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Winter fishing looks pretty good |
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December 3, 2011 |
This report highlights a few of the best places
to fish, what anglers are using and what they
are catching. The information is compiled from
regional Fish and Game fishery managers, local
tackle shops and anglers.
LAKE PEND OREILLE: With the
lake drawn down to 2051 feet, the Hope Boat
Basin and Bayview public launch are the only two
launches available for the winter. Be prepared
with chains for snow and ice. The $15/fish
incentive for rainbow trout over 13 inches and
any size lake trout is still in effect. Most
anglers like to fish for rainbow trout with
planner boards 50-100 ft. off the side of the
boat and then troll surface flies another
150-200 ft. behind the board. Other anglers like
to troll Rapala, Rebel, Lyman or Apex type
plugs.
Bull trout are fairly numerous in Lake Pend
Oreille, but they are closed to harvest. Make
sure you can tell the difference between a lake
trout and bull trout before you harvest a fish.
If you catch a fish with pink or salmon colored
spots on its side, it’s a bull trout! Westslope
cutthroat trout are also closed to harvest.
Please know what you are harvesting before you
kill it.
COEUR D’ALENE LAKE: Winter can
be a great time to fish for chinook salmon.
Winter anglers typically use glow flashers and
mini squids on a relatively long leader.
Trolling speeds are slow, generally in the 1.2
to 1.6 knot range. The fish are usually below 60
feet and often down to 130+ feet where the water
temperature is slightly warmer once the lake
reaches winter stratification. Most anglers are
catching fish in the 2-8 pound size range right
now. The best deep water boat ramp for winter
launching is the IDPR ramp at Higgins Point.
PRIEST LAKE: The lake is now at
the winter pool level, so the only two deep
water launches are located at Priest Lake Marina
in Kalispell Bay on the west side and the Indian
Creek State Park on the east side of the lake.
Call ahead to the Priest Lake Marina
(208-443-2405) to see if the ramp is open and
plowed and what the launch fee is. You may need
chains to launch. The launch is plowed, but you
can call Priest Lake State Park (208-443-2200)
to find out what the local conditions are like.
Both jigging and trolling are productive during
the winter months and you will most likely have
the lake pretty much to yourself. Cold water
temperatures require a slower presentation, so
trolling with Flatfish, Kwikfish or a baited fly
or hootchie behind a dodger works well. Fish
often do not hold as deep as they do during the
summer months. Rocky points and drop-offs are
always good locations to look for concentrated
fish to jig on calm days. Lead headed jigs from
½ to 2+ ounces and no-stretch line are needed to
effectively jig fish at depths of over 150 feet.
Cut bait or night crawlers will greatly increase
your catch rates.
ICE FISHING: Ice fishing in the
Panhandle can be a real hit and miss event. We
don’t have the consistently cold winters to
produce dependable, solid ice. Frequent
rain-on-snow winter storms can quickly change
good ice conditions to poor in very little time.
Ice anglers should always use extreme caution
when venturing out because conditions can change
quickly.
Ice Safety – How thick does the ice need to be?
The general rule is that it takes about 3 inches
of good hard ice to support a man and about 6-8
inches to support an ATV or snow machine. If the
ice is frozen snow or slush, it will need to be
thicker to be safe. In this part of the country,
don’t even think about driving a truck on the
ice. Snow cover will insulate the ice and keep
it from freezing. Honeycombed ice forms when ice
freezes and thaws. The elongated crystals in
honeycombed ice have no structural strength and
will literally dissolve under your feet. Do not
fish on honeycombed ice. It is very common for
ice depth to be highly variable on a given lake
and from one lake to another. Typically lakes
further north in the region and smaller lakes
will have thicker ice cover. However, never
assume the ice is thick enough without checking
first. This means cut a hole and check the
thickness. Rain-on-snow events will cause rapid
melting of ice around the shoreline and near any
hole cut in the ice. Ice without snow cover is
very slick and very hard if you fall. Wear
cleats, creepers or some type of warm boot that
will also give you good traction and prevent a
fall.
Fishing Rules – Ice anglers are allowed to use
up to five rods, lines or tip-ups while ice
fishing with or without a two pole validation.
You still must be attending the lines. Anglers
are not allowed to cut or fish through a hole
larger than 10 inches in diameter for safety
purposes.
