Hunting & Fishing

REPLAY: Sports, October 18, 1997: A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife pamphlet defines a three-point minimum on a buck deer in a game-management unit as a deer having “at least three antler points on one side. (A 3x3, 3x2 or 3x1 meets the minimum requirements…) All antler points must be at least 1-inch long. Antler points include eyeguards - if at least 1-inch long.” The definition provided in Friday’s Hunting & Fishing report was incorrect.

Big game

Thousand of hunters are in Idaho’s Panhandle hoping to tag either a bull or a cow elk.

The bull season opened in nine game-management units a week ago today and the cow season opened Wednesday in the same units. Opening of the bull season attracted hundreds of hunters, but most tag holders, as usual, waited for the opening of the cow season.

Indications are that elk herds in some Panhandle units were hit hard by last winter’s severe weather. Snow was 4 to 6 feet deep in some areas of Bonner and Boundary counties.

Although the deer season opened last Friday in many units, most hunters elected to wait until they have tagged an elk before getting serious about deer hunting.

Hunting pressure was heavy in some areas of Eastern Washington and extremely light in others when the general deer season opened Saturday.

There were as many deer hunters as pheasant hunters in southeastern Washington, but deer hunters were scarce in Okanogan County, where the deer population was hit hard last winter and spring.

Madonna Luers, spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Department’s Spokane region, said 503 hunters were checked at the Deer Park station last weekend with 40 whitetail and two mule deer bucks for a hunter success ratio of 8.3 percent, considerably under the long-term average.

She also said hundreds of hunters are confused over the regulations pertaining to three-point minimums for buck deer. To be legal, all mule deer must have three points on each side of its antlers. However, any whitetail buck is legal in numerous game management units north of the Spokane River and Lake Roosevelt. She advised hunters to read the regulations to learn where all whitetail bucks are legal.

Hunting pressure was lower than normal for Lincoln, Whitman and Spokane counties. Wildlife agents checked 229 hunters with 17 deer, a 7.4 percent success ratio.

In southeast Washington, agents checked 556 hunters with 43 deer, a success ratio of 7.7 percent.

Mark Quinn of Ephrata, region 2 wildlife manager for the Fish and Wildlife Department, said only 418 hunters were checked at the Chewack station during the weekend. They had five buck deer. Last year 744 hunters were checked at the station with 28 bucks.

He said hunter success was down 82 percent from last year.

Upland birds

As expected, pheasant hunting success varied widely in the Spokane region. Best hunting was along the Snake River breaks.

Luers said 24 hunters were checked on the Whitman County side of the Snake. They averaged 2.7 roosters each. Many of those checked were hunting on public land where the Fish and Wildlife Department released hatchery-raised roosters.

Hunting was poor to fair in northern Whitman County and in Lincoln County. It was fair to good in Garfield and Columbia counties, especially along the Snake River breaks. Many of the 43 roosters were killed on land where the department released hatchery-raised birds.

When asked whether he would classify pheasant hunting as mediocre, he answered, “That would be optimistic.”

Pheasants are scarce in the Columbia Basin, Quinn said, but there are a few “pockets” where there are enough birds for fair hunting. Hunters willing to walk miles can find pheasants in the desert area around the wasteways, but “It’s tough to hunt those birds.”

High winds Saturday and Sunday made the birds extremely skittish. Most pheasants won’t stay in cover that’s noisy when the wind blows because they can’t hear predators. They stay in light cover that is sheltered from the winds.

Several Spokane hunters said they feel the pheasant population in many areas isn’t as good as last year.

Harold Replogle said he hunted 3 hours on land north of Pine City where there have been numerous birds in past years and saw only one rooster. One friend, who owns land that usually supports numerous pheasants, asked him not to hunt on the land this year. He told Replogle he knows of only six roosters on the land this year.

Bill McElroy said he hunted 3 hours Saturday in the Colfax area and saw only two roosters.

Waterfowl

Duck hunters had fair to good shooting last weekend, but few of the birds they shot were ducks that had migrated out of Canada.

Best hunting was in the Columbia Basin, where those who hunted on private lakes and ponds shot mallards. Hunting was fair on the big waters as high winds forced the ducks to sheltered bays and coves.

