Hunting & Fishing
Waterfowl
Canadian ducks are starting to arrive in North Idaho and Eastern Washington in large numbers, creating new opportunities for the region’s scatter-gunners.
Hunters have been waiting for the arrival of the “northern ducks” since the opening of the waterfowl seasons last month. They know wildlife officials have predicted near-record numbers of birds will be flying out of Alberta and British Columbia to winter in the Northwest states.
For the last few weeks, hunters have complained the ducks they’ve seen have flown high and fast over their decoys. They know relatively few of the Canadian birds have seen decoy spreads or heard off-note calls by hunters.
They’re hoping to bag limits of mallards, a favorite among most hunters.
Jim Reynolds, assistant manager of the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge near Bonners Ferry, said good numbers of northern birds began arriving last week. By mid-week, the duck population was 15,000 and growing.
Arrival of the ducks resulted in good hunting. Hunters averaged two to more than four birds each.
Unfortunately for hunters, chilly temperatures began putting ice caps on small lakes and potholes. By last weekend, ice on a few shallow lakes was more than an inch thick.
If below-normal temperatures continue, many small lakes and potholes will be ice-covered in a few days, forcing ducks to big water.
Meanwhile, duck hunting should be good in most of North Idaho and Eastern Washington. It may be sensational in parts of the Columbia Basin, particularly at the Potholes Reservoir, the wasteways and most of the lakes leased by duck clubs.
Plenty of Canada geese are in the region for good hunting. Many veteran hunters have been taking limits of four geese a day the last couple of weeks.
Steelhead
If you haven’t fished for steelhead along the Snake River and its tributaries, now is the time. Fishing ranged from fair to sensational last week.
Fishery biologist Art Viola reported anglers averaged as low as 3.46 hours per steelhead to a high of 25.75 during the six-day period ending Sunday. The overall average was 9.23 hours per fish.
Averages for the lower Snake and tributaries: Tucannon, 3.46 hours; Touchet, 4.7; Lower Monumental Dam, 5; Little Goose, 10; Snake below the Tucannon’s mouth, 12.7; and Walla Walla River, 9.
Anglers have had fairly good luck along the Snake above Lower Granite Dam, with the best action at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater and near the mouth of the Grande Ronde River. The Idaho Fish and Game Department said anglers averaged 18 hours per steelhead along the Snake.
When I fly-fished the Snake across from the mouth of the Ronde last week, most boat anglers caught steelhead. Fishing from shore, I hooked four and beached two in less than 2 hours.
The Ronde’s temperature has dropped to 45 degrees and fishing has slowed. At times, though, anglers have hooked a few fish.
Steelhead fishing was excellent last weekend along the Clearwater River from Lewiston to Orofino, with anglers averaging only 4 hours per fish. All steelhead hooked this fall along the Clearwater must be released.
More than 200,000 steelhead have climbed the Bonneville Dam’s fish ladders. Nearly 75,000 have been counted at Lower Granite Dam.
Enough steelhead are in the Columbia above Priest Rapids Dam for good fishing along the Wenatchee River. However, fewer than 1,000 have been counted at Wells Dam. Fishing has been slow along the Methow.
Chinook salmon
If you want to catch a chinook salmon, troll at Lake Coeur d’Alene this weekend. If the fishing is as good as it was last weekend, you’ll almost certainly hook a chinook.
Jeff Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop said trolling for chinooks, many weighing 7 to 11 pounds, was sensational Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “Nearly all boats came in with fish. I’ve never seen salmon fishing so good at the lake.”
Smith recommended trolling either Hot Spot flashers ahead of Mini-Squids or herring dodgers in front of helmeted herrings. He suggested trolling 1.5 to 2 mph from Tubbs Hill to Bennett Bay or off Arrow point.
Big game
Deer hunters may have some tracking snow in the hills this weekend. Much of the snow that fell this week throughout deer areas survived the melt.
Both Idaho and Washington hunters still have a week or so to tag deer.
Upland birds
The only pheasant and partridge hunters in the fields of Eastern Washington are the hard-core shooters who have good dogs.
Pheasant populations are as low as they’ve been in several years, but there are a few spots, particularly along the Snake River and in the lower Columbia Basin, where hunters have been finding enough birds for fair shooting.
Trout, Washington
With most trout lakes closed, anglers’ options are somewhat limited. However, there are a few lakes where big trout can be taken.
Lenore, which holds big Lahontan cutthroat, will remain open this month. The cutthroat aren’t easy to take, but they’re big and worth the time and effort. Fly fishers have been using scuds, Woolly Buggers and streamers; spin fishermen have been tossing and trolling spoons and spinners.
The 12- to 22-inch rainbows in Rocky Ford Creek are extremely wary, but fly fishers have done well at times on scud and midge patterns and Woolly Buggers.
Trollers are continuing to catch some good-sized rainbows along Lake Roosevelt. Productive areas have been near the mouth of the Spokane River, the Hawk Creek area and Keller Ferry.
Trout, Idaho
Lake Pend Oreille has started giving up big rainbows. Smith said trollers, using big bucktail or polar bear streamers off planing boards, caught several 20- to 23-pounders last weekend.
Trout, Montana
Rivers in the Missoula area are still providing fair to good fishing, Gary Westerland, manager of Streamside Anglers, said. However, midges are about the only bugs hatching.
Westerland recommended fly fishers use Parachute Adams, midges, streamers and bead head nymphs along the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers and Rock Creek. Best fishing, he said, is in the afternoons.
Bass
Smith said bass fishing was excellent last weekend at lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River. The bass, many in the 3- to 5-pound class, are gorging themselves as the water cools. They’ll soon be hard to catch.
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