Fly fishing
The Clark Fork was running at 8,600 cfs at midweek. Jon Allan at Silver Bow Fly Shop said the fishing is decent, though, and that anglers should fish something “big and hairy with a dropper.” He said pmds are effective during the day and caddis imitations in the evening.
The North Fork Coeur d’Alene and the midsection of the St. Joe are fishing best, and casting on other waters to the east – Rock Creek, Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Big Hole, Beaverhead – are improving. Only the Yellowstone, which is high, and Kootenai up north, where there have been huge water fluctuations, might disappoint.
Fly fishing for Hayden Lake large and smallmouth bass is excellent with buggers below a strike indicator or small leech and damsel patterns.
There wasn’t much surface activity on Williams Lake this week, but there were plenty of rainbow and cutts hanging out at about 20 feet and near the weed line near the launch. A sinking fly was the ticket.
The 12-inch rainbow trout in Downs Lake are being nearly ignored. Friends fishing for perch there last weekend noted heavy feeding activity on top in the channels. Dry flies should work wonders. For whatever reason, Downs Lake trout seem to fight better than those in other nearby lakes. Medical Lake has given up some nice trout this week to anglers throwing damsel fly imitations on top and Wooly Buggers down deep.
Trout and kokanee
Trollers have been finding consistent action at Loon Lake for 11-inch kokanee. Troll close to the bottom in 20-40 feet of water at about 1.5 mph. A wedding ring tipped with white corn is effective. Night anglers at Loon are finding a later bite than two weeks ago, with little action until after 10 p.m. The east side is seeing the most anglers and 34 feet is the magic depth.
Three friends who trolled Coeur d’Alene Lake on Wednesday said the best fishing was in tribal waters between Gasser and Spokane Point. They caught 43 kokanee, 10-12 inches, at a depth of 35 feet.
Lake Roosevelt kokanee are biting well near Spring Canyon with lots of 2- and 3-pound fish and rumors of one approaching 7 pounds caught this week. The best bite for kokanee and rainbow both has been in the top 15 feet of water for anglers trolling Apex lures, spinners or small pink pearl Hot Shots.
West Medical Lake is kicking out nice catches of rainbow to trollers working the middle of the lake with spoons, or spinners sweetened with worm.
The Methow River near the town of Winthrop will have some wonderful trout fishing from now into the fall. Expect to catch large rainbow, cutthroat and even the occasional bull trout.
Sprague Lake rainbow plants are a solid 12 inches and fat, but the lake is not seeing many anglers. Limits are the rule in a couple of hours.
Salmon and steelhead
Chinook salmon are beginning to arrive at the mouth of the Okanogan, said Rod Hammons of R&R Guide Service in Brewster (509-689-2849). Dodgers and herring at 40 feet are popular. Closer to Wells Dam, green flashers with red Super Baits work better in the faster current. The sockeye run on the Columbia this year is huge, and anglers near Brewster are taking limits of the red-fleshed fish while they wait for the chinook. The mouth of the Methow, which has been off-limits to salmon anglers for years, should also be productive.
Coastal salmon destinations have a long way to go before reaching their quotas and fishing is improving. The last week of July/first week of August has been a traditional time of great fishing in places such as Ilwaco and Westport. At Ilwaco last week, anglers averaged nearly a fish per rod, 80 percent of which were coho. At Westport, the average is slightly higher with a 50-50 mix of coho and chinook.
Bank anglers in the Columbia River Gorge averaged 0.33 steelhead caught per rod last week and boat anglers averaged 2.55 steelhead caught per boat. Shad angling is winding down.
A few steelhead have been caught from the lower Clearwater during the catch-and- release season. Steelhead numbers over Lower Granite Dam this past week are averaging only about 80 a day.
Spiny ray
Bass anglers working between Nine Mile Resort and the dam on Long Lake are finding cooperative smallmouth all day long on spinners and dark-colored crank baits.
Moses Lake walleye fishing has been decent west of Connelly Park. Banks Lake anglers are finding some good fish trolling spinners on the south end, with smaller ’eyes coming from midlake. The weed lines have been good evenings for anglers trolling plugs. Fishing is best when the wind is blowing. Banks Lake smallmouth were hard to find last week.
Bass fishing is holding up nicely on the Pend Oreille River, and a few large crappie have come into the Outpost Resort recently. The big story is the northern pike action at the end of the sloughs where creeks run in. Anglers say they are catching a pike for every four bass.
Coeur d’Alene Lake bass and pike fishing is good. Try power worms and 4-inch tubes and grubs for the bass and spoons or swim baits for pike. Pike can be found at the edge of the weeds at about 8-10 feet.
The Grande Ronde River is excellent for smallmouth. Guide Rick Hedding and his son fished the river this week, catching 30-40 fish in a few hours. A few 5-pound fish were reported by other anglers from the river between Cougar Creek and Boggan’s Oasis.
Other species
Guide Tim Johnson of FishHawk Guides said his boat caught six fish on a sturgeon trip in Hells Canyon last week. The largest was more than 7 feet and took three people more than an hour and 20 minutes to land.
The recreational halibut fishery will reopen July 26 in nearshore areas off the north coast of Washington and along the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, followed Aug. 1 by a two-day halibut opening off Ilwaco.
Hunting
Entries in the second Idaho Super Hunt and Super Hunt Combo drawing must be received at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game headquarters by Aug. 10. Tickets will be drawn for two elk, two deer and two pronghorn antelope hunts as well as one moose hunt. One Super Hunt Combo ticket will be drawn that will entitle the winner to four hunts – one each elk, deer, pronghorn antelope and moose. The winners may hunt in any open hunt in the state. A ticket costs $6.25, available at license vendors, all Fish and Game offices and on the Internet at fishandgame.idaho.gov.