Hunting & Fishing

New year’s rules

Generally speaking, sportsmen who intend to fish or hunt after Sunday must purchase a new state license.

Washington, however, has added two new twists for special permits in 1996.

According to page 2 of the state waterfowl regulations, hunters pursuing ducks and geese can continue to hunt with 1995 stamps AND licenses through the current seasons, which end Jan. 21 in Eastern Washington.

However, upland bird hunters must, as usual, purchase a 1996 general hunting license to finish the quail and partridge season, which runs through Jan. 7.

Steelheaders must purchase both a 1996 fishing license and a 1996 steelhead report card. In the past, the steelhead cards have been valid into April.

Starting Monday, steelheaders can keep 30-inch-plus hatchery steelhead hooked in the Snake above Clarkston and in the Clearwater.

Both Idaho and Washington wildlife commissions passed emergency regulations last fall prohibiting the keeping of steelhead more than 30 inches long caught in the Snake and Clearwater rivers. The rules were enacted after biologists predicted an almost disastrous run of Clearwater fish.

The number of B-steelhead at Bonneville was the lowest on record. However, due to good passage conditions, a surprisingly high percentage of the fish made it to Lower Granite Dam. About 2,500 more hatchery B-steelhead were counted at the dam than had been predicted in the early fall.

Lake fishing, Washington

Ice may be thick enough to support anglers safely at a few Washington lakes this weekend. Most popular lakes were covered with thin sheets of ice earlier this week.

Don’t take chances even though you may see others on the ice. Make sure before you walk out on it that the ice is at least 4 inches thick.

When the ice is safe, consider fishing Sprague Lake. A few anglers hooked good numbers of perch, crappies and bluegills just before the lake froze over.

Three men, fishing out of a boat in the upper end, caught lots of fish, including a walleye. Most of the perch and crappies they hooked were too small to keep, but they did keep some 10- to 11-inch perch and 8-inch crappies. Nearly all of the bluegills they caught were large enough to keep.

One angler hooked and lost a big rainbow and another caught a 16-inch walleye.

Ice fishing will improve after a few inches of snow has fallen and the fish can no longer see anglers above them.

Fourth of July and Hog Canyon lakes are the best bets for rainbows in the Spokane region. Hog Canyon’s trout are 9 to 17 inches long, with most 12 to 14 inches. Fourth of July’s fish are big, averaging more than 15 inches. Because an angler can keep only two trout over 14 inches, most fishermen, unable to catch fish under that length, have taken home only two trout.

Clear, Silver, Waitts, Newman and Eloika lakes should provide fair fishing when the ice is a few inches thick. Clear and Silver hold nicesized brown trout. Waitts has small perch and a few trout. Newman has small perch and bluegills and Eloika usually provides good fishing for small perch.

Lake fishing, Idaho

Some of North Idaho’s lakes may be covered with enough ice this weekend to support anglers safely, Jeff Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene said.

Smith predicted lakes in Boundary County will be the first in the Panhandle to have safe ice. Then Kootenai County lakes will get 3 to 4 inches of ice.

Most small- and medium-sized lakes are ice-covered, but there wasn’t enough ice for safe fishing earlier this week.

Rose Lake east of Coeur d’Alene may have enough ice for safe fishing this weekend, Smith said. Anglers have had good luck fishing for 7- to 9-inch perch and crappies.

Steelhead

Fishing ws sensational along several Snake River tributaries last weekend. The report from Art Viola, fisheries biologist: Walla Walla River, 58 anglers, 3.5 hours per steelhead; Touchet River, 34 anglers, 2.9 hours; Tucannon River, 14 anglers, 4.5 hours; Grande Ronde River, 50 anglers, 3.17 hours; Mill Creek, 13 anglers, 11.7 hours.

Water temperatures are low, in some cases below 40 degrees. Steelhead don’t move much when the temperature drops below 39 degrees. Consequently, most anglers are plunking with bait in holes.

Best steelhead fishing along the Ronde has been from Bogan’s to the Washington-Oregon border.

Jig and bobber fishing is the way to go above and below Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental and Little Goose dams. Most anglers fish from shore, but some anchor boats a hundred yards or so from shore.

When using bobbers, anglers bait their hooks with shrimp, nightcrawlers and salmon eggs. Shrimp is usually the bait of choice.

Waterfowl

Hundreds of small lakes and potholes are covered with ice and most ducks and geese have moved to big lakes and streams.

Most ducks and geese have left North Idaho, Smith said. Hunting has been poor.

The Columbia Basin has plenty of ducks and geese for excellent hunting. Small lakes and potholes are ice-covered and most birds are on the Potholes Reservoir, Moses Lake and the wasteways.

As the bigger lakes freeze over, the birds will move to the Columbia and Snake rivers. However, hunters said only a few ducks were on the Columbia above Ringold Springs last weekend.

Upland birds

Washington’s pheasant season will end Sunday, but seasons for partridges and quail will remain open another week.

Hunters won’t have much competition this weekend. The pheasant population is low and the birds are wild. If the temperatures are low Saturday and Sunday, the birds may be reluctant to fly. Most likely, however, hunters will have trouble getting near enough to the birds for a shot or two.

Some hunters have found enough quail for good shooting. Best hunting has been along the brushy draws of the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Chinook salmon

Lake Coeur d’Alene is still muddy as the result of runoff from the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers. However, trollers are still catching 6- to 9-pound chinooks according to Smith.

Chinooks were 70 to 100 feet deep last weekend.

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