Fishing Tips

The summer may be dwindling, but the fish are still biting.

August is a primo time to hook salmon, pike and bass in North Idaho lakes. Fins and Feathers’ Jordan Smith, and Bryan Gregg of Orvis Northwest Outfitters, dole out some helpful advice in this week’s edition of Fish Tips.

Lake Coeur d’Alene

The lake has been in great shape over the last couple weeks, despite a few weeds around the south end. Salmon fishing should only get better, as they begin moving to the south end and begin staging up, making the chance for a big fish a high probability.

Stick with the standard gear — big flashers and squids, flies and, of course, Herring Helmets — if you are looking to catch a big salmon in the next two to three weeks.

Pike fishing has been outstanding, even in the Chain Lakes. They’ve been biting throughout the day. Spinnerbaits and swimbaits have been working excellent and will continue to work until the weather starts to cool. The 8- to 4-feet depths is where you will find most of the pike along the deep edges of the weed lines.

Bass fishing has picked up, too, with the more quality fish in the deeper water (20-plus feet). You will also find a lot of fish in shallower water. Natural-colored, shallow-water tube jigs are the way to go, as well as drop-shotting in the deeper water.

The largemouth bass have been going crazy on wacky-rigged worms (watermelons and green pumpkins have been great colors). If you are an early morning person the top water frogs have been a great way to have a good time.

Lake Pend Oreille

Kokanee salmon fishing has been great. They’ve been 30- to 40-feet deep, and anglers are starting to use some dodgers and mini squids, tipping them with maggots or corn. Limits can be expected this time of year but not always guaranteed.

Smallmouth bass have also been pretty active. Most of the fish have been in 20 to 30 feet of water using tube jigs or a dropshot rig, and a few crank-baits can be used to catch some of the suspended fish.

Area small lakes

A few smaller lakes are starting to get pretty warm, causing the fish to go deeper and get a little bit more lethargic. This makes fishing a little tougher.

Early mornings and late evenings are going to be your best bet. If you are looking for bass, the wacky-rigged worms is one of your best choices this time of year. They present a slower action for these fish and entices them just a little bit more.

Round Lake, Kelso and Granite Lake have been good for trout. The typical bait for the trout is a worm and a marshmallow or your standard Powerbait.

Fly Fishing

Get to the river early. Real early, if you’re fly fishin’ the Coeur d’Alene River.

If you can’t get there too early, the St. Joe River might be your best bet, as mid-day fly fishing is usually better, per Bryan Gregg of Orvis Northwest Outfitters.

And your best bet is to have these on your lure.

“It really is a grind most days,” Gregg said. “Caddis flies, terrestrials, hoppers and bees are working right now. If the fish are hungry enough, they’ll go for a lot of things.”