2315 North Discovery Place
Spokane Valley, WA 99216-1566
United States
Fishing tips and news
Kid’s Fishing Events
The annual Spokane Kid’s Fishing Event (PDF) is Saturday, May 9 at Clear Lake. This fun event is a great way to get kids hooked on fishing, especially if they haven’t tried it before. There are lots of volunteers on hand to help with everything from baiting hooks to taking fish off the line and cleaning them. For a $10 entrance fee, each child gets a fishing rod, t-shirt, and chance to catch up to three fish. There are lots of prizes as well.
The Dayton Kids Fishing Event was postponed to May 13 due to bad weather. Kids in the region, along with parents, can show up at the Dayton Fishing Pond at 714 S. 2nd Street between 1-5 p.m. Everything needed to fish is provided, as our volunteers to help bait hooks, remove fish from hooks, and all other aspects of fishing. This is a free event.
Spring fishing
The opening day of fishing season at the end of April fished really well at most Eastern Region lakes and, with the sunny weather, a lot of people came out to take advantage of a great day of fishing. Overall, reports from creel checkers and other WDFW staff are that the turnout was great.
Williams Lake in Spokane County fished not only had a lot of anglers but fished really well with most catching their limit. One Trout Derby fish came out of the lake. Another Derby fish came out of Cedar Lake in Stevens County, which fished really well on the opener. Also in Stevens County, Mudgett Lake was a little slow but all the fish caught there were good sized. Fishing was good at Rocky Lake before 8 a.m. but slacked off after that. Starvation Lake fished pretty well with lots of catching. At Waitts Lake there were a lot of fish caught but mostly small rainbows. Catching was slow at Diamond Lake in Pend Orielle County and West Medical Lake in Spokane County.
In southeast Washington, most lakes are either open year-round or opened on March 1.
Annual Trout Derby
If you catch a tagged trout in many Washington Lakes, you can win a prize! Over one thousand tagged fish were released in lakes across the state this spring and there are over $40,000 in prizes if you catch one. A list of lakes with prize fish is available on the Trout Derby website.
Year-round fishing
Spring fishing at the larger lakes is generally good. Lake Spokane (Long Lake), the impoundment of the Spokane River between Nine Mile Dam and Long Lake Dam, has had reports of good rainbow trout fishing in the past month and fishing for walleye was good, then slowed down, but is reportedly picking up again. For more variety, you can also target yellow perch, black crappie, smallmouth or largemouth bass.
Walleye fishing at Lake Roosevelt will also continue to heat up as the weather warms. The bass (smallmouth and largemouth) fishing opportunity in the Pend Oreille River is also another great option.
Fishing for both rainbow and westslope cutthroat trout at Amber Lake in southwest Spokane County is usually good in the spring. Amber is under selective gear rules so internal combustion motors are prohibited. Bait is strictly prohibited on any lake under selective gear rules. Coffee Pot Lake, in Lincoln County, is another selective gear lake.
Bass fishing at Newman Lake, 12 miles east of Spokane, has some quality largemouth, as well as yellow perch, crappie, and some nice sized tiger muskie (Spokane County’s Silver Lake also has tiger muskie) that are becoming more active as the weather warms up.
Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement
A reminder that, as of Jan. 1, 2026, all anglers age 15 and older are required to purchase a Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement (CRSSE) to fish recreationally for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River and many of its Washington tributaries. The CRSSE is an annual requirement in addition to a valid recreational fishing license. Licensed anglers fishing in the Columbia River or its Washington tributaries who are targeting species other than salmon and steelhead do not need a CRSSE. More information about the CRSSE, including a statewide list of waters where it is required, is available on the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement webpage.
Lake Roosevelt northern pike suppression
The annual effort to suppress northern pike in Lake Roosevelt is underway and goes into mid-June. For the past ten years, WDFW has been partnering on this work with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservations and the Spokane Tribe of Indians (STI). There will also be one week of netting in June in Nine Mile Reservoir from Seven Mile Bridge downstream.
Northern pike are an invasive species that threaten native fish populations, including endangered salmon and steelhead stocks. They are highly invasive and aggressive predators that can cause large-scale changes in fish communities. An older female northern pike can produce up to 250,000 eggs. Suppression and monitoring efforts are critical to protect native and important fisheries throughout the Columbia River drainage.
In the past, northern pike suppression was also conducted at Lake Spokane (Long Lake) each spring but after not catching a single northern pike during last year’s operation, it was decided to do it every three years moving forward.
