Derby Winners Small

Only a few chinooks weighing more than 15 pounds were caught during the nine-day salmon derby that ended Sunday at Coeur d’Alene Lake.

The good news for the 600-plus salmon fishermen was that the lake seems to have a big population of 18- to 24-inch chinooks. The bad news was the lake’s dearth of mature salmon.

Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop in Coeur d’Alene, said nearly every angler who caught a 10-pound-plus salmon won one of the daily cash prizes.

Benita Galland, who lives at Rockford Bay, was the overall winner with a 19.96-pound chinook in front of Windy Bay last week. She won a boat, motor and trailer valued at about $15,000, plus $500 for catching the biggest fish of the day.

Michael Klien Jr. of Spokane placed second with his 18.92-pound salmon and won a 9.9 four-stroke outboard motor, plus $500 for catching the biggest fish of the day.

Ernie Crossley, also of Spokane, took home a TR1 auto pilot worth more than $1,000 for placing third with a 15.12-pound salmon. He also won $300 for catching the second largest chinook of the day.

Smith said fishing was tough most of the time. It was so bad on the final day of the derby that only one salmon qualified for a cash prize.

Smith also said predictions by Idaho Fish and Game Department biologists that anglers would catch lots of small salmon but few mature fish proved to be true.

Two recent years of flooding raised havoc with fish populations, they said.

If indications that there are lots of 18-to 24-inch salmon in the lake are on the money, salmon fishing could be good late this year and next year, Smith said.

Big Hole water low

Low water levels in Montana’s Big Hole River have officials asking anglers and irrigators to voluntarily cut back.

Under the Big Hole Drought Management Plan, which was developed by the Big Hole Watershed Committee in 1997, officials are required to take certain steps to protect the Arctic grayling population in the upper river when water flows hit 40 cubic feet per second at the gauge at Wisdom.

The plan calls for asking anglers to either fish the upper river only in the early morning hours or, better yet, fish somewhere else.

Ranchers are being asked to keep a close eye on irrigation and stock water and keep what water they can in the creek and river. The portion of the river that officials are focusing on is from the Dicky Bridge to Jackson, which is the stronghold for the Arctic grayling.

Ocean fishing peaking

Salmon fishing has been very good, especially along the Washington coast, and should get better in coming weeks, according to Tony Floor, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department sport fishing expert.

“The quality and size of this year’s returning salmon are the best in years,” Floor said.

Many anglers are releasing wild coho before catching a marked coho they can keep in the Strait, where anglers also are starting to catch good numbers of humpies, otherwise known as pink salmon. One chinook per day is allowed within the two-salmon limit at Westport and Ilwaco. Two salmon of any species may be kept off La Push.

Check the fishing hotline, (360) 902-2500, for the latest on rules.

Refuge comment extended

The deadline for comment on management plans for the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge has been extended until Aug. 31.

Lisa Langelier, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manager for the refuge east of Colville, said several user groups and county officials had requested extra time to prepare their comments.