Despite recent moisture, there's still some good fishing opportunities in the region, said Jerry Brown of Cabela's.

Brown has heard some are catching walleye on the Columbia.

"They're trolling with a nightcrawler," he said. "That's stirring up a bite."

There's also good reports of trout fishing on Lake Roosevelt using lures and flies.

"Some of them are using downriggers and looking for the right level," Brown said.

While kokanee fishing on Lake Coeur d'Alene is finished, chinook fishing in the middle of the lake is going well.

"My son's been out a couple times and has caught a few fish," Brown said. "Nothing big - all 18 to 20 inches - so all were returned."

Optimal trolling depths are 85 to 95 feet.

"You've got to play with the depth a little bit," Brown said.

Steve Holweg of Cabela's said anglers have been having good luck with nightcrawlers and power bait on Fernan.

•••

It's December, but that doesn't mean ice fishing is here yet.

In fact, anglers are caught in the middle of seasons right now, meaning they're trolling for chinook when it's not too windy and waiting for ice fishing to start.

When lakes finally freeze over, can be anyone's guess, so it's just a waiting game until then.

"We're kind of in between," said Tina Padgitt, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

If conditions permit, anglers can still troll for chinook on Lake Coeur d'Alene dragging lines with herring or mini squids. During the fall, lines sunk between 30 to 60 feet yielded the best results.

When ice fishing does come, anglers should go after pike with Tip-Ups.

•••

There's still a window left for boat and shore fishing before the lakes freeze over, said Jeff Smith of Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

"It's like a bonus fishing time right now," Smith said. "You just have to go and get after it."

There are still chinook to be reeled in from Lake Coeur d'Alene, Smith said, though he admitted last weekend's chinook tournament was less than mind blowing.

Only one fish was weighed in, a 7.5 pounder caught by Ray Allison of Rathdrum.

"Almost everybody caught fish, there were just no big fish," Smith explained. "A lot of people caught 10, 12, 15 fish, but just nothing to weigh in."

There are stillchinook that meet the state requirement of 20 inches to keep, he said, adding that fishermen can keep two.

Some are also catching rainbow trout at Fernan Lake, Smith said.

"Most are shore fishing," he said, recommending either nightcrawlers or powerbait.

Smith has seen the trout range from 10 to 14 inches, he estimated.

"They were halfway decent fish, if you're looking for some excuse to sit on the shore," he said.

He also recommended fishing for steelhead trout at the Clearwater River between Lewiston and Orofino.

"It seems like it's picking up," Smith said.

Most range between 8 and 15 pounds, he added. He suggested using a slip bobber and a one-eighth ounce jig.

Fishermen need both a fishing license and a steelhead card, he said.

"You can do it from the shore or do it in a drift boat. They're pretty fun," Smith said.

•••

Mike Beard, of Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene, said, "Well, the fly fishing for this weekend is looking a little bleak."

The rain we have had in the last few days has wrecked rivers for the time being, he said.

"It seems like everything from the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene to the Salmon has blown out," he said.

With the cold weather coming up things should start to drop back into shape, but now it is just a waiting game, he said.

"Once rivers peak, start dropping and the clarity improves things should get going especially on the steelhead rivers," Beard said.

Winter fishing on all rivers will be in effect, Beard said.

Double nymph rigs and streamers will work best for the trout unless a warm day brings out the midges and blue-wing olives.

For steelhead, swinging larger marabou, bunny leach and intruder style flies on sink tips or dead drifting stone fly nymphs and egg patterns under an indicator will be the most effective methods, Beard said.