Spring fishing heats up

As the ice breaks on the area's small lakes, spring fishing is starting to heat up.

"It's springtime," said Steve Holweg of Cabela's. "It's all starting to work. If you find open water on the local lakes, go for it."

Smallmouth bass on Coeur d'Alene and Hayden are starting to get in pre-spawning mode and move from deep water to shallower staging areas to spawn, Holweg said.

"They feed while they're moving," he said. "It's a slow fishery. You don't have to work your bait fast."

Anglers are urged to keep an eye on whether lakes are open and if there are limits.

"At a lot of lakes this time of year you can't keep bass, but you can trout and crappie," Holweg said.

He said he hears that salmon are being caught on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

"The fish seem to be moving up a bit, so you don't have to drag bottom," he said. "You don't have to troll very fast, but you have to go at a speed they're looking for."

Holweg estimates 1.6 to 1.9 mph is a good range.

In Washington, fishing on Lake Roosevelt for trout and walleye is "hit and miss," Holweg said.

Some seasonal lakes opened a month early. Liberty and Amber lakes are among those open.

"Make sure you know the criteria before heading over because they write heavy tickets," Holweg said.

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Everyone, it seems, is ready to leave ice fishing behind and concentrate on spring fishing.

According to Blake Becker of Black Sheep Sporting Goods, anglers are gearing up for the annual thaw, preparing to go after large and smallmouth bass and pike as the temperature warms.

But spring fishing shouldn't be hot right out of the gate. It will take a while for the season to warm up, along with the weather.

"Any baits you're going to use, just slow your presentation down," Becker said.

The fish will be slow moving, hence the slower presentation.

"We just need a really good streak of weather and we should be there," Becker said.

For bass, go slow on jerk baits, suspended jerk baits, or half-ounce Strike King Red Eye Shad baits.

Some early season bass tournaments, like April 1 in Harrison and March 25 in Hayden, should kick off the season in grand fashion.

The fish should be fairly deep, and Hayden and Coeur d'Alene lakes will be good spots.

Pike fishing should be heating up around the same time.

Drag a Carolina rig, with a slow roll and a small tube, like under three inches in size.

They'll be out in deeper waters too, Becker said.

They'll be going after jerk and spinner baits, lipless crank baits, and "dead baits like smelt as soon as the ice is off the water," he said.

Salmon season will start too. Troll hoochies and helmet herrings about 1.7 miles per hour. That's usually a good bet, but once the season is under way then more fine-tuned patterns should emerge.

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Fishermen have been reeling in some hefty pike out of Lake Coeur d'Alene recently, said Jeff Smith with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

The shop weighed in a 28 and a half pound catch this weekend, he said.

"Big fish must be on the move," Smith said, adding that the risinglake level tends to rouse the fish.

He recommended seeking out the monsters at Wolf Lodge, Blue Creek Bay and Harlow Point.

Many are going after the pike with smelt or herring for bait, he said. Some are fishing with a bobber, others are fishing on the bottom.

"That should continue for awhile now," he said of the better fishing on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Salmon is also bitingon the lake, he said, though now at shallower depths than before.

He's heard of salmon snagged on herring around 25 feet, he said.

"That's considerably shallower than we've been fishing," Smith said, noting that fishermen have been catching salmon at 80 to 100 feet. "What it does indicate is that some fish have moved into the top feet of the water column."

He recommended using helmeted herring or a Rapala.

Many lakes are halfway between frozen and melted now, Smith said, so he advised caution on any ice fishing attempts.

"I've put my (ice fishing) stuff away," he admitted.

Rose Lake and the rest of the Chain Lakes have open water now, he said, though he hasn't heard of what's going on up there.

Hayden is also open, he said, where folks could troll for trout with plugs or spoons, and pike fish, too.