Spokane & Lewiston Area Fishing Reports

December 30, 2016 10:53 PM

Site staff,

Posted: December 30, 2016 10:53 PM

Updated: December 20, 2019 3:00 AM

by Site staff

Spokane & Lewiston Area Fishing Reports

Spokane Area Rivers

CDA/North Fork: Fair – With snow in area but with it starting to thaw has made it difficult to find good fishing spots. Reports say the river is running a little murky and has been hard to find a quality bite. Nymphs or double nymph set-ups seem to produce fish.

Clark Fork:Fair – With snow in the area fishing has got hard to find areas that are good to fish. Water is super cold and has caused the fish to be lethargic. Reports say mornings are starting to be the best time since this warmer weather has hit. Overall the best flies to use are nymphs.

Clearwater River: Good – Fishing has been good lately. Bank fisherman as well as boat anglers have been successfully catching Steelhead. If you plan on fishing from a boat during the day try trolling Brad’s Wigglers, Storm Wiggle Warts or Mag Lips 3.5. Anglers have been using beads with success as well. Bobber doggin can be a great way to catch winter Steelhead. Float fishing with Aero jigs or Rock Dancer buck tail jigs tipped with cured Coon Stripe Shrimp has been productive as of late. Some anglers have been using just a hook and shrimp under a float with success as well. If you plan on fishing from the bank try using the same float fishing techniques as previously stated. Float fishing can be effective whether you choose to fish during the day or night. I have seen a few fish weighing in the high teens as of late. There are still plenty of fish to catch.

Columbia : Good – Walleye fishing has been good above McNary Dam. The fish are holding in about 500 feet water on underwater weed edges. Reports say that deep diving crankbaits and jigging crawdad presentation. If you want to catch steelhead reports say to fish the river cause majority of the other rivers are blown out due to the rain.

Grand Ronde: Good – Due to colder weather there is some areas of this river that are iced up. This little river recovers fast though. Ice should be cleared up in a week or so depending on the weather. Fishing is a little slow but some anglers have reported catching steelhead on this jewel of a river. Anglers have been using bobbers and jigs, drifting corky and yarn and Blue Fox spinners and spoons with success. If you have never tried using HEVI BEADS to catch Steelhead then I suggest that you try it. Come see us at the Lewiston store and we will get you set up and ready for success using this bead system. This river is a selective gear fishery, single pointed barbless hooks only.

Spokane River: Fair – With all the rain snow the last week has cause the river a little difficult to fish. The upper part of the river fishing has been pretty good according to some reports. Reports say that if you fish downstream of the Sullivan Bridge has been the most effective.

Little Spokane: Unknown – No report at this time.

Snake River: Fishing has been good on the Snake River south of Asotin. Fishermen have reported catching a few fish back trolling plugs. The Steelhead run is not as good as previous years but there are still fish to catch. Similar to the Clearwater, boat anglers have had success float fishing for Steelhead using a marabou or buck tail jig tipped with Coon Stripe Shrimp. If you plan on trolling for Steelhead it would be tough to beat a metallic green w/black back Brad’s wiggler or a purple Hot Lips plug. If you haven’t tried Mag Lips 3.5’s I would suggest that you do as these baits are very effective at catching Steelhead.

St. Joe River: Fair – With the inactive continue, fishing has been slow but with the slightly warm weather could cause the fish to turn on. Reports say the fish that are being caught are coming out of deep poles on nymphs or double nymph set-up.

Yakima: Fair – Fishing has slowed down. The fish are becoming inactive cause of the change in weather in the area. Water temps are reported to be in the high 30’s. Fish are holding in slack water and in ambush areas. Fish are being caught mainly on streamer patterns.

Rocky Ford:Fair – With the water temps being the highest in the area this is the best option to have the most active fish. Reports say that this area has warmed up in the last week and water temps are in the mid 40’s. Streamers, nymphs and dead-drifting midges seem the best way to produce fish.

Spokane Area Lakes

Amber: fair – Closed for the season.

Badger/Williams: Closed for the season.

Banks: Good – Walleye fishing is picking up since the water temps are on the rise. It’s still been difficult to find schools that are turned on and wanting to feed. Fish that are being caught are coming out of 25 feet of water only taking minnow presentation. Reports say that whitefish fishing is still good at the north end of the lake, they say to troll in about 20 feet of water..

Clear:Closed for season

Coeur d’Alene: Good – Trout fishing is holding strong and limits are being caught within a couple hours. Reports fish are suspended in 30 feet of water along rocky shore lines. Wedding rings or double wammys have been report to work the best. A few pike have been caught through the ice in the chain lakes are on spoons and hair jigs.

Hauser: Ice fishing has been very slow and looking to pick up soon with colder weather looking to hit soon. Reports say that the ice is about four inches thick but could be thinner. Be careful when walking out on the ice.

Long: Fair – Accord to the department of fish and game they’re starting to lower the river again here at the beginning of the year and won’t be back up until spring run-off starts.

Loon: closed for season

Medical: closed for the season

Newman: Fair – Reports say that there is about three to four inches of ice on it. Not many reports of people being out on lake but the people that were say that ice isn’t very good quality and to be careful when walking out on it. According to this people fishing is very slow.

