By Alan Liere

Trout and kokanee

Lake Roosevelt is at 1,228 feet and dropping. While the fishing for trout and smallmouth has been productive, the only usable launches are at Spring Canyon, which is good to 1,222, and Seven Bays, which is good to 1,227. If the river comes up a little, Keller, at 1,229, can also be used.

Unless listed under regional exceptions in the rulebook, fishing opens on Idaho rivers and streams May 24. It may be longer than that, however, before any fishing takes place, as most waters are high and fast. Most Idaho lakes and reservoirs are open year-round.

Trout fishing continues to improve at lakes that opened in late April. Southwest Spokane County’s Badger, Clear, Fish, West Medical and Williams lakes, and Lincoln County’s Fishtrap Lake, are all good bets. One angler trolling a red Flatfish at Amber said he couldn’t go more than 15 minutes without a hit. In Stevens County, Cedar, Jump-Off-Joe, Loon, Rocky Starvation and Waitts lakes are improving since the opener. Fly fishers report good catches at rehabilitated McDowell.

Medical Lake is giving up some 20-inch-plus rainbow and browns to fly fishermen, and also a good number of 18-inch carryovers from last year. Limits are the rule at Sprague Lake, but lately, more 10- to 12-inchers are showing than the 16-inch triploids. Coffeepot continues to produce large, hard-fighting rainbows.

Earlier-opening and year-round eastern Washington waters also are producing well. Anglers at Spokane County’s Liberty Lake are catching some nice browns and rainbows. Deer Lake in southern Stevens County is producing catches of trout and kokanee. Coffeepot Lake in Lincoln County offers good fly-fishing for rainbows. Whitman County’s Rock Lake continues to produce rainbows and browns.

In the Methow Valley, Pearrygin Lake is good for 11- to 12-inch rainbows. Patterson is fair for rainbow up to 15 inches, plus 8- to 10-inch perch. Alta is good for 11-inch rainbow trout, plus carryover fish to 15 inches. Big and Little Twin lakes are fair for rainbows 10-12 inches.

In the Omak/Okanogan area, Blue Lake is good for 12- to 16-inch rainbows, plus 18-inch brown trout. Fish Lake is good for 10-inch rainbows with some carryover fish to 14 inches. Both Conconully lakes have been good for rainbows 11-12 inches, plus carryovers up to 15 inches, and Leader Lake is fair for rainbows to 12 inches.

In the Tonasket/Oroville area, Wannacut Lake is good for 10-inch rainbows. Spectacle is good for rainbow 11-12 inches. Blue or Wannacut lakes have good fishing for Lahontan cutthroat trout to 18 inches. Chopaka Lake was recently stocked with a couple of thousand rainbows 10-11 inches and 500 larger rainbows up to 14 inches.

Salmon and steelhead

Snake River salmon anglers took quite a few limits last weekend, but it has slowed down since. The revised projection of about 180,000 fish – down from the initial 269,300 estimate – is still more than in any of the last three years. On Wednesday, 1,375 chinook crossed Lower Granite Dam. With the hot weather, the Snake may be out of business for a few days.

Chinook salmon fishing opened Thursday on the Icicle River in Chelan County from the closure signs located 800 feet upstream of the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery rack. The special season is available because 7,000 salmon are estimated to be en route to the Icicle River from the Wenatchee, which means there should be plenty of fish beyond the 1,000 needed for hatchery broodstock, said Art Viola, WDFW district biologist.

The best bet for spring chinook has been Drano Lake, where boat anglers have averaged one keeper for every 4.7 rods. Bank angling has been slow at both Drano and the Wind River. Fishing on the Wind, both above and below Shipherd Falls, should improve as more fish move upstream. Creel checkers did not see any fish caught last week on the Klickitat River and high, turbid water may continue to limit angler success. Early summer-run steelhead returns have looked good on the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers.

Spiny ray

Newman Lake bass and crappie are hitting in shallow water. Throw spinnerbaits by docks and stumps for the bass and try yellow or white curlytailed jigs for the crappie.

The recently opened Nine Mile Resort on Long Lake has a boat launch with good access to perch, bass and pike fishing. Launch fee is $7.

Big Wally’s Spring Walleye Classic is this weekend on Banks Lake, and a lot of walleyes should be weighed in.

The Okanogan River is starting to mud up, but there have been reports of smallmouth running to 5 pounds.

Potholes Reservoir is still slow for walleye, but Moses Lake has been decent on the north end for small fish.

The best prospect for small pike this weekend is Cave or Medicine in the Coeur d’Alene chain lakes. On Coeur d’Alene proper, the north half of the lake will be best in Cougar, Blue Creek and Wolf Lodge bays. The Sportsman’s Access on the north end of Hayden Lake could be good.

Bass fishing on the Snake River has slowed down with the high, murky water.

Northern pike are hitting in the Pend Oreille River.

Other species

If marine toxin tests are favorable, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks will open for razor clam digging on the morning tide May 24.WDFW says sufficient quota remains in Hood Canal to extend the shrimp season two days between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Wednesday.

A beach fishing perch derby will be held in Westport, Wash., on May 31. Info: (800) 422-0425 or www.anglercharters.net.

The shad fishery opens today on the mainstem Columbia from Buoy 10 up to Bonneville Dam, but it will probably be a few days before it gets really good. Only 483 shad had crossed Bonneville as of Wednesday.

Hunting

Those eager to plan hunts this fall can pick up a copy of the 2008-09 big-game hunting rules pamphlet at license vendors and WDFW offices.

The Idaho spring turkey season ends May 25 and the Washington season May 31, so there’s still time to put a gobbler in the freezer. Legal shooting hours for turkeys are from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.