Hunting and Fishing

Fri., July 2, 2004

Alan Liere Correspondent

outdoor insights

Tip of the Week

While still-fishing, you can better detect the bite of a kokanee by constantly raising your rod tip very slowly from water level to about three feet. Many of your "bumps" will come at the top of the sweep. Set up hard rather than just reeling.

Overheard

Some "monster perch" have being taken recently at Waitts Lake in Stevens County.

Braggin' rights

Helen Low of Lacey, Washington, was fishing off the MarDon Resort dock on Potholes Reservoir when she hooked a big rainbow. When the fish ran under the dock, her line went slack. A second later, the trout jumped over three feet of freeboard into a moored boat, and Helen retrieved her lunker.

Heads up

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife proposals to improve fishing and waterfowl reproduction through treatment of Rocky Lake in Stevens County and Ellen Lake in Ferry County will be discussed at public meetings scheduled July 15 at 7 p.m., in the USDA/Stevens County Conservation District building, 230 Williams Lake Rd., just off Highway 395 northwest of Colville.

“The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will soon bring the business of managing the state's fish and wildlife resources to the Idaho Panhandle. On July 7, 7-9 p.m., there will be a public comment meeting in the downstairs conference room of the Federal Building located at 7th and College in St. Maries.

“Beginning yesterday , the application fee for an Idaho controlled hunt will be $6 and the permit fee will go to $7.50. Tag fees are not affected.

Salmon seasons will close in the main Salmon River and its South Fork at the end of fishing hours Saturday. Ongoing salmon fisheries in the Little Salmon River, the Lochsa River, and the South Fork of the Clearwater River will not be affected by the closure.

Kokanee and trout

Almost all north Idaho and western Montana rivers are beginning to fish well. The Clark Fork is running at 8,850cfs, but Joe Contrell of Joe Contrell Outfitting in St. Maries, says there are very few boats on the river and conditions are “ideal.” It is predicted that the rains of June will keep the Clark Fork fishing through August.

Trollers who have been on the water between fronts are finding cooperative Lake Roosevelt rainbow. There are a lot of smaller fish in the reservoir now, but also a fair number of fat 20-inchers.

The put-and-take lakes around Spokane still have good numbers of rainbow. Recent stormy weather has reduced fishing pressure, however, and made the bite erratic.

Roosevelt kokanee are finally on the bite, says Doug Holcomb of Northside Fishing. Anglers are taking kokes up to five pounds from Seven-Bays to Swawilla Basin. The river is up and the fish are moving around, and Holcomb predicts the fishing will only get better when the weather settles.

Anglers seeking quantity rather than size in their kokanee fishing can try a number of western waters. Loon Lake kokanee are practically jumping in the boat. I fished there three times this past week with friends and we limited each time on 9-10-inchers. If you can tolerate the skiing traffic, there has been a good bite beginning around 7 p.m. Use Glo-hooks in pink, yellow, or white, tipped with maggots. “Charge” the hook with a flashlight or lantern, even if it is not yet dark.

Coeur d’Alene kokanee are running 9-12 inches, says Justin Kimberling at Fins and Feathers in Coeur d’Alene. He suggests trolling the north end of the lake at 15-20 feet. Also in Idaho, Dworshak kokes between 10-13 inches are biting. Twenty-five fish limits are not the rule, but it is not uncommon to troll up 10-20 fish per day.

In Montana, Lake Mary Ronan is seeing a good bite on 9-10-inch fish. Also in Montana is Kookanusa and its generous 35-fish kokanee limit. The fish run 10-12 inches, but because of recent stormy weather, are deeper than normal. There is a two-fish catch and keep season for bull trout on Koocanusa, though Randy Burch at Koocanusa Resort and Marine suggest fall is the time for the biggest fish. Info: (406) 293-7474.

Salmon and steelhead

The Washington ocean fishery at Ilwaco has been good, with anglers averaging about 1.5 coho each. Westport and LaPush, however, are off to slow starts. Chinook salmon have been uncommon at all three destinations, but at Neah Bay, trollers are averaging more than half a chinook each.

