Thaw 2010 Tips and Tactics: Spokane area

[aaron42ash]

The Spokane area has been really warm for the past month, and it doesn't look like it will be cooling down to do much. So, with bass and walleye fishing just around the corner, I wanted to see what you all thought of the best lakes for our warm water species in E. Washington and if you had any tactics that you want to share.

I know you probably won't want to share your secret weapons or anything for fear that another fisherman might be doing the same thing (God forbid....) so I will start it off.

One of my favorite lakes in E. Washington is Banks. I haven't figured out the largemouth or crappie in this lake yet, but the smallie fishing is amazing. Good for walleye and some massive perch too. One thing that we use a lot in the spring and early summer for the smallies are Heddon Zara Spooks. Get them in the Spook Jr. size and target flat rocky areas of about 10 ft. of water. We have always caught some 3-5lb fish on these, and the action is constant. Just work them a bit slower than usual because the fish are coming from a deeper depth.

We have had success for the 'eyes here, but it is always so slow... Just jigging pearl and chartreuse colored grubs. I have heard of walleye in Liberty lake, but I haven't tried for them. What/ where would you start here?

[YellowBear]

I don't think the Walleye in Liberty are doing very well.
They have been in there long enough now that more should be showing up if the population was strong. (IMHO).
If I were going to fish it, I would use a flatfish in a Perch pattern and here is how to do it.
First find one of the older #7 flatfish that was made out of balsa not plastic. Remove the gang hooks out of the belly of the bait. Take the eye bolt and screw it right into the butt of the bait and add a split ring and a large treble hook.
Tie on a three way swivel, on the bottom of the swivel tie on around six inches of mono and add a half to one ounce pencil weight. On the third spur of the swivel tie on around thirty inches of mono and the bait.
Thred on a crawler and troll it "just" fast enough to make the lure work, you should get a real slow wobble.
You can do the same thing with a bottom bouncer but you don't feel the strike as well.
I would start out near the spawning areas.

When I lived in Spokane one of the first places I would head for in the spring was Eloika as soon as the ice comes off.
Mile marker 11 on the Spokane arm was allways good in the spring for Walleye. Don't forget about Bonny, it can be real good as soon as the mud settles from run off.

[aaron42ash]

That's too bad about the Walleye in there... It would be nice to have a local lake that supported them. Growing up in Wisconsin I was spoiled. Walleye, LMB, SMB, muskie, pike, and huge bluegills are found in nearly all lakes. Here, I have to be more selective of where I fish because I still love to target these species. I understand people here wanting to protect the trout though. They do make good walleye and pike candy... at least they're good for something =)

[YellowBear]

Have you ever tried the North fork of the little Spokane?
Used to be pretty good Smallmouth and Largemouth in there.
There is a little lake just NW of Riverside back in the timber.
Its called Baily lake. Had some really nice Green Sunfish at one time, might still have some in it.
Keep an eye on Sprague, If and I say IF the WDFW did restock them, the Bluegill and Crappie should start showing up.
Your best bet for good panfish will be over in Idaho.

[aaron42ash]

Hey that Bailey Lake sounds interesting. Do you know of any other species in the lake? Catching sunfish is fun, but crappie or bass would make it worth the trip.

[YellowBear]

I used to run cattle up there and fished it a lot but never caught anything but the Green Sunfish.
I was thinking of some other lakes around there last night.
Sacheen for Crappie and the Pend Orellie for Pike,Largemouth and Smallmouth.

[Augwen]

Bailey Lake is now surrounded by a gated community. The fishing is awesome with bass up to 8 lbs. You just have to know someone living there to get in. Even then, someone will come talk to you about releasing everything that you catch.

[YellowBear]

That sucks!
I knew it was getting populated up there but..... Dang!
Another fishin hole lost, lol.

[aaron42ash]

Oh bummer. That would have been a good one to try. I actually live only minutes from there, but we just bought acreage and we don't really know anyone.

I have tried Sacheen for the crappie and we have had some luck. We have been using a 1/32 oz jighead in chartreuse, red, or pink, and threading a Berkley Gulp 3" minnow in the silver/black back. As a rule of thumb for this, we set our baits 1' deeper that the water clarity. So We set it 1 foot deeper than we can see the bait down in the water. The fish seem to hold in these depths because they rely on sight so much. Some days early in the season, we could easily limit in about an hour using this.

The bass fishing on Sacheen is terrible though. We tried 3 separate times for a bucket mouth, but we only yielded a few smaller fish. Maybe Senkos or topwater stuff just wont cut it there, but we have always had success on other lakes in the area using the same stuff.

Pend Orellie is great for the smallies, but I still have yet to catch a LMB. We have tried and tried, but only caught smaller pike on our LMB gear. Actually more of those whitefish or whatever they are... Any tips for this river? I have tried fishing it in the early spring, and again in the early summer, but just smallies (no complaints about those though)

[aaron42ash]

I forgot to ask in my last post whether anyone knows of the ice situation in N. Spokane. Are lakes like Eloika, Fan, Sacheen, opening up? Anyone know anything about something?

[fiznwtrs]

I read in wdfw report that eloika is already thawed. Sacheen and Fan don't open until late april anyway? I might try Sprague soon if I feel the fishing bug.

[chinookslammer]

Hey Aaron have you tried fishing the Pend Orielle around Usk? We catch a ton of lmb just south of the mouth of Davis Creek. We usually catch them on 5" watermelon senkos or spinnerbaits. Just fish the west side of the river by all the docks just north of Dalkena for some major pike and lmb action. 4-8" swimbaits produced alot of pike for us along the docks last year.

[aaron42ash]

I read in wdfw report that eloika is already thawed. Sacheen and Fan don't open until late april anyway?

Thanks Fiznwtrs, your're right they don't open till later and I completely forgot what state I was in. Anyway thanks for the update on Eloika and the ice situation. I will have to get the boat ready early this year.

Chinook, what time of year do you usually target this water? I have tried similar tactics, but no results and I was thinking that it was maybe the time of year that made the difference. I tried once in the early spring when water was around 48 and another time in the summer when the water was around 65 degrees. Maybe fishing this river system is different, or I was just unlucky/don't know what I'm doing.

[fish4brains]

aaron42ash, PM sent.

[chinookslammer]

Hey Aaron, last may we have really hot action on the river and I'm pretty sure the water was 49 deg. Check out my posts from the Pend Orielle last year. I'm pretty sure I specified the water temps in all of them. My best trips were in may,june, and october.

[aaron42ash]

Hey thanks for the info. I will give it a shot in May then on the PO. Who knows, with all of the warmer weather, we'll have to keep our eyes on the reports because water temps might rise early.

[aaron42ash]

Ok so I'm planning my first outing already. Water temp is around 38... What would you all suggest? Slow roll a spinnerbait, dropshot, or throw a rattletrap? Lake is shallow with a weedy bottom, but weeds have not come up yet.