Hunting & Fishing

Chukars

The early season for chukar and

Hungarian partridges in Asotin and Garfield counties and parts of Whitman and Columbia counties opened today.

Wildlife biologists have reported that aerial surveys indicated that this will be one of the worst seasons on record for chukar hunters.

The biologists don’t have much information on Hungarian partridges, but they believe cold rains also affected survival of the young of those birds.

The Fish and Wildlife

Department controls access to several thousand acres of land in Asotin County. However, much good partridge habitat is on private property and a lot of it has been leased by hunting clubs.

Hunters have had to hunt long and hard to take a few chukars in Idaho along the Snake and Clearwater river breaks since the Idaho season opened. The quail population reportedly is large enough for good hunting and more pheasants were seen than expected.

Steelhead

Although water temperatures of the Snake River are still in the high 60s, fishing has been fair to good in a few places along the lower river.

About 60,000 steelhead have climbed the fish ladders at McNary Dam and most of them are starting up the Snake River. More than 20,000 have been counted at Lower Granite since May 31.

The most productive spots the next few days may be just above McNary Dam, near Little Goose, near the mouth of the Tucannon and the lower Clearwater. Some steelhead have been caught in the Snake near the mouth of the Grande Ronde River and in the lower Ronde.

Salmon

With more than 40,000 chinook salmon now in the Columbia River above McNary Dam, the section from the White Bluffs to Priest Rapids Dam should be dotted with anglers’ boats this weekend.

The most productive section is from a few miles below Vernita bridge to nearly the Priest Rapids Dam. However, many anglers will back troll and drift lures and bait the first half-dozen miles above the White Bluffs.

Anglers no longer have to remove triple hooks from sinking lures. The Fish and Wildlife Department this year changed the regulation governing the use of triple hooks. In past years, anglers were required to use only single hooks on weighted lures; however, triple hooks were legal on floating lures.

Trout, Washington

Continued above-normal temperatures have affected fishing adversely at most Eastern Washington lakes.

For example, the algae bloom at Lenore Lake, a selective fishery water, is still dense and the fishing for big Lahontan cutthroat has been slow most of the time.

Fishing has been fair to good, however, at Chopaka Lake northwest of Loomis. The fly fishing-only lake is yielding 14- to 20-inch rainbows.

Trolling for Lake Roosevelt’s rainbows have been spotty.

Trout, Idaho

The St. Joe and Lochsa rivers and Kelly Creek are still the best places to hook good-sized cutthroat. Fishing has been only fair along the Coeur d’Alene River.

October caddisflies have been hatching along some rivers, including the St. Joe. Fly fishers said the big, orange-bodied flies have been bringing trout to 18 inches to the surface.

Trout, Montana

Big October caddisflies are hatching along all the trout streams in the Missoula area, Gary Westerland, manager of Streamside Anglers, reported. Fly fishers are using large orange-bodied Stimulators to imitate the flies. The Stimulators also suggest hoppers, which are plentiful.

Westerland said the lower Clark Fork is in excellent condition, with October caddis, Baetis mayflies and midges hatching. Best fishing is early and late, he said. He suggested fly fishers try Stimulators, Baetis cripples and bead head flies.

October caddisflies also are hatching along the Bitterroot, he said. Also hatching are Baetis mayflies.

Fly fishers are casting Stimulators along Rock Creek. The patterns suggest both hoppers and fall caddis. Most of the trout are small, but anglers can expect a couple of larger fish to 16 inches.

Spinyrayed species

Bass fishermen will compete for big money at Lake Coeur d’Alene this weekend. If enough anglers register, the winning two-man team will take home $2,000 and the second-place winners will pocket $1,000. It costs $100 per team. The buddy tournament is being sponsored by the Fins & Feathers shop and contestants will operate out of the Squaw Bay Resort.

Northern pike fishing has been slow during sunny days, but should pike up when the weather changes, said Jeff Smith of the F&F shop.

Best fishing for good-sized perch is along the first 2 or 3 miles below the spot where the Spokane River leaves Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Grouse

Hunters have contributed enough grouse wings in the five “wing barrels” in northeastern Washington for the Fish and Wildlife Department to conclude that the grouse population is about one-third smaller than last year’s.

Kokanee

Kokanee are still taking anglers’ lures and bait at several lakes in the region. They’re still in excellent condition at Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene and Pend Oreille lakes and the Dworshak Reservoir and at Koocanusa Lake. Loon’s kokanee are fast turning dark.

Fastest fishing apparently is at Coeur d’Alene Lake. Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop said that trollers who get their lures down to the right depth are taking 25-fish limits of fish that average 9 inches, with some to 10 inches.

Fishing hasn’t been nearly as fast at Lake Pend Oreille, but trollers have been hooking fair numbers of fish that are slightly larger than those at Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Fishing has been slow at Koocanusa and few anglers are taking 20-fish limits.

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