Hunting & Fishing
Waterfowl
Many small, shallow lakes and potholes are freezing over and ducks and geese are starting to concentrate on large lakes and reservoirs, creating excellent hunting opportunities.
Until this week, birds were scattered throughout North Idaho and Eastern Washington. Sub-freezing temperatures began putting ice caps on shallow ponds, especially in Idaho’s Panhandle and in northeastern Washington.
The migration of waterfowl out of British Columbia and Alberta appears to have peaked. In any event, there are probably more than 300,000 mallards and 40,000 geese in the region, enough for outstanding hunting.
The Columbia Basin has the most birds, with 250,000 mallards and more than 35,000 geese. Majority of the ducks and geese are still in the northern Basin, but they’ll start moving to the Columbia River in good numbers as the big lakes and reservoirs freeze over.
One wildlife agent said the sight of huge flocks of ducks in the Moses Lake area “is unreal.”
Indications are there are more duck hunters this year than the last few years. Principal reason may be this year’s generous limit. Hunters can kill six ducks, compared to four in recent years. All six can be mallards, but only one a hen.
Many lakes in Eastern Washington have been leased to duck clubs. Freelancers can do well at the Potholes Reservoir, the wasteways and the many medium-sized lakes on public land. However, competition for hunting spots has been unusually heavy.
Winter trout fishing
Fourth of July Lake is the place to go to catch big rainbows. If you would rather catch five trout, go to Hog Canyon Lake.
Both lakes yielded limits to a high percentage of anglers when they opened for the winter season last Friday. High winds plagued anglers most of the weekend.
It’s possible there will be some ice on the lakes this weekend, but not enough for ice fishing. Both lakes may be mostly ice-free.
Biologist Bob Peck said 52 anglers were checked at Fourth of July opening day with 111 rainbows that measured 10 to 22 inches long.
Many anglers sorted fish in order to keep two of the largest.
Nearly everyone apparently was aware they couldn’t keep more than two rainbows over 14 inches long. Presence of wildlife agents may have prevented cheaters from taking more than two big rainbows.
Fishing was excellent at Hog Canyon, with many anglers taking five-fish limits in one-half to one hour, Peck said. Most of the rainbows were 11 to 13 inches, but the spread was 10 to 17 inches. The trout were in fair to good condition.
The road into Hog Canyon is graded and in good condition.
Several other lakes in Eastern Washington also opened Dec. 1, among them Williams and Hatch in the Colville area. Williams is full of bass big enough to eat rainbow fry. Hatch was treated with rotenone a few weeks ago and will be replanted with rainbows next spring.
Four lakes in Okanogan County were opened. They include Rat, near Brewster, rainbows to 14 inches; Little Twin, near Winthrop, rainbows 11 inches and larger; and Green and Lower Green, near Omak, rainbows to 15 inches.
Roses Lake in Chelan County holds 9- to 20-inch rainbows, but it has a growing population of sunfish and brown bullheads. The Wildlife Department will add largemouth bass and manage the lake as a mixed species fisheries.
Steelhead
Several Snake River tributaries were high and muddy last weekend, but should be back in good condition for this weekend.
Water temperatures of the Snake and tributaries have dropped below 50 degrees. The lower Snake was running 44 to 47 last weekend.
Anglers had fair to good fishing above and below dams, fisheries biologist Art Viola reported. Fastest fishing at dams was near Lower Monumental, with anglers averaging 10.9 hours per steelhead. Other checks: Little Goose, 13 hours; Ice Harbor, 19; Mill Creek, 9 anglers, 2.6; Tucannon, 3 anglers, 3.25; mouth of Tucannon, 26.7.
The Fish and Wildlife Department noted the fishing pamphlet erroneously lists a five-steelhead bag limit for the Tucannon River from the Highway 12 bridge to a point 400 feet upstream of the state hatchery intake dam. The limit is two steelhead, the department said.
The Idaho Fish and Game Department said 106 anglers were checked between Lewiston and the mouth of the Grande Ronde. They averaged 16 hours per fish.
Five anglers checked along the Clearwater between Lewiston and Orofino averaged 11 hours.
Upland birds
Apparently, the only areas where chukars are plentiful in Eastern Washington is in the Moses Coulee, Grand Coulee and the Colockum. Wildlife biologist Mark Quinn of Ephrata said the birds are scattered as the result of recent rains.
More than half the corn in the Columbia Basin has been harvested, but hunters still have to work hard to flush a few pheasants.
Salmon
Trollers are still catching chinook salmon at Lake Coeur d’Alene, but the fishing isn’t as productive as it was before the lake level rose last week, Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers Shop said.
Water levels have been dropping, but with a fishing derby scheduled for this weekend, chinook anglers will find the lake about 5 feet above normal, making boat launching difficult at Third Street and other launches.
Also troubling is the large amount of logs and debris washed down by flood waters in the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe drainages.
The salmon aren’t yet on the bottom, Fister said. Trollers have been hooking them from 55 to 140 feet. However, he said most expect to be fishing on the bottom when the water cools a few more degrees.
Fister said the most productive terminal tackle consists of green or orange mini-Hootchies behind 10- or 11-inch glow flashers. Most popular areas have been in Squaw and Bennett bays and in front of Tubbs Hill.
Hayden Lake
Good-sized rainbow-cutthroat hybrids have been hitting trolled lures, Fister said. Anglers have been trolling Lyman and other plugs, as well as Jack Lloyd flashers ahead of Weeding Rings from 30 feet to the bottom. Some have been fishing from shore.
Most of the hybrids are 3 to 5 pounds, but a few are to 10 pounds.
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