Hunting & Fishing
Goose hunts
The first of Idaho’s waterfowl seasons will get under way when the early Canada goose general hunt opens Saturday in Nez Perce County and continues through Sept. 9.
Indications are that there are plenty of geese for excellent hunting.
The hunt is open to all hunters who have appropriate state and federal licenses. The bag limit is four a day and eight in possession after the first day. Regulations for the early hunt are listed in Idaho’s hunting season pamphlets.
Nearly all the geese that hunters shoot will be birds that were hatched along the Clearwater and Snake rivers, some of their tributaries and a few lakes.
Washington’s early Canada goose hunt will open Sept. 9 and end Sept. 14. Hunters will be permitted to hunt throughout most of the state. The limit in Eastern Washington will be three a day and six in possession after the first day. In Western Washington, coast management areas 1 and 2 will have a more generous limit: five a day and 10 in possession.
Doves, grouse
Washington and Idaho bird hunters are in dove and grouse country today for the opening of the seasons for the two birds.
For most hunters in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, dove shooting will be a three- or four-day event. Traditionally, those who have hunted doves the first day or so of a season either have turned to grouse hunting or have put away their shotguns until the opening of the pheasant, quail and partridge seasons.
Temperatures dropped below freezing last weekend and this week in a few areas where there are good numbers of doves. Hunters will learn today whether the below-freezing temperatures caused flocks to move out.
Many Washington hunters probably found plenty of doves in north Lincoln County and in Spokane County and along the Snake River breaks for excellent shooting. Idaho shooters likely did well in Benewah, Latah and Nez Perce counties and got some good shooting in parts of Kootenai and Bonner counties.
Hunters will be required to use non-toxic shot in some areas of the state to hunt doves this year, according to Madonna Luers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. For Eastern Washington hunters, the only area where non-toxic shot is required is at the Sunnyside Wildlife Area near Prosser.
“Many doves that are hunted in the Spokane region will move down to the Sunnyside Wildlife Area,” she said. “Hunters should be aware that they must use the non-toxic shot if they hunt the area.”
Some dedicated grouse hunters likely will be in the woods today. However, most hunters who intend to hunt ruffed and blue grouse will hunt Saturday and Sunday.
Washington and Idaho wildlife agencies should have information on the openings of the seasons early next week.
Bear hunts
Serious bear hunters will start hunting black bears in northeastern and southeastern Washington game management units next Tuesday.
Wildlife officials believe that hunters will do well in Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties despite last year’s big kill. Hunting also is expected to be fairly good in the Blue Mountains.
Inasmuch as huckleberries in the high country are now ripe, numerous hunters will find places overlooking huckleberry patches on opening day and on succeeding days. The huckleberry crop is a good one this year.
However, many hunters will look for bears in and near orchards and near berries in the lowland areas. Because there are plenty of berries for the bears to eat this year, fewer animals will be around garbage dumps and in campgrounds than there were a year ago.
Archery hunts
Numerous archers are in woods of Idaho’s Panhandle hoping to tag deer or elk.
The season opened Wednesday and will continue through Sept. 30.
The early archery season for the two big game animals is a popular one, attracting hundreds of archers most of whom would like to take home a big bull elk.
Some game management units in Eastern Washington were opened to archers today to the hunting of deer and elk.
Salmon/steelhead
Enough steelhead are now in the lower Snake River for fair fishing.
More than 8,000 steelhead have been counted at Lower Granite Dam. The count at Ice Harbor, the lowest dam on the Snake, has exceeded 14,000.
The most productive early fishing will be above and below Lower Monumental and Little Goose dams. However, anglers have a chance to hook steelhead in the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake rivers and in the lower Clearwater.
Some steelhead destined for the Grande Ronde and Salmon rivers usually move up the lower Clearwater in late August and early September but drop back to the Snake when water temperatures are more to their liking.
In past years, anglers have caught a few steelhead below the mouth of the Grande Ronde River and in the lower Ronde during the Labor Day holiday period.
Salmon fishing was fair at Lake Coeur d’Alene last weekend and early this week, Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop, reported.
Most of the chinooks that anglers are now hooking are immature fish in the 5-pound category. Smith said the salmon are 50 to 80 feet deep and anglers have been trolling helmeted herring without using dodgers or flashers.
The Fish and Wildlife Department closed the Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia on Monday and then, after determining that anglers hadn’t caught anywhere near the quota of 9,000, reopened the fishery effective today.
