Fishing picks up on Lake Cd'A

All kinds of fishing is picking up on Lake Coeur d'Alene, said Jordan Smith with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Pike fishing is doing better, he said, suggesting weedless spoons and floating plugs.

The fish average at 3 to 8 pounds, Smith said.

"You can probably catch some bigger ones, too," he said.

Kokanee fishing is also worth a shot on the lake, Smith said.

Fishermen are snagging the kokanee near Harrison, and in front of Boothe Park, he said.

He advised using a pink or red wedding ring.

Trout are still biting at Fernan Lake, Smith added.

"It's the same old, same old there," he said, adding that the fish are chomping on worms and marshmallows.

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From here on out, summer fishing should be downright super.

Pike, bass and kokanee fishing is prime right now, said Blake Becker of Black Sheep Sporting Goods, while salmon fishing should heat up in August.

Small and largemouth bass are active in Coeur d'Alene and Hayden lakes. Keep throwing crankbaits for smallmouth bass, anything that can get down 10 feet or so. Lines loaded with Lipless Crankbaits or Strike King 3 XD styles are really good bets to land fish.

Largemouth are swimming a little closer to shore, and hitting most any type of plastics. Stick to aggressive patterns, "something mean and nasty" or anything that looks like a crawdad pattern, Becker said.

They're swimming around structures, 2 to 10 feet out, so throw lines around docks and rocks.

Northern Pike fishing has really turned on, too, mostly in Hayden and Coeur d'Alene lakes.

Dead bait is the best bet right now. More aggressive jerk and big Lipless Crankbaits in that 4- to 20-foot depth is working well too. Pike seem to be scattered all over the lakes, so don't focus on one spot.

Don't change your approach when it comes to kokanee fishing.

They're active and out there, so troll Lake Coeur d'Alene dragging lines loaded with wedding rings using 3 and half colors with an ounce or two of weight. Go slow, troll at less than one mile per hour. Crappies are hitting lines all over North Idaho, so keep throwing lines with smaller baits like 1/32 or 1/64 ounce crappie jigs tipped with a screw or tube grub. Stay shallow, casting in lines in water 2 to 10 feet deep.

Salmon fishing on Lake Coeur d'Alene should heat up a little later in the summer so stay tuned, Becker said.

With drier weather, fishing should bounce back fast

Area fishing should improve in the coming days with drier weather after the recent rain, said Steve Holweg of Cabela's.

For trout fishing, Holweg recommended sticking with power bait, a nightcrawler or marshmallow near the bottom.

Crappie and bluegill anglers should try tube jigs under a bobber.

"You can tip them with a maggot or power bait to help elicit a strike," Holweg said.

For bass, use plastics around weed beds or try using crank or spinner baits.

"After a couple days of stable weather, the bite should be back on," Holweg said.

Holweg said bass should start moving to shallow water to spawn.

For kokanee salmon fishing on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Holweg hears reports of good fishing on the north end, not just the south end.

"It may save you a trip to the south end," he said.