Alan Liere

Amber Lake is getting some color to it, possibly turning over, but it hasn’t yet affected the trout bite which has been very good along the edges. Sprague Lake trout have been hitting dark-colored leeches in the shallows and there has been some surface activity too. Rocky Ford is always an option.

To fish for steelhead more effectively from shore

Fly fishing This isn’t the best time to be a fly fisherman. While some waters are maintaining marginally fishable levels, most are getting too high and too dirty to be any good. Such is the Spokane River, which has provided decent fly fishing for most of the winter.

Anglers who are put off by the homely appearance of freshwater ling cod (burbot) are missing some of the finest eating from inland Washington waters.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking public comments on proposed changes to the 2016 and 2017 upland game, turkey, furbearer, and falconry seasons.

It took seven months for Jill and me to work through her problem, starting with me firing a cap pistol as soon as I went out the door in the morning to release her from the kennel. Gradually, I worked up to louder guns, but even so, I think it was still a stroke of luck that Jill eventually became my go-to bird dog.

Just because no fish are showing on your fish finder, don’t assume there are none in the area. Fish in the top 20 feet of water often do not show at all, and fish hugging the bottom sometimes just look like bottom structure.

Rocky Ford near Ephrata has produced some huge trout this week.

It’s getting cold up there, but the high lakes of the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness in the upper Twisp River basin, as well as Gold Creek basin lakes just outside the wilderness area are providing good fly fishing now.

Fly fishing Silver Bow Fly Shop says all rivers are in a transition state. Late-summer tactics like hopper/dropper rigs will still work, but fall patterns like Mahoganies, BWOs and October Caddis are picking up steam. Nymphing and streamer tactics are effective on cooler mornings. The Clark Fork and Kootenai are good fall choices with larger fish.

Fly Fishing The change in seasons is a good reminder that a change in tactics may also be required. What worked on the rivers this summer might not be the best option in the fall. Start working Caddis, Mahoganies and BWOs into your repertoire to match upcoming fall hatches. According to the pros at Silver Bow Fly Shop, the Clark Fork and Kootenai Rivers will be great choices as the colder weather sets in. Nymphing, and streamer tactics especially, will be critical on those cooler mornings.

Fly fishing It’s beginning to feel like fall in the Clearwater/Kelly Creek area. Bull trout are inhaling streamers and the hopper/dropper combo is still a favorite with the cutts. Mahogany duns and October Caddis are also drawing attention.

For reasons known only to lexicographers and possibly grandmothers, many words in the English language mean the same thing. These are called synonyms. Some people think synonyms are unnecessary, but they abound in dictionaries and Thesauruses, and for that I’m thankful. Unlike most teenagers who can recycle a single utterance as a noun, verb, adjective or adverb, I like the plethora of different choices our language offers for saying what I mean. And as an outdoor writer, I use them all. With a Thesaurus, I can choose from clamber, scramble, scale and shin to relate my ascent during a chukar hunt. I can use fall, buckle, bounce, tipple, plunge and roll to describe my descent. If I find my quarry somewhere between, they may erupt, explode, detonate or burst from cover and then fly, skim, sail, soar, zip, zoom or wing to safety. When I have emptied my shotgun without cutting a feather, I can curse, cuss, swear or scream unless I am in the presence of a genteel individual (highly unlikely) whereupon I will merely mutter, mumble or grouse.

Fly Fishing A fly fishing for steelhead seminar will be presented by Sean Visintainer of Silver Bow Fly Shop from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the shop, 13210 E. Indiana Ave. Cost is $20.

Fly Fishing The St. Joe is still a reasonable option for fly fishermen. Silver Bow Fly Shop suggests pink or yellow hoppers, caddis and ant patterns. Before making a long drive to any fishing destination, it would be wise to check the national fire information website: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov                      

Fly Fishing Silver Bow Fly Shop says the St. Joe River has seen decent fishing from Avery upstream. Other than that, most Idaho rivers are almost too warm to fish.

With the Washington State deer season coming up, I have been tinkering with my reloader and sighting in my rifle. I have also been giving a friend’s daughter an opportunity to shoot while checking out how much she has retained from the Hunters’ Safety Course she passed last spring. As I live in the country, I have an excellent spot to do this, firing down from my front lawn into my pasture. I am confident the young lady now knows what to do and when and how to do it. To allay any fears she might have had as she prepared to shoot her first-ever big game rifle, I told her I would take the first shot. “It won’t kick if it’s tight against your shoulder,” I said. “If it isn’t, though, the scope can come back and hit you in the face.” With that, I laid the rifle across a sandbag and squeezed one off.

Fly Fishing At Silver Bow Fly Shop, “Musky Dave” Dana says if you cast a big fly from 50 feet out toward shore in most spots on Curlew Lake, you WILL catch tiger muskies. He said there are fish of 40 inches and much larger all over the lake. Info: (509) 924-9998.

Fly Fishing Most fly fishing reports throughout Washington, Idaho and Montana say the same thing – flows are extremely low and a lot of rivers might best be left alone for awhile. Exceptions are the Spokane, the Clark Fork, the Kootenai, the St. Joe above Avery and the Yakima. The North Fork Coeur d’Alene is a possibility downstream from Pritchard. The Yakima is still flowing at about 78 percent of normal.  Most anglers are fishing exclusively dry flies.

Fly Fishing The Kootenai River in Montana is always cold. The guides at Silver Bow Fly Shop say it is providing good dry fly action early and late on Chernobyls, hoppers, caddis, pmxs, and pmds. There are numerous floats available around Libby.

Fly Fishing Hoot-Owl restrictions are on in the Spokane River, but water temperatures remain cool enough to keep the fish from being stressed. Double nymph rigs are good for trout, and near Sullivan, crawdad patterns are taking smallmouth.