Kokanee, mackinaw fishing heating up

Anglers are having good luck pulling kokanee out of Lake Coeur d'Alene and Spirit Lake, said Duane Sunell of Cabela's.

At Priest Lake, the mackinaw are hitting.

"They're jigging or trolling for them," Sunell said.

A green split rapala works well for mackinaw.

Sunell said a lot of fishermen are headed to Lake Roosevelt in eastern Washington for walleye. Spinners, worms and power bait are being used.

Meanwhile, the smaller lakes such as Hauser are a good choice for trout and smallmouth bass.

"Mostly power bait and worms," Sunell said. "Everybody seems to do well with worms."

For bass, rubber worms and black lizards are a good choice.

Sunell said he's hearing that the St. Joe and Coeur d'Alene rivers are fishable, but still a little high.

"They're still waiting for the rivers to come down," Sunell said.

There will be a chinook derby on Lake Coeur d'Alene Aug. 4-7 managed by the Coeur d'Alene Anglers Association. Black Sheep Sporting Goods is the derby headquarters.

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Kokanee salmon are catching well on Lake Coeur d'Alene, said Jordan Smith with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

"They are fishing anywhere from 25 to 35 feet down for 'em," he said, adding that the salmon are biting on both ends of the lake.

Most fishermen are using wedding rings and spinner, he said, sometimes with a tractor in front.

Corn and maggots are best for bait, he added.

Northern pike are also biting well on both Lake Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake, Smith said.

He suggested using floating plugs and weedless spoons.

"Just back in the bays," he said of where to cast. "They're still fairly shallow, anywhere from 2 to 4 feet."

Cutthroat trout are also doing well at the Coeur d'Alene River, he said.

Most are fly fishing there, using stimulators or Caddises.

Cutthroat is all catch and release, he added.

Catfish are also biting on Fernan Lake, Smith said.

He suggested using catfish bait with a treble hook.

"Or guys just use regular worms, too," he said. "But catfish bait has been the best."

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Largemouth bass spawning season is mostly done, although anglers can still catch them in Lake Coeur d'Alene and Lake Pend Oreille.

At the south and north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene, largemouth should still be about 15 feet of water behind docks, rocks and weeds and other shelters. They'll go after more sensitive baits such as tubes, and smaller creature baits now that things have slowed down, said Blake Becker of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

Smallmouth bass, meanwhile, are a bit more active, although that spawning season should be winding down soon, too.

Meantime, try for the remaining ones in any of the area lakes using jerk baits, crank-style baits like rattle traps or coffee flavored tubes.

"It was a good year," Becker said about the spawning season that took longer than usual to get going since the water temperatures were so slow to rise.

Bluegill fish can be landed easily at any of the lakes.

They're in the shallows now, and aren't picky, going after power baits and tiny tubes.