerbaits and jigs.

Soft plastic Jerkbaits are working well, too, while smallmouth bass are in 20 feet of water or less in the same waters.