Winter fishing looks pretty good

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!