Preseason forecasts projected a return of 80,700 sockeye to the Columbia River. To date, well over 90,000 have passed Bonneville Dam, and the run size has been updated to 115,000. Preseason forecasts also projected a return of 102,800 summer chinook to the Columbia. Through June 29, a total of 59,920 had climbed the ladders at Bonneville.

Salmon fishing has been steady on the Little Salmon River, but the pressure has been light. There is still some success on the Lower Salmon.

The mainstem Columbia from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco is now open for hatchery steelhead and hatchery chinook, including adults. Sockeye may also be retained. From the Highway 395 Bridge to Priest Rapids Dam, sockeye and wild chinook may now be retained as part of the salmon daily limit.

Up to three hatchery steelhead may be retained as part of the trout daily limit on the Cowlitz River from the Hwy. 4 Bridge at Kelso upstream to 400 fee below the Barrier Dam, and on the North Fork Lewis River from the I-5 Bridge upstream to the overhead power lines below Merwin Dam.

Bass and walleye

The water is high and warm at Potholes Reservoir near Moses Lake. Topwater bass fishing is in full swing, and walleye action is improving. Most sand dunes remain under water.

A recent two-day bass tournament on Banks Lake weighed in 948 smallmouth and 58 largemouth. Marc Lippincott of Spokane took first with nine fish totaling 22.5 pounds.

Walleye fishing in Rufus Woods and Banks Lake is slowly beginning to improve, although fish have moved out into deeper, colder water. At Roosevelt, fishing has been excellent from Seven Bays to the Kettle River. Anglers trolling spinners with nightcrawlers, and particularly leeches, are doing very well.

Best bass and walleye fishing on the Columbia pools have been at John Day where boat anglers averaged over 2 walleye and 6 bass per rod last week. On the Snake, anglers who hit the water early are catching numerous smallmouth.

In Idaho, Coeur d’Alene, Twin, and the chain lakes are giving up bass as well as northern pike. Try spinnerbaits along the weed edges.

Sturgeon

The Hells Canyon section of the Snake recently gave up 11 sturgeon to nine Spokane anglers fishing with Pat Long of Snake River Guide Service. Most of the fish were less than four feet, but one, estimated at over nine feet, cleared the water in a magnificent jump before breaking off. Info: (509) 758-9364.

At the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco, charter boat anglers last week averaged 0.85 legal sturgeon kept per rod, while private boat anglers averaged a legal kept per 4.7 rods.

Starting July 4, anglers will be required to release all sturgeon caught in the Columbia River and its tributaries downstream from the Wauna power lines near Cathlamet. The retention closure is taking effect nearly three weeks before the previously adopted date of July 24 because the sport harvest guideline of 15,000 sturgeon is expected to be reached early. From the Wauna power lines upstream to Bonneville, Dam, sturgeon may be retained through July 31 and October 1-December 31 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only. Minimum size is 42 inches.

On the mainstem Columbia and its tributaries between Bonneville and John Day dams, retention of sturgeon is prohibited through the end of the year. Sturgeon caught between The Dalles Dam and John Day Dam on the Columbia River are now required to be released through December 31.

Other species

Pacific halibut close in the coastal waters off Westport, Washington (Marine Area 2). July 3. Halibut fishing will remain open in Ilwaco and Puget Sound east of the Sekiu River, and remains closed in Area 12.

Counts at Bonneville Dam dropped to fewer than 20,000 shad per day over the past weekend. More than five million have been counted this year.

Hunting

Hunters with no luck in the regular Idaho draw for deer, elk, bear and antelope still have some chances for controlled hunt tags. All unclaimed permits and leftover tags will be available for a second drawing with an application period of August 5-15. The drawing will be August 20 and any leftover permits go on sale August 25.

The application period for Idaho sandhill crane hunts runs through July 15. Five hunts are available this year, all in the southeast part of the state.