Hunting & Fishing

Big game, Washington

Now that most leaves of deciduous trees are on the ground in northeastern Washington and whitetail bucks are less wary than usual, hunting the elusive deer will be more productive than it was during the early part of the season.

Rifle hunters who haven’t tagged deer have a chance to put venison in their lockers until Nov. 19. The late buck season opened Wednesday. Only whitetail bucks are legal. Seasons on mule deer have ended.

Plenty of whitetail are available for good hunting during the late season, wildlife biologists believe.

This is the time of year when bucks seek does to breed. Because they have sex on their minds, they’re not as wary as they are early in the season.

Deer, Idaho

With the close of the general elk seasons, Idaho hunters are now serious about bagging deer.

Units 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5 and 6 in the Panhandle opened for the general season Wednesday. Hunters have all of November to fill their tags.

Hunters anticipate light snowfall to make their hunting more productive. When snow piles up deep, though, many hunters who aren’t prepared to get where the deer are become discouraged.

Periodic light snowfall and the absence of crusty snow makes for good hunting.

Steelhead

Fishing was sensational last week and during the weekend along many areas of the Snake River and along major tributary streams.

Fishery biologist Art Viola reported that creel checks indicated the hottest fishing during the Oct. 23-29 period was along the Tucannon, where anglers averaged only 2-1/2 hours per steelhead. The water was an ideal 51 degrees.

Fishing also was terrific along the Touchet, with fishermen averaging 6.2 hours per fish, and along the Grande Ronde, 8.1 hours.

The Snake, itself, provided excellent fishing. Viola said boat anglers above Lower Granite averaged 6.8 hours per fish; shore fishermen averaged 13.3 hours.

Other averages: Wallula, 19.9; Walla Walla River, 36.1; Lower Monumental 10.3; Little Goose, 10.6; Snake, mouth of Tucannon, 9.9; and Lower Granite, 20.

Fishing was even good along the Clearwater above the Memorial Bridge at Lewiston. The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported anglers averaged 12 hours per steelhead. Because the B-run is near an all-time low, all Clearwater steelhead must be released.

Fishing was slow last weekend along the lower Salmon, the Idaho department said. The only section where fishing was excellent was between Vinegar Creek and the Salmon’s South Fork, where the average was 5 hours per fish.

When averages drop below 10 hours, it is considered outstanding.

The Corps of Engineers reported 72,516 steelhead had been counted at Lower Granite as of Sunday. The count at Ice Harbor was 92,167, indicating there may be more than 15,000 steelhead between the dams.

Waterfowl

The vanguard of the big duck migration out of Canada may be moving into our area.

Jim Reynolds, assistant manager of the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge near Bonners Ferry, said some northern birds apparently moved to the refuge last week.

However, he added, some locallyraised ducks moved out.

About 10,000, most “locals,” were using refuge waters early this week.

Reynolds said hunters averaged 3.19 ducks each last Thursday, but only 1.41 Sunday.

The region’s duck hunters know they won’t do well until birds arrive from Canada. They’ve bagged some mallards, wigeons, pintails, shovelers and teal the last couple of weeks, but hunting has been difficult.

Locally-raised ducks are decoy-shy and often fly fast and high over decoy spreads. Few set their wings and come into the decoys.

Hunters are expecting northern ducks to move into North Idaho and Eastern Washington the second week of this month. Old-timers believe the ducks’ migrating clock is set for about Nov. 12.

Goose hunting has been excellent in many places in the region, with some taking four-bird limits.

Salmon

Trolling for chinook salmon at Lake Coeur d’Alene has been surprisingly good, said Jeff Smith of Fins & Feathers.

“Trollers are catching their twofish limits,” he said. “That’s something that seldom happens during the summer months.”

The salmon are at the 80-foot level, he said. Most anglers are trolling Hot Spot flashers with Minnie Squids or Herring Dodgers ahead of whole herring held by a Canadian Anchovy Special helmet.

Trollers are catching two age classes: 2-3 pounds and 7-9 pounds, occasionally a 12-pounder.

Trout, Washington

Lake Roosevelt may be the best place to troll for rainbows, some of them 19 to 22 inches long. Some fishermen took limits in the Seven Bays and Keller Ferry areas last weekend. Most rainbow are 12 to 13 inches long, but one out of five is over 16. Once in a while a troller hooks a big kokanee.

Lake Lenore is the place to catch big Lahontan cutthroat. Fishing isn’t fast, but most of the trout are over 16 inches. The lake closes to fishing at the end of November.

NOTE: Area fishermen have been given less than a week’s notice about a Fish and Wildlife Department hearing to present hundreds of proposed changes in the 1996 sportfishing rules. The Spokane meeting is 7 p.m. Wednesday at Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Fort George Wright Dr.

Trout, Idaho

Trollers are catching rainbows, some 18 to more than 20 pounds, near the surface at Lake Pend Oreille. Nearly all are fishing lures and flies off planing boards.

Mackinaw trout are schooling at Priest Lake. When anglers locate schools, they often do well with jigs.

The cutthroat rivers are cold and the trout are in the deeper holes. Fishing has been fair to good.

Trout, Montana

Blue Ribbon trout streams in the Missoula area are providing fair to good fly fishing, Gary Westerland of Streamside Anglers said.

Midges and Blue-winged Olive mayflies are hatching at Rock Creek. However, fly fishers are doing best on bead head nymphs and streamers.

Midges, Blue-winged Olives and Mahogany Dun mayflies are hatching along the Bitterroot and Clark Fork rivers. Fly fishers are using imitations of the mayflies, Parachute Adams and Wulff patterns.