Hunting+Fishing

Fri., Oct. 12, 2007

Alan Liere Correspondent

Tip of the week

With luck, you'll be looking for some new ways to cook waterfowl after this weekend. An excellent source of recipes is www.deltawaterfowl.org/waterfowling

/recipes/

Overheard

Oregon chukar hunters don't seem to be finding any more birds than hunters in Idaho and Washington. A group hunting the Leslie Gulch area near Owyhee Reservoir saw 70 chukars last weekend where they had seen 500 the year before.

Heads up

“A 20-mile stretch of the Wenatchee River opens for steelhead fishing Oct. 22. It will be the first steelhead season on the Wenatchee in 10 years.

“Despite what you may have heard, Idaho Fish and Game has not approved laser range finders attached to a rifle for big-game hunting. A gun dealer's ad confused changes in the rules that allow lighted reticles in rifle scopes.

“Though there will be some adipose fin-clipped fall chinook and coho salmon in the Snake and Clearwater rivers this fall, there is no open season for these fish, said Idaho fisheries biologist Larry Barrett. "If there is any black in the mouth, it's a salmon and must be released immediately," Barrett said.

“Drano Lake was originally scheduled to be closed from 6 p.m. Tuesdays through 6 p.m. Wednesdays during October to avoid conflicts between a tribal commercial fishery and the sport fishery. The Yakama Nation has decided not to conduct the commercial fishery, so the lake will remain open daily through Oct. 31.

Salmon and steelhead

The steelhead harvest fishing season opens Monday on the Clearwater River above the Memorial Bridge on U.S. Highway 12 near Lewiston. There are fish in the river, but it is low and the bite has been sporadic. The number of boats at the Clearwater confluence recently would indicate the majority of fish are still holding.

Steelheading in the Pateros area for 3- to 5-pound fish has had a fair start. Many anglers are taking their fish off the docks, but catches are also coming from the Bridgeport area.

At Darver Tackle, Verna Foley said the steelhead bite off The Wall has been sporadic. Above Little Goose Dam, the north shore has been productive.

The mouth of the Tucannon is still attracting lots of steelhead anglers. Bobber and shrimp fishing remains hot from either boat or shore.

At Boggan’s Oasis on the Grande Ronde, Bill Vail said pluggers are doing better than fly fishermen except at the mouth. The river was clear at midweek, running at 607 cfs. Most fish are 5-9 pounds.

Anglers average 16 hours per salmon caught on the Yakima River last week. On the lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam, anglers are catching some fall chinook and coho. Bonneville Pool boat anglers are catching a mixture of fall chinook, coho and steelhead. Monday is the last scheduled day for the night closure/nonbuoyant lure restriction.

The Ringold steelhead fishery, which opened Oct. 1, has been slow. On the Hanford Reach, anglers’ effort is down, but the catch is greater than last year’s. Anglers averaged a chinook for each 14 pole hours.

Chinook salmon are staying around 80-90 feet deep in Coeur d’Alene Lake. Try large flashers, green minisquids or helmeted herring off of downriggers. The best fishing for chinook is in the north end of the lake. They are averaging 4-5 pounds

Trout

Lake Roosevelt rainbow are showing more frequently from Two Rivers down. The fish appear to be suspended at 28-32 feet, so five colors of leaded line and 45 feet of leader should get you there. Double Whammy’s and flashers are working.

On Rufus Woods Reservoir, anglers are catching a lot of 2- to 6-pound triploids by casting quarter-ounce black Roostertails at shoreline points and other current breaks. Marabou jigs are also taking fish on the bottom, especially by the net pens. Look for larger fish suspended in deeper water away from shore.

Silver Bow Fly Shop reported good trout fishing on the St. Joe and the North Fork Coeur d’Alene. Go small, with midges or October caddis. The Clearwater is erratic and isn’t seeing any consistent dry fly action. Nymphs and streamers are the ticket. On Amber Lake, Water Boatmen and chironomids are taking fish right off shore.

