Alan Liere’s weekly fish and game report for Nov. 3

Wed., Nov. 2, 2016

Alan Liere

Tip of the week

When still-hunting for deer, you naturally want to walk through the woods as quietly as possible. Pausing occasionally in likely cover to grunt or doe bleat, however, may just bring a hidden buck into the open.

Braggin’ rights

Otto Klein of Spokane tagged a nice 6x6 bull elk last weekend near Anaconda, Montana by taking advantage of Montana Fish and Wildlife’s “Come Home to Hunt” program. The program encourages former state residents to come back to the state, buy a tag and hunt.

Overheard

Anglers can look forward this month to reeling in hefty broodstock rainbow trout from a half-dozen small lakes and ponds in and around Yakima and Ellensburg. Stocking dates have not been set yet, but WDFW usually starts planting these 3- to 10-pound fish in mid to late November. Check the Trout Plant Reports to see when these fish are available.

Heads up

Two steelhead tournaments are scheduled for this month. The Knights of Columbus Hatchery Steelhead Fishing Tournament at Little Goose Dam on the Snake River is Saturday and Sunday; call the Corps at (509) 751-0240 for more information. The Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce Snake River Hatchery Steelhead Fishing Tournament is Nov. 19-26; details are available at the chamber’s website.

Fly fishing

Water levels are up, but there are still numerous fly fishing possibilities in area rivers. The St. Joe remains good below Avery and in the Calder area. On the North Fork Coeur d’Alene, streamer fishing has been good all day. The Spokane is decent. In the rainy weather, the blue-winged olive has been effective if you are intent on throwing dries.

Dry fly action has tapered way off on the Montana rivers, but despite fluctuating water levels the streamer fishing has been very good. The Blackfoot River, particularly, is hot. The Clark Fork and Bitterroot are holding there own.

Salmon and steelhead

Steelheaders on the Clearwater River last week said fishing could hardly be better. Anglers bouncing shrimp or eggs or backtrolling plugs were catching many of the 12- to 14-pound B-runs with quite a few hitting 20 pounds. On Tuesday, the Clearwater went up to 1,100 cfs, which is about three times the optimum flow. Anglers were still taking some fish between Orofino and the North Fork, but most drift boats canceled their trips on Tuesday because it would have been impossible to hold the boat in place. If the rain holds off between now and the weekend, the river might come back into shape.

The fall chinook season ended Oct. 31 on the Clearwater River, a short stretch of the lower Salmon River and on the Snake River, except the section from Cliff Mountain Rapids upstream to Hells Canyon Dam, which closes Nov. 17.

The Grande Ronde was still fishing fairly well at mid-week. The river was up some but not brown and certainly not blown out. Boggan’s Oasis reported the first two days of the week were the best all year so far.

The total forecast for the Upper Columbia River (UCR) steelhead passage at Priest Rapids Dam this year is much lower than expected. Normally, anglers may retain UCR hatchery steelhead with only the adipose fin clipped beginning on Nov. 1. This year, harvest from Nov. 1-Dec. 31 is restricted to Ringold Hatchery fish with both adipose and ventral fins clipped. This allows late migrating UCR hatchery fish to contribute to the 2017 spawning population.

Fall chinook salmon fishing continues through November on the mainstem Columbia River from Priest Rapids Dam to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam. The fishery is possible because over 38,000 chinook, primarily from the Hanford Reach fall chinook hatchery programs have returned above Priest Rapids Dam – including over 15,000 above Rock Island Dam. Barbless hooks must be used.

As of Nov. 1, the daily limit for hatchery chinook salmon in marine areas 8-1, 8-2, 9, and 10 was reduced to one chinook, with a two-salmon limit. All coho and wild chinook salmon must be released.

Trout and kokanee

Trolled Rapalas and Flicker Shads in perch patterns have worked recently at Sprague Lake. Anglers there report catching about one fish per hour, most running 16-18 inches.

You may have to search some for Lake Roosevelt rainbow, but once you find them, the bite is fast. Anglers report lots of 14-16 inchers suspended about 20 feet beneath the surface. A fly tipped with a ’crawler or Power Bait will take the most fish – with or without a dodger. Some anglers, in fact, say no dodger results in a better bite. Roosevelt kokanee are suspended at approximately 50 feet and spread out. Cooler water later this month will bring them up.

Spokane County’s Amber Lake remains open through the end of November for catch-and-release, selective-gear fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout. Waitts Lake in Stevens County is open through February and provides rainbow and brown trout as well as largemouth bass and perch.

Rock Lake anglers say 16- to 17-inch trout are the norm. Casting small plugs and spoons and trolling the same at about four colors are equally effective. If the wind comes up, as it often does, pull into one of the sheltered bays and try casting flies on a sinking line.

At Pend Oreille Charters, Kurt Arnter says the rainbow fishing has been good on the big lake. Last week’s Halloween Derby was won by a fish caught on the first day that weighed almost 22 pounds. Arnter says flies and Apexes near the surface are taking most fish with a good number of 5- to 10-pound fish being caught. Info: (208) 610-8540.

Spiny ray

So far, no one has solved the fall walleye puzzle. In a normal year, there is an excellent October/November bite. This has not been the case this fall. Reports of sporadic bites trickle in from Potholes and Roosevelt, but production is nothing like that in years past. Anglers heading upriver from Porcupine Bay, however, report catching lots of walleye hardly big enough to fillet. The burbot bite, on the other hand, is picking up.

Virtually every section of the Columbia and Snake rivers in south central Washington holds large populations of smallmouth bass and walleye. November is usually prime time for these. Anglers should begin prospecting in water 15-25 feet deep on the edges of the main river channels.

Other species

White sturgeon fishing that has been underway since July on the Wanapum and Priest Rapids reservoirs of the Columbia River was extended through November. The fishery allows daily harvest of up to two white sturgeon between 38-72 inches.

The recreational Dungeness crab fishery in Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) will close Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. due to low crab abundance. Currently, eight marine areas remain open seven days per week through Dec. 31: marine areas 4 (Neah Bay, east of the Tatoosh-Bonilla line), 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island, and Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner), 9 (Admiralty Inlet, Port Gamble, and Port Ludlow), and 12 (Hood Canal). Marine areas 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) and 13 (south Sound) will remain closed for the winter crabbing season.

Hunting

Northern ducks are conspicuously absent from Inland Empire waters this fall, and the same is reported everywhere. On my recent trip across Idaho, Montana and North and South Dakota, it became obvious the winter migration south has not yet begun.

Pheasant hunters have not been too enthusiastic in their pursuit of the bird in the wet weather, but those who get out on the Palouse and near Moses Lake, Walla Walla and Yakima say there are definitely more birds this year than last.

The Washington late buck modern rifle season begins on Saturday for whitetail and runs through Nov. 19. Seniors, disabled, and youths may shoot either sex whitetail in deer area 1050 and antlerless only in deer areas 1060, 1070 and 1080. Muzzleloader and archery seasons begin later in the month.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere @ yahoo.com