Plenty of opportunities for kokanee in North Idaho

COEUR d'ALENE - Dewayne Sunell of Cabela's in Post Falls said 12- to 14-inch kokanee are biting on Priest Lake.

Once they are on line, he said, the fish have been aggressive and fun to haul in.

"They come straight up," pulling flashers and everything with them, Sunell said.

Fishermen should work Cavanaugh Bay and around Bartoo Island, or go farther north to Twin Islands.

Try a kokanee lure from Meridian-based tackle company Kokabow behind a flasher, he said.

Kokanee fishing on Lake Pend Oreille is also productive, just off the Farragut State Park boat launch, Sunell said.

Tina Padgitt, at Black Sheep Sporting Goods in Coeur d'Alene, said the kokanee are biting on the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

The standard wedding ring with maggots or corn should get kokanee in the boat, Padgitt said.

She said fishermen can catch their limit of kokanee on Spirit Lake, where she recommends jigging.

"Just like ice fishing, but you're on a boat," Padgitt said.

Sunell said the Pend Oreille River is producing a lot of smallmouth bass. Try a white or chartreuse jig and some PowerBait or a worm.

"Right above where Priest River flows in is a pretty good spot," Sunell said.

Trout fishing on Kelso and Round lakes has been worth the time, Padgitt said. Use Pautske'ssalmon eggs, PowerBait or worms, she said.

Dropping the bait down below a bobber in some of those small lakes should work well as the weeds are taller now, Padgitt said.

On the rivers, recent cooler weather has spelled active fish on the St. Joe and the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene.

Mike Beard, of Orvis Northwest Outfitters, said water temperatures on the Coeur d'Alene have dropped to approximately 60 degrees in the middle of the day, and just a bit cooler on the St. Joe at 57 degrees.

"Around 55 is prime for bug and fish activity," Beard said.

The temperatures on the North Fork soared to the high 60s during the end of July. Seventy degrees or more can be lethal.

Start the mornings on those streams nymphing or streamer fishing.

He recommends going with the "hopper dropper," a two-fly setup with a grasshopper up top and a pheasant tail weighted with a bead below.

Dry flies should make the daytime productive. Try terrestrials like grasshoppers, ants and beetles.

By late afternoon and evening there should be some bug hatches. Go with a pale morning dun or mahoganies, Beard said.