Sandpoint Idaho Fishing Report 06.27.19
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 fly. Backwaters off sloughs and bays can produce some great largemouth bass action, especially on top water. Deer hair bass bugs and poppers will do the trick. Stay weedless if possible, it makes things less frustrating. Smallmouth can still be caught along shoreline structure, however, they have begun a post-spawn transition to anywhere between 15-30 feet of water.
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. Walleye can be picked up on deeper structured flats where smallmouth are found as well. Use that sink tip to get down!
As for Pike, strip large flashy streamers across weedy flats and weedy edges. Submerged structure will have cruising and hungry pike looking for a meal. Jackknifes and Flashtail Whistlers in red/white are my favorites. The lake is a giant playground with many options, you can’t catch them if you’re sitting on the porch!
Clark Fork River below Cabinet Gorge Dam - Flows have be between fluxing daily between 39,000cfs and 19,000 cfs, so making a run on the Clark Fork is tricky to time. Wading is virtually non-existent, but if you want to float or jet up, you might find fish above the bridges and upriver from there. There’s caddis absolutely everywhere, so find some rising fish and focus your efforts on active fish. As always, be careful and watch the chart hourly.
Kootenai River below Libby Dam - The Kootenai is fishing great. Flows will be stepping down to 7,000 cfs soon and will stay there for the summer. There are caddis popping off in the canyon section where wading access can be tough. Nymphing can still be an effective technique.
Stoneflies are a great target for trout right now, so Pat’s Rubberlegs will do the trick. There will be some wading opportunities around, but you’ll be doing some walking to get to the spots. On top, search with larger stonelfly patterns like stimulators and chubbies. Don’t be afraid to tie off a smaller nymph or caddis emerger behind the dry. An Elk Hair Caddis or Purple Haze with a soft hackle or caddis emerger is one of my favorite techniques for aggressively feeding fish. You can swing your deeper runs and pools with streamers for a shot at some larger trout. Focus on your extended deep runs and flats.
Thompson River near Thompson Falls, MT - The Thompson is dropping like a rock but will offer some good fishing this week. With the cooler temps and rain in the forecast, we can expect to see a good presence of BWOs and drakes. Caddis will be commonplace here and throughout the summer.
Small stoneflies such as Yellow Sallies and Lime Sallies will pop throughout the day, so trudes and stimulators will be a good searching dry pattern as well. Dry droppers will work well, especially when you drop a Pheasant Tail or small Rubberlegs below a Chubby or other foam bug. Streamers can do well through your deeper runs. Aggressive rainbows and browns will chase small streamers, just be sure not to go too large, otherwise, you can sometimes spook a hole.
Local Lakes - Local lakes are fishing well, and some of the higher elevation stuff is in play. It’s a great time to take a hike up to Roman Nose, Harrison, or the Beehive Lakes and fish a Parachute Adams or Elk Hair Caddis. Round Lake and Cocolalla can be good as well. Fishing buggers, chironomids, or damsel/dragonfly nymphs on sinking lines pays off on these lakes in the warmer months for trout. Locate structure for bass or fish poppers up in the shallows early in the morning or late in the evening. It’s best to access by boat, canoe, or kayak where you can cover water. There are lots of options out there!
Match The Hatch
Lake Pend Oreille – Dragonflies & Damsels – some great imitations for bass, walleye, and trout are the nymph stage dragonfly and damsel nymphs such as the Lake Dragon, Rowley’s Grizzly Dragon, or Chan’s BMW. Crawfish – Creek Crawlers, Bassmasters, and the Grim Reaper. Forage Fish – Lowfat Minnow-Bluegill 1/0, Hud’s Bushwhacker 2/0 in assorted patterns, Murdich Minnow- Baby Rainbow #4.
Clark Fork River – Caddis – A tan Elk Hair Caddis is about all you need in a size 12-16. BWO – Challenged Baetis #16-18, Spotlight May BWO #14-18. Midges – Hanging Midge #20-22, Griffith’s Gnat #18-22. Stoneflies – Chubby Chernobyl- Gold #10-12, Stimulator- Yellow #12. Attractors – Purple Haze #12-16, Parachute Adams #12-16, Chubby Chernobyl, Pink, Purple, Red #8-10.
Kootenai River – Caddis – Tan Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, CDC Bubbleback Emerger #14-16, Party On Top Caddis #14-16. Stoneflies – Chubby Chernobyl Gold #10-12, Stimulator- Yellow #12, Pat’s Rubber Legs Coffee/Black #8-10 Tan/Brown #8-10. Green Drake – Foam Green Drake #12, Killer Green Bug #12, Film Critic Green Drake #10-12. PMDs – Parachute PMD #14-16, Hi Vis Spinner PMD #14. Attractors – Purple Haze #12-16, Chubby Chernobyl Purple, Pink, Red #8-10, Chartreuse or Red Humpy #14, Crystal Stimulator Yellow #10-12.
Thompson River – Caddis – Tan Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, LaFontaine’s Emerger #14-16, Corn Fed Caddis #14-16. Stoneflies - Chubby Chernobyl Gold #10-12 Olive #10-12, Stimulator- Yellow #12 Olive #12, Lime Trude #14-16, Snowshoe Sally #14-16, Pat’s Rubber Legs Coffee/Black #8-10 Tan/Brown #8-10. Green Drake – Foam Green Drake #12, Killer Green Bug #12, Film Critic Green Drake #10-12. PMDs – Parachute PMD #14-16, Hi Vis Spinner PMD #14. Attractors – Purple Haze #12-16, Chubby Chernobyl Purple, Pink, Red #8-10, Chartreuse or Red Humpy #14, Crystal Stimulator Yellow or Orange #10-12.
Need to fill the box before you go? Order flies online here.
Tips & Techniques
Frogging on the fly rod seems tough when you’re in thick pads or cover. Don’t be afraid to beef up your leader and entire setup. Rio’s Big Nasty leaders are short for tossing big bugs and strong for pulling heavy fish out of cover. You might even try tying your own leaders for fishing in heavy cover; a 7-8 foot section of 20 lb Maxima in Ultragreen or clear works just fine. Be sure if you are fishing heavy lines to fish a heavy rod. When I bass fish, I usually toss an 8wt, simply for the ability to cast bigger flies and fight fish away from dense cover.
See past reports from the Sandpoint area here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.