Trout fishing to heat up

Spring fishing is starting to come on, and that means trout fishing on area lakes is heating up, said Steve Holweg of Cabela's.

Try worms, power bait or salmon eggs during the outing.

"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.

"Maggots seem to work better for me," Holweg said.

Bass fishermen should work slow because the water is still cold and the fish are lethargic.

"This is a good time of year to drag a lizard off the bottom," Holweg said. "If a bass sees a lizard in the water, he'll eat it."

Trout, meanwhile, are more aggressive, which is why many anglers prefer that route in the spring.

Idaho Fish and Game typically stock area lakes in April, so that creates more opportunities.

"It's an easy time to catch keeper trout and that can be when they are most catchable," said Holweg, referring to fish between 8 and 10 inches.

For salmon fishing, anglers should try the top 30 feet. Plastic squid - either full size or minis may work, but minis are more popular this time of year - and trolling flies are among the options.

For river fishing, anglers should continue to use caution and check water flows.

"It's not the time of year to take a dunking," Holweg said.

Anglers are gearing up for spring fishing season, said Tina Padgitt, of Black Sheep Sporting Goods.

That means, pike, trout, crappie and bass seasons will be in full swing before you know it.

Right now, anglers are using crappie jigs to catch crappies, tossing their lines from the banks of Fernan Lake.

At last check, cutthroat season was just warming up on the Coeur d'Alene River, too.

The river is running about medium height, and anglers are getting a jump on spring fishing by casting lines with Sculpin fly patters. Specifically, they're tying on Sculpin fly patters, mostly tan and olive-green flies, sized 10 or so.

When bass season heats up later this spring, the action will increase on Coeur d'Alene and Hayden lakes, too.

Throw 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 as well.

But right now, keep using crappie jigs at Fernan Lake, Padgitt said.

Weather is a hot topic at Orvis Northwest Outfitters, said Pat Way.

"We are all waiting to see what Mother Nature has in store for us the next few days," he said.

Warmer weather will certainly bring out some stonefly hatches, but it could also bump water flows to unfishable levels, he said.

"Fishing has been good on the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers and we have seen a handful of Skwala stoneflies," Way said. "Streamers and nymphs have been the most effective, but we are seeing some dry fly activity."

Blue-winged olives and small stoneflies have provided short windows to catch fish on the surface.

Area lakes also are starting to fish well, Way said.

Crappies and bass are getting more active on Fernan and the Chain Lakes, he said.

"Small wooly buggers and leech patterns fished under an indicator has been the most productive technique," Way said. "As always, it's a good idea to call the shop for up-to-date fishing reports and current water conditions."

There's still a variety of fish to catch in Kootenai County lakes, said Dale Odenbaugh with Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service.

Folks are using jigs to catch panfish like crappie, perch and bluegill in Lake Fernan, he said.

And many fishermen are trolling for trout in Hayden Lake, Odenbaugh said. He recommended using a jointed Rapala.

Chinook are biting in Lake Coeur d'Alene, Odenbaugh added.

"They're doing real good," he said.

He suggested using a deep diving plug, and pulling herring.

"They've been doing really well on it, toward the south end," Odenbaugh said.

Pike fishing on the lake has been slower, though, he warned.

"That's going to take a whole lot of casting to get a pike," he said. "That's not the go-to thing right now."

Many are hitting the Coeur d'Alene River for fly fishing, he added.

"We're getting more fly guys coming through all the time," he said.