Ice fishing continues to improve

With continued cold temperatures, ice fishing on area lakes remains an option for anglers, said Steve Holweg of Cabela's.

But he said caution is still critical because conditions can change daily.

"If you're on a lake that has springs or running water, you could be in a weak area and not know it," Holweg said. "Have what you need to protect yourself. Have a gripper to get out if you fall through, have a throw rope, always try to go with others ... Unfortunately, this isn't like the Midwest or Canada, where they have 2 to 3 feet of ice. If we have 6 inches here, it's like a foot up there. You have to be careful."

Holweg recommends traditional ice fishing tactics, including small jigs tipped with maggots or power bait. If you're fishing for pike, try herring or smelt. For trout, use power bait either off the bottom or in the water column under a bobber, Holweg said.

Holweg said this time of year, steelhead fishing on rivers to the south can be "hit and miss."

"But if you have some decent weather and have the itch, go ahead and scratch it," he said. "I don't think it will be anything hot and heavy like it was before trolling. It will take slow presentation with a bobber and jig or bobber and bait. In the smaller rivers, you can drift beads and yarn or a little bait behind."

Ice fishing is all the rage, according to staff at Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

Pike are being pulled from the Chain Lakes, and anglers are using perch meat to catch them, while kokanee are being caught on the upper Twin lakes.

Anglers are jigging for them with bead chain spinners, said Brad Zierer, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

Meanwhile, some of the old standards still apply.

Go after pike with tip-ups, or perch at Fernan, Kelso and Twin lakes using a Swedish pimple and a worm and drop the line to the bottom of the lake.

But anglers are also going after white fish on the Coeur d'Alene River. They're using a dropper with a caddis fly on top to catch them, Zierer said.

"Fly fishers are hoping an improvement in the weather will afford for some opportunities next week," said Pat Way at Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene.

Many of the steelhead rivers have been choked with ice and fishing has not been an option, Way said.

"With the improving forecast, however, steelhead and trout fishing should be a viable option again soon," Way said.

Fishermen have myriad ice and open water fishing options, said Jeff Smith.

"We're ice fishing like crazy," said Smith, with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Perch are easy to find at Fernan Lake, he said. He recommended fishing on the bottom at a roughly 20-foot depth. almost any glow ice jib and maggots should do the trick, he said.

Some are using the Swedish Pimple and leader to a glow hook, he added.

"The numbers have still been good," he said of catches, adding that the perch are about 8 to 10 inches long. "There have been a couple slow days, but most days have been good fishing."

Cocolalla Lake is good for perch fishing these days, too, Smith said. The fish range around 7 to 9 inches there, he said.

"It's just one of those places where there's lots of perch," he said.

He recommended using the same fishing methods. He's been selling a lot of Ratso jigs, he noted, and Mitzi Ditzis.

"Any of those, bait those up and get 'em down there," he said. "If you're wherever (the fish) are at, they'll probably bite it."

Gamble Lake is boasting the largest perch, Smith said, around 9 to 13 inches.

"The numbers won't be as high," he said. "But they're a lot bigger."

Smith recommended ice fishing for trout at Kelso Lake.

He advised using worms or salmon eggs.

"You might have to play with the depths, go to the bottom and work your way up," he said. "They could be anywhere in the water column."

There's a 6-fish catch limit, he noted.

He has been selling tip ups for northern pike, he said, adding that fishermen have been heading to any of the Chain Lakes and the north end of Hayden Lake.

Smith said he's planning to fish for salmon on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

The fish are scattered, he said, so he expects to fish lines from 20 to 100 feet deep.

"Just scatter and see where the biters are," he said.

The Spokane River also offers open water fishing, he said, from the Post Falls dam to the state line.

Folks are catching rainbow trout by drifting nightcrawlers or shrimp, he said.

"If you're not wanting to go ice fishing, that's a close spot, and you can do that from the shore," he said.