Hunting & Fishing

Upland birds

If you still intend to pursue those gaudy, wily rooster pheasants in Washington and Idaho, you have only five more days to do so. Pheasant seasons end in the two states Wednesday.

Washington’s seasons for quail and partridges will continue through Jan. 11. Idaho’s seasons for those birds will end Dec. 31. Hunters can continue hunting grouse in both states through the end of the year.

Chances of taking a rooster pheasant or two will depend on where you hunt and weather conditions.

Hunters have killed most of the roosters the last three months. Those that remain resort to all their tricks to evade hunters.

If there’s snow on the ground, hunters can track the birds to their hiding places. But if there’s no snow and the weather is mild, hunters who don’t have good dogs will be handicapped.

Pressure on pheasants has continued steady through the season. For example, numerous hunters and their dogs worked brushy draws along the Snake River breaks last weekend. Just as many probably will be in the prime habitat this weekend and each day until the season ends.

The chukar population is smaller than it’s been the last few years and only the most dedicated have been hunting them.

Because they are small, quail aren’t popular with the region’s meat hunters. The only ones who spend time in quail habitat are those who know that quail are terrific upland birds.

Waterfowl

Small lakes and potholes throughout Eastern Washington and North Idaho are freezing over, forcing ducks to concentrate in huge flocks on the big lakes and reservoirs and making it necessary for hunters to find places where the birds feed.

As temperatures continue to drop, the big, still waters also will freeze over and most ducks will move to the Columbia River and farther south.

Wildlife biologists believe there’s a record number of ducks, primarily mallards, in the Columbia Basin. For hunters, particularly those who aren’t involved in leases, the hunting has been frustrating the last couple of weeks.

The weather has been too mild for good hunting. The birds have rested on the big lakes during shooting hours and flying out to corn fields just as the shooting hours ended.

There’s still plenty of time for Washington and Idaho waterfowlers to have good shooting. Seasons on ducks and geese continue well into January.

But many hunters, not wanting to drive icy roads during early morning hours, will put away their guns.

Goose hunting has been frustrating for most of North Idaho’s gunners. Ross Fister of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene said the weather’s been so mild and calm the geese stay in the middle of the lake and fly to the fields where they feed at night.

Until cold, windy weather develops, he said, the geese won’t move to the bays where hunters will be waiting.

Duck hunting has been slow in North Idaho.

Steelhead

Steelhead fishing was sensational along the Tucannon River during the week ended Sunday. Jerry Dedloff of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department’s Snake River Laboratory reported that anglers averaged an almost unheard of one hour per steelhead. He said that 23 anglers hooked 30 steelhead during the period.

Fishermen averaged 8.3 hours per fish along the Walla Walla and 8.2 hours along the Grande Ronde, averages that indicated excellent fishing. Other averages: Ice Harbor Dam, 18.3 hours; Lower Monumental, 10.1 hours; and Little Goose, 14.9 hours.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported that fishermen averaged 18 hours per steelhead along the lower Clearwater during the three-day period ended Sunday. The average for the North Fork was 30 hours.

With water temperatures running at 44 to 46 degrees, most steelhead anglers have switched from lures to bait, according to Jay Poe, owner of Hells Canyon Sports at Clarkston.

Nearly all are drifting shrimp and steelhead roe in the slow-moving waters of the Snake and Clearwater. Some are using bait under bobbers, especially in the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. Bobbers and baited jigs or hooks also are popular near the Snake River dams.

Trout

This is the time of year when many popular Eastern Washington and North Idaho lakes are dotted with ice fishermen. However, ice is not thick enough to support anglers safely on most lakes.

Some North Idaho lakes, in the Bonners Ferry area, are covered with 4 to 5 inches of ice. Among them are Chase, Smith, Robinson and Perkins. They usually provide good fishing for perch and a few rainbows.

Fourth of July and Hog Canyon have continued to attract large numbers of anglers.

Because a high percentage of the rainbows in Fourth of July are 16 to 24 inches long, the lake has been exceptionally popular with fishermen, many of whom have been violating the regulations.

The fishing has been so good that numerous fishermen have ignored the regulations and have been seen carrying stringers of five huge trout from the lake to their vehicles.

Only two trout 14 inches or longer can be included in a five-fish limit.

The violations have been so widespread that lawabiding anglers have been complaining they never see wildlife agents at the lake.

Greedy fishermen also have been taking more than five trout at Hog Canyon, where the fishing has been exceptionally good.

Trout fishing has been slow at Lake Roosevelt and most other waters of Eastern Washington.

Salmon

If you can stand near-freezing temperatures, this is a good time to troll for chinook salmon in Lake Coeur d’Alene. Fister said fishing for the salmon was good last weekend.

Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop, took two clients fishing one day. They caught two 11-pounders and a smaller salmon on helmeted herring fished 60 feet under the surface.

For some reason, the best fishing with herring is 60 feet deep, while the most productive fishing with mini-squids behind flashers is 85 feet under the surface.

Most productive areas have been from Tubbs Hill to Kidd Island and off Driftwood Point.

, DataTimes