Flyfishing
All lakes in northeast Washington are good for flyfishing, but WDFW also manages a handful of fly fishing-only lakes. Bayley Lake, on the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge, is one of the best fly-fishing lakes in eastern Washington, regularly producing big rainbows in the 18 to 20-inch range with some even larger. McDowell Lake is another fly-fishing only water on the Refuge. Other northeast Washington fly-fishing-only lakes include Long Lake in Ferry County and Browns Lake in Pend Oreille County.
Spokane River fishing
The Spokane River, from Nine Mile Dam upstream to the Idaho state line, does not open until the Saturday before Memorial Day; the same day of the statewide rivers and streams opener. The river is managed under Selective Gear Rules which prohibits the use of bait. It's catch-and-release for all species, except anglers can keep two hatchery rainbow trout with a clipped adipose fin per day.
Aquatic Invasive Species checks
Don’t forget to clean, drain, and dry your boat every time you put it in and take it out of a body of water to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. If you pass a boat check station, be sure to stop. It only takes a few minutes for a quick exterior inspection to make sure there aren’t any invasive species on your craft. A bonus of stopping- you may get to meet Fin, WDFW’s dog trained to sniff out invasive mussels.
Hunting opportunities and news
Spring wild turkey
The spring wild turkey season runs through May 31 statewide. More information on turkey season is in the 2026 Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Regulation Pamphlet (PDF).
In WDFW's Eastern Region, northeast Washington (Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille counties) are known for their great turkey hunting. The LeClerc Creek and Rustlers Gulch wildlife areas usually have lots of turkeys. In southeast Washington, WDFW’s Asotin Creek, Chief Joseph, and W.T. Wooten wildlife areas also have good turkey hunting each year.
A lot of turkey hunting in Spokane County takes place on private property. If you would like to hunt private lands this year, pre-season scouting and knocking on doors to ask permission is highly encouraged. If you don’t have a private land connection or area in mind, you can find areas where property owners have agreed to let hunters hunt their lands on WDFW’s Private Lands Hunting Access webpage.
Special hunt permits
Hunters have through May 20 to apply for special hunting permits for fall deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, bighorn sheep, and turkey seasons. Special permits qualify hunters to hunt at times and places beyond those authorized by a general hunting license. You do not need to buy a hunting license before submitting a special hunt application for mountain goat, moose, or bighorn sheep, but if drawn, you will need to purchase a license before you get your special hunt permit. Permit winners will be selected through a random drawing by WDFW in June. More information is on WDFW's website.
Wildlife watching and recreation
Spring bird migration and avian influenza
The annual spring migration of birds is well underway, with thousands of ducks and geese moving into or through the region and making stopovers to feed and rest in agricultural fields and water bodies before heading further north. Other local bird species are finding mates and nesting spots to produce offspring.
The annual migration often brings avian influenza with it. If you encounter sick or dead birds, please report them to WDFW and do not touch them or attempt to transport them to a veterinarian or your home. This can spread the disease to areas it didn't previously exist.
Leave wild babies wild
May is a busy month for the birth of baby animals. A reminder that if you run into fawns, baby birds, or other young animals, please leave them be, even if they appear to be orphaned or abandoned. Most animals have a parent foraging or hunting nearby. Read our blog to learn when not to rescue wildlife.
Hungry bears looking for food
Black bears are already getting into garbage cans, and trouble, in some areas of WDFW's Eastern Region, in their search for food after leaving winter dens.If you live in bear country, please keep garbage secured and pet food indoors, and put away bird feeders for a while to avoid attracting hungry bears. Learn more about Living with Black Bears on the WDFW website.
Negative wildlife interactions
Smaller mammals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and marmots can become a nuisance at this time of year when they start to inhabit places like attics, crawl spaces, under porches, or corners of garages or storage sheds in preparation to have families. Learn how to enjoy these wildlife neighbors without problems at WDFW’s Living with Wildlife webpages.
Meet your Regional Director - Mike Kuttel, Jr.
Mike Kuttel Jr. is the Eastern Region (Region 1) Regional Director. Kuttel has been with WDFW since 2015 in two statewide policy positions focused on fish and wildlife conservation and providing recreational opportunities on public and private lands through federal farm bill conservation programs and partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and Washington State Department of Natural Resources on shared stewardship of forests.
Previously, he worked for conservation districts, the Washington State Conservation Commission, and Washington State Department of Ecology. He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. Kuttel is a lifelong Washington resident and has lived on both sides of the Cascades. He grew up in southwest Washington fishing and hunting. In his free time, Mike enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and foraging for mushrooms and berries with family.