Hunting & Fishing

Geese, Idaho

Most veteran goose hunters likely will take home Canada geese when Idaho’s goose season opens Saturday.

Biologists say geese produced large numbers of goslings during their nesting season. They predict that hunters who set up decoys in harvested grain fields, near winter wheat fields and on North Idaho lakes, will see lots of birds.

Most productive hunting probably will be on and near Coeur d’Alene and Pend Oreille lakes, on and near the Kootenai National Refuge in Boundary County, harvested fields in Kootenay, Benewah and Nez Perce counties, and along the Snake and Clearwater rivers. The limit will be four geese a day and, after the first day, eight in possession.

Idaho’s duck season will open Oct. 5.

Chukars & quail

Although surveys indicated chukar numbers are higher than last year in southeastern Washington and North Idaho, hunting pressure was unusually light along the Snake, Clearwater, Grande Ronde and Salmon river breaks last weekend.

It’s possible that heavy rainstorms before the opener Saturday discouraged many hunters. Chukars, which stay close to water during dry weather, usually scatter over wide areas and are much harder to find after rainstorms.

Neither Washington nor Idaho wildlife agencies open checking stations for the partridge and quail seasons. Consequently, data on how well hunters did is not available.

The Spokane regional office of the Fish and Wildlife Department reported gunners averaged a little more than one chukar each during opening weekend.

Steve Nadeau, Lewiston region wildlife biologist for the Idaho Fish and Game Department, said hunters found large coveys of chukars during the weekend. Average size of a family covey this year is 11 birds. Some families have joined others, creating exceptionally large coveys.

Doves

Idaho’s dove season will end Monday.

Although there have been enough doves along the Snake and Clearwater rivers for fair shooting, pressure has been virtually nil since opening week.

Washington’s season ended Sept. 15.

Steelhead

With the Snake River’s water temperatures in the low 60s, steelhead are moving steadily up the Snake and Grande Ronde rivers. About 200,000 have been counted at Bonneville Dam, more than 80,000 at McNary and nearly 30,000 at Lower Granite. The count at Wells is only about 2,400.

Fishermen have been hooking steelhead all along the Snake, but primarily above and below Lower Monumental and Little Goose dams and in the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers.

Most of the A-run steelhead that moved a few miles up the Clearwater River when the Snake’s temperature was high are moving up the Snake. Fishing has been slow in the Clearwater.

The Ronde and the Snake were off color following rainstorms last week. They should be clear enough for good fishing this weekend.

Salmon

It’s getting crowded along the Columbia River from the White Bluffs launch ramp nearly to Priest Rapids Dam. The free-flowing river is dotted with boats from dawn to dark .

Plenty of fall chinook salmon are in the Hanford Reach section of the Columbia. More than 60,000 have climbed the fish ladders at McNary Dam. Most will move up the Columbia.

However, the chinooks often get “lockjaw.” For example, fishing was excellent two days last week and poor the rest of the week, even though fishermen frequently saw salmon rolling on the surface. Unpredictable releases from Priest Rapids Dam can raise water levels and make fishing difficult.

Nearly all anglers are backtrolling or drifting Magnum Warts and similar floating plugs or Blue Fox spinners. Some are hooking the big chinooks on herring.

Pressure will be heavy this weekend if the weather is reasonably fair. The fishing will peak about mid-October.

A Lake Washington coho salmon fishing season will open an hour before sunrise on Tuesday. Ironically, the season is possible because south Puget Sound coho runs are far below expectations. Net fisheries have been canceled. About twice as many coho as last year are expected to run into Lake Washington.

Trout, Washington

Numerous Eastern Washington lakes, including West Medical and Medical, will be closed to fishing after Monday. Regulations will change for some lakes.

Amber, a selective fishery lake in Spokane County, will remain open through Nov. 30, but all trout hooked must be released after Monday. Ending of the consumptive season probably will discourage anglers who have been fishing illegally with bait near the public access area.

Jameson in Douglas County is on a split season. The first part ended July 4. The second part will open Tuesday and continue through October.

Although many lakes will be closed after Monday, seasons for numerous others will remain open. Lakes that still hold good-sized trout are providing fair to good fishing. Amber, Dry Falls, Lenore, Lenice and Ell have been among the better producers.

Trout, Idaho

Temperatures of North Idaho’s cutthroat streams are dropping fast and the mature fish apparently are migrating down to deep holes.

Some anglers, particularly fly fishers, are looking for big cutthroat along the lower ends of the Coeur d’Alene, St. Joe and Lochsa rivers.

Most are fishing the Panhandle’s lakes. Among the most productive have been Priest, where mackinaw trout are hitting baited lures, Hauser and Fernan.

The big rainbows in Lake Pend Oreille are near the surface, according to Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop in Coeur d’Alene. Most anglers are trolling with monofilament lines.

Kokanee

Trollers are taking 25-fish limits of 9- to 11-inch kokanee in about 4 hours, Fister said. The kokanee are near the surface, so most anglers are using mono line with about a half ounce of lead ahead of multiple flashers. Most are trolling in Mica and Beauty bays and off Booth Park. The late-spawning kokanee are still in excellent condition.

Trout, Montana

October caddisflies are hatching along the Clark Fork River, Collin Tapp of Streamside Anglers reported. Imitations of Green Drake mayflies are providing fast action along the Bitterroot.

Most fly fishers are using size 8 through 12 orange and yellow Stimulators to imitate the October caddisflies, which usually start hatching early each afternoon, he said. Mahogany Dun mayflies are continuing to hatch along the Clark Fork River and Rock Creek, but the hatch may be tapering off. Water temperatures have dropped into the mid-50s.

Tapp said fly fishers are hooking good numbers of big trout along the Bitterroot during the Green Drake hatch.

Big brown trout are starting to move up Rock Creek from the Clark Fork River to spawn, Tapp said. Most anglers are using Parachute Adams to simulate the small mayflies currently hatching.

Spiny rays

Pike fishing is holding up at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Fister said. Anglers are hooking fish over weed beds, using big plugs, Daredevle spoons and spinner baits.

The hotspot in Eastern Washington is the Potholes Reservoir. Wildlife agent Dan Rahn said anglers are hooking lots of keeper-size walleyes and big bass. A legal walleye must be 18 inches long.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - Fishing & Hunting Report