Hunting & Fishing

Hunting, doves

Serious dove hunters have been scouting their favorite spots to hunt the small birds that usually fly fast and erratic, making hitting them difficult.

Both Washington’s and Idaho’s dove seasons open Monday. Washington’s season, as usual, will end 15 days later; Idaho’s will continue through September.

Limits are 10 per day and 20 in possession after the first day.

Since most doves leave the northern part of Eastern Washington and Idaho after a few days, hunting the birds is a one- or two-day event for most hunters.

Indications are that there are plenty of doves in both states for good shooting the first day or two of the seasons. However, heavy rainstorms and cooler weather last weekend may have started the doves moving south.

Popular hunting areas in the Spokane region are farming areas along Lake Roosevelt and in Spokane, Whitman, Garfield, Columbia and Walla Walla areas.

Hunting, grouse

This may be the best grouse hunting year in several years. Wildlife agents, biologists and bear hunters have reported seeing good numbers of blue and ruffed grouse the last few weeks.

It’s difficult to get reliable information on grouse populations. Neither the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife nor the Idaho Fish and Game Department spend a lot of time assessing the grouse populations before seasons open.

Wildlife biologist Steve Zender of Chewelah said grouse populations have been so low in northeast Washington the last few years he’s had little enthusiasm for hunting them. This year, however, he said he’ll be out hunting the birds.

“I’ve been seeing lots of birds, and wildlife agents have told me they also have been seeing more birds this year than last,” he said. “I’m cautiously optimistic. It looks like this year will be as good or better a year for grouse than we’ve had in years.”

He advised hunters to think green when they hunt grouse during the early part of the season.

“Ruffed grouse like green, succulent forage, such as clover and dandelions in cool, moist areas,” he said.

Blue grouse will be in the high country.

“They like to be in Douglas fir on the ridge lines,” he said. Hunters may find coveys near springs, he said.

Some who have been hunting bears in northeastern Washington say they’ve seen lots of ruffed grouse the last few weeks. Guide John Carruth of Davenport believes there are enough of the small grouse for fair to good shooting this year.

Also opening Sept. 1 will be seasons on rabbits and hares. Few, however, hunt the animals early each season. Many, wary of tularemia, wait until after a few hard frosts.

Hunting, big game

Washington archers will be in the woods this weekend for the opening Monday of early archery seasons for deer and elk.

Some modifications to the archery hunt rules have been made by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Archery hunting for mule and blacktail deer in the 100, 200 and 300 game management units is restricted to bucks with a minimum of three points on each side. Archers should check with department officials for details of changes.

Idaho archers will start hunting deer and elk Saturday. Archers who hold permits for controlled hunts for moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats also will start hunting Saturday.

Zender said bears haven’t been concentrating in huckleberry patches this year because the berry crop has been poor. They’re in the rare places where there are berries, in abandoned apple orchards and any place they can find a meal.

Trout, Washington

Sprague Lake is primarily known these days for its walleyes, perch, crappies and bluegills. It’s also a good place to hook outsized rainbows.

Monika Metz of the Sprague Lake Resort said anglers, still-fishing off the resort’s dock and over the springs in front of the resort, have been catching 3- to 5-pound rainbows.

The outsized trout are those released into the lake last year. The trout released last spring are about 14 inches long.

Most of the rainbows released last year into lakes managed primarily for trout have been caught, but anglers are catching the fish meant for next year. They’ve also been hooking a few of the bigger fish.

As the waters cool, fishing will pick up gradually.

Some have been fishing mountain lakes in the Cascade range the last few weeks.

Trout, Idaho

Fishing has been fair to good at some of North Idaho’s cutthroat rivers in recent days. However, fly fishers have complained that the streams are still a little too high for easy wading and fishing pressure has been extremely high along the St. Joe River and Kelly Creek.

Priest Lake continues to be the most consistent producer of good-sized trout in North Idaho. Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop, said anglers, trolling in deep water, are taking three-fish limits nearly every time they fish.

The mackinaw trout in Lake Pend Oreille have become more active since the change in the weather pattern, Scott Plus of the Hope Marine Services reported. As a result, he said, participants in the final weekend of the summer mackinaw derby may do well. The derby ends Monday. Steve Palambo, who caught a 29-pound, 10-ounce mack, is still the leader.

For fishing tips and areas to fish, anglers can telephone Plus at 1-208-264-5105.

Fishing has been slow at nearly all lowland lakes in the Panhandle.

Trout, Montana

Fishing was terrific along the Clark Fork River below Missoula when guide Drew Miller of the Grizzly Hackle Tackle Shop of Missoula took clients fishing Sunday. Reason: The sky was overcast, rain fell periodically and insects hatched all day.

He said his clients used Baetis imitations and Parachute Adams during Baetis and Pale Morning Dun mayfly hatches.

When the sun is shining this time of year, he said, the mayflies hatch in the evenings. If hoppers aren’t blown into the water, fishing usually is slow.

Miller also said Rock Creek and the West Fork of the Bitterroot produced excellent fishing during the overcast days.

He predicted fly fishing will improve dramatically as the rivers cool in September. As fishing improves, pressure will drop. Many anglers will be hunting, many who take their families on fishing trips will no longer be on the rivers and many will just give up fishing until next year.

Salmon

If you’re interested in fishing for salmon, your best chance of hooking one is to drive west to the lower Columbia. You still have a chance of catching a chinook or two in the Buoy 10 area, but you probably will catch more cohos than chinooks. You can fish for both chinooks and steelhead in the Columbia near the mouth of the Deschutes River.

It’s still too early to fish for chinooks in the Hanford Reach. Wait until the count at McNary increases dramatically.

You won’t have much of a chance of hooking a chinook at Lake Coeur d’Alene. Smith said the population of maturing chinooks is so small that many veteran anglers have given up trolling for them. Trollers have hooked a few immature chinooks running 12 to 20 inches long.

Kokanee

Lake Coeur d’Alene apparently is the best lake in the Inland Northwest to catch fair to good numbers of kokanee.

Smith said the 10- to 11-inch kokanee are 35 to 40 feet deep. To catch them, he said, a fishermen must get his lure down to where they are swimming.

“It’s a hassle to use downriggers to catch small kokanee,” he said, “but a downrigger is the most effective way of getting the bait down that deep.”

An experienced angler, using a downrigger, can catch 10 to 25 kokanee during a few hours of trolling, he said.

Spiny rays

Fishermen are continuing to catch walleyes at Roosevelt, Sprague and Moses lakes, the Potholes Reservoir and along the Columbia from Grand Coulee nearly to Bonneville Dam.

Best place to catch walleyes, crappies and perch is Sprague Lake. Metz said fishing hasn’t been fast, especially during midday hours, but some anglers have caught a few walleyes and crappies and lots of 8-to 12-inch perch.

Some, she said, have been spending all their time fishing for perch. A good spot is near the railroad tracks on the north side of the lake.

Coffeepot Lake in southwest Lincoln County will be closed to fishing on Monday.

The lake has had no set season because it was surrounded by private land and off-limits to the public. This summer, the Bureau of Land Management purchased some land along the lake, providing public access once again.

The lake, which holds bass and other spiny rays, will be under a March 1-Aug. 31 season beginning next year.

Sturgeon

All sturgeon hooked in the Columbia River and its tributaries from John Day Dam to McNary Dam must be released starting Tuesday, the Fish and Wildlife Department said. Fisheries managers believe the allowable catch of 560 in that area will be caught by that time.

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