I've got two sisters. One lives on Sprague Lake (Spokane) the other on Foy's Lake (Kalispell). I have not been to either one, and info seems rather sparse. I plan to take my float tube with me on a road trip to visit them this Spring and was hoping to get some information from you folks here. Thanks in advance, Jim
Sprague is a big long lake that is oriented parallel to the prevailing winds. It can be windy as hell in the spring but is an excellent fishery with a variety of species. You might need a 5 hp Honda on the back of that float tube.
I fished foy’s a couple of times when I lived on the flathead. It is very urban for Montana. I remember catching some small bows a nice lake for an urban fishery but there much better water close to there. Check what they say on the Montana department of Fish and Wildlife website. Other lakes around there are worth fishing. You might check out Rogers (Grayling).
I've gone to Sprague several times but have never been able to really fish it because of the wind. It is supposed to have some really nice trout, however. Just be careful and very, very mindful of the wind. It would be a long and rugged walk if you got blown across or down the lake.
I've said it before but in my opinion Sprague could be one of the best, if not the best trout lake in the state if it was managed with some special regs. The growth rate of trout there is phenomenal.
The current plan by WDFW is for a warm water fishery with declining plants of trout going forward. I have no problem with big bass but alot of warm water fisheries tend to overpopulate without an adequate predator base to keep them in check.
Another negative factor for that plan is that the majority of fishermen in the state have a trout mentality, myself included, and won't fish it which is evident when you can drive by and usually count the number of boats on one hand.
I fished it for a few hours one afternoon last year and managed one 16" fish but also got broke off by one that would have made my day.
My suggestion is to keep tabs on WDFW's stocking report on it and plan accordingly.
It's not like it was back then, but still holds big fish. It was nuts after the rehab, had lots break off 6lb tippet, biggest to my boat from there was 8lb. Last few years, most days for me have been slow, but when it's on, it's on.I Plan on targeting bass there this year. Last time I fished it late fall, only caught one 18" after throwing the box at them on a unusually calm day. The whole lake is a big shallow flat, super fish food producer.
I check some the other fishing sites for Washington. Last fall some guys posted reports from Sprague with very nice size trout. They were trolling dodgers and big perch fly’s. I think you can find some videos on You tube. Some were from late fall, early winter. It does look like a boat kinda water.
Sprague is always great after a rehab for about 3 years, then it falls off of trout to become a warmwater fishery..until that becomes inundated with panfish and Carp and such and then another rehab.
(Sidenote: after a rehab in the 80's, a large sturgeon washed ashore..6 footer plus. Crazy)
It has been that pattern for 30 years that I recall.
It is also a dangerous lake to mess with in the wind-which is most of the time, and has taken more than a few lives over the years. I have tubed it and caught some fish-including a Walleye on the fly at dark, but I'd stay tucked behind a cove and close to the launches, you could get in trouble and the whitecaps can get VERY big. Snake haven, too, later on
That pic is awesome. Shirtless with waders, with a stick as a pontoon separator, using a classic Medalist as a fly reel, with a big grin that is between sheer joy and disgust, all at the same time.
We go old school down here! Dan was Baker County "Entrepreneur of the Year' this last year. He started a travel/guide business here. Here is a link to his web-site https://www.gowildusa.com/
Now for the fishing information. I have a friend who targets cats down here in an area where they congregate in about 4 feet of water. That's a trip I'm planning to do, although there is something a bit repulsive about those critters. I caught a huge one this last year and like Dan I managed to release it without grabbing the damn thing!
Better rethink that release Jeff. Catfish fillets deep fried in beer batter with some fries and coleslaw washed down with an ale is some mighty fine eats!
ps: think of them as bearded trout and they might not be so repulsive.
I have eaten them, but there is mercury contamination in that whole system......ODFW recommends not eating more than one meal a month or some thing like that. I ate one once and it was great, just would rather eat little crappie etc. think they probably have less concentrations of the stuff. Of course this is coming from someone who lives in North Richland, about as close as you can get to the Hanford site!
Sprague was a bust yesterday. Beautiful weather, calm 39 degree water, tried everything from cronos to 5" baitfish and all other known producers. One little tug.All other boats we talked to had the same, so safe to say the bite was off.
I was just looking at a satellite map of the Sprague Lake area. Cow Creek and ***** Creek look very fun but it appears closed to the public. But there are quite a few creeks and lakes that look very interesting. I'll call my sister and see if she can get some local knowledge of options.
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