Fourth of July

[raffensg64]

Hey fellas, don't forget about this one! Located south of Sprague, in a generally warmer area than Amber, the ice usually comes off it 1-2 weeks earlier. It is a "winter only" lake that is open until March 31st. Due to drastically lower water levels than a few years ago, you'll have to "get on your sticks" (or electric motor) for several hundred yards in order to find suitable water, but it's worth it. The "first narrows" area, as many call it, is where the water drops from 3-4 feet to 10-12 feet. I ice-fished it in January and found lots of willing rainbows and in past years it fished well after ice off. The bright side to all this is that the launch end is shallow and will open up the fastest. Blood worms, small chironomids and leeches worked for me. FYI in case Amber doesn't open up until mid-March.

I have a suspicion that I'll be fishing Fourth of July well before Amber. Cabin Fever is killing me!

-Raff