Ice fishing is as good as it's been all winter with the return of low temperatures and cold weather.

The same formula that worked so well last week is holding true this week, said Josh Kinghorn of Black Sheep Sporting Goods. Try catching kokanee on Spirit Lake using glow hooks and ice jigs, like black colored Swedish pimples.

Trout and perch are also chasing the bait on Spirit Lake. A six-inch leader off a bead chain is a good bet.

South of Sandpoint, on Cocolalla Lake, trout have been chasing the same set up, but with chrome or copper-colored Swedish pimples, size two or four. Add a chunk of worm or maggot for the best result.

On nearby Kelso Lake, the same jig-and-hook setup should get trout and panfish, like crappies. Use more maggot than worm going after the crappies.

Around the Lake City, pike are active on Lake Coeur d'Alene, especially in the Wolf Lodge area, chasing pike rigs with smelt. Same is true near the sportsman's access on Hayden Lake.

"Lots of people catching a lot of fish right now," Kinghorn said. "The change in weather has helped; it's gotten a little colder."

Trout, pike and perch are still going on Fernan Lake, too. Use a tip-up rig and smelt there.

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Ice fishing isn't done yet, said Jeff Smith of Fins & Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Mirror Lake is still a solid location to drill and fish for kokanee, Smith said.

"The ice is actuallyreally thick," he said. "They're basically using glow hooks and maggots."

Ice fishermen are snagging plenty of perch at Lower Twin Lake, he added. He suggested fishing at 30 to 40 feet deep, with standard ice jigs baited with either maggots or wax worms.

Trout are still waiting under the ice at Kelso Lake, too, Smith said. He advised night crawlers for bait.

The prime spot for open water fishing remains the Clearwater River for steelhead, he said.

"If I was fishing from the shore, I'd do the slip bobber and jig, or slip bobber and bead technique," he said.

For those wanting to drop a line out of a boat, he suggested Lake Roosevelt in eastern Washington.

"They're catching the trout and kokanee, I know, from the Spring Canyon ramp, and they're doing the walleye more off of the Spokane ramp," Smith said.

Using a small dodger and a fly could snag some of the trout and kokanee, he said.

"There are lots of ways to catch 'em," he said. "You've just got to find the depth range, really. But they won't be real deep, I don't think."

Walleyes will require a jig and night crawler, he said.

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A good fly-caster might catch a fish these days, but conditions aren't perfect on North Idaho waterways.

"It's still tough," said Mike Beard of Orvis Northwest Outfitters. "Still high water, mostly. It's becoming fishable. It's just not quite ideal. The Coeur d'Alene's been pretty icy. The St. Joe's really icy."

Beard suggested the Clearwater River down by Orofino. The river might be crowded, but now the water level is below the willows, and waders can track down a few steelhead. Dead-drift egg patterns and nymphs in tighter, deeper areas, and try swinging a bunny leech on a sink tip where there's a long bend or tailout.

"As soon as you get that fly moving a certain speed, you wanna keep it consistent," Beard said.

When the water is high, steelhead are usually close to the bottom or near the banks, Beard added. Cast quartering downstream, let the fly sink and keep the rod tip down. And don't fish too quickly.

Another option for winter anglers is the Clark Fork in Montana. Trout are slurping rubber leg nymphs, prince nymphs and San Juan worms. The scenic sections below St. Regis are a good place for cold-weather trout.

"The Clark Fork is tough because it's a big river," Beard said. "It's really the best to float."