Hunting+Fishing

Ice fishing, Idaho

Idaho ice fishing opportunities have increased considerably this week. Good perch catches are coming from Fernan, Cocolalla, Hauser and Avondale. The biggest perch, however, are coming through the ice at Gamble (near Coeur d’Alene Lake) and Chase (near Priest Lake).

Pike fishermen are finding small pike at Fernan and the north end of Hayden. At Fins and Feathers in Coeur d’Alene, Jeff Smith said he expects the ice on chain lakes such as Killarney and Thompson to be ready by this weekend.

Ice fishing, Washington

Ice anglers at Eloika are hoping the recent cold weather will extend their hard-water season well into February. Eloika was sloppy earlier in the week, but it is solid now. Fishing has been excellent north of Jerry’s Landing. A friend and I fished Wednesday from 1:30-4 p.m. and caught 20 perch. In the next half hour, we caught 30 more and quit.

The boat basin at Coulee City on Banks Lake has good ice, but anglers there are not getting the numbers of whopper perch they have come to expect. Banks is not iced over, though most of the bays are frozen and there have been reports of decent perch fishing in some of these.

Ice anglers looking for some larger perch might want to try little Trail Lake, 7 miles south of Coulee City on the road to Stratford. Take a right just before crossing the first bridge and go one-fourth mile.

Newman Lake ice anglers are going straight out from the public access for bluegill, sunfish and perch. On Waitts Lake, anglers are finding a few small perch near the pubic access, but the occasional large rainbow or brown has provided the most excitement.

Hog Canyon and Fourth of July are still cranking out trout with the larger ones coming from Fourth of July. I have heard more complaints than usual this year about the “muddy” taste of Fourth of July fish. Those in Hog Canyon are fair to good, but nothing as tasty as a Roosevelt or Rufus Woods rainbow.

Rat Lake near Brewster has enough ice on it to fish it safely and the trout are nearly 12 inches. By midweek, access road into Roses Lake had not been plowed and was impassable.

Moses Lake is iced over, but a lack of anglers would indicate little action or unsafe ice. Potholes Reservoir still has a lot of open water.

Open water Triploid fishing at Rufus Woods may have slowed down a little, but most reports are still glowing. Anything black (Roostertails, jigs, or flies) fished early has been extremely effective. Rufus Woods walleye anglers are picking up a fish “here and there,” but nothing consistent. The same is true for Lake Roosevelt, with best reports coming from the vicinity of Two Rivers.

Lake Roosevelt rainbows are just under the surface near Whitestone. Three feet down and a hundred feet back seem to be a good combination. Many anglers report that though they are not graphing fish, they are catching them.

Burbot (fresh water lingcod) are being caught from shore by bank anglers near Hawk Creek on Lake Roosevelt. There is also some burbot action at the mouth of the Colville River. Nightcrawlers or pieces of sucker meat are the preferred baits. For much larger burbot, try under the power lines at Bead Lake.

At the Silver Bow Fly Shop, Sean Visintainer said a midweek trip to the Clark Fork River near St. Regis was decent for a few whitefish and trout. Visintainer said there were some midge hatches going on, but not enough to get the fish looking up. The Spokane River near the Gun Club is also giving up a few trout to fly-fishermen working nymphs, he said. Rocky Ford near Moses Lake continues to produce for fly-fisherman throwing streamers.

Plenty of 2- to 4-pound macks are hitting drop-shotters’ offerings on Priest Lake. The launch at Indian Creek is open but icy.

Steelhead, salmon

Clearwater River steelhead anglers are taking a fish every 12 hours between the mouth and Orofino and a fish every nine hours on the North Fork. Snake River steelheaders are doing best downstream from the Salmon River.

There is little pressure on steelhead in the Columbia around Pateros, but anglers that try are catching a few.

Lake Coeur d’Alene chinook to 10 pounds continue to bite. It hasn’t been fast, but the usual hootchie/flasher combination will generally take a fish a day.

It is possible the Skagit and Sauk rivers on the West Side will not remain open as usual for the popular spring catch-and-release season on native steelhead. Biologists were concerned over the lack of 2-year-old fish last year and are estimating this year’s run may be too small to allow even a catch-and-release fishery. There will be a WDFW news release soon.

Hunting

The recent thaw and freeze didn’t help bird hunters planning to chase pheasants this weekend. The crust is hard enough for the birds to run on top and they are not holding the way they did for a few days after the big snow. The season for upland birds runs through Monday.

Goose hunters in Lincoln, Spokane and Walla Walla counties, where goose hunting is available only on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, will be able to hunt every day starting Monday until the season ends Jan. 27. There are still large numbers of geese in the Spokane area as well as near Central Ferry and Moses Lake.

In Moses Lake, guide Gary Russell reported lots of field-hopping geese but precious few ducks. Success is dependent on the weather, Russell said.

Idaho Panhandle waterfowl hunting ends after Sunday. Quail and partridge remain open until Jan. 31.