Hunting & Fishing

Ducks

For the first time in several years, Washington’s duck season will end with many big Eastern Washington lakes and reservoirs partially or entirely free of ice.

Although many small lakes and potholes are ice-covered, the ducks haven’t been forced to migrate to the Columbia below the Tri-Cities.

They’ve been feeding in fields throughout Douglas, Grant and Franklin counties in the Columbia Basin and harvested grain fields adjacent to the lower Snake River. The long duck season ends Sunday evening. The goose season ended Jan. 16.

Those who go after ducks Saturday and Sunday won’t see as many hunters as there were a month ago. Most have given up hunting ducks and have put away their shotguns. Gunners who hunt the last two days of the season will be the state’s most-dedicated hunters.

The Ringold Springs area of the Columbia River probably will be one of the most heavily hunted areas the last two days. Most knowledgable hunters know that tens of thousands of ducks feed in fields adjacent to the Columbia and rest on the river at night.

Also popular will be both the Washington and Oregon sides of the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge.

Since little snow covers harvested corn and wheat fields, parts of Grant, Franklin and Adams counties will attract thousands of ducks. Those who hunt in the right places at the right time will get some shooting.

This is the best time of year to hunt the Snake in the vicinity of Central Ferry and the Ayers Junction. However, hunting has been spotty along the Snake in recent weeks and those who hunt the river may not see as many ducks as they expected.

Trout, Washington

The winter fishing lakes, Lake Roosevelt, the Potholes Reservoir and the year-round lakes south of Lind Coulee, remain the most productive trout lakes in Eastern Washington.

Night-time temperatures in the teens solidified the ice on most of the winter lake. Ice should be thick and solid enough for safe fishing on Fourth of July and Hog Canyon lakes.

The best bet is Fourth of July Lake, which still holds a large number of outsized rainbows, most 14 to 18 inches long.

Hog Canyon wasn’t stocked with enough rainbows to provide good fishing through the rest of the winter season. The Fish and Wildlife Department cut the plant drastically because the water level was as low as it’s been in several years.

The lake has been fished relatively hard since it opened Dec. 1 and a high percentage of the 12- to 13-inch rainbows has been caught. Anglers can expect tough fishing as the winter season progresses.

Williams Lake in the Colville area apparently still has a fairly good population of rainbows in the 12- to 15-inch class.

Fishing for big, fat rainbows at Lake Roosevelt isn’t nearly as good as it was a month ago. However, anglers continue to catch enough to keep them content.

Shore fishermen have been plunking bait in the Seven Bays area, mouth of Hawk Creek, Jones Bay and Keller Ferry area. Boaters have been trolling in most of those areas.

Thanks to net-pen-reared rainbows, the Potholes Reservoir has produced better trout fishing than fishing for walleyes, perch, bluegills and bass. Popular areas are near the mouth of Frenchman Hills Wasteway and off Medicare Beach.

Most of the small lakes south of the Lind Coulee are partially or completely covered with ice. Because the Columbia Basin weather has been milder than the weather in the Spokane region, the ice on most lakes can’t be trusted.

Some of the lakes have good populations of rainbows, including the Windmills.

Trout, Idaho

Justin Kimberling of the Fins & Feathers shop said only a couple of ice-fishing huts have been sold this winter.

The popular ice-fishing lakes in the northern Panhandle now are covered with 4 to 5 inches of solid ice, according to Jeff Smith, owner of the shop. Smith said Round, Jewel, Gamble, Shepard, Kelso and Hauser are among the lakes that have good ice covers.

With the exception of Hauser, fishing has been good for trout and perch at the lakes, he said. Biggest trout, running 11 to 14 inches long, are in Round.

Smith said ice on Hayden and Fernan was not solid enough on Wednesday for safe ice fishing.

Steelhead

If you know how to catch steelhead, you have a good chance to hook one or two during a day’s outing.

Fishing has been about as good as it gets along some sections of the Snake River and a few of its tributaries.

When the catch rate drops below one steelhead for every 10 hours of fishing, the fishing can be considered good. When fishermen average less than 3 hours per fish, the fishing is almost unbelievably rewarding.

Employees of both the Idaho and Washington fisheries agencies check fishermen nearly every day. They contact anglers along the Snake, Clearwater, Salmon, Grande Ronde, Tucannon, Touchet and Walla Walla rivers

As every steelheader knows, many fishermen know little or nothing about how to catch steelhead. The minority are experts. Combine their success rates and you come up with fairly reliable figures.

So where should you go?

Hot spots have been the Snake between Clarkston and the mouth of the Grande Ronde, the Clearwater, Grande Ronde, Tucannon and the mouth of the Tucannon.

Fish and Wildlife Department’s Snake River Laboratory representatives checked only a few spots during the week ended Sunday. The Touchet and Tucannon rivers were the most productive spots, with anglers averaging 6.8 hours per fish along the Tucannon and 8.3 hours along the Touchet.

The average near Little Goose Dam was 30 hours. Averages near Ice Harbor and Lower Monumental were more than 60 hours per steelhead.

Streams are so cold that steelhead, for the most part, are wintering in the deep holes. Once in a while, particularly after a rainstorm, the steelhead move. That’s because the water temperature goes up enough to start them moving.

Many anglers are fishing bait under bobbers. Many are drifting bait through holding spots. And some continue to back-troll lures.

Salmon

Immature chinook salmon still are taking anglers’ baited hooks, Kimberling said. Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop, guided three clients during the weekend and the fishermen caught six salmon.

Trollers are hooking chinooks at two depths, from 40 to 60 feet and from 90 to 110 feet. They’ve been trolling helmeted herring.

Trout, Montana

If you plan to be in the Missoula area the next few days and will have enough time to break out your fly rod, you might do a little casting along one of the rivers. But be prepared for ice flows.

The only insect you’ll likely see will be a midge. However, most fly fishers have been using fairly big patterns, particularly stonefly nymphs and San Juan Worms, as well as Prince and Hare’s Ear nymphs.

Best fishing may be along Rock Creek, according to the Kingfisher fly shop. However, if you encounter drift ice, you’ll have big problems.

Spiny rays

Pike fishermen have been catching northerns up to 10 pounds on smelt or herring below bobbers, Kimberling said. Most popular areas have been Wolf Lodge and Blue Creek bays.

Whitefish

This is one of the most productive times of the year to fish for whitefish at the area’s streams. The fish have spawned and are concentrated in schools, making them more vulnerable to anglers than during most times of the year.

For Washington anglers, the Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam is one of the most productive areas. Fishermen plunk baited hooks from shore and drift bait from boats.

The Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers hold large populations of whitefish. Anglers use small flies baited with maggots, grubs or eggs and fish the deep holes where the whitefish have gathered in large schools.

The lower Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers also have been yielding good whitefish strings.