Sandpoint Idaho Fishing Report 07.04.19
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. 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 been fluxing daily between 30,000 cfs and 4,500 cfs, so making a run on the Clark Fork is tricky to time. Wading is possible, but only when the flows bottom out. 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. You may find some other mayflies like pmds also. As always, be careful and watch the flow chart hourly.
Kootenai River at Leonia, ID - The Kootenai is fishing really well. It has stepped down to 7,000 cfs out of the dam at Libby, MT, and is hovering around 8,000 cfs at the Idaho/Montana border. Caddis are hatching around the drainage, and we should see lots of good terrestrial action with ants and beetles during the high sunny and hot days. Nymphing can still be an effective technique. Golden stones are a great target for trout right now, so Pat’s rubberlegs will do the trick. 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 between our weather patterns moving through this week. Expect things to be busier than normal for July 4th. With the cooler temperatures and rain in the forecast, we can expect to see a good presence of bwos and drakes. 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 also 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. Keep an eye on the temperatures, as they will be rising in the future. Fish will move to the head of pools closest to their riffles.
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 an elk hair caddis. Round Lake and Cocolalla can be good too. 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. 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. 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.
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Tips & Techniques
As things get warmer and water temperatures rise on certain waterways, trout will move to the head of holes nearest the riffle where the water is richer in oxygen. You’ll want to be sure to be swift in fighting and releasing fish in warmer flows, ensuring you are not exhausting them to the point of expiration.
See past reports from the Sandpoint area here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.