Walleye Fishing Lake Pend Oreille

Leeches. So I am not thrilled with news that walleye are in the lower Clark Fork River and Lake Pend Orielle, and that they’re there to stay. This may not bode well for the Kamloops rainbows that Pend Orielle is famous for and it surely does not spell good things for the natives, meaning cutthroat and bull trout. Here is the full skinny on this new walleye dilemma and the realization that those long-fanged mongers can be here to stay. (Check out this site)

The olive-striped perch move over the log. A shattering lunge erupts into the school. A shovel-shaped maw gapes, then plunges sideways into the stomach of a fish, driving it forward away from the others. The sharp canine teeth of the pike s lower jaw impale the struggling perch. Rows of rearward slanting teeth line the roof of her mouth, allowing the pike to preserve her grip as she works up the flailing body. Her jaws encompass the head, turning the live perch into her waiting gullet. The perch s frantic rear flips, propelling it farther into the body of the pike. Content, she settles to the bottom to digest her meal. (sandpointmagazine.com)

It’s greenish-yellow on the sides and whitish on the stomach. The pretty big mouth has many teeth. It has a double dorsal fin, the 1st one being spiny, the second one having soft rays. The gill cover has a razor-sharp edge. Two other main characteristics are the white tip on the bottom lobe of the rear fin, and the distinctive glassy look of the big eyes. Usually, walleye average two pounds or less, however will grow up to 11+ pounds. The big glassy eye helps recognize the walleye, they’re big opaque-white eyes. This feature is an adaptation to the fish s behavior and preferences, and a clue for the perceptive angler. (marksmarineinc.com)

The water was about 35. 5 to 36. 5 degrees. I was using Rapala J-14 Jerk Bait in Perch color and it worked pretty well. I ended up boating seven and missing three more. None of them were over abut 7 pounds. I did have one big one come in – around 18-20 pounds I think – but he got afraid off. Another fisherman got a 17 pounder out of that hold some days earlier, so there are some big ones that Fish and Game has not killed still. (northidahofisherman.com)

The 3rd species in this discussion is the brook trout. You will not probably catch one in the lake and river system other than some just-sized ones on occasion in streams like Cocollala Creek. I have never taken one or heard of anybody catching one in the Pend Oreille River or Lake. Neither one is suited habitat. I talk about Brook Trout because their markings are alike to that of Dolly Varden. Mackinaw, particularly younger 1st-year and second-year specimens may be misconstrued to be Brook Trout by anybody not familiar with distinctions. So the point is: read the rules and do as they propose. (ifishwrite.com)

The walleye bound on all Washington lakes with the exemption of Roosevelt will change July 1 to an eight-fish bound with a 12-inch minimum and one over 22 inches. Roosevelt will keep the current 16-fish bound. As District Fish Biologist Chris Donley clarified, The rules were so varied and so confusing, we were unintentionally making criminals out of anglers. And just because the size was reduced to 12 inches, it doesn t mean you must keep fish that small. (spokanewalleyeclub.com)

This is one of my favorite times of year to be on Lake Pend Oreille. The Black Ants are out and fish are keying in on them on the surface. Big trout may be taken all over the lake on black ant dry flies. The bass, crappie, and perch fishing also has been remaining. The Crappie are in the sloughs and are fat this year. Perch fishing at the Hope Marine docks was remaining with fish averaging 8-11 inches. Mackinaw fishing was good on the counter and around Mineral Point. Flatfish on the counter have been working and Apexs on the downrigger have been taking fishing around Mineral and Talache. (fishhound.com)

Don Houk, 208-667-3474, spends a big part of his time putting his clients into these fish. ‘Of all the fishing I do, they are my favorite species, ‘ he says. ‘But you must remember they move every day. They are extensive during the lake. There aren’t dead spots that do not hold fish. It is a matter of current, and a matter of where the bait is at any given time. Some regions will be good for only a day, and some will be good for a week or longer. The trout move every day. ‘. (gameandfishmag.com)

      One reason these fish got so big was the abundance of kokanee, a small range of landlocked sockeye salmon usually called "bluebacks" or "silvers" that are the prey-base in their food chain. At one time the abundant kokanee fishery in Lake Pend Oreille, which numbered millions of fish, attracted anglers from far and large with daily catch limitations of 25 kokanee per person. But, those days are now gone; caused by habitat problems and prey-predator inequities in the lake, fishing for kokanee is now banned. (sandpointonline.com)

The narrow valley embraced by these two mountain ranges became the perfect home for big rivers and deep lakes. At its south end, the stage was set for a water event of gargantuan proportions, now called the Ice Age floods. Thousands of years ago the Idaho Panhandle was covered with ice. The Purcell Lobe of the continental ice sheet was as much as 2, 000 feet thick at the mouth of the Clark Fork River. An great lake that filled the valleys of western Montana was produced. When that ice dam melted and collapsed, apparently over and over again, 10 times more water than what goes in all the rivers of the world today rushed into the abyss that now cradles Idaho s most precious gem. (lpoic.org)