Osprey rescue
Idaho Fish and Game wildlife staff and the Lewiston Fire Department responded to the site of an osprey hanging from baling twine from its nest on June 12.
Firefighters used their bucket truck to access the nest platform and free the bird, which was placed in the shade under the Bryden Canyon/Southway Bridge and left alone for a short time to see if it would fly off.
When Fish and Game staff returned, the osprey was gone. This situation is a good reminder to livestock owners and others to properly dispose of baling twine and wire which can cause stress and physical harm to all sorts of wildlife.
Fly fishing
Silver Bow Fly Shop guides said the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River is in prime shape for June with catches of goldens, yellow sallies, caddis, PMDs and drakes.
The cooler weather this week will keep the bite going.
The St. Joe River is also benefiting from the cooler temperatures. Fishing chubbies and stones with droppers has been productive on the mid and upper-river stretches.
The Spokane River remains good. Dry/droppers, nymph rigs and Euro rigs are all producing. Anglers should throw caddis imitations in the afternoons and evenings.
The Kootenai River in Idaho is in good shape and fishing well. Wading is no problem.
Most of the Montana rivers have been hit-and-miss as thunderstorms have caused water-quality fluctuations.
Trout and kokanee
There doesn’t seem to be any small kokanee in Loon Lake this year, which doesn’t bode well for next year, either.
It’s possible to catch one of the big (14- to 15-inch) kokanee, but be prepared to be on the water trolling before sunup to about 6:30 a.m.
Even then, most boaters are happy to catch one fish. The largest I have heard of was just over 20 inches. A friend said he’s been out five times and caught a total of four. Night fishermen aren’t having any luck at all.
Lake Roosevelt is loaded with 10- to 11-inch rainbow trout.
Trollers are taking quick limits almost anywhere on the lake, and they are often finding a 17-incher or two in the mix. The fish are hitting flies between 15-30 feet below the surface.
Trout anglers are catching most of their Diamond Lake rainbow and browns before 10 a.m.
The rainbow are a solid 12 inches and the brown trout are a little larger.
Most of the trolling is along the Highway 2 side of the lake about 200 yards out.
Bank fishermen are also doing well casting Power Bait from shore at the access. A lot of largemouth bass are also being caught at Diamond.
Coeur d’Alene kokanee are running 8-9 inches. Fishing has been good all over the lake, but the waters around Arrow Point and East Point have been mentioned most often.
The Coeur d’Alene Big One Chinook Derby is scheduled for July 19-23 with a first-prize payout of $5,000.
Salmon and steelhead
The summer chinook salmon seasons for the South Fork Salmon, Upper Salmon and Lochsa rivers will open Thursday and remain open every day until harvest goals are achieved.
Preseason estimates for sport angler harvest for adult chinook are about 650 chinook for the South Fork of the Salmon River, 900 chinook for the Upper Salmon River and 50 chinook for the Lochsa River.
Spiny ray
Bottom bouncers and spinners tipped with nightcrawlers are enticing Lake Roosevelt walleye at Buoy 5.
Anglers launching at Porcupine Bay are finding a good bite on the flats in 15-25 feet of water, but often complain about perch-sized fish.
At MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir, Pete Fisher said fishing has been fair overall.
The cold front and low pressure that settled in for most of this past week is on its way out and the fishing will pick up for all species.
Fisher said walleye are in 5-20 feet of water. Anglers targeting the shallower fish in the sand dunes should try jerk baits, flukes, swim baits and lipless crank baits.
They should target the deeper fish with a Slow Death Hook rigged with a Smile Bade with a crawler and bottom.
Most Potholes largemouth have been in the 2- to 3-pound range.
Fish are being caught on a wide variety of baits in the sand dunes in 2-15 feet of water.
Smallmouth bass are being caught on the face of the dam, on the rocks around Goose Island and in the sand dunes. Throw one-half-ounce blade baits, 5-inch grubs, deep diving crankbaits and Senkos.
Anglers are catching some bluegill and crappie back in the sand dunes and up Lind Coulee. Some nice-sized perch have been caught off the weed beds back in the sand dunes.
Pike and bass fishing has been good lately in Idaho’s Hayden and the chain lakes near Harrison. The fish are hanging along the weeds and shallow drop-offs and beginning to take spinnerbaits.
Other species
Shad fishing remains good from shore below Bonneville Dam. To date, about 2.5 million fish have been counted.
With the sturgeon season on Lake Roosevelt canceled until Sept. 15, anglers will be looking for their fish on the Snake River below Lower Granite and Little Goose dams.
Those sturgeon are generally caught in much shallower water than those in Lake Roosevelt. Anglers are finding them in sometimes as little as 20 feet.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com
