Hunting & Fishing
Trout, Washington
Numerous Eastern Washington lakes have developed algae blooms the last few weeks. In most cases, though, the blooms haven’t resulted in fish kills.
However, indications are that an algae bloom in Deer Springs Lake has resulted in the deaths of thousands of rainbow trout. Fisheries biologists are still attempting to evaluate the bloom’s effect on fish.
Deer Springs, 70 miles west of Spokane, is one of several lakes linked to one another. Also in the Lake Creek drainage are Wall, Twins, Coffee Pot, Tavares and Pacific lakes.
Deer Springs became popular a few months ago after anglers learned that some rainbows planted in the lake were 16-18 inches long. The algae bloom started developing in mid-June.
A fish die-off in Sprague Lake has received the most publicity. However, the blue-green algae apparently only killed thousands of small fish in the extreme east end.
Fisheries biologist Bob Peck said he’s watching several other lakes in the Spokane region for possible killing algae blooms.
The hot days of August are not conducive to good fishing. However, anglers improve their chances of catching trout by fishing early or late. Midday fishing is seldom productive.
The small lakes in northeastern Washington continue to yield limits to anglers willing to fish when the fish are feeding - early and late in the day. They haven’t been fished as hard as the lowland lakes of Spokane County and the Columbia Basin.
Trollers are catching pen-reared trout at the Potholes Reservoir, guide Skip Davis said. Released from net pens at the Mar-Don Resort several weeks ago, the rainbows average 14 inches.
Trout, Idaho
All of North Idaho’s premier cutthroat streams are still a little high, but not so high that fishing is difficult.
The St. Joe at Calder was running about 1,300 cubic feet per second early this week, compared with 1,710 on July 27. The Lochsa was down to 1,500 cfs, or 500 cfs less than the previous week, and the Selway was flowing at 1,800, down nearly 1,000 cfs from July 27. The Coeur d’Alene River has been in good shape for more than a month.
Some fly fishers have complained that the St. Joe has attracted so many anglers, especially in the catch-and-release section above the mouth of Gold Creek, that it’s difficult to find a place to fish. Most concentrate just above and below the Spruce Tree Campground.
To get away from the crowds, many have been fishing the lower part of the river. Those who have floated the stream say they’ve had good fishing.
Although the Selway and Lochsa are still a little high, they are fishable and providing excellent fishing.
Some big mackinaw trout have been caught during the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club’s first summer mackinaw derby, Lori Poock, spokeswoman for the derby, said.
The largest registered so far, a 29-pound, 10-ounce fish, was caught by Steve Palumbo. The derby will continue through Sept. 1.
Registration fee is $10. The angler who catches the largest lake trout will win $5,000. Second place will get $2,500; third, $1,000; fourth, $500; fifth through eighth, $200 each; and ninth and 10th, $100 each.
Info: Scott Plue, (208) 264-5105, or Poock, (208) 263-6497.
Bears and cougars
Bear hunting was tough and cougar hunting tougher still during the first three days of the season in Eastern Washington.
Veteran wildlife agent Tim Hood of Kettle Falls said the turnout for the bear season wasn’t nearly as large at past turnouts, although hunters killed some bears.
The season opened last Friday, the first time in years that hunters have been permitted to hunt bears and cougars in early August. Traditionally, the bear season has opened the first part of September and the cougar season later.
Hood said that thick, high cover restricted hunters’ visibility and hot weather made hunting difficult. In addition, big swarms of bees pestered hunters.
Heavy spring rains enhanced the cover, he said. It is so high it’s difficult to see bears.
“Hunters who watched open clearings from above had the best chance of seeing bears,” he said.
Temperatures were so high that veteran hunters quickly skinned and cut up their bears and drove to places where they could get the meat in coolers.
He said that few, if any, hunters were after cougars. The animals are so secretive, it’s nearly impossible to see them.
Spiny rays
Walleyes are providing the most consistent fishing action at Eastern Washington lakes.
Fishermen have been hooking walleyes at Roosevelt, Sprague, Banks, Moses, Soda and Long lakes and the Potholes Reservoir.
Fishing Bottom Walkers in 15 to 30 feet of water on the backside of Steamboat Rock at Banks Lake, a few fishermen have hooked 5- to 10-pound walleyes, Eric Rose of George’s Tackle Shop at Electric City reported.
Rose also said fishing for smallmouth bass has been good near rocky outcrops in the upper end of the lake.
Anglers caught perch, walleyes and a few crappies last weekend at Sprague, Monika Metz of the Sprague Lake Resort said. She saw one crappie that was 13-1/2 inches long.
“The best time to fish at Sprague,” she said, “is early and late in the day. It’s been too hot to fish during the midday hours.”
Steve Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene said fishing for both smallmouth and largemouth bass has been good at Hayden Lake. The smallmouths hang around deep-water docks and the largemouths are on the weeded points.
The Snake River is a good stream to catch smallmouths. Anglers have been casting jigs threaded with short plastic worms from Hells Canyon to Chief Timothy State Park.
Trout, Montana
The Clark Fork River is still a little high in the St. Regis area but low enough for relatively easy floating with cartop and pontoon boats and canoes. Fly fishers who fished from Superior to 20 miles below St. Regis last weekend reported taking numerous rainbows to 18 inches.
Small Pale Morning Dun mayflies are hatching along the river, but some fly fishers used only grasshopper imitations. Hoppers are plentiful along stream banks.
Curt Long of the Grizzly Hackle tackle shop at Missoula said all the streams in that area are in good, fishable condition. However, hot weather has caused mayflies and caddisflies to hatch in the late afternoons and evenings.
Fishing has been good along the Missouri River below Holter Dam, guide Arnie Gidlow said. The river was down nearly to summertime levels early this week, enabling fly fishers to wade easily.
Gidlow said that Trico spinners are on the water about 9 a.m. and fishing usually is good until about 1 p.m. Then fishing slows dramatically until the PMDs and caddisflies hatch in the evenings. For the latest conditions on fishing the Missouri, call Gidlow at (406) 468-9385.
Kokanee
Catching a limit of kokanee has been difficult the last week or so at the region’s most popular lakes.
The key to catching the landlocked sockeye salmon is getting lures down to the level where the fish are schooling. Depths range from 30-50 feet, depending on the lake.
It’s no longer easy to catch 25 of the 9- to 10-inch kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Smith said. The fish are 40-45 feet deep. However, veteran fishermen are catching a half-dozen or more each time they troll.
Fishing seems to be picking up at Lake Mary Ronan, Mark Thomas of Camp Tuffit said. Still-fishermen didn’t catch limits during the annual derby Sunday, but they averaged five fish or more. The kokanee average about 13 inches.
Koocanusa Reservoir is a good place to catch a dozen or so 10- to 11-inch kokanee.
The 18- to 20-inch kokanee in Loon Lake are not plentiful, but a few trollers have managed to catch between two and five each every time they troll. Best time to fish is from dawn to 8 a.m.
Salmon
Anglers will be hoping the chinook salmon in Lake Coeur d’Alene will be more cooperative than the last few weeks when the fall chinook derby begins Saturday. Only a few salmon have been caught during the hot weather.
The person who catches the biggest chinook during the nineday derby will win $10,000. Payoffs for the next 19 places will depend upon the number of entries.
Ross Fister of Fins & Feathers said most anglers will troll dodgers and flies or dodgers and herring in 50-70 feet of water.
The Buoy 10 area of the Columbia River yielded some chinook and coho salmon during the weekend. It was opened to fishing Friday. Many anglers, believing more salmon will be moving up the Columbia later this month, will wait a week or so before trying their luck.
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