Some hunters reported good shooting along parts of the Pend Oreille River.

Plenty of Canada geese are in North Idaho and Eastern Washington for good hunting. Best shooting was in fields where the birds fed. Experienced hunters did well in harvested corn and grain fields.

Quinn said there are 40,000 Canada geese, mostly lessers, on the Stratford Lake reserve. One hundred gunners tried their luck along the “firing line,” but didn’t do well. Wind conditions have to be just right for the pass shooters.

However, many field hunters took limits of geese throughout Grant, Lincoln and Douglas counties last weekend.

Steelhead

Steelhead fishing was excellent along some sections of the Snake River and its tributaries during the week ended Oct. 12.

Among the hot spots, according to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department, were the Wallula area near the mouth of the Snake, where anglers averaged 9.8 hours per steelhead; Ice Harbor Dam, 17 hours; Tucannon River, 3.6 hours; and Little Goose Dam, 12.9 hours.

Boat anglers averaged 10.8 hours per steelhead and shore fishermen averaged 4.7 hours. Fishing was excellent along the lower Grande Ronde River, but the department didn’t get any checks.

An average under 10 hours is considered sensational fishing.

The Clearwater River opened to catch-and-keep fishing Wednesday. As usual, numerous anglers fished out of boats and along the shore.

Tempers have flared among steelheaders along the lower Grande Ronde River in recent days. Some have referred to the shouting matches as a “steelhead war.”

Some fishermen have been killing steelhead they hook along the lower 2-1/2 miles of the river. Fish and Wildlife Department officials are warning anglers that all steelhead hooked in the lower Ronde must be released. Furthermore, selective fishery regulations are in effect, meaning anglers can’t use bait and must use barbless hooks.

More than 55,000 steelhead have been counted at Lower Granite Dam.

Salmon

If you want to take home a chinook salmon or two, now is the time to fish the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River.

Plenty of chinooks are in the reach for good fishing, but the salmon are deteriorating rapidly. In fact, many are releasing the chinook they hook.

When the salmon turn dark and the flesh deteriorates, some anglers have them smoked.

Juvenile salmon weighing 2 to 4 pounds are fairly easy to catch at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene, said.

He and friends have hooked and released numerous small chinooks in recent days. He recommended anglers use mini-squids and fish in 55 to 60 feet of water.

Trout

This is a good time to fish for trout at many lakes and streams in the Inland Northwest.

Fishing has been good at several selective fishery and fly fishing-only lakes in Eastern Washington.

For example, one fly fisher hooked and released more than a dozen good-sized rainbow trout at Bayley, a fly fishing-only lake on the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge. He had the lake to himself and said the trout took chironomid patterns in the morning and an Elk Hair Caddis in the afternoon. The trout took emerging and adult tan caddisflies.

Another fly fisher said he did well at Amber, a selective fishery lake south of Spokane. He used a fast sinking line and a leech pattern to hook several rainbows.

Lenice and Nunnally, selective fishery lakes in the Columbia Basin, continue to provide good fishing. Big rainbows are taking chironomid and mayfly nymph patterns.

Fly fishers and trollers have been hooking rainbows that average 15 inches at Idaho’s Hauser Lake, according to Smith of the Fins & Feathers shop. The trout are feeding on midges that hatch daily. Trollers are towing Carey Special and leech patterns near the surface.

Smith said 18- to 22-inch-long rainbows in Hayden Lake are feeding near the surface and trollers have been hooking them on various fly patterns.

Little Mirror Lake southeast of Sandpoint has been yielding nice brook trout.

Spiny rays

Anglers have been catching good-sized perch and crappies at Hayden Lake, Smith said. The fish are 15 to 20 feet deep and are near weed beds.

Sprague Lake still is a good choice for perch, many of which are 10 to 12 inches long, said Monika Metz, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort. Fishing pressure has dropped drastically the last few weeks.

Kokanee

Numerous trollers took 25-fish limits of 10- to 11-inch kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene last weekend, Smith said. Many trolled mini-squids, but most used standard tackle.

The male kokanee are dark, he said, but the meat is still in good condition. The fishing should continue good for at least another week, he added.

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