E ETSO OFFI STHHI N LK PO L O C AGLU IFD AV E GL A E
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: KEN HAYES OF SEAGULL CHARTERS WITH A RAINBOW TROUT. COURTESY PHOTO; THE ELUSIVE KOKANEE SWIMMING. PHOTO BY PETE COMSTOCK; FISHING GUIDE RICH LINDSEY LOVES FISHING FOR WALLEYE. BY RALPH BARTHOLDT; MATT CORSI, IDFG RESEARCH BIOLOGIST, SHOWS OFF A RAINBOW. COURTESY PHOTO; CHAD LANDRUM OF GO FISH! CHARTERS, WITH A SMALL MOUTH BASS. BY RALPH BARTHOLDT.
side,” he said. The lake’s special regulation requires anglers stay 100 yards off shore from bull trout spawning tributaries such as Trestle and Granite creeks, he said. Anglers should be familiar with the state’s regulations. Lindsey regularly picks up brown trout in the lake’s north waters where fishing pressure is lower around Bottle Bay, he said. Over the past decade or more Lake Pend Oreille has become a popular bass, pike, and walleye destination. Chad Landrum, owner of Go Fish! Charters, is among a growing group of spiny ray enthusiasts who regularly target the lake’s northern points, islands, and shoals. He fishes where alluvial flats fall off into deeper water at the edge of bays and inlets, and looks for submerged structure wherever he can find it. For walleyes, Landrum fishes edges such as a sand bottom that transitions to a rocky bottom, or where the depth plunges “from shallow to deep.” He targets cuts and pools where water currents change course or speed. “It’s just a matter of finding them out there,” Landrum said. “There’s no fast approach to catching walleye.” “The walleye move around, and no one’s got a really good handle on them yet,” added Hayes. “You can get a great catch one day, and the next day they’re miles away.”
In spring, many anglers troll the mouth of the Clark Fork River as the sun warms the flats and the river pushes food into the lake. Although the channels change each season, the area is species rich. “It’s just one of those fishy places,” Corsi said. “You end up with bass, walleye, rainbows, and pike. It makes for interesting fishing.” Although Pend Oreille has seen a steady increase in angler pressure as its fishery diversifies, there is still a lot of room on the big lake. “There’s enough water to spread us all around,” Landrum said.
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I’ve been fishing this lake for 30 years, running up to 270 trips per year,” added Hayes. “And right now the fishing is getting healthier and healthier. I see a lot of fish out there.”
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