Ice fishermen had best exercise caution, warned Dale Odenbaugh with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Weather forecasts are predicting warmer temperatures, he said, with wind and rain.

"That eats up ice real quick," Odenbaugh said. "Those are the three worst things for ice."

He expects those conditions to apply to lakes in the Kootenai County area like Lake Fernan and Hauser Lake, he said. Shoreline edges will ebb first, Odenbaugh said, though fishermen might still be able to drill holes in the middle of the lake.

"If a person wants to drill holes, they should be pretty cautious," he said.

He noted that some folks were still headed to Fernan on Tuesday. Folks are mostly snagging perch out there, he said, though some are also catching trout and bass.

"You'll catch everything on the same little jig, whether it's a horizontal or a vertical jig," Odenbaugh said. "And then good old maggots. Load 'er up on maggots."

Ice is still holding up on lakes to the north, he said, like Kelso, Gamble and Mirror. Lake Cocolalla, south of Sandpoint, is also a good ice fishing spot.

"All those little lakes are good," Odenbaugh said.

He promised the same kinds of fish there, with folks using the same set ups.

Open water fishing continues on Lake Coeur d'Alene, he said.

Fishermen are starting to troll more for chinook salmon, he said. He recommended using herring and mini squids.

"A big (chinook) this time of year will be 10, 12 pounds," he said.

Steelhead fishing has slowed a bit on the Clearwater and Grande Ronde rivers, said Pat Way of Orvis Northwest Outfitters.

"There are plenty of fish in the system, but nobody seemed to get them to commit," Way said. "That can be frustrating when you can physically see that the fish are there and can't get them."

Unfortunately, he doesn't see the steelhead fishing improving any time soon. Rain and warm winds are projected to bring the rivers up considerably in the next few days and weeks, he said.

The Coeur d'Alene River has been giving up a few cutthroat on stonefly nymph patterns and San Juan worms, he said.

"There is some sporadic dry fly activity," he said. "Small midges and winter stoneflies have been around near midday. If possible, have the dry fly rod at the ready as these hatches are brief and unpredictable."

Griffith's gnats in the 18-20 size range and a small black caddis imitation in a size 16 should work for the winter stonefly, he said.

"We predict that the Coeur d'Alene River is also going to rise with rain in the near forecast," Way said. "It is just going to be a matter of how quickly and how much the water comes up for fishing this weekend."

One bright spot in the region is Rocky Ford Spring Creek, near Moses Lake. Although not easy fishing, Rocky Ford is the most predictable winter fishing in the area at the moment.

Small scud patternsfished on a slow retrieve have been productive.

"One of the reasons Rocky Ford can be difficult fishing is that the fish key in on very small offerings," Way said. "Helpful hints are to fish fluorocarbon leaders and fly patterns in the 18-22 size range. Streamer fishing in low light hours has also been productive."

He said to try a fast retrieve with bunny leaches or conehead woolybuggers in white or tan.

Even with wet weather, fishing options await

Bud Frasca of North West Classic Tackle in Hayden said fishing hit a bit of a lull with recent cold, wet weather, but should start to pick back up soon as spring rolls around.

Still, there's severaloptions for anglers, Frasca said.

"They're trolling for salmon on Lake Coeur d'Alene, steelhead fishing has been good on the (Grand) Ronde and Clearwater and the Coeur d'Alene River down low has been OK on a good day," Frasca said.

Frasca said running plugs with shrimp and bouncing jigs works for steelhead.

On the Coeur d'Alene River, streamers and weighted nymphs with an indicator work.

"If you're using streamers, you've got to get down low," Frasca said. "The fish are in deeper pools right now."

Frasca said he suspects pike fishing will start to come around in the next few weeks if the weather warms up.

"Right now your best bet is to catch pike on dead bait, not artificials, as the water is still too cold," he said.