Above Normal Temperatures Not A Boon To All Sportsmen

For the most part, water skiers, boaters and campers reveled in the stifling temperatures of July, August and early September. To most of the region’s hunters and fishermen, however, the abnormal heat was a pain.

As usual, when temperatures are abnormally high or low, someone benefits. This year’s high day-time temperatures and above-normal night temperatures were beneficial for dove hunters. This may be the best dove season in many years as a result.

So far, though, Washington’s bear season has been a bust. And the temperatures were too high from 10 a.m. to sunset for comfortable grouse hunting.

Many veteran goose hunters can’t seem to work up much enthusiasm during hot weather. Idaho’s season opened Saturday and will end Friday. Washington’s opened Tuesday and will end Monday.

Lake surface temperatures rose into the 80s and temperatures of many low-elevation streams were in the 70s. Fortunately for stillwater anglers, especially those who troll deep or still-fish, fishing sometimes was good. Fish, especially trout, spent little time near the surface, where temperatures soared into the 80s. In deep water, however, temperatures were in the 40s and 50s, and that’s where fish stayed most of the time.

The downside was that most insect hatches occurred by the end of June. Fish gorged themselves on mature dragonfly, damselfly and mayfly nymphs and on adult mayflies from March through June. They still found immature nymphs in July and August, but they looked for chironomid pupae, late-hatching mayfly nymphs and adults, leeches, aquatic worms, scuds and nearly-microscopic crustaceans.

Hatches continued along the region’s trout streams during the hot weather, but fishing was often slow at low-elevation streams. And only the most diehard anglers, wearing chest waders, spent time wading when temperatures soared above 90.

Toward the end of August, however, stream temperatures started dropping, primarily as the result of shortening days. Fishermen are hoping they’ll do well later this month and in October, when trout, sensing the coming of cold weather, become active and gorge themselves.

In past years, anglers have started hooking good numbers of steelhead along the Snake River soon after Labor Day. By Sept. 15, numerous fishermen camped just below the mouth of the Grande Ronde River and usually caught a few steelhead each day. By Sept. 25, there were enough steelhead in the lower Clearwater River for fair fishing.

Not this year. Possibly because of the temperature block along the lower Columbia River, the steelhead run is late. Water temperatures at Bonneville and The Dalles dams were three or four degrees above 70 for an extended period.

Both steelhead and salmon counts were low compared with typical years. It’s too early to tell whether the runs are smaller than normal.

Temperatures have dropped a few degrees since the end of August and fairly large numbers of steelhead and salmon were tallied at Bonneville.

Just when anglers were starting to hook fair numbers of steelhead and salmon below the mouth of the Deschutes River and in Drano Lake, however, state agencies announced they were shutting down fishing, effective Sept. 6, from Bonneville Dam to the Tri-Cities.

The agencies blamed the National Marine Fisheries Service for refusing to issue a biological opinion about the effects fishing will have on steelhead runs listed under the Endangered Species Act. Last Friday, however, the NMFS said a little-known provision of the act allows the state agencies to extend the fisheries through Sept. 12.

So what happens after Saturday? Will the NMFS back down by issuing the biological opinion that would enable the state agencies to permit anglers to continue to fish for steelhead and salmon?

The Columbia’s temperature is still high and steelhead and salmon counts at McNary are considerably below normal. However, enough salmon may be in the Hanford Reach in a week or so for anglers to have a chance of hooking one or two a day.

But anglers, confused by federal and state decisions, are wondering whether the Hanford Reach will be closed to fishing at the last minute.

Meanwhile, they can’t make long-range plans. They’re at the mercy of a federal agency that is not sure what to do.

It’s been a long, hot summer for area anglers and early-season hunters. Maybe better days lie ahead.