Hunting & Fishing

Turkey hunting

Gobblers aren’t doing much gobbling as seasons draw to a close in Washington and Idaho. Indications are that most hens are on their nests and not moving much.

Washington’s season will end next Thursday. Idaho’s general seasons ended Sunday. Only a couple of controlled hunts in South Idaho are open. They end Sunday.

Hunters have had to put up with periodic rains, which stopped the turkeys from moving. When the rains fell, the birds, not wanting to get their feathers wet, waited until the cover was dry before wandering far for food.

However, indications are that turkey hunters have done well this season. The severe winter apparently didn’t affect turkeys as much as some other game birds.

Trout, Washington

Frequent rain showers, 15- to 30-mph winds and low temperatures have kept thousands of anglers from fishing such lakes as Amber, Williams, Fishtrap, West Medical and Badger and lakes in the Columbia Basin and Okanogan County. As a result, most still have big trout, and good fishing will continue a few weeks longer.

Although most fishermen know that Williams and Badger are loaded with 10- to 11-inch yearling rainbows, few have fished the lakes during the cold, wet weather. When I visited them during a cloudy, cool day last week, only two or three anglers had launched boats at Williams and no more than a half-dozen had launched at Badger.

However, some anglers fished from the public access areas and did well. I cast a fly near the launch ramp and hooked several, including a 21-inch rainbow.

Mayflies are starting to hatch at the region’s lakes. Traditionally, many fly fishers have spent Mother’s Day at Badger and Williams to take advantage of massive Callibaetis mayfly hatches.

The hatches haven’t been as prolific in recent years as they were 15 years ago or so. Biologist Bob Peck said there are indications the mayflies may be coming back, but he added fly fishers will know the next two weeks whether the flies are providing lots of food for trout.

Callibaetis mayflies also are hatching at numerous Columbia Basin and Okanogan County lakes, including Lenice, Nunnally, Dry Falls, Ell, Aeneas and Chopaka, all either selective fishery or flyfishing-only lakes.

Lenore has been slow for nonspawning Lahontan cutthroat, but good for the spawners along the shoreline.

Wildlife agents, posing as anglers, arrested numerous fishermen at Dry Falls Lake last weekend. Agent Dan Rahn said anglers were cited for using bait at the selective fishery lake, barbed hooks, exceeding the one-fish limit and continuing to fish after keeping a fish. Fishing has been slow at Dry Falls.

Blue and Park lakes southwest of Coulee City have been providing outstanding trout fishing, Rahn said. Most of the rainbows are 10 to 12 inches long and some anglers have been taking limits in less than an hour.

Bayley and McDowell, flyfishing-only lakes on the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge southeast of Colville, are still at near-record or record highs. However, roads to the two lakes and Potters Pond are in good condition, said Steve Fowler, refuge manager.

A county road leading to the lakes is still covered with 15 to 18 inches of water. Anglers can bypass the deep water by driving east on Highway 20 for 9 miles to the Narcisse Creek road, turning right for a mile to an intersection, left past a Grange hall, then to the refuge.

As usual, some will choose to fish lakes that hold large numbers of non-trout species, as well as small numbers of brown, rainbow and brook trout. The fishing won’t be fast at Clear, Jumpoff Joe and Waitts, but fishermen have opportunities to take a few good-sized trout.

Loon Lake continued to yield mackinaw trout the past week. Trollers caught them both deep and near the surface. Anglers reported stomachs of macks they caught contained only spiny rayed species. Usually, macks eat lots of juvenile kokanee.

K&K Derby

Fishing in the Kamloops & Kokanee Derby at Lake Pend Oreille, Jay Clark of Hope registered one of the largest crappies caught recently in North Idaho. It weighed 2 pounds, 3 ounces.

Trout, Idaho

Several North Idaho lakes are yielding limits of trout, but some of the largest are coming from Hayden, according to Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene. The rainbows and rainbow-cutthroat hybrids average 3 to 4 pounds.

Spiny rays

Walleyes are just starting to bite at lakes and reservoirs in the Columbia Basin. Wildlife agent Rahn said a few fishermen have been doing fairly well at the Potholes Reservoir, Moses, Soda and Long lakes, but most have experienced slow fishing.

Water levels are still higher than normal, Rahn said, and water temperatures are low.

“The season for walleyes seems to be running about two weeks late this spring,” he said. Monika Metz, an owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, said fishermen caught 18-inch-plus walleyes and catfish last weekend. However, crappie, bluegill and bass fishing still hasn’t been good.

Smith said crappie fishing has been good at the west end of Fernan Lake. Most crappies are 8 to 10 inches long. Some crappies have been caught at Rose Lake.

Chinook salmon

After virtually ignoring trollers’ offerings last week, chinook salmon in Lake Coeur d’Alene started biting again during the weekend, Smith said.

Fishing wasn’t fast, but some anglers hooked salmon off Hudson and Arrow points. He said anglers in guide Rick Caddy’s boat caught three on Sunday.

The chinooks that take anglers’ lures and bait are in the top 15 feet of water, Smith said.

Pressure on the chinooks has been light lately. Debris and high water apparently discouraged many would-be anglers.

Northern pike

If you fish for northern pike, look for shallow, weedy water. Smith said the toothy fish were still taking lures and bait in 3 feet of water in bays around Lake Coeur d’Alene last weekend.

Smith said he has had luck on giant pork rinds. Some fishermen have been catching pike on weedless spoons.

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