Pend Oreille Fair – Lake trout have picked up with the warmer weather and have been found holding in 30 feet water. Reports say they are still catching fish on baits the resemble kokanee. Trolling spoons have had a lot success lately and have seemed to be the bait of choice to use right now. Gray colored swimbaits seem to be the bait of choices. Trout fishing has been good according to some reports and that fishing the middle of the lake is the best.

Roosevelt:Good – Trout and kokanee limits are still steadily increasing with lots of big fish being caught. Reports say that limits are being caught within a couple hours and fish are averaging 16-20 inch class. Bank fish is reportedly to be good up at the Hunter’s campground with limits being caught relatively fast. Walleye fishing has continued to pick up and fish are starting to head up the SPokane arm to their spawning grounds. Reports say that fish being caught in 20 feet of water using blade baits or small jigs.

Silver: Fair – Reports say that there is a thin layer of ice on the lake but not enough to walk on.

Sprague Lake:Fair – Reports say there’s about 4 inches of ice and will be getting thick with colder weather due to hit the area. No reports anyone out fishing on it yet.

Lewiston Area Rivers

Clearwater River: Fishing has been good lately. Bank fisherman as well as boat anglers have been successfully catching Steelhead. If you plan on fishing from a boat during the day try trolling Brad’s Wigglers, Storm Wiggle Warts or Mag Lips 3.5. Anglers have been using beads with success as well. Bobber doggin can be a great way to catch winter Steelhead. Float fishing with Aero jigs or Rock Dancer buck tail jigs tipped with cured Coon Stripe Shrimp has been productive as of late. Some anglers have been using just a hook and shrimp under a float with success as well. If you plan on fishing from the bank try using the same float fishing techniques as previously stated. Float fishing can be effective whether you choose to fish during the day or night. I have seen a few fish weighing in the high teens as of late. There are still plenty of fish to catch.

Grande Ronde:Due to colder weather there is some areas of this river that are iced up. This little river recovers fast though. Ice should be cleared up in a week or so depending on the weather. Fishing is a little slow but some anglers have reported catching steelhead on this jewel of a river. Anglers have been using bobbers and jigs, drifting corky and yarn and Blue Fox spinners and spoons with success. If you have never tried using HEVI BEADS to catch Steelhead then I suggest that you try it. Come see us at the Lewiston store and we will get you set up and ready for success using this bead system. This river is a selective gear fishery, single pointed barbless hooks only.

Salmon River: Due to colder weather there may be some areas that are frozen over. Anglers and fishermen have been catching a few Steelhead. It has been productive as of late. Float fishing with a jig and shrimp can be productive right now. Drifting corkies, roe, or just a yarn ball should work just fine as well. Anglers have reported catching steelhead trolling Wiggle Warts and Mag Lip 3.5’s too.

The Smallmouth Bass bite is still going on if warm water species are what you are targeting. The Bass sense the change of the seasons and are willing to bite right now. If you have been chasing that monster Smallie all season and haven’t found it yet, well now is the time to do so! Try using a top water lure such as a Rebel Pop R or a Zara Spook. Top water baits like the two listed above are better early in the morning or late in the evening. Don’t forget about tube jigs, wacky rigged Senkos, and crankbaits as they are a good choice all season long. A wacky rigged senko can be very effective this time of year as well. With fall approaching Smallmouth Bass are ready to do battle!

Lewiston Area Lakes

Winchester Lake: I received some reports recently that the fishing is still good in this lake. There are a few species of fish in this lake. There are Tiger Musky, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Perch, Crappie, Bluegill, and HUGE Catfish. Anglers are catching some big trout right now. Try using powerbait or just the old faithful nightcrawler for trout. Nightcrawlers are the best bait to use if you want to catch Perch, or Bluegill. D&G Catfish treats is a good choice of bait if Catfish are what you are chasing. Try using Spinnerbaits or Senkos if Largemouth Bass are what you are looking for. Tiger Musky are freshwater version of a barracuda and will strike almost anything. Try using swimbaits that resemble trout or a red skirt spinnerbait. If Crappie is what you want to catch then try a small Crappie tube jig tipped with Berkley Crappie Nibbles under a float. If you are lucky enough to hook one of these freshwater barracudas hold on tight because the fight will be on! Fishing should be good here for the next couple of weeks. With that being said fish are still being caught out of this gem of a lake.

Schedule of Events

Schedule of Events: The 7th Annual Ice Bowl Ice Fishing Derby at Winchester Lake State Park in Winchester Idaho will be held on Saturday January 14, 2016. 8:00am registration at the boat launch; no charge to enter the derby but there is a $5.00 per vehicle entry fee in to park. There are 2 age categories 12 years and younger and 13 years and over. All species of fish will be considered. Fish must be weighed in by 2:00pm. For additional information please call the park at 208-924-7563

Please visit our website at www.sportmanswarehouse.com for more information on dates and times of our seminars held in our Lewiston Idaho store. Please contact Shaun Walburn, Lewiston’s Fishing Manager with any questions regarding locations; what’s hot and what’s not. Shaun is a seasoned veteran of the fisheries in and around the Lewiston area and is willing to share the knowledge that he has gained over the years.

His email is: 226-Fishing@sportsmanswarehouse.com

Lewiston Sportsman’s Warehouse-226
2002 Thain Grade
Lewiston, ID 83501
208-743-2000 ext. 2

Sportsman’s Warehouse – Spokane
Sportsman’s Warehouse – Lewiston