Trout hitting in Priest Lake, Kootenai
The Herald has initiated an outdoor column for this week’s issue.
The column will feature tidbits and information from locals about fishing, hunting and other activities in the outdoors.
• Bill Leach, owner of Bill’s Fish Taxidermy in Bonners Ferry, reports that lake trout fishing on Priest Lake has been pretty good.
“In talking to my friend that fish over there, most guys are catching fish between 90 and 120 feet,” Leach said.
Most anglers are drop shooting with jigs or are out there with a piece of cut bait, usually a 1-ounce lead-head jig with a white grub body. They are catching 2- to 8-pound trout, while some are catching them at 25 to 30 pounds.
The bigger fish tend to be more at the north end of the lake, and the smaller fish are found near Kalispell Island and Pinto Point.
Closer to home, Leach has heard trout have been hitting on the Kootenai River. Grasshoppers are out, and grasshopper flies are working really well.
Fishing has been good from the Moyie River mouth up into the river canyon.
• Chad Farrens, owner of Mountain View Archery at Three-Mile, said as of last week business hadn’t picked up “all the way” now that the opening of the big game archery season is a little over two weeks away.
“I think it’s the economy,” Farrens said.
He has heard, though, that guys are out scouting, but as one might expect, they’re not saying much. He has heard guys commenting about the dry conditions.
Archery season opens on Saturday this year. Farrens noted because it opens on a weekend, doesn’t mean more guys will be in the woods. Most archery hunters don’t miss the first day.
• Tom Anderson, co-owner of Sandpoint Outfitters, also is seeing archers gear up for the big game season.
He’s been selling accessories and clothing, but not many bows.
“Anyone who wanted a bow, pretty much has them now that the season is three weeks away,” Anderson said.
He’s heard from Idaho Department of Fish and Game that big game numbers look good for fall, despite last winter’s near-record snowfall. Moose were hit hard in the Panhandle and elk took a bit of a hit.
“No wolf season has (some hunters) derailed,” Anderson said.
A federal judge in Montana a few weeks ago returned wolves to an endangered species, which means they cannot be hunted.
Wolves had been removed from the list earlier this year, paving the way for a hunting season in Idaho.
“They’re not happy about that,” Anderson said. “They’ve seen what’s happened in other parts of the state.”
The Outdoors Column will run twice a month in The Herald. To submit information or photos, call The Herald at 267-5521 or send an e-mail to galbers@cdapress.com.