Hunting & Fishing

Ducks and geese

Washington hunters who are in the right places should see a lot of birds when the duck season opens Saturday.

Unlike Idaho hunters, they’ll have to wait another week to shoot geese. The Washington goose season opens Oct. 11, but Idaho’s goose season opens Saturday.

Biologists for both states say there was a significant increase of nesting ducks in Eastern Washington and North Idaho this year. Most waters have good numbers of mallards and other puddle ducks.

A few species that migrate early, including pintails, have arrived from Canada, but the big flights will arrive in the Inland Northwest next month.

Best hunting for birds raised in the region is during the first few days of the season. Then ducks will start gathering in flocks and move to big waters such as the Potholes Reservoir and Banks Lake.

Washington had an early weeklong goose season last month. That’s why the general season won’t start until Oct. 11.

Idaho didn’t set an early season. Consequently, Idaho hunters can shoot both ducks and geese Saturday.

For the first time in many years, Washington hunters can start shooting ducks early Saturday. Opening time in Eastern Washington is 6:15 a.m. In the past, duck seasons have opened at noon.

The following Saturday, Eastern Washington hunters can start shooting geese, as well as ducks, a half-hour before dawn, or 6:40 a.m. Only pheasants and quail will be protected before noon Oct. 11.

The most popular duck hunting area in North Idaho will be on lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River. Scores of hunters will concentrate near Killarney and Rose lakes.

Hunters say they’ve seen numerous wood ducks and mallards in the area in recent weeks.

Chukars

The task of locating chukars got tougher this week as light rains may have caused the partridges to move away from water holes and streams.

Washington’s chukar and Hungarian partridge season opened Wednesday; Idaho’s season for partridges and quail opened Sept. 21.

While driving around Asotin County last weekend, I saw only one chukar covey. The last two years, on drives through the same area, I saw at least a half-dozen coveys.

There were nine birds in the covey I saw. The youngsters were young enough to be classified as peepers.

Big game

Deer and elk hunting opens in numerous North Idaho management units Oct. 10.

Meanwhile, bear hunters will continue trying to put their tags on bruins in Washington and Idaho, where bear populations reportedly are large.

Washington’s general deer season won’t open until Oct. 11. Because of last winter’s harsh weather in the Okanogan region and northeastern Washington, many deer didn’t survive. As a result, the Washington Fish and Game Commission passed rules requiring hunters to be sure a buck has three antlers on each side before shooting. It also reduced the number of doe permits.

Salmon

More than 60,000 chinook salmon are above McNary Dam. Many who have fished the Hanford Reach section of the Columbia River the last 10 days couldn’t see salmon on their sonars and had trouble catching the elusive fish.

Salmon in the Hanford Reach are moving all the time. Sometimes, they’re in the mood to hit lures. Much of the time they have lockjaw.

Fishing pressure in the Hanford Reach has been extremely heavy, with late-arriving anglers having to wait more than an hour to launch their boats at the White Bluffs ramp and at the Vernita Bridge. It pays to show up at a launch area by 4 a.m.

Anglers on their way to their favorite spots by dawn have a better chance of hooking salmon than those who start fishing after sunrise.

All Hanford Reach steelhead, wild or hatchery, must be released by salmon fishermen.

Steelhead

Not enough steelhead were above the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers last weekend for good fishing.

Campers congregated on the Snake River near Beamer’s Landing know the water just below the Grande Ronde’s mouth soon will be filled with steelhead. With the closing of the Columbia River and its tributaries to steelhead fishing, many from the Tri-Cities and Wenatchee areas are fishing the Snake and Grande Ronde rivers.

Anglers said they were shocked when the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission closed all steelhead fishing along the Columbia and its tributaries above Pasco. The commission took that action after the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the upper Columbia steelhead as endangered.

Some will still fish the rivers for steelhead, but they’ll tell wildlife agents they’re fishing for trout. They’ll release all the steelhead they hook.

Trout

Numerous lakes of Eastern Washington are providing good fishing. Among the best producers, as usual, are the selective fishery and fly fishing-only waters. Anglers reported hooking good-sized trout at Lenice, Nunnally, Ell, Chopaka and Amber lakes.

Aenaes, a fly fishing lake near Tonasket, yielded 16- to 18-inch rainbows last week, even though the lake will be treated with rotenone Oct. 8.

Several North Idaho lowland lakes, including Hauser, Fernan, the Twins, Cocolalla and Mirror, have been giving up good-sized trout. Some are starting to fish for the rainbow/cutthroat hybrids at Hayden Lake.

Spiny rays

Most of the pike fishermen have been catching lately at Lake Coeur d’Alene have been small, but the big ones, some weighing more than 20 pounds, have started to take big plugs over and near weed beds, said Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene.

He said productive areas have been in Wolf Lodge Bay, Harrison flats and the Chatcolet and Benewah lake areas.

Fishermen have been catching bass, crappies and perch at several Panhandle lakes, he said. For crappies, he recommended Black and Hayden lakes.

Kokanee

Trolling for the 10- to 12-inch kokanee in Lake Coeur d’Alene is popular, Smith said. The fish, which average 11 inches, are still in good condition.

Smith recommended anglers let out three colors of leaded line and use flashers to attract the kokanee. Productive areas have been in front of Bennett and Beauty bays in the north end and in front of Windy Bay in the south end.

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