Rainbow trout 3-6 pounds are hitting deep-diving plugs off Medicare Beach on Potholes Reservoir. Troll at 8 feet in 24 feet of water.

The Lake Pend Oreille Halloween Fishing Derby runs Oct. 27-28 out of Garfield Bay. Anglers will go after kams and macks. Info: (208) 255-7731.

Idaho anglers are finding good trout fishing on Cocolalla and Fernan lakes. Trolled streamer flies are popular on Cocolalla and worms or Power Bait on Fernam.

Priest Lake macks are spawning and the bite is off. Nevertheless, a friend fished Mack Alley in 150 feet of water this weekend and boated nine, all on a chartreuse dodger and Glo-Hootchie. He said all weighed 5-6 pounds

Spiny ray

In Idaho, bass and northern pike fishing has been good on some of the chain lakes, especially Killarney and Black. Anglers have been casting lipless crank baits at the weed lines.

Northern Pike fishing has also been good on Hayden Lake. Try using weedless spoons or Rapalas. Fish averaging 3-10 pounds are hanging around weed beds in about 12 feet of water.

Walleye, smallmouth and largemouth fishing on Banks Lake is still good, with all fish beginning to school as they enter their fall patterns. Big perch and walleye will move into the weed lines in 8-12 feet of water as soon as the temperature nudges 50 degrees. Jigs and plugs in perch and crawfish patterns will be hot.

Banks Lake fishermen are finding lots of walleye dragging bottom bouncers. The big fish, however, are suspended at around 22 feet.

After a no-show summer, crappie are biting voraciously off the Lyons Ferry Marina docks. There have also been reports of good crappie fishing from Eloika and Chapman.

There is still a lot of sand showing, but the water is up a little in the Potholes Sand Dunes, and bass anglers are taking some largemouth again. As always, smallmouth are hitting along the dam

Walleye fishing on Rufus Woods has been slow, but boat anglers in the Camas/Washougal area of the lower Columbia have been doing well.

WDFW was spreading rotenone in Sprague Lake Tuesday and Wednesday. No dead fish were showing yet when I stopped by early Tuesday, but on Cow Lake, which had been poisoned a week previously, thousands of carp and 3-inch crappie littered the shoreline. Prior to treatment at Sprague, WDFW crews salvaged 4,000 black crappie and 60 channel cats and are holding them at a hatchery until they can be restocked next spring. Walleye are more difficult to collect live and only 27 were caught and released into Liberty Lake.

Other species

The first razor-clam dig of the fall season will begin Oct. 25 if marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat. Additional digging opportunities are planned through the end of December. Four evening digs are tentatively scheduled Oct. 25-28 at Twin Harbors, while Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks are scheduled for two evening digs Oct. 26 and 27. Digging will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight. Kalaloch will remain closed throughout the 2007-08 season.

Hunting

The regular deer season opened Wednesday in most regions of Idaho and the regular pheasant season opens in northern Idaho on Saturday. Oct. 20 is the beginning of the pheasant season in areas 2 and 3. Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, except on opening day in areas 2 and 3 when shooting starts at noon. On the Fort Boise, C.J. Strike, Montour and Payette River wildlife management areas, shooting hours are from 10 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset, except on opening day when shooting starts at noon.

The Washington deer and elk muzzleloaders season ends today and the modern firearm season for deer begins Saturday. Goose hunting in most areas opens Saturday, as does hunting for duck, coot and snipe. Duck will be open through Wednesday, then close before opening again Oct. 20. Geese in Management areas 4 and 5 will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday, close for four days, and open again Oct. 20.

Partridge hunters found more gray partridge than chukars last weekend, and several reported an absence of quail in traditional haunts. It is possible the chukars are high and well dispersed because of recent rains, but there were few shots heard in Wawawai Canyon last weekend. Friends who hiked the canyons for eight hours reported seeing only one six-bird covey.