Hunting and Fishing

Salmon and steelhead

Total steelhead count over Bonneville Dam at midweek was more than 312,000 fish. Lower Granite had marked more than 143,000. Both counts were higher than last year’s totals on the same date and slightly better than the 10-year average.

Little Goose counted 350 new fish Tuesday for a yearly total of 143,408. Angling off “The Wall” at Little Goose, however, has not been particularly good, as the turbines are shut down for repairs, altering the flow past this popular fishing spot. Nearby, the mouth of the Tucannon has been a popular destination, but fishing in the Tucannon itself is not at its best yet because chinook are still in the river. The Walla Walla River has maintained a 5.5 hours of fishing per steelhead average.

Steelhead guides on the Snake reported the best fishing in four years. Trolled plugs seem to be working better than bait. The Clearwater is good from Cherry Lane up to Kamiah, Idaho, but poor below that. Water is low. One angler reported doing extremely well at night trolling Vortex Lures near the Memorial Bridge. Anglers fishing between the South Fork and the Middle Fork of the Salmon are putting in 10 hours per fish. On the Little Salmon, five hours per fish is the average. Grande Ronde fly fishermen are doing well in both Oregon and Washington.

Near Brewster, Wash., guide Rod Hammons has been fishing the main stem of the Columbia where bait is legal. Red, black or purple marabou jigs tipped with shrimp are the main offering, with fish running 6-9 pounds, much larger than the previous two years. The ratio of hatchery to wild fish is around 50 percent. Hammons said the Methow River is getting a lot of pressure with only fair success, but it is an excellent river for fly-fishing. Info: R&R Guide Service (509) 689-284.

Idaho Fish and Game began planting adult steelhead in the Boise River on Thursday. They are trapping the fish in Hells Canyon in cooperation with Idaho Power Corporation. In surplus years, steelhead are moved to the Boise River to mitigate for the loss of fisheries caused by the Hells Canyon complex of dams. Before the dams were built, steelhead returned to spawn in the Boise, Payette and Weiser rivers.

Salmon anglers are pulling a good number of bright coho from such coastal rivers as the Elwha, Chehalis and Wynoochee. They are also still catching coho in the upper Snohomish, Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers, said Chad Jackson, WDFW biologist, but the fish are beginning to turn dark. The chum run appears to have arrived early at Hoodsport. Chum fishing should peak toward the end of the month. The Skykomish is a good bet, especially in the deep pools and sloughs downstream from Gold Bar, Jackson said.

Chinook salmon are “biting like crazy” on Lake Coeur d’Alene, according to Jeff Smith at Fins and Feathers. He said the usual helmeted herring or mini-squid are producing four to 10 fish per trip at midlake in 120 feet of water. Last Sunday, Smith had a 14-fish day, trolling 80-90 feet down at 2 mph. Info: (208) 667-9304.

Trout and kokanee

“Fat boy” triploid fishing at Rufus Woods is heating up, said Anton Jones at Darrel and Dad’s Family Guide Service, who noted a few jumbo kokanee are also being taken. He recommends pulling attractors and Wedding Rings baited with either corn or worms within 30 feet of the surface near the dam. He said if that doesn’t do it, try casting crankbaits and spinners near the shoreline. Info: 866-360-1523.

Banks Lake anglers are taking a lot of rainbow all over the lake. The area near Coulee Playland Resort and the Northrup Creek launch has been particularly productive. Try trolling a Wedding Ring behind a 4-0 dodger and three colors of leaded line. A few kokanee are also still being taken in this area, and though they are dark, Dave Altier of Coulee Playland said they are still OK for smoking.

A weekend fishing derby on Pend Oreille produced a 24-pound rainbow for Brad Sturgis of Coeur d’Alene. Surface trollers with planer boards and bucktail flies are taking a lot of big rainbows.

Lake Lenore remains open through the end of the month and the Lahontan cutthroat trout there continue to average 3 pounds each. Lenore is a selective regulation fishery with a one-trout daily limit.

Spiny ray

Perch fishing on Banks is said to be the best in 10 years. Find a spot with weeds. The fish are schooled up, so if the spot you try is not producing, or the perch are too small, moving just a few yards can make a huge difference. Smallmouth bass are also numerous.

Perch and crappie are still hitting near the I-90 Bridge on Moses Lake. At Mike’s Bait and Tackle in Moses Lake, Mike Graham said he thinks the crappie fishing is “just about back to normal.” There are rumors, in fact, that the special crappie restrictions for Moses Lake may be removed next year to coincide with statewide regulations. Crappie are also showing in good numbers off the MarDon dock.

Moses Lake is dropping, and walleye bank fishermen are finding lots of marble eyes near the spillways. Nighttime anglers are doing fairly well off the Alder Street fill. WDFW district fish biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake said walleye fishing also continues to be productive on Potholes Reservoir and Sprague Lake. Potholes has recently been kicking out some nice-sized largemouth bass from the sand dune area of the reservoir.

Rufus Woods walleye trollers and jiggers are still catching a few fish. The net pen area has been productive. On Roosevelt, the fishing focus has switched from walleye to rainbow.

It’s not too late to sample the northern pike fishing on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Throw plugs or spoons near the live weed edges in 8-15 feet of water. Coeur d’Alene smallmouth are scattered and deep, but the largemouth are grouped up. If you can find them, action should be fast.

Other species

Columbia River boat anglers fishing in the Camas/Washougal area were averaging one fish for every three or four rods in a recent creel survey. Farther upriver, bank anglers fishing just below Bonneville Dam were catching one fish for every 5.6 rods.

Hunting

Eastern Washington’s antlerless white-tailed deer hunting for youth and disabled hunters continues through Sunday in northeast game management units 105-124. The eastern Washington late buck whitetail season begins Monday at 6:25 a.m. and runs through Nov 19. There are plenty of deer, and indications are the rut is on. Any buck may be taken in units 105-124, and any whitetail with three points or better in units 127-142.

Pheasant, quail, and gray partridge hunting is holding up nicely throughout Washington and Idaho. In Walla Walla, many hunters feel they are having the best pheasant season in two decades.

This is the in-between time in Eastern Washington, when local ducks and geese are becoming wary and the northerns have not yet arrived. There has, however, been a huge migration of lesser Canadas into the Moses Lake region this week. On the West Side, the majority of waterfowl are still up in Padilla and Samish bays, but plenty of birds have already moved into the Skagit River valley. Four WDFW wildlife areas there have been planted in barley and corn to attract the birds and hold them for the season.

In Idaho, Smith at Fins and Feathers said there are lots of ducks on the south end of the system.

If last year is any indication, more than 25,000 elk hunters will take to the field for the nine-day modern-firearm season that runs Saturday through Nov. 13 in Western Washington. Last year, southwest Washington had the highest success rate (9 percent) and accounted for more kills (1,546) than any region of the state. The East Side modern firearm general elk season runs through Sunday in most units.