What To Use – You will need something to drill
or chop a hole through the ice. A sharp ice
auger is the best option to cut a nice clean
hole. An ice spud can be made relatively cheaply
to chop a hole through the ice. Weld a 2x5x1/4
inch piece of flat steel to a heavy rod about
5-6 feet long. Sharpen the flat steel on one
side only so it will cut into the ice more
quickly. A strap on the end of the pole may keep
it around your wrist and off the bottom of the
lake. Take a slotted ladle or scooper to clean
the ice out of the hole and keep it clean while
it refreezes on a cold day. Short rods, less
than 4 feet long, with open face reels spooled
with 4-6 lb. monofilament line work well for ice
fishing. Try small 1/32nd to 1/8th ounce lead
headed ice jigs, crappie jigs, Swedish Pimples,
Rapala jigging minnows or a variety of other
lures made for winter ice fishing. Glow in the
dark colors are very effective because it’s dark
under the ice. Use maggots, pieces of worm,
perch eyes or cut bait to greatly increase your
catch rates. Fish near the bottom for perch.
Crappies like to be near structure like weed
beds or brush. Trout are often suspended in the
water column and like power bait, worms or eggs.
Jig your bait because the movement will attract
fish. Move around if you are not into fish and
change bait often.
The list of lakes below will give you an idea of
what ice fishing opportunities exist at various
lakes:
Avondale: Perch 6-12 in., fair
for nice crappie, occasional largemouth bass,
and bluegill.
Bonner: Rainbow trout.
Blue: (Bonner County) Perch 6-8
in., crappie, bass and occasional channel
catfish.
Brush: Rainbow trout, bass and
bluegill. Access can be limited by snow, about a
2-mile hike.
Cocolalla: Perch 6-9 in.,
occasional crappie. Some nice rainbow, brown and
cutthroat trout.
Dawson: Perch 7-9 in., with
occasional crappie, bluegill and bass.
Fernan: Perch 7-10 in.,
occasional crappie, bass and northern pike,
rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Freeman: Perch 6-9 in.,
occasional crappie, sunfish, bass, tiger muskie
and stocked rainbow trout. Access can be limited
by snow, ¼ mile hike.
Gamble: (Gamblin) Perch 8-12+
in. but not very numerous. Occasional bass,
sunfish and crappie.
Hauser: Perch 7-10+ in.,
rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Hayden: Northern pike in the
north end at Sportsman Park. Dead smelt or
herring under a tip-up. Most run 24-30 in. Some
perch, but slow.
Jewel: Perch 6-9 in., bluegill,
channel catfish and stocked rainbow.
Kelso: Good lake for stocked
rainbow trout and mixed warmwater fish.
Killarney: Popular lake for
18-24 in. northern pike. Perch are generally
small.
Medicine: Perch 6-8 in., with
occasional bass and northern pike.
Mirror: Rainbow trout and
occasional kokanee.
Pend Oreille: Limited ice
fishing in Fry Creek Bay on the southeast end of
the long
bridge (Hwy. 95 south of Sandpoint), Condo Del
Sol on the northwest end of the long bridge and
in Denton Slough east of Hope. Also try Springy
Point area on the Pend Oreille River. Good perch
fishing with some large (12 in.+) but few in
number.
Perkins: Perch 8-11 in., with
occasional crappie, sunfish and bass.
Priest: If the lake freezes,
try the east shoreline from Cavanaugh Bay north
to Pinto Point for lake trout. Try jigging
spoons and lead headed jigs tipped with cut bait
or night crawlers.
Robinson: Good fishing for
10-12 in. rainbow, brook, and occasional
cutthroat trout. Some bluegill, pumpkinseed and
bass. Bass - 2 16 in. minimum size
Rose: Perch 7-9 in., some
crappie, bluegill, and bass.
Round: Perch 7-9 in., excellent
fishing for stocked rainbow trout. State Parks
Pass required for entrance.
Smith: Good fishing for 10-12
in. rainbow and cutthroat trout, some bass.
Spirit: Kokanee fishing is good
with fish running 7-10 inches. Kokanee limit 15
fish.
Thompson: Popular lake for
northern pike, with most fish running 18-28 in.
Lower Twin: Perch 7-10 in. nice
sized rainbow and cutthroat trout and a few big
kokanee.
Upper Twin: Perch 6-9 in, a few
crappie, but hard to catch, bass and northern
pike.
Don’t forget the
Lake Pend Oreille Angler Incentive Program.
Lake trout of any size and rainbow trout over
13” can earn you a $15 bounty! |
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