Northwest Fishing Reports

I enjoyed catching Northern Pike as a kid growing up in the midwest. Are there any places in Washington where I could fish for Pike?

There use to be one of the best in the lower 48 in my honest opinion with the likes 40-50 fish days with the average fish being between 24-28". Now you will have to go to Idaho which is not that much farther than the Washington lakes I am speaking of.

any suggestions for lakes in Idaho?

btm wrote:any suggestions for lakes in Idaho?

CDA and the inlet chain lakes.
Hayden Lake

I would have to agree that the inlet chain lakes in Idaho are a GREAT bet! I have only fished it once, but I don't have anything bad to say about it, especially when I can tell you that my son and a good friend of mine both caught there very FIRST Northern Pike's on the Chain Lakes. I have to of course give a Huge Thanks to AJ's Dad for the great advice and guidance to get us around on the Chain Lakes! Plus it is fantastic scenery all around!

If this is any consolation, both my son and my buddy are still on cloud 9 after about 3 weeks and all they both keep asking me is "when are we going back to the Chain Lakes for some more PIKE!!!" Get out and get em while the fishing is hot, Tight Lines! I will certainly be planning on going back in the future!

Nate The Pike Baron

Typical fall northern on CDA. Don't know all the details but word around the campfire is it was caught trolling green/glitter Powerbait.

not familar with Idaho. What town in Idaho is near the chain of Lakes.
b

There's a few different ways to access the chains but basically the lakes east of Harrison,most of the lakes aren't far from Highway 3,this would include Rose,Killarney,Medicine,Cave,Bull Run and many more. Basically,head east on I-90 and head south on highway 3 towards St.Maries. Just keep an eye out for the elk herd,they tend to have a large gathering around the gas station,shortly after getting onto hwy 3.

thanks, much

Holly Crap thats a big fish! I loved catching Pike up in Virginia. Realy wish we had some around here, maybe to eat up all these darn sculpins. It seems every one around here hates them, and not to many Bass fishers either

As Lucious said, You will have to go just across the border to Idaho on Lake Couerdalene to find some decent Northern Pike. If your willing to do some research you can find some Great back country lakes that might also have some Pike in them. I would also suggest maybe looking into the chain lakes off the main lake of Couerdalene. These lakes are known for having some decent size Pike in them, I would highly suggest going with someone who knows them first. Some lakes have shallow areas and can also be a little challenging to get into but once there, they can be dynamite! A great person to ask is AJs Dad on WA Lakes, He knows these areas better than anyone I know who I have fished with in Idaho. Tight Lines and Good Fishing!

Nate The Pike Baron

Bryne Chum wrote:Holly Crap thats a big fish! I loved catching Pike up in Virginia. Realy wish we had some around here, maybe to eat up all these darn sculpins. It seems every one around here hates them, and not to many Bass fishers either

OK, you now know of someone that likes sculpins. Every fish loves to eat them, from Pike to Bass to Walleye, to Trout. Sculpins mean you have great water quality and a huge food base.

Hey all, my Dad lives near Spirit Lake , ID. , and I'd love to combine some pike fishin' with my next family visit over that way. Couple of questions :

I normally would take my smaller , electric powered 10' aluminum Smokercraft on this trip, just to keep things light and easy. I'm not excited about heading out on to Lake CDA in a little baby boat like that , or even Hayden . Looks like the Chain Lakes are a good bet, but anything closer to Spirit Lake that warrants a look ? C&R guy , although I was always intrigued by Izaak Walton's recipe for whole baked pike , in The Compleat Angler.

Also , how early in the spring , on a typical year, could I expect to see some Pike slashin' action ? What would I want to throw at them , in the spring , as opposed to the dog days of summer ? Looking at a mid-May trip right now , and maybe one later on in the year, around August . Having no real pike fishing experience, I'm trying to figure out how I would change up my normal Bass presentation, besides just oversizing everything ?

Thanks in advance,
Bustin

Upper Twin would be the closest lake to you with Pike. State record came from there through the ice. May is not early spring fishing for Pike. Use cranks,spinner baits, swim baits, jerk baits, and so on. As soon as the water temp hits 40deg, the Pike are looking to spawn and can be found in shallow bays or staging just out from the bay in a little deeper water.

Short rule of thumb for big pike=summer; artificial bait,Winter;= dead natural bait,e.g.herring ,shad ,mackerel etc.
geoffwga1

Bustinbeats wrote:Hey all, my Dad lives near Spirit Lake , ID. , and I'd love to combine some pike fishin' with my next family visit over that way. Couple of questions :

I normally would take my smaller , electric powered 10' aluminum Smokercraft on this trip, just to keep things light and easy. I'm not excited about heading out on to Lake CDA in a little baby boat like that , or even Hayden . Looks like the Chain Lakes are a good bet, but anything closer to Spirit Lake that warrants a look ? C&R guy , although I was always intrigued by Izaak Walton's recipe for whole baked pike , in The Compleat Angler.

Also , how early in the spring , on a typical year, could I expect to see some Pike slashin' action ? What would I want to throw at them , in the spring , as opposed to the dog days of summer ? Looking at a mid-May trip right now , and maybe one later on in the year, around August . Having no real pike fishing experience, I'm trying to figure out how I would change up my normal Bass presentation, besides just oversizing everything ?

Thanks in advance,
Bustin

It all depends on the weather and water temps. Once the water temps consistently hold in the mid to upper 50's pike will consistently chase lures. In May those temps might not be reached until late morning or early afternoon. If the temps are not that high, dead bait will be your best bet, but I ask that you please use quick strike in case you catch a big girl as 30lbers are not uncommon in northern idaho. In 2007, the pike didn't start consistently hitting lures for me until June, but that was a wet and cold spring. As for lures, spoons and spinnerbaits seem to produce pretty well. If the water temps tend to be on the cooler side, a slowly jerked jerk bait could be deadly. If you do keep some to eat, please keep the smaller ones (26" and under). Good luck and post pictures and reports of your success.

kevinb wrote:

Typical fall northern on CDA. Don't know all the details but word around the campfire is it was caught trolling green/glitter Powerbait.

I can't believe pike grow that big. What's the world record?

Thanks Lucious, my next trip into Pike country will be in the first week of June , so it sounds like my timing should be about right on the water temps.

I appreciate the info., and as always, will respect the resource.

Bustin

The first week of June!!! Ya baby! You should be able to find pike in any of the chain lakes. By the first of June they should be on fire. Go pick up some Rapala X-Raps in whatever color strikes your fancy. The gold, white, and copperheads are my favorites. By June the pike should be getting pretty aggressive, especially if we get some warm weather rolling in. Also by June the topwater action should get going. If you really want some heart pumping action find some 3 to 8 foot water with nice weed growth and toss a buzz bait or a topwater frog or floating wake bait. Then again a Johnson silver minnow spoon with a split tail trailer should get you some action to. Great, now I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy about pike fishing again. I can't wait to get out there.



Good luck and happy fishing

The Pend Oreille river in North Eastern Washington (North of Spokane) is also a great place to fish for Pike. Its actually a reservoir formed by Boundary Dam near The Canadian/Washington border.