Hunting & Fishing

Partridges, quail

Bird hunters will learn this weekend whether a helicopter survey of chukar country in the Clearwater region of North Idaho reflected the population of chukars along the Snake and Salmon rivers.

North Idaho’s partridge and quail seasons will open Saturday. Also opening in the south part of the state will be seasons on sage and sharptail grouse.

A helicopter survey in August indicated chukar numbers along the Snake River were 36 percent above those of 1996. Chukars along the Salmon River, on the other hand, didn’t do as well, numbers dropping slightly from the 1996 count but still above the low of 1995.

Strangely, Washington biologists came up with figures that showed a drop of 23 percent from last year and a decline of 13 percent below the 1987-96 average.

The two surveys were made along and near the Snake above Asotin.

If Idaho’s survey indicated the true population on the Idaho side of the river, hunters should have a terrific year hunting chukars. Conversely, if Washington’s survey reflected the actual chukar population on the Washington side of the Snake, hunters will have a tough time.

Idaho gunners will find Hungarian partridges in and near agricultural land around Lewiston. They’ll find quail along streams and brushy draws.

Steelhead

Anglers are starting to catch steelhead near the mouth of the Grande Ronde. However, not enough of the sea-going rainbows are that far up the Snake yet for good fishing.

Most anglers are concentrating their efforts in the lower Clearwater, in the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers and above and below the Snake river dams.

More than 30,000 have climbed the fish ladders at Ice Harbor Dam and the count at Lower Granite exceeds 15,000.

The Snake and Columbia rivers are cooling fast and steelhead are moving up the system quite fast.

The A run, comprised of steelhead that move up the Columbia into the Wenatchee and Methow rivers and up the Snake to spawn in numerous tributaries except the Clearwater, is big enough to provide excellent fishing at times. It’s not clear yet how big the B run will be. B-run fish migrate up the Clearwater.

Fishermen are starting to catch a few steelhead at the mouth of the Grande Ronde, Jay Poe of Hells Canyon Sports at Clarkston said. However, best fishing is still in the lower Clearwater and in the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake rivers.

Salmon

The Columbia River in the Hanford Reach is getting crowded.

Although not enough of the “upriver bright” chinooks are above McNary Dam to provide excellent fishing, some fishermen have hooked big salmon in the Hanford Reach. As a result, the word’s out and eager anglers are heading for the fast-moving Columbia every day.

More than 35,000 chinooks have been counted at McNary Dam and most are in the Hanford Reach.

Most anglers are launching boats at the White Bluffs ramp and at the Vernita Bridge and drifting and trolling lures in the long section between White Bluffs and just below Priest Rapids Dam.

Most productive area for migrating chinooks is at the mouth of the Deschutes River and in Drano Lake, a side channel along the Columbia River.

If you live in the Spokane region and are contemplating the 350-mile drive to the mouth of the Deschutes, keep in mind that powerful winds will prevent you from fishing the Columbia during stormy periods.

Mature chinook salmon are up the Coeur d’Alene and other streams spawning, but fishermen are still catching chinooks in the big lake, Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene, reported.

The immature fish are small, mostly under 20 inches, he said. A few anglers have been fishing for the small chinooks, using flutter spoons or herring. When using herring, they troll at 2 mph in 35 to 50 feet of water or 3 mph when they use the spoons.

Bear

Rains this week dampened vegetation in Eastern Washington and North Idaho woods, enabling hunters to move quietly in bear country.

Idaho’s bear season opened Monday. How well hunters have done won’t be known for some time. Washington’s season opened Sept. 1, and comments by wildlife agents and hunters indicate many have tagged bear, especially in Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties.

Deer, elk

A few hundred hunters are in the Cascades seeking trophy buck deer. Because the regulations restrict hunters from killing any buck that doesn’t have at least three points on each side and because trails haven’t been maintained in most of the area open to hunting, the turnout has been smaller than in previous years.

Early deer archery seasons in some Eastern Washington game management units have ended. Seasons opened Monday and Tuesday in other units.

Spiny rays

Fishing has picked up at Sprague Lake as the result of a drop in water temperatures, Mike Mielke, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, reported.

He said fishing has been good for walleyes, perch and crappies from early morning until dark. Fishermen have been taking walleyes on Rattle Traps and Wiggle Warts. Beetle Spins have been the lure of choice for crappies. Fishermen have been catching crappies at several North Idaho lakes and northern pike at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Smith said.

Fernan is one of the most popular lakes for small crappies, usually about 9 inches, he said. Fishermen have been finding them in brush and along the weed beds.

Black and Swan lakes also have been yielding small crappies.

Pike fishing has been picking up as waters cool at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Smith said. He reported he and others have been hooking numerous pike, mostly 4 to 8 pounds, in Wolf Lodge, Cougar and Harrison bays.

Fishermen are catching channel catfish from Clarkston upstream to Hells Canyon, Poe said. They’re baiting hooks with everything from worms to steelhead eggs.

Incidentally, Poe said sturgeon fishing has been good along the Snake above Clarkston.

Trout

With lake waters cool enough for trout to feed all day, this is a good time to fish lakes in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Anglers have been catching rainbows, cutthroat and brown and brook trout in numerous lakes since the surface water temperatures have dropped from the high 70s and low 80s to the low 70s and high 60s.

As usual, best lakes to fish are the selective fishery and fly fishing-only waters, but several other lakes and reservoirs have been yielding good-sized trout. For example, an angler caught a 7-1/2-pound rainbow off the Sprague Lake Resort dock last weekend.

Keep in mind that numerous Eastern Washington lakes will be closed to fishing at the end of this month. Priest Lake is still the most consistent producer of good-sized trout in North Idaho. Anglers, trolling baited lures in deep water, have been limiting on small mackinaw trout.

Trout in several small lakes in the Panhandle, however, have become active since the cooling of waters. Consider fishing Hauser, Cocolalla, Fernan, Hayden and the Twins.

Smith said rainbows in Cocolalla are 14 to 20 inches and those in Hauser are 14 to 18 inches. This is the time of year when fly fishers take good numbers of big rainbows on dry flies at Hauser.

With water temperatures dropping fast at the St. Joe, Selway and Lochsa rivers, many cutthroat will be migrating down to deep pools.

The catch-and-release section of the St. Joe soon will be too cold for most cutthroat. Try fishing below Avery. If you find a school of migrating fish, you can catch and release numerous cutthroat.

Forget the upper few miles of the Lochsa. Best fishing will be 20 to 30 miles from the headwaters.

Smith said Dolly Varden trout seem to be making a comeback at Lake Coeur d’Alene. He reported he and others have hooked the endangered trout while trolling for other fish. Most of the Dollies have been more than 6 pounds.

All Dolly Varden must be released. Anglers are not even allowed to take them out of the water.

Fishing has been fair along the Clark Fork, Bitterroot and Rock Creek in the Missoula area. It’s been excellent on some days.

Most Spokane-area anglers who have fished the Missouri River in the Craig area have reported poor fishing.

Kokanee

Kokanee in Lake Coeur d’Alene are still silvery bright and providing fair to good fishing, Smith said. Kokanee in most other Inland Northwest lakes are in advanced spawning dress and are not of much interest to fishermen.

Smith said the kokanee in Lake Coeur d’Alene are 20 to 50 feet deep. In a few days, he said, fishermen will be able to reach them with standard kokanee fishing gear. The fish are moving toward the surface as the water cools.

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