Fish Lake, Silver Lake and Fourth of July Lake near Spokane -- all outstanding conventional tackle strongholds -- also receive some of the heaviest tiger trout plants in the state.

The chain of small, shallow state-owned lakes cached in the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge north of Chewelah is tiger-enhanced, along with big Sacheen and Sullivan lakes.

CATCHING A TIGER
Small dark spinners and spoons, worms, night crawlers, maggots and grasshoppers are frequently stalked and struck in tiger country. In the shallow-water lakes especially, tigers are also showing a fondness for slashing surface attacks -- a trait that neither parent particularly favors. In mid- to late summer, large caddis and hopper patterns seem to be especially attractive to tigers, and smaller mayfly patterns will also produce.

The workhorses that draw most of the attention, though, are dark wet flies like Woolly Buggers, Leeches, Carey Specials and Woolly Worms.

I’ve also heard reports that a large earthworm pinned onto a No. 6 hook and trailed snug behind a gold or nickel Colorado spinner blade brings startling strikes.

Since both browns and brookies share a fondness for worms and crawlers, I’m thinking that stalking this rig is in the tiger’s blood.