Weekly hunting and fishing report

Thu., June 11, 2015

By Alan Liere spokesmanliere@yahoo.com

Tip of the week

When Lake Roosevelt levels are low like they are right now, don’t put too much faith in your sonar charts when you get above Buoy 1. The channels noted on the chart plotters are not 100% accurate and a few feet one way or the other can put you aground.

Braggin’ rights

Trolling Omak Lake for Lahontan cutthroat trout is very good now and fish have averaged over 20 inches. Guide Anton Jones, of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service in Chelan, recently caught a Lahontan cutter over 10 pounds – a personal best.

Overheard

The spring Chinook season ends Monday, but the fishery for summer Chinook and sockeye salmon begins the next day from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Priest Rapids Dam. The preseason forecast anticipates strong runs of 73,000 summer chinook and 394,000 sockeye this year. The sockeye forecast is the fourth highest on record.

Heads up

• The Dungeness crab fishery on the southern coast of Washington has been closed until further notice because of elevated marine toxin levels. The waters affected include Marine Area 1 (Columbia River) and the portion of Marine Area 2 (Westport) south of Point Chehalis, as well as the crabbing area inside the Columbia River and inside Willapa Bay.

• Walleye in Banks Lake are plentiful but small. Beginning July 1, the walleye retention rules change. Instead of five walleye over 16 inches, anglers will be able to keep eight fish over 12 inches with one over 22 inches.

Fly Fishing

The North Fork Coeur d’Alene is low and clear. Fish the smaller slots, oxygenated riffles and the heads of the runs. Morning and evening will be best in the heat. Golden stones are out in force.The Spokane River below downtown is open and fishing pretty well. Subsurface double nymph rigs are winners. The upper river opened June 6 and is also fishing well for trout despite very low water. The smallmouth fishery is taking off.

The St. Joe has plenty of water and is fishing well. Goldens, green drakes and caddis are prevalent.

Amber Lake is fishing pretty well with chironomids. The lake was planted recently and the trout are small.

Yakima River trout fishing is fair. Nymphs and streamers are taking fish during the day and the dry fly fishing picks up in the evening. The walk and wade action on the upper Cle Elum is excellent for small fish. The Naches River is being affected negatively by the high temperatures, but flows are perfect and it should get better soon.

Trout and kokanee

A friend who fished Loon Lake for kokanee Sunday night said he caught a 10-fish limit before midnight and another after midnight. He noted the best bite began at 1:30 a.m. in 30 feet of water on the west side. As always, Macks Glo-hooks in the smaller sizes are effective when tipped with a couple of maggots or a piece of white corn.

West Medical remains surprisingly good for rainbow and Fishtrap has been excellent. Successful anglers are trolling flies or Roostertails.

Potholes walleye and bass have been getting all the press recently, but Potholes Reservoir in Grant County is also an excellent trout fishery. The Medicare Beach area has been best for trollers, with a fast bite from 12- to 22-inch rainbows. A variety of Rapalas are doing the damage.

Swawilla Basin on Lake Roosevelt has been a good place recently for both rainbow and kokanee. Perch Kekeda Flies tipped with nightcrawlers are taking the rainbow and the hootchies tipped with corn are best for the 14- to 16-inch kokes. Forty feet has been a good depth and it keeps your presentation away from the small net pen trout which are much shallower.

Lake Chelan kokanee fishing above Chelan Shores has been good, though the schools are scattered in depths from 50 to 100 feet. Most fish are 11-14 inches.

Good reports come from Priest Lake, where trollers and drop-shotters are taking a lot of small macks.

Lake Coeur d’Alene kokanee aren’t getting much attention yet, but a few are being caught near Harrison. The fish are small.

Salmon and steelhead

Spring Chinook salmon fishing opens Saturday on the Grande Ronde River from the mouth of Buford Creek (approximately 1/2 mile downstream of the Highway 129 Bridge at Boggan’s Oasis) upstream to the Washington/Oregon state line.

The North Fork Clearwater River is now closed to all Chinook salmon fishing and all sections of the lower Salmon River downstream of Vinegar Creek will close to all Chinook salmon fishing at the end of fishing hours today. The Chinook salmon seasons continue on the Clearwater River upstream from the Orofino Bridge, the South Fork Clearwater, Middle Fork Clearwater, Little Salmon, Lochsa, and Snake rivers. The upper Salmon River opens Saturday while the South Fork Salmon River opens June 19.

The Chinook run on the Icicle River is pretty much over as low, warm water has caused the fish to head directly for the hatchery. The Wenatchee River would be a better option, but even that is extremely slow.

Spiny ray

Loon Lake bluegills are abundant in water depths from 3-15 feet. Good numbers of palm-sized ‘gills are available just off shore from Granite Point. It’s hard to beat a worm under a bobber – great fun for kids and adults alike.

Liberty Lake bluegill are also biting, but they are small. The crappie bite, however, is good for slightly larger fish. Look for shade and rocky shorelines and throw curly tailed jigs.

Bass and tiger muskie fishing has been heating up on Newman and Silver Lake. Several three-footers have been caught recently. Silver is always good for some decent-sized bluegills. Fish the stumps on the side across from the public access and expect to also catch perch and crappie.

Perch pattern Rapalas are accounting for lots of Potholes Reservoir walleye. There are plenty of small ‘eyes to be sure, but a lot of 16- to 22-inch fish too.

The Northport area near the dam in the stretch called “The Dalles” has been very good for walleye, most of which are over 16 inches. Jigs on the bottom just out of the heavy current have worked best. Launching is possible at both Northport and Snag Cove.

Anglers are finding a lot of small walleye around Kettle Falls as well as quite a few pike at the mouth of the Kettle River. Some of these are close to 30 inches.

It’s hard to find a northern pike these days in the Pend Oreille River, and the bays are grassing up, but fair numbers of smallmouth and largemouth are to be had above River Bend.

Although Moses Lake, Banks and Potholes have good bass fishing now, a lot of smaller lakes in the Okanogan area are also producing good catches. Among these are Wapato Lake, Roses Lake and Evergreen Reservoir. Park and Blue lakes in Grant County are also good.

The walleye bite on Moses Lake has been good to excellent. Days with a good wind have produced limits of 17- to 20-inch fish on trolled crankbaits. With the hotter weather and diminished wind, however, bottom bouncing crawlers and spinners may be more productive.

Twin Lakes in Kootenai County is loaded with largemouth in the 2-3 pound range. Tubes and Senkos in deep water around docks has been best. The Twin Lakes spawn is later than at most lakes, so it may still be possible to get in on the action this weekend.

The bass spawn on Hayden Lake in Idaho is long over, but the largemouth are cooperating for anglers throwing Senkos or tubes. Spirit Lake is also producing largemouth.

The cabbage is well up on Lake Coeur d’Alene and the pike have moved into the vegetation in 6-12 feet of water. Spinnerbaits are very effective. Smallmouth fishing, primarily with jigs, has been good.

Other species

The recreational crab fishing season in Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) will open Monday, more than two weeks earlier than originally scheduled. Crabbing will be allowed Thursdays through Mondays each week.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com