Anglers should watch river levels

Area fishing continues to be a mixed bag with warmer weather expected to make it better, but recent rising river levels have limited the sport somewhat.

Steve Holweg said trout fishing remains a good possibility.

"Try power bait or spinners," he said. "Bass should take the same thing. If you're fishing bass or crappie, fish shallow and close to the weeds."

Worms or salmon eggs may also do the trick.

"You can also try small spinners, rooster tails or Mepps (lures)," Holweg said.

If you're trolling, a Dick Nite trolling spoon or a setup tipped with a nightcrawler may work.

"Keep the nightcrawler small," Holweg said, adding that fish could get off the hook by nibbling away.

For bluegill, perch and crappie fishing, try small jigs tipped with maggots or nightcrawlers.

Holweg said anglers are encouraged to check river levels before heading out as it can fluctuate a lot this time of year.

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Jordan Smith at Fins and Feathers said chinook salmon and northern pike are hitting real well.

High water levels on Lake Coeur d'Alene combined with warmer temperatures and sun are pushing many species to the surface. Smith said they are hitting on the Chain Lakes, too.

"Pike fishing is really picking up with the higher water levels," he said, adding that high water is pushing pike up to the surface.

Squaw Bay, Cougar Bay and down around Harrison are showing some good results. Smith said bait is working well off the bottom or floating under a bobber. Smelt and herring are the baits of choice.

Spinning for pike is also beginning to pick up on the warmer days. Smith said he had a couple of good days tossing spoons when the temperatures hovered near 70 degrees last week.

He said the conditions are perfect for the Fins and Feather Spring Salmon Derby this weekend. The Salmon are also up off the bottom and success is being found between five and 35 feet off the surface.

"Most people are using Helmet Herring and deep diving Rapalas," Smith said. "The south end of Lake Coeur d'Alene near east point is pretty hot right now."

The panfish, crappie and perch, have started hitting worms on the Chain Lakes and Fernan Lake. For trout on Fernan, anglers are having some luck with worms and marshmallows off the bottom.

"They are having limited luck trolling for trout on Hayden Lake, but you have to work for them right now," he said.

The spring weather also has the kamloops trout biting on Lake Pend Oreille. Trolling the surface waters with flies and planer boards is popular and even some plugs.

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Anglers have a number of options right now, as early spring fishing is heating up.

The upcoming chinook tournament will be a good excuse to go after salmon, but pike and panfish are active fish, too.

Pike are the best bet right now, said Tina Padgitt, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

Anglers are going after the fish at most any bay in Lake Coeur d'Alene or Hayden Lake, either casting from the banks or from a boat. Use smelt, even herring, to go after the fish all day.

Panfish are active in Fernan Lake, too, she said.

Go after them with worms and maggots to catch them.

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Derby dates coming up include: Spring Chinook Derby, Lake Coeur d'Alene, $15 entry, $1,500 purse, April 13-14; Spring Pike Tournament $50 entry, prizes, April 27-28, Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Chain Lakes; and Big One Chinook Derby, Aug. 7-11, Lake Coeur d'Alene.

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Mike Beard, of Orvis Northwest Outfitters, said rivers are dropping and starting to clear but are still going to be on the high side of things come this weekend.

"If a guy needs to get out on the rivers use caution while wading and it's a good idea to scout the river before you float since new debris and hang-ups might have been redistributed with this last round of high water," Beard said.

While the rivers are kind of up in the air, the lakes are starting to pick up, he said. Many of the smaller lakes - such as Rose, Killarney and Fernan - have warmed up faster and have been pretty good for bass, crappie and pike.

"Wooly buggers and leach patterns slowly stripped or suspended under an indicator should be good for bass and panfish," Beard said.

A larger clouser or deceiver in white and red or white and chartreuse should get some attention from pike and maybe even a largemouth.

"Good chance the rivers will bump up again, but at this point we just have to wait and see," he said.