Hunting & Fishing

Turkeys, Washington

A lot of turkey hunters, some of them first-time hunters, are bragging about the gobblers they bagged during the opening weekend of the spring season.

To hear them tell it, turkey flocks seem to be everywhere in Stevens, Lincoln, Ferry, Asotin, Garfield, Columbia and Walla Walla counties.

One delighted novice decided Friday to buy a tag, launched a boat early Saturday at Lake Roosevelt, hiked up a canyon in Lincoln County, spotted a flock and shot a big, bearded tom. On Monday he was shopping around for a taxidermist to mount the bird.

The opener, it seems, was one of the best since the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife started releasing wild turkeys several years ago. The weather was relatively good and the gobblers gobbled when they heard hunters’ yelps and purrs.

Checks by wildlife agents and biologists indicated the opener was a good one. Madonna Luers, spokeswoman for the Spokane regional office, said department officials checked 96 hunters with 16 gobblers in northeastern Washington.

That’s a success ratio of one gobbler for every six hunters over the two-day period. The ratio indicates outstanding success.

Most of the turkeys were bagged in Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties.

The department didn’t come up with any checks for southeastern Washington, but officials believe hunters did well - especially in Asotin, Columbia and Garfield counties.

Wildlife agent Mike Byerlee of Walla Walla said hunting was good and most hunters saw birds in the areas he checked last weekend.

Wildlife biologist Pat Fowler said hunting in southeastern Washington is “fabulous” now, with turkey flocks from Joseph Creek to Walla Walla.

Hunting pressure this season is the heaviest since the state began releasing birds.

Turkeys, Idaho

Hunting was good throughout North Idaho last weekend and on Monday.

In units 3 and 4, holders of permits apparently did well. Steve Mullen, operator of the Rose Lake Store, said five hunters brought gobblers to his store.

Two of the gobblers weighed more than 20 pounds. Even an archer bagged a tom.

Wildlife biologist Gregg Servheen of Lewiston said turkey hunting has been good along the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon drainages.

Northern pike

Scores of anglers, some of them from Oregon and Nevada, are expected to take part in a pike tournament Saturday and Sunday along the lower Coeur d’Alene River drainage.

Steve Mullen, Rose Lake Store operator, sponsor of the tournament, said the top prize for the largest pike should be $500. Cash will be awarded to anglers who catch the three heaviest pike from the Mission Slough to Harrison. Coeur d’Alene Lake will be off-limits to the contestants.

Most of the pike that anglers catch will be small, running 2 to 5 pounds, but Mullen expects the biggest pike will weigh more than 12 pounds. The entry fee is $6.

Chinook salmon

Fishing for small chinooks has been excellent at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Jeff Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop said.

Most anglers are trolling flutter spoons from the surface to about 30 feet to catch the 3- to 10-pounders, he said. He said a good depth to troll is about 15 feet.

The salmon are scattered, but most anglers have been trolling in front of Powder Horn Bay and in front of Carlin Bay.

Trout, Idaho

Anglers who have been fishing for pike have been catching numerous cutthroat and cutthroatrainbow hybrids at Hayden Lake, Smith said. The Idaho Fish and

Game Department has planted numerous North Idaho lakes with 9- to 12-inch hatchery fish. Fishing is good at such lakes as Fernan, Kelso and Round.

Trout, Montana

This is an excellent time to fish dry flies along the Clark Fork, Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers, and Rock Creek in the Missoula area.

March Brown mayflies, as well as Bluewinged Olives, are hatching along the rivers and big trout are taking them readily. In addition, Skwala stoneflies are out along the Bitterroot and providing excellent fishing for those who use Skwala imitations.

John Herzer of Streamside Anglers said fly fishers do well during the March Brown hatch on standard March Brown patterns, as well as No. 12 Parachute Adams, the Western Green Drake and Mahogany Duns.

The trout sometimes feed on the tiny Bluewinged Olive mayflies when the March Browns are on the water, confusing fly fishers.

Trout, Washington

Lenore is still the most productive lake for large fish. When midges hatch and the lake is relatively calm, anglers have done well. Fly fishing has been good at

Rocky Ford Creek. Big rainbows have been feeding actively on midge pupa and adults, as well as scuds.

Trollers and still-fishermen have been catching 10- to 22-inch trout at Sprague Lake.

The Bureau of Reclamation has stabilized Lake Roosevelt at about 30 feet below full pool.

Spinyrayed species, Wash.

Anglers are starting to catch smallmouth bass along the lower Snake River and in the Frenchman Hills Wasteway. However, bass fishing has been slow at Sprague Lake and at Spokane (Long) Lake.

Trollers have been taking a few keeper walleyes at the Potholes Reservoir and at Soda Lake.