Hauling in kokanee from Lake Coeur d'Alene is only getting easier, said Jeff Smith with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

"They've moved up a little bit in the water column. They're not as deep as they were," Smith said on Tuesday. "It should be easier for a lot of people, because those fish aren't running as deep."

He suggested dropping a line at 25 to 30 feet on the east arm of the lake, from Arrow Point to Wolf Lodge.

A small attractor with a spinner behind it should still do the job, he added, baited with corn and maggots.

"At the right depth, you're probably going to get some bites," he said. "The limit is 15 apiece, and if you put some time in, you should be able to get that."

Folks can also likely snag some kokanee at Mica, Carlin and Echo bays, he added, but most boats have congregated at Higgens Point and Beauty Bay.

The average size is about 11 inches, he said.

"I would think that's going to continue through this month," he said.

Smallmouth bass are also a simple catch in Lake Coeur d'Alene, he added, as well as in Hayden Lake and Lake Pend Oreille.

"You'll see the fish from itty bitty 8, 10 inchers to 4 or 5 pounds, maybe," he said. "There's an incredible number."

Smith has been fishing for smallmouth around a 30-foot depth, he said, adding that the same method should work on each lake.

"I've been mixing it up between the single tailed grubs and the double tailed grubs," he said.

He also recommended slowly dragging a Carolina rig. That bounces a weight on the bottom with an 18- to 24-inch liter, a hook and "whatever you got on there, a plastic worm or a plastic lizard," he said.

Some have been fishing for small mouth with a drop-shot rig, too, he said.

"That's just straight over the side," he said.

Steve Holweg of Cabela's said he recently had a great outing on Lake Coeur d'Alene in Bennett and Beauty bays.

"Ford Fenders, Cow Bells and Size 4 dodgers with wedding rings behind those topped with maggots and corn," Holweg said, referring to the setup.

Most of the 30 or so fish were caught between 20 and 35 feet.

"I think the longest we waited at any one time (for a bite) was 30 minutes," Holweg said. "We got out at 9 a.m. and were done within four hours."

Holweg said he kept moving from school to school.

"As long as you can control the boat with the wind, stay out and plug away," he said. "Persistence."

The kokanee were between 10 and 12.5 inches.

"They haven't turned dark yet, so they're not even close to spawning," he said. "But they're moving to their traditional spawning areas, so more fish at the north end means they'll be more competitive and a little easier to catch."

Holweg also had a good outing on Hayden Lake recently, catching smallmouth bass and crappie in 15 to 30 feet of water.

"I caught 10 smallmouth using crank bait or drop shooting with a Berkeley power minnow."

A friend caught a 6-pound northern pike on a crappie tube.

"Northerns will hit whatever you put in front of them - crank bait, small tubs or spinner bait," Holweg said.

Holweg said he's heard good reports for the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe and Spokane rivers.

Fall fishing is kicking into gear.

Shifting away from summer bites like bass, kokanne and salmon fishing are heating up as the season turns to autumn.

First off, said Tina Padgitt of Black Sheep Sporting Goods, catfish are still active in Fernan Lake. Anglers can go after them with worms or stink baits on a Treble Hook and bounce it off the bottom, where the fish lurk.

As far as kokanne, troll for them on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Padgitt said.

"Kokanne on Coeur d'Alene is really picking up," she said.

Troll for them slowly, with wedding rings, using weights, at depths of at least 40 feet.

Go deeper on Lake Pend Oreille for rainbow trout. Troll lines 80 feet deep with Frisky Jenny flies or Apex rigs to catch them. It will make good practice for the Halloween Derby in Bayview at the end of October, where anglers vie for the best rainbow.

Fall fishing also means going after Salmon on the Clearwater River, near the confluence around Lewiston. Use shrimp and oils and toss lines from the banks when the season heats up later this fall.