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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hunting & Fishing

Fenton Roskelley Correspondent

Waterfowl, Idaho

Wildlife biologists say there are plenty of birds from the Canadian border to the Snake River for excellent shooting when Idaho’s waterfowl season opens Saturday.

The most popular areas, as usual, will be on and near the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge near Bonners Ferry, on and near Pend Oreille and Coeur d’Alene lakes, and along the Clearwater and Snake rivers.

The heaviest pressure in the Panhandle will be on and near Killarney Lake. Hunters will launch their boats on the Coeur d’Alene River and move to favorite areas for the opening of shooting. The limit is seven ducks a day and 14 in possession after the first day. A limit can’t include more than one canvasback, one hen mallard, two pintails and 2 redheads.

Incidentally, the cost of hunting waterfowl in Idaho went up $1.50 this year. Idaho hunters not only must have a hunting license ($7.50), federal ($15) and state (6.50) waterfowl stamps, but a federal migratory game Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) validation that costs $1.50.

The HIP is for a good cause. Idaho and several other states are cooperating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a program to gather better information on the killing of migratory game birds. The states are collecting the names and addresses of all their migratory bird hunters, along with a brief record of their previous hunting experience.

Idaho’s goose hunting season opened last Saturday.

Waterfowl, Washington

Washington’s first-ever youth waterfowl hunt is set for Saturday for kids 15 years old and under who have completed hunter education requirements. No geese can be taken on that day. Youths who are accompanied by a licensed hunter over 18 years old can take the regular daily limit of ducks, coots or snipe.

Partridges, Quail

Chukar hunting could be good this weekend along the breaks of the Snake, Clearwater, Grande Ronde and Salmon rivers, as well as along Asotin Creek. Because clear, warm weather has dried the grasses, birds once again are staying near springs, creeks and the rivers. Some hunters, traveling by boat along the Snake last weekend, spotted chukars near the river and beached their boats to break up coveys. Recent rains have resulted in growth of grasses along the rivers.

Many of the birds shot during the opening weekend of seasons in Idaho and Washington were what hunters call “peepers,” or very young or small birds. They’ve had a chance to grow nearly as large as the adults.

Steelhead

Steelhead fishing is improving along the Snake River above Asotin. Anglers who fished the Snake just below the mouth of the Grande Ronde River last weekend did well.

Fishing also was good along the lower Ronde, with anglers hooking and releasing 4- to 7-pound fish. All steelhead hooked in the lower 2-1/2 miles of the river must be released.

Not enough steelhead have reached the lower Salmon River for consistently good fishing. Although numerous anglers back-trolled the river near its mouth last weekend, only a few steelhead were taken.

Anglers have been hooking fair numbers of steelhead above and below Little Goose and Monumental dams. Fishing hasn’t been outstanding in the Lower Granite Dam area.

The Corps of Engineers has counted more than 67,000 at Ice Harbor Dam and more than 45,000 at Lower Granite Dam. Most of these fish are moving up the Snake and into the Grande Ronde and Salmon rivers.

Water temperatures are in the low 60s along the Snake River, and steelhead are moving fast toward their spawning grounds.

Indications are that this year’s steelhead run over Bonneville Dam will be about the same size as last year’s, about 200,000.

Idaho steelheaders are upset because Washington and Oregon allowed Indian tribes to gillnet large numbers of steelhead in the Columbia River.

Idaho Steelhead & Salmon Unlimited said in a news release that “even though the tribes voluntarily agreed to ending gillnet fishing in the Columbia last Friday, ISSU is fearful it may be too late now to insure enough steelhead returning to Idaho for a sports fishing season on the Clearwater River.”

Only about 2,800 have been counted at Wells Dam along the Columbia River, an indication that this will be another poor year for steelheaders along the Methow River. A few have been caught in the Columbia just below the Methow’s mouth and in the lower Methow, but the fishing has been spotty.

Salmon

If you haven’t tried your luck for big chinook salmon along the Hanford Reach, now is the time to drive either to the White Bluffs launch ramp or to the Vernita Bridge and join the mob on the river. The fishing should peak the next week.

About 65,000 fall chinooks have been counted at McNary Dam and most of them are in the Hanford Reach above the Tri-Cities. From now until the chinooks turn too dark to interest anglers any longer, the river will look like West Medical Lake on an opening day. Consider trying Magnum Warts and Blue Fox spinners. Choose red, pink and silver Warts for a start and No. 5 and No. 6 Blue Foxes in green and red. You’ll be back trolling the Warts and drifting the Blue Foxes. Some anglers are doing well on herring.

Be sure to buy a food-fish license. You’ll need the license in addition to a standard state fishing license.

Salmon fishing is picking up at Lake Coeur d’Alene. Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop said anglers, trolling helmeted herring 20 to 40 feet deep, are catching immature chinooks that average 4 to 7 pounds. Best fishing is between Arrow and Hudson points.

Trout

Anglers caught numerous 9- to 10-inch rainbows, as well as some carryover 12- to 16-inchers, when Jameson Lake in Douglas County was reopened Monday.

Because the lake wasn’t fished as heavily as normal during the first part of the split season, it apparently has good numbers of 2- and 3-year-old trout.

Amber, Browns, Dry Falls, Lenore and Ell lakes, all specially managed for large trout, are providing fair to good fishing. Many trout lakes were closed to fishing Sunday, but hundreds are still open to fishing.

October caddisflies are continuing to hatch along trout streams in Idaho and Montana. When the big orange-bodied flies are hatching, the biggest trout in such rivers as the Clark Fork, Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe stuff themselves.

The October caddisflies also are hatching along the Snake and Clearwater rivers and both trout and smallmouth bass go after them. However, the hatches are somewhat sparse and the smaller caddisflies attract the most attention.

Biologists will be using rotenone next week to kill scrap fish in a few of the region’s lakes to make them better producers of trout. Schedules call for treating Swan Lake in Ferry County and Williams and Cedar lakes in Stevens County on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kokanee

Lake Coeur d’Alene is the best place to go to catch kokanee. Fister said that anglers are catching 25-fish limits of 11- to 12-inch kokanee from the surface down to about 20 feet. The fish are still in excellent shape, he said.

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