any body know of any lakes or rivers worth throwin a line in near spokane I'll be stuck there for four days can't think of any thing better to do with my time,any suggestions would be appreciated.

Loomis, how far are you willing to drive? What do you want to fish for, bass, walleye, trout? I have a couple of places in mind. Let me know, Bigdawg

Bigdawg,prefferably trout maybe steelhead if there are any in the area,any thing inside a hundred miles is good,I'll be bankin it any where I go thanks.

Loomis, I have 3 places you could try for trout and 1 for steelhead. The steelhead spot is not within 100 miles though. Currently it's really the only decent place to go in eastern Washington and your looking at about 160 miles and about 2.5 hours from downtown Spokane. The Grande Ronde is really hot in March but it is a bit of a drive. I'll assume that you want to stay closer to town, unless you let me know otherwise. The two spots for lake fishing include the mouth of the Spokane river (Ft. Spokane) near Lake Roosevelt(1.5hr) for trout or walleye from shore. There is great bank access but it is usually a bait fishery however, I'm sure that lures might prove effective. The other lake is "4th of July" lake, just south of Sprague Lake off highway 90. Your looking at about 45min-1hr from downtown Spokane. There is good bank access from this lake however it might be a bit crowded on the weekends. The lake bottom tends to be a bit weedy also. My last suggestion would include the spokane river right near downtown. Only hatchery trout (fin-clipped) may be kept, however it is a nice river to fish regardless if the water is in good shape. One year I came across a guy who had hooked two 5# rainbows with orange powerbait just a few miles downstream from town. I checked the regs and they are all open right now. If you are going to fish the Spokane river let me know so I can explain what section is open. Let me know if you prefer lake or river fishing, and I could narrow it down between the three. Also let me know when you are heading over. I might be up in Spokane this weekend. Bigdawg

Bigdawg I'll be in spokane the night of the 21st and there til sunday all this time and nothing to do,I like the sounds of the steelhead fishin whats your opinion is it worth the 2.5 hour drive or should i just fish the spokane river for trout,fill me in on the section of river i should concentrate for trout thanks for the help honest opinon about the steelhead fishin the drive dosnt bother me.

Loomis, If you don't mind the drive then I would definately shoot for the Grande Ronde. If I wasn't going to be out of town that weekend then I might be able to meet you down there. The steelhead fishing "can be" extremely hot in March. I haven't had the chance to head down there this spring but I have talked to people who have and they did well. I can get you the number of the local restaurant to check river conditions before heading down. I guess you still have a week so there is no rush. I will get the number for you probably by later tonight or sometime tommorrow. The weekends tend to get a bit crowded at the hatchery creek so you might want to head down Friday (if possible) because the crowds wont be so bad at that spot and you might not have to leave Spokane by 4:30 AM just to get a good spot. If you are going for the weekend there is still plenty of water to fish. There are quite a few miles of good access along the river road most of the way to Oregon which will hold fish. Of course as mentioned the hot spot is directly below the hatchery creek. That's where I usually fish even though it is a bit crowded. It usually thins out by late morning anyhow. I have a HOT spot, which if you can get there first can limit out by noon usually. I'll give you directions to the Ronde and explain where the good spot is as well as the section of Spokane river since you might have a chance to fish both.I'll send it on another reply so you can print it seperate.

Loomis,
I grew up in spokane but I'm not sure of the regs, the spokane river has great trout fishing, I tell you a spot to try its on the west side of town, ask around for directions to the "bowling pitcher" and fish down stream in the park you'll see parking on the street and walk down the hill to the river, I'll tell you the trick to catching big fish, buy a dozen worms and catch some suckers or squah fish and cut a peice off the side about 2" x 1" skin it and put it on a sliding setup cast to the middle and wait, use fish meat and they will come! you can catch small trout all day on spinners spoons and bait, for big fish you gotta use meat! I've caught rainbows and browns up to 11lb's(no b.s.!)if you can catch a crawdad same thing (tail meat only) let me know if you go and how you do! (remember I just told you a local secret!) good luck and be patient!

Loomis, first off I'm pretty sure there is a three fish limit on the Ronde. It is single barbless hooks required. The number is for Boggan's Oasis, located right on the river. 509-256-3372 (I think that's it) I like to use corkies and yarn....orange, pink, black, chartruese, and clown with contrasting yarn(at least that's what I like to use). Now for the directions.
Take highway 195 south, the exit is located just west of town off I-90 right after you cross the bridge and right before Sunset Hill. Take highway 195 south through Colfax, Colton and Uniontown. Continue on towards Lewiston ID, Just across the state line. Once at the bottom, you will cross the Clearwater river, stay in the right lane. Go through the light after the bridge and you will wind around to the right and continue for about four blocks or so. You will want to turn right at the light just before Black sheeps Sporting Goods. This will take you along the river for a bit so stay on the main road. It will eventually wind around to the left in which you must turn right or left. Take a right and follow the road for a couple miles or so. I believe there is only one, maybe two lights, continue on through. You will see a bridge crossing the Snake to the right and putting you back into Washington. Take the on ramp up the bridge(watch for Asotin signs) and start heading across the river into Clarkston. You want to take the exit toward ASOTIN. This is located right after bridge and to the right. It should send you looping around and heading south under the bridge you just crossed over. Stay on this road until you reach ASOTIN. Once there continue through town until you reach a four way stop. Turn right, it should be highway 129, heading you towards ANATONE. It will take you up and out of the canyon putting you on top of a plateau. Keep on 129 south through ANATONE. This will take you straight to the river. The grade down to the river is very windy and steep, so play it safe. Once at the bottom you will see the river and a road to your right just before the river (road on North side)There will be fish from this bridge all the way to Oregon. The Hatchery creek is up the road about 2.5 miles. There is a parking lot with restrooms. There is good access past the hatchery for miles. That spot I was telling you about. Make your way down to the river at the hatchery parking lot. Once at the river walk along the bank to the LEFT. You will see a large root system hanging right on the waterline. You either have to go up and around or half drown wading into the water. The best spot (that I've found) is right after the root sytem(on the dowstream side) about 4-8 feet past. This is a snaggy spot but steelhead love this hole. Lead, or slinky wait is crucial so you don't loose gear all day long. I have used spinners before, just letting the current give the action as I held it in the current. Anyway, if that spot is taken. The upsteam side of the root system produces also. That is where i would concentrate if fishing the hatchery, but like i said, there should be fish throughout the system. The Spokane River is open right now from the Monroe street bridge in Downtown, downstream to 7 mile bridge. Downriver drive will take you right by the river for miles with good access. The best way to get there is to take Northest BLVD to Cochran street/TJ meenach drive. Cochran street goes heads north and TJ heads south. Take it down the hill towards Spokane Community College. Right at the bottom of the hill turn right. This will take you along the river heading west. Here you will find good access for a few solid miles. You can find this area on the Spokane area street map #1 ( towards the bottom of the map) in the phonebook. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. By the way, there is selective gear rules on the Spokane river Bigdawg