Anglin' with Anglen - February 1973

Editor’s note: For 27 years, beginning Feb. 8, 1973, Ralph Anglen of Bonners Ferry wrote an outdoor column for the local paper that was widely read and used as a source of fishing and hunting information. It was called “Anglin’ with Anglen,” and was the real deal, the genuine item, written by someone whose socks were wet, whose toes were cold and who pulled no punches. The following columns are Anglen’s first. Readers are reminded that they were written almost 50 years ago and conditions, including state fish and game regulations, have changed. Just because Anglen wrote the ice was 2 feet thick, doesn’t mean it is 2 feet thick today. Readers beware. We will continue as space allows to reprint this column solely for its pleasure and historical significance. Any typos, we leave as is.

Feb. 8, 1973

This is my first article on fishing in Boundary County and I hope I can bring you the news as I see it and do it. I am not an expert but probably nobody likes to fish any better than I do nor does any more of it than I do.

It will have a lot of spiny rey fishing in it because I just plain like to catch bass, crappie and sunfish. I catch a lot of trout but the others are my true love.

McArthur is coming into its own for perch. Saturday two of us caught 46 and were off the ice at noon. Of that number 15 ran over 10 inches long and most of the rest were 9-10, with a few smaller.

There were over 30 people on the ice while we were there and everybody was caching a few fish. In checking in the evening, fishermen were coming and going all day. Everybody had a mess of fish. Most of these fishermen are from Sandpoint and Hope. Had one car from Spokane—he has been there before and some from Coeur d’Alene.

They had fished it before and tell me it is some of the best perch fishing they have had. One wants to remember that trout are a “no no” out there. If a trout is hooked deep the best method to release it is to cut the line. The lake is checked quiet regularly in case you are tempted to salvage a few of them. Any kind of fishing gear is alright to use. I see regular ice fishing poles two feet long used, along with kokanee handlines. I use my spinning gear because I like to feel them bite.

We use angle worms, maggots and perch meat for bait. Perch meat seems to be preferred. One old time ice fisherman uses blaze orange hooks and jigs them just under the ice. Has good luck with them. There is about 12 inches of ice out there.

Dawson lake produces a lot more perch, but they are considerably smaller. One does catch a few big bass and crappie there along with sunfish that will dress as big as your hand. I like to fish Dawson lake but then I could fish a gold fish bowl if I had too.

I haven’t tried any of the trout lakes yet because I like the perch to eat better, but talking to Chuck White, the game warden, they are getting very little pressure. May try them one of these days.

The whitefish in the Moyie should be biting now but haven’t tried that either. For a man that goes fishing two or three times a week I seem to have a hard time getting around to all the fishing we have here.

There has been four perch 14 inches long checked out of McArthur. They weighed just a pound and a half. Personally the biggest I have caught or seen was 12 ½ inches long and weighed just a pound. I would like to see some crappie planted in this lake as there is a world of feed in it and perch will overpopulate it if we don’t get a good predator fish in there.

I don’t know the answer to overcrowding these lakes but I know the addition of crappie really made a good fishing lake out of Dawson.

This is all for the first article and I would appreciate any fishing information I can get from anybody.

Feb. 15, 1973

This will start with a goodby to a friend. Goodby Brock!

Eight years ago we made our first fishing trip together to Dawson lake and caught our first mess of fish together. You took every fish we caught off the ice as it was a comparatively new experience for you. That started a friendship that endured. Good fishing and hunting pardners are few and far between— a person you can go with day after day and still remain friends.

A lot of memories runs through my mind as I write this. The morning on Dawson lake we watched that cow and calf moose for over an hour. The morning on Brush we caught 54 bass and you got the double on the same plug at the same time.

The morning on Star Creek we saw the wolverine The day we drove 150 miles and got one grouse, who says wild meat is cheap?

The first day of deer season we sat just below Roman Nose Lake and watched the sun come up. We had fog in the low country and eight inches of snow on the ground and the beauty was just indescribable.

The day I missed the deer on Copper and drove all the way through Camp Nine just so you could heckle me. All of these and many more as I think of the good times we had.

For eight years you tried to convince me I was just lucky fishing and I tried just as hard to tell you I was good. My health is not the best and the times you stopped and took me for a ride, I learned early to take a lunch as a short ride might mean anywhere from an hour to six. You liked to drive and I didn’t so we made a good pair.

You are now with some good fishermen —Peter, Andrew, James, Jonah (what a story he had to tell) and the Master fishermen of them all. I’m glad I took the opportunity to tell you just what you meant to me before you left because you leave a void hard to fill.

Was fishing three times the past week. Took 68 perch out of Dawson on Wednesday. Gave them all way figuring on getting some of the big ones out of McArthur—you guessed it, fished four hours and caught only one. Tried a new part of the lake! Still believe there was fish there but didn’t catch any. Caught a nice ‘no-no’ though and had to throw it back. Went to Dawson Saturday and got 90 perch, one bass, a crappie and three sunfish out of the first hole. Dug two more holes just to break the monotony of the day and caught fish out of both of them.

Surprising how they shrunk after I got them home. Three of them were nine inches and the rest between seven and eight. I brought over 60 off the ice and had no trouble giving them away. McArthur is still getting a lot of pressure. Would like to see more fishermen on Dawson as I had it all to myself Saturday. The fish are small though. McArthur is getting 20 to 30 fisherman a day. Lots of them are coming clear from Coeur d’Alene. Some days are better than others, of course. It seems if the weather is clear and we have a north wind the fishing is better late in the afternoon. For me on the cloudy days they seem to start biting right at noon.

Scuttlebutt picked up off the ice. Kokanee are starting to bite at Bayview. Fishing is good at Balfour for kokanee. Duck Lake is producing good perch with an occasional big bass. I saw 15 gallons of perch out of Duck Lake a couple of years ago and they were dandies. The Eastern Brook in Bass lake are catchable but muddy tasting. Fishing is poor at Smith.

I would recommend if you want fish and aren’t too particular on the size it’s Dawson Lake! If you want big fish, McArthur, but sometimes they don’t bite out there and it is cold!