kootenai river

The days will be in the mid to upper 80s this week… so, fishing early and late will be the best game-plan. Local lakes and timberline lakes offer some relief from the super-hot weather. Fun hikes and fishing abound for mountain lake brookies and cutthroat. Local streams are skinny and on the warm side, but deeper holes offer some great dry fly fishing for smaller trout. Larger rivers are the best bet right now for trout and smallmouth. The big lake is a playground, and lake traffic has decreased as the kiddos get ready to go back to school. The time to start thinking fall is now, so gear up! Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - The dog days of summer persist. Bass fishing is persisting and you can find fish at most depths. Craw patterns like a sweet baby cray or RJ’s jiggy worm will get the best looks. Check out Denton Slough ...

We have another warmup forecasted this week. Hit the water early and late. Mid-day can be a good time to chill streamside for an afternoon siesta or quick tying session, getting ready for the evening hatch. Lakes are predominantly a bass fishing game, trout will be deep, especially during the daytime hours. Tourist traffic is waning as kids head back to school. Shorter nights will mean cooler temperatures in the evenings in the upcoming months. Stay strong through the hot weather – it won’t be long now. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - The dog days of summer persist. Bass fishing is persisting and you can find fish at most depths. Craw patterns like a sweet baby cray or RJ’s jiggy worm will get the best looks. Check out Denton Slough for largemouth bass and pike. Topwater can be effective early and late and on shaded wee...

The extended forecast is showing things heating back up to the mid/upper 70s and lower 80s during the upcoming days. We’ll see overnight temperatures hovering around the low 50s, so early morning and late evening fishing will remain best, with slower periods during the day. Trout fishing will take you away from the Sandpoint area, everything is either too warm or just too skinny. However, the Big Lake is a giant playground for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, pike, walleye, and more! Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - We will see a slow decrease of boat traffic over the next few weeks as the kids get ready to go back to school. However, shorter days and cooler overnight temperatures will bring fish towards shallower waters early and late in the day. Smallmouth are everywhere right now, so focus on docks and submerged structur...

Not much has changed, but the fishing is staying consistent out on the big lake and a few streams in the area. The July 4th week and weekend will bring some pressure to the area and the weather will be prime to get out and explore some lesser-known waters. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - The big lake is steadily fishing for quite a few species. Bass are an easy target on the fly. Backwaters off sloughs and bays can produce some great largemouth bass action, especially on topwater. Deer hair bass bugs and poppers will do the trick. Stay weedless if possible, it makes things less frustrating.  Sink tips are something good to have now. As for flies, sticking to your baitfish patterns like Clouser Minnows, Murdich Minnows, and Lowfat Minnows and craw patterns like Creek Crawlers, Bassmasters, and Grim Reapers will do the trick. ...

The weather has been a little off with rain, wind, and a bit chilly at times. Trout fishing has remained steady on certain waters with great hatches of BWO’s, PMD’s, and Caddis. Green drakes have been popping on some local streams as well, offering for some fun dry fly action. Larger rivers and streams are coming down and are fishable, small cricks are dropping like a rock, so get it while it’s good. Lake fishing is still great, but look for some changes in tactics as fish transition with the flux in water temperatures. In the right spot and right setup, Pike, Bass, and Walleye can all be caught on the fly this time of year, making for a lot of fun opportunities when trout fishing slows down locally. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - The big lake is steadily fishing for quite a few species. Bass are an easy target on the ...

The weather throughout the weekend looks like a toss-up, but trust me, it can potentially make things great. Cooler temperatures and precipitation will help a lot of bugs pop on local waters. Hatches of bwos, pmds, and caddis before and after each passing front should be happening this week and weekend. The cool weather will stall the water temperatures from rising too quickly as well, so we can expect a small extension of the cooler flows. When it comes to the lakes in the region, the overcast days ahead will improve activity around structure as fish loosen their grip on shaded areas. Bass are locked in spawn, but you can pull lots of smallmouth off the docks and structure on the shorelines of Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River. Pike and largies are in the bays and sloughs. There are options everywhere right now. Current Con...