Still fishing with bait is the best bet for trout anglers at Howard Prairie right now, and Powerbait continues to be the bait of choice. Trolling worms continues to produce some fish but is generally slow to fair.

Many of the trout show evidence of copepods or copepod scars. This is a natural parasite that lives on the outside of the fish and can simply be scraped off prior to cooking.

The lake is 83 percent full. The temperature at Howard Prairie Lake and Dam outflow which is near the bottom of the reservoir was averaging 60oF this past week. Reports of surface temperature were at the 71oF mark and could get warmer with a hot weekend ahead.