Are the Panhandle lakes open for Kokanee fishing?

[Spokanee Killer]

I just read the Idaho regs. If I'm not mistaken, it looks like Priest, PDA & CDA are open to kokanee fishing. Is this true and has anyone been fishing them for kokes?

[autorick]

Yes, it's true. I went to cda lake about 3-4 weeks ago and caught nothing. Water is still cold and muddy on the southern end. Give it a few more weeks and it should take off. If you do go out somewhere, let us know how you did.

[Mudinchev]

Priest use to be a good lake for them, about 20 years ago the all but wiped out the population by lowering the lake too early and leaving all of the eggs high and dry year after year. It seems like they might be starting to make a come back, we haven't fished that lake for them since they did that, but the last couple of summers I have seen schools of fish on the depth finder while fishing for Macks and I assume they are Kokanee. I don't live over there anymore but it might be worth a phone call to the fish and game dept. to see if they have any info on it.

[Mudinchev]

The way I read the regulations:

Panhandle region:

Kokanee limit is 15

Pend Oreille Lake (includes Sand, Strong, Riser,
Bayview, and Mirror creeks and their tributaries)
• No limit on the number of fishing rods per angler
while fishing from a boat
• Bass limit is 6, only two may be largemouth bass,
no largemouth bass under 16 inches
• No limit on rainbow trout or lake trout
• Cutthroat trout limit is 0, catch-and-release
• Kokanee limit is 0, catch-and-release
• Mouths of Gold, North Gold, Granite and Trestle
creeks are closed to fishing for a radius of 100
yards into the lake
• It is legal to have lake trout and rainbow trout in
the field or in transit with the head removed; tails
must remain attached

Pend Oreille River (from railroad bridge at Sandpoint
downstream to Idaho-Washington border, including
tributaries and sloughs to the edge of flat water)
• Bass limit is 6, only two may be largemouth bass,
no largemouth bass under 16 inches
• Trout limit is 6, no harvest of cutthroat trout

Priest Lake and tributaries (including Thorofare)
• Trout limit is 6, no harvest of cutthroat trout

Priest River and tributaries (from its mouth to Priest
Lake)
• Trout limit is 6, no harvest of cutthroat trout

So the way I read this Priest lake is open to Kokanee fishing again! Guess I will have to take a few things next week and try it out.

[JJW]

Went out to CDA lake yesterday and caught 21 Kokanee in a little over 4 hours. All of them but 2 had pretty good size. Would have probably caught our 2 limits if we would have a little more time.

[autorick]

I was out there last saturday and we got our limits in 3 hours, average size and smaller than last year. I will be taking some friends out again this weekend to see if the luck holds out.