Hunting and Fishing

Fri., Dec. 23, 2005

The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Try spraying your line, reel and rod guides with Pam to eliminate ice build-up during cold weather.

Overheard

Rat Lake, about 7 miles north of Brewster, Wash., is kicking out fast limits of 7- to 9-inch rainbow. Small jigs tipped with corn are taking the fish through 7 inches of ice.

Braggin' rights

Ken Burgess and his 85-year-old grandfather, "Bud" Snyder, both of Idaho, drew an elk tag after three years of trying in Unit 30 along the Continental Divide outside of Salmon, Idaho. In November, Bud claimed his biggest bull elk, making a 400-yard shot. Two days later, Ken shot his elk, a nice 6-by-5 in nearly the same location. Two nice bulls and a season of new memories – not a bad harvest for a grandson and his grandfather.

Heads up

» The Idaho spring steelhead season opens on Jan. 1 with limits of three a day, nine in possession and 20 per season. If you catch your limit you must stop fishing for steelhead that day, including catch-and-release fishing. Be sure to have your 2006 fishing license and steelhead permit.

“Washington hunting activity reports for black bear, deer, elk and turkey are due by Jan. 31.

“Though Washington does not have a hole-size restriction for ice anglers, there is no reason to create a hazard for someone else by cutting one larger than 10 inches, which is the maximum allowed in Idaho. Eight inches is plenty big for all but the largest pike.

Salmon and steelhead

The Grande Ronde is still frozen and not likely to open up for several days. Once it does, there is usually a short period of muddy water. When that has run its course, the river can really heat up. Look for excellent fishing from mid-January through February.

In Starbuck, Wash., Verna Foley at Darver Tackle said die-hard steelheaders are still taking a few fish. Best luck has come below the Lyons Ferry Hatchery and at the mouth of the Tucannon.

The Clearwater is still low and fishing is tough. Anglers are putting in 15 hours per fish. North Fork fishermen are averaging 7 hours per fish. Rumor has it that the South Fork near Clear Creek is the hot spot.

The Methow and Okanogan rivers are pretty much frozen up, so most fishing is taking place at the mouth of the Methow and above Wells Dam with bobbers and jigs. Ice and cold water make the fish move out of the Methow into the Columbia, creating pretty good fishing there.

Trout and kokanee

Spokane anglers Al Rettmann, Bill Wagstaff and Mike Johnson had Rufus Woods Lake all to themselves this week, and they all caught limits of 3- to 8-pound triploids, plus one 4-pound walleye trolling “little plugs.” Ordinarily, the trio use large Rapalas for their Rufus fish, but this trip the rainbows wanted nothing to do with them.

Bank fishing at Rufus can also be good. The trout move into more shallow water to feed on snails in the weeds, and Power Bait or marshmallows suspended 20 inches above the bottom are taking fish. I heard of three anglers who opted not to launch a boat last week at Rufus, casting instead from the shore at the Seaton Grove launch and taking several fat triploids.

Area boat launches are generally in good shape. You may want to include a shovel and a bag of sand in your truck, however, as the ramps can get icy. Lake Roosevelt trollers and bank fisherman are catching a lot of 21- to 24-inch rainbow from Lincoln on down. Slightly smaller fish are showing near Seven-Bays. Several anglers have noted that a fast troll seems to be most effective.

Rock Lake plunkers are using steelhead slip bobbers off the cliffs for good catches of rainbow and browns. Mealworms are working well. Moses Lake is seeing a fair amount of ice-fishing activity around the I-90 bridge. Maggots are popular for a few trout, as well as perch and crappie.

Deepwater trap netting has indicated a significant increase in Pend Oreille lake trout numbers over the past two years. About 1,600 have been caught in 15,000 hours of effort, compared to 1,100 lake trout in 31,000 hours in 2003-04. The population estimate for lake trout is around 10,700 fish of more than 20 inches, compared to 6,400 fish in 2003-04. All salvageable lake trout and lake whitefish caught in these nets are filleted and donated to area food banks.

The warming trend has not yet affected the integrity of the ice at Hog Canyon, Fourth of July, Williams or Eloika. There was little or no snow on top, so although slippery, they are not as soupy as they sometimes get during a thaw. Fishing has been good.

Spiny ray

There is some ice fishing going on at Banks Lake, but a good part of the lake is not frozen, and the south end, where there is ice, is unsafe. There is fishable ice in some of the bays, such as Osborn and at Little Thompson Lake by the State Park. At Coulee Playland Resort, Dave Altier said the launch is still useable, but anglers are having good luck for perch and some trout by casting from shore. He suggests moving around until you find the schools of larger fish.

Winter walleye should fire up at Rufus Woods soon. Rufus is a good place to jig for walleye, as the more shallow water eliminates fish mortality so common for deep-water jiggers on Roosevelt.

Sprague Lake ice anglers are finding good ice and a few walleye and perch. Keep your eye on the weather if you intend to fish Sprague, as the valley is subject to high winds, which can change the integrity of the ice overnight.

Eloika Lake has been a popular destination this week, and anglers are making good catches of small perch. The best fishing has been early and late. Try a Swedish Pimple tipped with maggots.

A few ice anglers are hitting Waitts Lake bays for perch and trout, but there’s not enough ice there yet for careless exploration. Some nice perch, as well as browns and rainbows, are showing.

Other species

For some families, digging razor clams is a holiday tradition, and this year’s tides are working in their favor. The next opening is tentatively scheduled at all five ocean beaches Dec. 30 through New Year’s Day, with a fourth day of digging planned Jan. 2 at Twin Harbors and Mocrocks beaches only. If upcoming tests show the clams are safe to eat, digging will be allowed on those beaches between noon and midnight.

Starting New Year’s Day, sturgeon retention will be allowed from Bonneville Dam to McNary Dam with a one-fish daily limit. Check rules online at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.

Hunting

A drive between Steptoe and Winona recently reinforced rumors that there are still a lot of pheasants out there. I saw feeding birds in flocks of 100 or more along the road in late afternoon. Ducks are another story, as most of them have headed to the Tri-Cities. Still, some can be found on small, running water on the Palouse River and Rock Creek.

The extra days of goose hunting between Christmas and New Year’s could be productive in Walla Walla County along the Snake River and its confluence with the Columbia near the Tri-Cities. Goose Management Area 4 (including Walla Walla, Spokane and Lincoln counties) normally operates on a Saturday-Sunday-Wednesday-only season, but this week goose hunting will be allowed on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and next Friday.

Fish and Game officers in Idaho have investigated and solved an increasing number of violations in which one hunter shoots multiple animals then attempts to hide it or uses and attaches another person’s big-game tag to the animal. Referred to as “party hunting,” this activity is not only illegal, but it artificially inflates harvest success, which is important in setting hunting seasons. When wildlife managers observe increased harvest levels that are unhealthy for a population, they are forced to set tag limits, manage by controlled hunts or eliminate the hunts entirely. Result: The ethical, law-abiding hunter loses another opportunity.

Idaho Fish and Game wildlife biologists are revving up the annual aerial surveys of game animals across the state, primarily mule deer and elk. The first results of this winter’s Fish and Game big-game counts show an encouraging increase in mule deer in Unit 22, where 1,624 deer were counted, compared to last year’s count of 908.