Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for March 27, 2025

Fly fishing

All of the lowland lakes that are open to fishing are free of ice, but some lakes north of Spokane had light ice coverings early in the week which should be gone by the weekend. Amber Lake has been fishing well with leech patterns. The public boat launch access on Medical is open. Silver Bow Fly Shop said fishing was slow on Monday.

As of Tuesday, the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River was not fishable after rain and recent warm weather bumped flows considerably.

Lake Lenore’s cutthroat trout are in spawning mode and are moving in close to shore. Fly fishermen are catching them on dark chironomid patterns.

Anglers trolling or casting dark fly patterns are getting a lot of trout action at both Hog Canyon and in the bays at Lake Roosevelt.

Trout and kokanee

The winter lakes, Fourth of July, Hog Canyon, Williams and Hatch, will close Monday, but anglers are still catching trout from them all. Lincoln County’s Coffeepot Lake is also producing nice catches of rainbow trout.

The Colville Tribe released 25,000 triploids at the upper net pens on Rufus Woods Reservoir the week of March 17. The fish averaged 1.8 pounds. Dark-colored 8-ounce jigs are working.

Spiny ray

Idaho’s Dworshak Reservoir, near the town of Orofino, will soon begin kicking out the biggest smallmouth bass in the West. This reservoir consistently produces fish ranging from 6 to 9 pounds. Reel Time Fishing has been guiding there for years with excellent success. To book a guided trip, call 208-790-2128.

In addition to big pike, Coeur d’Alene Lake offers outstanding smallmouth bass fishing in the spring, and all of the 10 Chain Lakes offer good opportunity for bass, bluegill and crappie. There are even channel catfish in Rose Lake.

Fernan Lake, just outside Coeur d’Alene city limits, offers anglers the chance to catch perch, crappie, bluegill, bass, channel catfish and rainbow trout. Beginning in early April and ending in October, Fernan Lake is stocked with nearly 25,000 catchable rainbow trout. As water temperatures warm throughout the spring and into early summer, fishing for the assorted warm-water fish gets even better.

Docks and boat ramp access are abundant at the east and west ends of Fernan and from the road that runs along the north side of the lake.

As in the past, Potholes anglers are jigging blade baits for walleye, but many of them have gone to also using glide baits. Rapala Jigging Raps are also popular.

The best place to look for walleye on Potholes is off of Frenchman Wasteway, the mouth of Lind Coulee and the mouth of Crab Creek, but the bite is picking up all over the Reservoir. Potholes largemouth bass are also becoming more active in the sand dunes. The afternoon bite is much better than the morning bite.

Moses Lake will begin filling in the next few weeks. When that happens, the perch that have been hanging around the I-90 Bridge will begin to scatter. When water is flowing down Crab Creek to fill Moses Lake, anglers will have good walleye fishing in the area known as “The Fill,” which is at the Highway 17 Bridge. Boaters target this shallow water area, and shore anglers make catches from the south shore close to the bridge.

Walleye anglers trolling Smile Blades and nightcrawlers on flats around Lake Roosevelt’s Porcupine Bay are catching good numbers of eater-size fish in 25 to 50 feet of water.

Spectacle Lake in Okanogan County has been a favorite of anglers for decades, and it opens Tuesday. This 315-acre lake is loaded with a variety of trout, kokanee and most of the spiny ray species.

The trout and kokanee are large. Washburn Pond, near Bridgeport, also opens Tuesday. It has most of the spiny ray species and good shoreline access.

Other species

April is a good month to get after northern pike. At this time of year, they can be targeted from on Coeur d’Alene Lake and the Chain Lakes from shore with a bobber and bait. Catch rates typically aren’t high in the early spring, but it is when some of the biggest fish are caught. As the water warms, northern pike will more actively chase lures, and fishing from a boat is most productive.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed clamming dates during morning (midnight to noon only) low tides Saturday through April 3. Days, times, tides and open beaches are:

• Saturday, 6:58 a.m.; -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Sunday, 7:43 a.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Monday, 8:28 a.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Tuesday, 9:17 a.m.; -1.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Wednesday, 10:09 a.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• April 3, 11:07 a.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com