The agency said fishermen had caught only 5,800 chinook salmon had been caught through Aug. 27. The fishery will remain open until the quota is filled. The reopening will enable anglers to fish through the Labor Day holiday.
Although chinook fishing soon will end in waters from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line to the mouth of the river, fishing for hatchery coho will continue in that area. Over 450,000 coho are projected to return to the river this year.
The Fish and Wildlife Department said that fishing pressure along the lower Columbia has been intense. Agents checked 1,129 boats below Bonneville last Saturday.
The Corps of Engineers has counted about 50,000 fall chinook salmon at the Bonneville Dam. Nearly 10,000 have been tallied at McNary Dam.
The steelhead run at Bonneville has been a good one so far. About 200,000 have been counted. As many as 400,000 may be counted before the run is complete.
Numerous anglers are trolling for chinooks and steelhead at the mouth of the Deschutes River and at Drano Lake. The lower Deschutes has been attracting hordes of steelhead anglers. The campground at the mouth of the river has been jammed with anglers the last two weeks.
Bank anglers have been catching some steelhead above and below John Day Dam, the agency said.
Enough chinook salmon are now in the Hanford Reach section of the Columbia for fair fishing at times, the department said. Some anglers have been checked with chinooks in recent days.
Beginning today through Oct. 31, the area for chinook fishing in the upper Columbia River has been increased to include the river between the Highway 173 bridge at Brewster and the Highway 17 bridge at Bridgeport and to the Highway 97 bridge at the confluence of the Okanogan River.
The Fish and Wildlife Department opened the stretch so anglers can take advantage of one of the strongest runs in recent history. The daily bag limit is six chinook salmon, no more than two of which can be adults. All other salmon must be released.
Spiny rays
Some anglers have been fishing for channel catfish at Fernan and Hauser lakes, Smith said. Most of the “cats” weigh 3 to 7 pounds.
Smith said fishermen toss their baited hooks off points and into about 20 feet of water.
He said Hayden Lake is one of the best spots to fish for smallmouth bass in the Panhandle. Fishing has been slow for the smallmouth at Lake Coeur d’Alene.
The perch and crappies in the Potholes Reservoir are small, but the bigger ones are large enough to provide fair-sized fillets.
Bigger perch are available in Moses Lake. However, anglers say the best time to fish for them is in late September and in October.
Trout, Washington
Fishing is still slow at most Eastern Washington lakes. Water temperatures are dropping gradually as the result of low nighttime temperatures; however, the best time to schedule a trip to a trout lake is after mid-September.
If you must fish, be sure to get your bait deep. Most trout are staying in deep water.
Mike Mielke, co-owner of the Sprague Lake Resort, said anglers are continuing to catch rainbows in the spring area at the north end of the lake. A few of them are carryovers to 4 pounds.
Kokanee
You can catch 13- to 15-inch kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene if you get your baited lure down at least 40 feet, Smith said. Most anglers who do well are using downriggers to take their corn- or maggot-baited hooks down that deep.
Surface temperatures are still in the 70s, he said.
He recommended using a 000 or 0000 dodger ahead of the lure.
“These are big fish, he said. “It’s best to use a small dodger instead of a multi-bladed flasher so that they won’t tear off.
He also suggested using a No. 4 or 6 treble fish to hold the kokanee.
The kokanee are in excellent condition.
Fishing is still good at Loon Lake. However, the kokanee are approaching their spawning time and have turned dark. They’re not as good table fare as they were earlier this year.
Trout, Idaho
Perhaps surprisingly, the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers are still providing fairly good fishing.
A Spokane fly fisher said he spent a day on the upper Coeur d’Alene and, although he caught mostly small cutthroat, he hooked a few big ones.
He said he fished for eight hours and didn’t see another fisherman.
Fishing pressure has dropped along the St. Joe, Selway and Lochsa rivers the last few weeks. Now that school is starting and hunting seasons are opening there will be even fewer anglers along the streams.
Trout, Montana
Most of the trout streams in Montana are still closed to fishing because of fire danger.
Fly shops are reporting that water temperatures have dropped dramatically and are predicting good fishing when the state reopens the streams to anglers.
This sidebar appeared with the story:
FIRES IN MONTANA
Updates for sportsmen
Sportsmen can get updates on how fires and drought are affecting hunting and fishing seasons in Montana by calling 800-472-8455 or checking the Internet at fwp.state.mt.us.