Fishing Report, Spokane River, July 28th 2025

The trout fishing on most stretches of the Spokane River has been slowing down these past few weeks. The water levels are dropping and the bug hatches (like caddis) have dwindled. It's the dog days of summer for us and the trout. That isn't to say they aren't feeding right now or can't be caught; we've been out on the water netting them. But it takes a bit more effort (more than it usually does on the Spokane) to connect with a trout. The water below the Falls is nice and cold though, so it's a great time to get in the river for some wet wading.

If you're interested in a different challenge, the largescale suckers around Riverfront Park are in prime feed-mode right now, and the largest of the largescales are within easy casting range of the bridges and concrete steps in the park. There are plenty of fish to present a fly to, but it helps to know a little about these fish to gain some insights on how to catch them.

Largescale suckers are native to the Spokane River and are part of the Catostomidae family of fish with includes 78 species, most of which are native to North America. Like other suckers, largescales have a downturned mouth that looks like a suction cup—very similar to a common carp's mouth. This downturned mouth makes it very easy for them to hang out near the bottom of the river sucking up aquatic invertebrates and plant material (like algae) from around rocks, logs, concrete pipes, and sandy areas.

On the Spokane, they can grow quite large. I've seen some suckers that looked to be darn near 30 inches. And the larger the fish, the more likely they seem to be to eating a fly presented close to them (based on my experience). Since they spend most their time down on the substrate (bottom) of the river acting like vacuum cleaners, it's best to target these fish in calm areas of the river, think pools and long slow glides. Riverfront Park and the pool downstream Devil's Toenail are two spots where you have an elevated position to look down into the water to sight cast to suckers.

The main thing with largescales is that you need to find one that is actively feeding. Here are the signs to look for:

• The sucker is near or right on the bottom of the river (not drifting around or sitting still higher up in the water).

• The sucker has its head down, tail up, and may be slowly moving around like this. That means it's grabbing food items off the bottom.

Once you find a feeding sucker, you'll want to get as close as possible or wait for the fish to get closer to you. Catching these fish involves sight fishing for them, meaning you are going to be placing a fly right next to them and will have to see them take the fly. The closer the fish, the easier it is to see them take the fly. It's way to easy to body-snag these fish, it's a whole other game with you successfully hook one in the mouth with a fly. Fortunately, suckers are not all that easily spooked away and you can get quite close to them. Even if they get startled, they tend to not swim far away before starting to feed again.

For fly patterns, here are some ideas to try:

• Choose fly patterns that are small (size 10 hooks or smaller).

• Choose flies that you can easily see under the water (bright colors like orange and red are easier to see).

• You need to use flies that get down to the bottom, so select ones that have some weight to them, such as heavy tungsten beads (bright orange slotted beads work great).

Now, once you have a feeding sucker in front of you and your fly is ready to go, cast out and try to get the fly as close as possible to the sucker's mouth. This is where your nerves will get shot because these fish will just calmly go along feeding while your fly is less than an inch from their snout. But keep casting and moving that fly back in front of them. Wait until you see the fly disappear under their mouth before setting the hook. It also helps to find a sucker that is in a sandy area where there is less of a chance to snag into any rocks (in Riverfront Park, the large sunken wooden piers and a few large sunken concrete pipes are also places where it's easier to catch suckers as they feed on top of those structures).

Dov, a friend visiting from Seattle, took up me up on an offer to go sucker fishing around Riverfront Park. We met up in the morning and began searching for the fish as we stood on the footbridges. It didn't take long before we spotted at least a half-a-dozen opportunities. Dov made a series of casts targeting a particularly large largescale sucker feeding along a sandy flat below the bridge. It was a long cast and Dov actually lost sight of his fly at one point as the sucker fed around it. But soon enough he saw his rod start to slowly bend over which indicated the sucker had the fly in its mouth. Dov set the hook and it was on!

Suckers don't usually fight all that hard, but when you're standing on a bridge, with a dozen posts that you have to thread your fly rod around, balance atop a concrete wall, and then walk down a flight of stairs it's an exciting urban obstacle course for any angler.

Eventually, Dov guided the fish into the shallows and netted it. It was hefty! And what a blast, from beginning to end!

So, if you're looking for a different fishing experience, or want to shake things up, cast a fly for the bottom feeders.

...Also, if anyone reading this can design of an image of a largescale sucker with text that says "Spokane Suck(er)s" I'll give you a free guided float trip down the river. I'd love to use the design to print some t-shirts and hats. Let's make dreams happen people!

Upcoming Community Events

Macroinvertebrate Sampling, Spokane Riverkeeper, July 30th, 5:00 to 6:30pm, People's Park

Help the Riverkeeper collect benthic macroinvertebrates in the Spokane River. Macro communities are biological indicators of water quality and ecosystem health and we want to know more about them in the Spokane River. We will be teaming up with experts from Eastern Washington University for this 1.5 hour event that will teach you to sample, collect, and identify this underwater bugs.

Please bring water shoes or shoes you can get wet. The Riverkeeper will provide the supplies. Please note that although we intend to return these bugs to the river we will be handling and identifying them for science and there may be some accidental mortality.

This is a great opportunity to increase your skills at fly fishing. Learning more about the insects in our river helps to figure out what bugs the fish are feeding on, which means you can better select fly patterns to present to them.

More info here.

Redband Rally Clean Ups, August 6th

Join Spokane Riverkeeper and the Spokane Indians Baseball Club’s Redband Rally for a day of action, stewardship, and community along the Spokane River! Whether you have an hour or the whole day, your help makes a difference.

Meeting Location: We will be meeting at 10:00 AM at Redband Park, 216 N Cedar St, Spokane, WA 99201. (There is also an afternoon clean up starting at 1:00pm at Islands Trail Head, more info on the afternoon event here)

We will be cleaning up along the bank and trails on the rivers edge.

What to expect:

• Cleanup supplies (bags, gloves, grabbers) and water provided

• Sturdy, closed-toe shoes recommended—you may walk over rocky and uneven terrain

• Bring any food or snacks you’ll need to keep you going

• All ages welcome, but children must be supervised

• Special guest alert: You might even spot Ribby the Redband Trout making a surprise appearance to cheer you on!

More info on the morning clean up here.

Hang Out and Fish, Friday August 8th 5:30 to 7:30pm at Riverfront Park

  I'll be hosting another Hang Out and Fish event, a free event to come fish, meet other anglers, and learn about fishing the Spokane. This event is open to everyone, no prior fishing experience required (newbie friendly). Bring whatever fishing gear you have. If you would like to try out fly fishing, please send me (Marc) an email (Info@FlyFishSpokane.com) ahead of time so I know how many extra fly rods to bring.

  This is a family friendly event. No waders required either. I'll meet people at the Clocktower at Riverfront Park at 5:30pm and then we'll fish around the park for a couple hours so if you show up later just walk around the park until you see some people fly fishing.

Hang Out and Fish, Saturday August 9th 7:30 to 9:30am at People's Park

  This is a free event, and you'll learn more about wading in and fishing the Spokane River. I'll discuss useful fly fishing techniques and fly patterns as well as some info on reading the water to find where the trout are. We'll be meeting at the People's Park parking lot and then fish around the footbridge for a couple hours (or until it gets too hot). Please bring wading boots if you have them, preferably felt-bottom. The river is incredibly slick, so if you do decide to go wading without felt bottom boots that is your decision.