Hunting & Fishing

Waterfowl

The freezing of most small lakes and potholes apparently has caused large numbers of ducks to move to the Columbia River. Whether they spend the final days of the 1997-98 season on the big river will depend on the weather.

Hunters who set up along the Columbia in the Ringold Springs area last week said most of the birds were staying on sections of the river that are closed to hunting and flying out to feed only at dusk.

One experienced hunter who spent two days hunting the river said he killed only two mallards.

The time for hunting waterfowl is running out. Washington’s duck season ends Jan. 17. The goose season will end Jan. 18. Incidentally, starting Saturday, goose hunters can hunt every day until the end of the season throughout Eastern Washington.

This has been a frustrating season for most Washington duck hunters. Although a record or near-record number of birds have been in Eastern Washington, particularly the Columbia Basin, since mid-November, the weather, for the most part, hasn’t been good for hunting.

It’s been too mild for good duck and goose hunting. This week’s high winds should have helped hunters.

Ducks have been rafting up on big waters during shooting hours and flying out to harvested corn fields every evening and feeding at night.

There have been periods when hunting has been good on the Potholes Reservoir, Moses Lake and other waters, but all too often hunters have had poor shooting.

Some waters, on the other hand, have provided outstanding shooting for those who are members of “duck clubs” or who can afford to pay high daily fees to hunt on privately controlled waters.

North Idaho goose hunters have only two more days. The season for the Panhandle ends Sunday.

However, the duck season will continue through Jan. 17. Since most lakes are ice-covered, hunters will have to do their hunting along streams and on or near Coeur d’Alene and Pend Oreille lakes.

Trout and spiny rays

Lake Pend Oreille, noted for big rainbows, may be the most productive mackinaw trout producer in the Inland Northwest.

Ed Dixon, owner of Diamond Charters at Hope, said trolling for the macks, some of them trophy-sized, has been so good lately that many fishermen have been taking four-fish limits.

He said most of the macks are 5 to 15 pounds, but some enormous fish have been hooked and lost. He has had his clients troll big, chartreuse Flatfish behind dodgers on the bottom near Warren Island.

This will be a short ice fishing season in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Ice is finally getting thick enough to support anglers safely on several popular lakes.

Usually, such lakes as Fourth of July, Hog Canyon and Sprague are dotted with ice fishermen by mid-December. However, the lakes have been only partially frozen until a week ago.

If the ice continues to thicken, the lakes will attract thousands of anglers the next few weeks. By the end of February, though, ice on most lakes likely will be honeycombed and unsafe for ice fishing.

Ice on Fourth of July and Hog Canyon has melted by the end of February or early March the last few years.

Until a week ago, Fourth of July was partially ice-free. Although anglers could no longer launch boats, they could hike nearly a mile to the “narrows” and fish in open water from shore.

Although it’s been only 2 to 3 inches thick in some areas of the lakes, some anglers have risked dunkings by walking out on the ice.

Anglers have been hoping the ice on Sprague will thicken enough for them to fish for perch. As of a few days ago, however, the ice has been too thin for cautious anglers.

Although most anglers will go after perch after the ice is safe, a few will try for walleyes. Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene, said he intends to try for walleyes when the ice is 4 or more inches thick.

“I’d like to jig for walleyes at night at Sprague Lake,” he said.

Smith said the only lakes in North Idaho that had safe ice a few days ago were those near Bonners Ferry. Lakes to fish include Perkins, Dawson, Robinson and Smith.

There are tiger muskies in Dawson, he said, but no one, as far as he knows, has been fishing for them.

None of the lakes near Coeur d’Alene had safe ice as of a few days ago. If the temperatures drop into the teens for two or three days, though, the ice may be thick enough to safely support anglers.

Smith said some fishermen are catching good-sized rainbows and brown trout below the Post Falls Dam by drifting bait in the deep runs of the Spokane River.

Steelhead

You can catch steelhead above and below dams along the Snake River, but the best boat fishing is just below Heller Bar.

When the temperature of the Grande Ronde drops below 40 degrees, steelhead destined to move up the stream settle down in the deep holes below Heller Bar.

Right now, according to Jay Poe of Hells Canyon Sports at Clarkston, steelhead are stacked up in large numbers in the Snake River section just below Heller Bar.

Nearly all anglers are drifting shrimp and steelhead roe, he said. Some boat fishermen also have been hooking steelhead in the Asotin area. Fishing above Lower Granite Dam has been spotty.

Fishing has slowed along the Snake and its tributaries below Lower Granite Dam. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department reported that during the seven-day period ended Sunday, anglers averaged 28.8 hours per fish along the Walla Walla River and 38.6 hours above and below Little Goose.

Fishing was still excellent along the Tucannon, where fishermen averaged 7.6 hours per steelhead.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department reported anglers averaged 28 hours per fish along the lower Clearwater last weekend.

Upland birds

If you’re still interested in hunting quail and partridges, you only have two more days to hunt the birds. Seasons for chukar and Hungarian partridges and quail will end Sunday in Washington. Idaho’s upland bird seasons ended Dec. 31.

Nearly all Washington upland bird hunters have put away their shotguns until next fall. Only a few diehard gunners are likely to be in partridge and quail habitat the next two days.

Salmon

The immature chinook salmon in Lake Coeur d’Alene continued to take anglers’ lures and bait last weekend and early this week.

Fishermen boated salmon to 12 pounds. However, most were 4 to 8 pounds. Fishing was considered fair.

Smith said most productive areas have been off Arrow Point and Tubbs Hill and Carlin Bay. If you decide to troll helmeted herring, he said, set your downrigger at 50 feet. If you use Hootchies behind Hot Spot flashers, go down to about 80 feet.

Pike

Idaho fishermen are still waiting for ice to thicken at lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River before risking cold baths.

If the ice is thick enough for safe ice fishing this weekend, the lakes will be dotted with fishermen trying for pike.

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