Boats pack Wolf Lodge Bay fishing for kokanee

If you see boats packed in Wolf Lodge Bay, it's not a fishing derby, said Jeff Smith with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

That's just fishermen taking advantage of a really impressive kokanee season.

"People drive by and say, 'What the heck is going on?' There's that many boats out kokanee fishing," Smith said.

It's easy to catch kokanee in many areas of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Smith said, but Beauty Bay and Wolf Lodge is where the bonanza tends to be.

"Most people get their 15 fish limits," Smith said, adding that on Monday he snagged 30 in two hours.

There are plenty of tricks to use, he said. He recommended dropping lines around 40-foot depths.

Fins and Feathers has sold plenty of red bladed spinners for kokanee fishing, and Smith said he has had success using a small dodger with a mini squid behind it.

A tractor spinner with a wedding ring behind it, baited with corn and maggots, is the "sure way" to catch kokanee, he added.

To a lesser extent, fishermen have also been going after chinook salmon on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Smith said.

Smith has caught them at 90 to 100 feet deep, he said, using 8-inch flashers with mini squids.

Carlin Bay and Arrow Point seem to be the best spots for chinook, he added.

"They've been a little tough to come by," Smith said.

Hayden and Kelso lakes are the best for rainbow trout right now, he added.

There has mostly been bait fishing at Kelso, he said, fishermen using a nightcrawler and marshmallow from the shore and boats.

Shore fishing hasn't been so successful on Hayden, Smith said. He suggested trolling jointed Rapalas off boats.

The trout will get up to 10 pounds at Hayden Lake, he added, and maybe 10 to 14 inches at Kelso.

"They're both fun," he said.

Jerry Brown of Cabela's said fishing is picking up on the Snake River.

He recently caught four steelhead and one salmon on purple shrimp under a bobber.

Steve Holweg of Cabela's added: "The numbers of fish coming over the dams is looking up."

Bud Frasca of North West Classic Tackle in Hayden recently fished the St. Joe River and found the outing to be "really good."

"The October caddis are coming off and it wasn't too crowded," Frasca said, adding that many anglers have turned to the hunting season, making it a prime time to get on the rivers and lakes.

The October caddis is a big bug, so it doesn't take many to capture the attention of trout. Adults can survive for two weeks after they hatch.

A large dry fly or mahogany dun spinners should do the trick as we head into fall, Frasca said.

The pale morning dun (PMD) nymph hatch is also making for some great dry fly fishing, Frasca said.

Frasca said he's hearing that bass and pike fishing continues to be strong on Hayden Lake.

"It's a great time to be fishing because the water is starting to cool down," Frasca said.

Nothing much has changed in the land of fishing, so anglers should keep the same approach as before.

That means keep trolling for kokanee in Lake Coeur d'Alene, bass fishing in Lake Fernan has slowed a bit, and salmon on the Clearwater River is all the rage.

Trolling has been most successful at sunrise at depths of roughly 30 feet, dragging a line with a rubber snubber and a red and silver wedding ring for the best results, Tina Padgitt, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods explained last week.

So keep at that, she said this week.

"Nothing new to report," she said.

Keep preparing for the Halloween Derby in October by dropping lines deeper on Lake Pend Oreille for rainbow trout. Troll lines 80 feet deep with Frisky Jenny flies or Apex rigs to catch them.

South of Coeur d'Alene, staff at Black Sheep Sporting Goods in Lewiston said salmon season at the confluence of the Clearwater River has taken off.

Lighted lures are the best bet, they said. Anglers can use bobber and red and black jigs, with a lighted lure, but the best way to go is to simply troll one of the lures either early in the morning or just after the sun sets around 7:30 p.m.