COEUR d'ALENE - The North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River is fishing really well, said Mike Beard, a fly-fishing guide at Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d'Alene.

The river has been busy with fishermen, so he recommends parking where there are no other cars and hiking in to a quiet area of the river.

"Hopefully you can leave some people behind you," he said.

Choice dry flies right now include green Drakes, stone flies, mayflies, even a caddisfly.

"A lot of different flies are working," he said. "Fish something totally different. Spend some time and really find what they're eating in whatever pool you're fishing in."

Flows in the St. Joe River remain high, he said.

"It's absolutely no wading," he said. "Up high in the canyons it's going to be really rushing."

He added, "Look at some of the small tributaries coming in."

North Idaho's big lakes have been fishing really well for pike and bass, Beard said.

"Find a bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene or go out to Hayden," he said. The Chain Lakes also are hot.

"The Chain Lakes are my favorite because they're smaller," he said. He recommends Rose and Killarney.

Jordan Smith, at Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop in Coeur d'Alene, recommends crankbait and tube jigs this time of year for smallmouth bass on Hayden and Coeur d'Alene.

He said the fish are in 2 to 8 feet of water.

Pike fishing has been decent, Smith said, and he's telling fishermen to use a husky jerk. The bait tactic is "reel, jerk, pause," he said.

"The husky jerk imitates a wounded fish," Smith said. "Easy meals is what (pike) like."

Another option is the Johnson silver minnow weedless spoon.

The pike are in two to six feet of water in the back of bays, Smith said.

On Coeur d'Alene he recommends Cougar, Wolf, Carlin and Mica, among others.

"Any of those big bays have been good for pike," he said.

For Hayden, he said, the fish are in a bit deeper water, from 4 to 7 feet.

As for chinook salmon on Lake Coeur d'Alene, fishermen have been having luck around Driftwood and Arrow points.

The salmon are in the 35 to 60 feet range, where his recommended bait is the "herring and a helmet." A flasher with a mini squid for 60 feet and below, he said.

The fish are making the transition from spring to summer and spreading out.

"They're moving deeper in some areas of the lake," Smith said.

The 7- to 10-inch kokanee are starting to bite near Harrison, he said.

For the kokanee, fishermen are having luck with wedding rings and Slim Willie flashers.

Kokanee fishing on Hayden is slowing down.

Those that are being caught are deeper, at 50 to 75 feet, Smith said.

The kokanee fishing is best on Hayden in March, April and May, he said.

As for Fernan, fun can be had casting a top water frog over the weeds, Smith said.