Hunting and Fishing

Steelhead and salmon

Recent catch reports from central Puget Sound indicate anglers have been hooking up with plenty of hard-fighting coho, including several super-sized silvers. WDFW fish checkers working the Everett boat ramp recently recorded a 20-pounder. Some of the hottest spots include the southern end of Whidbey Island, the Shipwreck (on the Snohomish County shoreline between Edmonds and Mukilteo), Kitsap County’s Jefferson Head, and West Point, which is just north of downtown Seattle. Nice coho have been caught in Elliot Bay, practically in the shadow of the Seattle skyline.

Steelheaders are seeing pretty good action on the Clearwater near the railroad bridge, reports Tim Johnson of Fishhawk Guides. Bobber fishermen usually do better than trollers, but that can change in a day. Fish are being taken at least as far upriver as Lenore. There were more than 12,500 new fish over Lower Granite between Monday and Thursday. With the water cooling to about 66 degrees, the Snake should pick up within the week.

On the lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam, boat anglers averaged an adult chinook kept per every 2.5 rods last week, while bank anglers averaged one per every six rods. The Technical Advisory Committee recently updated the upriver bright fall chinook forecast to 309,000 fish to the Columbia River mouth. The preseason forecast was 287,000. Nevertheless, it is possible the recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam could close to chinook retention as early as Saturday.

Anglers are still catching chinook from the Wells Dam area, some of them still pretty bright. The fishery should hold up until the end of September.

Chinook angling effort increased last week at Hanford Reach, and Rick Hedding of Family Christian Anglers, says, “A lot of people are catching a lot of fish.” His party took several 20 and 30-pound “brights” over the weekend by trolling a sardine wrap Kwikfish. Info: 869-1444.

An estimated 59 adult chinook and seven jacks were harvested last week in the lower and middle sections of the Yakima River.

Trout and kokanee

Rainbow fishing is picking up again for both trollers and still-fishermen at many area lakes. Trollers are still taking nice rainbow trout from the south end of Banks at 20 feet along the steep bluffs. Kokanee fishing is winding down at Loon as the fish are beginning to darken a little earlier than usual, but trout are taking up the slack. On Coeur d’Alene, the fish are still bright and hitting aggressively. This is prime time for kokes in the east arm from Arrow Point to Wolf Lodge, but trollers near Harrison and Windy Bay are still making good catches of 13 inchers. Also in Idaho, Spirit Lake kokes are on the bite.

A number of area lakes have been scheduled for rehabilitation this fall, so beginning immediately, the WDFW has eliminated all limits, size, and selected gear restrictions. The lakes are: Ellen in Ferry County, Fish, Silvernail, and Rat in Okanogan County, Upper Hampton, Lower Hampton, Hen, Pillar, Snipe, Cattail, Shoveler, Gadwall, Lemna, Poacher, Hourglass, Sago, Widgeon, North Potholes Reserve Ponds in Grant County, and Rocky Lake in Stevens County.

Spiny ray

Smallmouth fishing on the Snake has been excellent this week. There are plenty of sub-12-inch fish, but most anglers are culling enough to find a five-fish limit of 12- and 13-inchers. A few smallies of more than 16 are also showing.

There is hardly anywhere you can go these days and not catch smallmouth — Long, Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Roosevelt, Banks. The Potholes bite continues strong, and bluegill and crappie are also showing in good numbers with some jumbo crappie being caught.

This is the time of year when bass become active at Sprague, and with the algae bloom just about gone, fishing for both walleye and bass has picked up.

Moses Lake is starting to produce walleye and bass, but some anglers south of Two Rivers and the Spokane Arm of Roosevelt are having a tough time finding the scattered fish. On Banks Lake, a lot of sub-legals are coming in.

You can still find nice-sized perch in Long Lake from the Tum Tum area down to the dam. The best bite is in 12-18 feet of water. Banks is yielding some 12-inch perch, but they’re hard to find and you have to keep moving around.

Other species

Recreational crab fishing will close in Marine sub Area 7-East and 7-North. This closure will include all crab and all harvest methods.

Squid jiggers have already seen good nighttime catches off downtown Seattle piers in a fishery that typically hits its peak during the dark winter months. I tried squid fishing a couple years ago, and it’s a lot of good-eating fun.

Hunting

Idaho fall turkey hunting runs through Oct. 4 in the Southwest region, through Oct. 9 in the Clearwater region, and through Oct. 31 in the Panhandle and Southwest regions. An additional hunt is scheduled Nov. 21-Dec. 10 for Units, 8, 8A and 10A. Hunters are allowed to take two turkeys in the fall season unless they killed two in the spring season; a total of three turkeys per year are permitted. The limit is one per day, either sex. An $18 tag is required for each turkey, but a general tag that went unfilled in the spring hunt can be used. Residents can purchase two extra turkey tags at $12 each. Resident juniors, seniors, and DAV can purchase extra turkey tags at $9.75 each. Non-resident turkey tags are $61.50.

The Washington fall turkey season runs Sept. 25-Oct. 1 in GMUs 105-124. Anyone with a valid tag who did not harvest two gobblers in Eastern Washington in the spring season can take one turkey, either sex. Whichever state you hunt in, you’ll need to change your tactics, as fall birds don’t gobble much. Toms are gathered in small groups, while hens and young of the year are usually in big flocks. Basic hunting strategy is to find and break up a flock, then sit and wait. Young birds will usually return within an hour while an old gobbler will take longer. Remember that you will be sharing the woods with grouse and archery deer hunters. Be sure of your target. Never assume you are the only hunter in the area.

Idaho chukar, quail and sage grouse season opens Saturday, and chukar hunting “looks fantastic this year,” according to Upland Game manager Don Kemner, who also said the western part of the state from Lewiston south, will be best. Bag limits are eight per day for chukars and 10 per day for quail. Sage grouse limits depend on the hunting unit. A $1.50 sage grouse permit is required.