Alan Liere’s weekly fish and game report for Feb. 25

Wed., Feb. 24, 2016

Tip of the week

Rock Lake fishing is phenomenal right now as it continues to boot out 12- to 13-inch steelhead, as well as some big rainbow and browns. Anglers throwing 2 1/2-inch perch-colored Shad Raps and yellow “bumblebee” Roostertails say the action is constant while casting to shore and over rock reefs.

Braggin’ rights

In March of 2014, Tia Marie Wiese caught an Idaho record perch from Lake Cascade that was 15.5 inches long and weighed 2.73 pounds. On Feb. 7 of this year, she set another perch record in the catch-and-release category with a 16-inch perch from the same lake.

Overheard

There has been a lot speculation lately as to why two areas on Lake Roosevelt – Redford Canyon and Moonbeam Bay – have been closed to access from the water by a large log boom. According to the Federal Columbia River Power System Cultural Resource Program and the Colville Confederated Tribe, the booms were installed to absorb wave energy, lessening shoreline erosion from natural and man-made wave action. Roosevelt anglers are wondering if other such closures are scheduled.

Heads up

–The annual Quincy Trout Derby on Burke Lake is planned for March 5. For information on prizes and registration, visit Quincy Valley Tourism on the web and click on “fishing.”

–Idaho Fish and Game wants young steelhead released into the South Fork of the Clearwater River to be from parents taken from that river, so they are asking anglers to catch local spawners in late February and March to fill nearby hatcheries. Anglers who participate will catch a fish and place it into a perforated section of PVC pipe dropped off at popular fishing spots by Fish and Game. The pipe is returned to the river and tethered, then retrieved by Fish and Game crews and delivered to the hatcheries. Donated steelhead are not counted against the angler’s bag limit. Fish and Game is hoping anglers can provide about 600 adults, which would meet the complete brood needs at Clearwater Fish Hatchery and Dworshak National Fish Hatchery. For more information about the program, call (208) 799-5010.

Fly fishing

Tuesday is the opener in the Quincy Wildlife Area. Lenice and Nunnally could be very good for big rainbow and some browns. Dusty, a walk-in lake, also has large rainbow, browns and tiger trout.

West of Dusty and Burke, several small hike-in lakes usually provide good fly fishing, inclduing Crystal, Cup, Cliff and Upper and Lower Spring. All hold some large trout and it is easily possible to fish all these lakes in one day.

Fly fishermen are beginning to pick up a few nice rainbow along the cattails at Sprague Lake. The North Fork Coeur d’Alene is dropping into good fishing shape and so is the lower end of the St. Joe.

Steelhead and salmon

The Clearwater River cleared up last weekend and steelhead anglers were finding fish above Orofino. The Grande Ronde is dropping and the water is a perfect “steelhead green.” Fishing should be good.

Trout and kokanee

A few trollers are plying Sprague Lake now for some good-sized rainbow. It’s not fast but is improving. The steelhead bite has not yet materialized.

With a few exceptions, Lake Roosevelt trout and kokanee trollers did not do particularly well last week. A friend fished from shore at Ft. Spokane, however, and caught four rainbow on Sunday. The fish checker said most boat anglers were bringing in no more than two fish each.

A number of Washington lakes open to fishing on Tuesday and all are ice-free. The seven Tucannon Lakes just off the Tucannon River a few minutes away from the Wooten Wildlife area have all been stocked with catchables and jumbos for the opener. Spring and Blue lakes are now open year-round and have each received plants of 3,000 fish. Curl Lake will not open until the end of April.

Two other lakes opening on Tuesday will be Deer Lake in Stevens County and Liberty in Spokane County. Liberty was planted last year with 45,000 brown trout fry and 35,000 rainbow fry. Deer Lake macks should be right on top now and the lake also has brookies and rainbow. Anglers usually find some big browns or rainbows cruising the shallow water at Liberty. The perch and crappie may be more difficult to find this early, but there are good numbers of both in the lake.

Also open on Tuesday will be Medical, which received 1,000 catchable rainbow and 2,500 catchable browns. Downs received 5,000 catchable rainbow and also has bass, perch and crappie.

Amber Lake opens for catch-and-release only fishing on Tuesday and shifts to a two-trout-per-day harvest season on April 22. Selective gear rules apply. Amber has some big carryovers, and judging by angler reports last fall there are plenty of fish.

Due to low water conditions, the BLM boat launch at Coffeepot Lake remains closed. Anglers with smaller boats who can drag them to the water should find a large population of rainbow trout with lengths in the upper teens. It was recently planted with 5,000 put-and-take rainbow.

The rest of the March 1 opening waters are in central Washington’s Columbia Basin, mostly in Grant County. All are listed under “Special Rules – Eastside Lakes” in the fishing regs. These include Upper, Lower and East Caliche south of Quincy, Burke Lake, and lakes in the Pillar-Widgeon chain. Upper Caliche usually fishes best, but all have rainbow as large as 20 inches.

In the same area, don’t overlook Martha or Dusty, a walk-in lake. There should be some large carryovers.

Spiny ray

Walleye anglers are getting a few walleye at Lake Roosevelt, but the fish are concentrated in small pockets and are depth sensitive. A report this week from an angler who found the right area indicated the fish would only bite if the presentation was between 26 and 29 feet. Potholes walleye, too, have been few and far between.

On Banks Lake, anglers have been catching walleye in 35 feet of water in Willow Bay. They said the fish have been about 16 inches long.

Other species

Burbot fishing on Lake Roosevelt continues to be a hit-or-miss proposition. Burbot anglers are taking a few from the deep water in Potholes at the head of Lind Coulee.

Hunting

Deer and elk hunters have until March 31 to enter their names into the drawing for a 2016 multiple-season tag. WDFW will hold the drawing in mid-April, randomly selecting names for 8,500 multiple-season deer tags and 1,000 multiple-season elk tags. Winners of the drawing will be eligible to purchase a special tag allowing them to participate in archery, muzzleloader, as well as modern firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2016. Winners who purchase the multiple-season elk tag can participate in general elk hunting seasons in both eastern and western Washington, and they may also choose any weapon type when applying for a special permit to hunt deer or elk. A multiple season application can be purchased at any authorized license dealer.

IDFG is holding a series of public meetings about the proposal to offer five tags for auction, one each for elk, mule deer, mountain goat, pronghorn, and moose. One of the meetings will be in Coeur d’Alene on March 3 at 6 p.m. at Panhandle Region Fish and Game Office, 2885 W. Kathleen Ave., and another in Lewiston on March 1 at 8 p.m. at the Clearwater Region Fish and Game Office, 3316 16th Street.

The application period for Idaho spring turkey controlled hunts continues through March 1. The application fee is $6.25 per person for residents and $14.75 for nonresidents.

In year’s past, I’ve driven to South Dakota in March to hunt snow geese, but it sounds like warm weather in the Central Flyway is causing the geese to push north weeks earlier than normal. Large concentrations of birds have already been spotted in central South Dakota and there isn’t any snow or ice ahead to keep them from quickly completing their spring migration. It doesn’t sound like a recipe for success.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com