Hunting and Fishing

Salmon and steeelhead

Clearwater steelhead anglers are still boating fish with most of the hits coming early. Tim Johnson of FishHawk Guides says the best plug seems to be either a blue Pirate Wiggle Wart or a rainbow half-ounce Hot-N-Tot. All rivers that were open to chinook salmon fishing in Idaho are now closed.

Portions of the upper Columbia River continue to produce summer-run chinook salmon, particularly near the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia rivers, below Wells and Rocky Reach dams, and near the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers. Fish have been ranging from 15 to 25 pounds.

Cowlitz River anglers are catching summer run steelhead near Blue Creek. On the Wind River, steelhead have been rolling at the mouth. Drano Lake anglers are averaging 1.7 steelhead per rod, and a few chinook are also being caught. On the White Salmon River, anglers are also catching summer run steelhead and a few chinook.

Despite an influx of chinook salmon in some areas, salmon fishing off the Washington coast has been hit and miss in recent days, said Wendy Beeghley, a WDFW fish biologist. Catch rates off Westport and Ilwaco picked up dramatically during the first few days of August, then settled back to about one salmon per angler by the end of the week. Last week Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) anglers averaged 1.2 salmon per rod, 77 percent of which were coho. Marine Area 2 (Westport) is probably the best bet for chinook.

Salmon-fishing opportunities start to move into the freshwater on Aug. 16 when seasons open on the lower Skagit, Snohomish and Skykomish rivers. There are already several thousand pink salmon rolling and jumping in the lower Snohomish River.

Trout and kokanee

Three friends and I night-fished Loon for kokanee three nights this week. Although weather and water conditions appeared to be identical every time, we caught 40, 3, and 35 on successive nights – go figure. The magic depth was 34 feet. Typically, we also pick up a half-dozen rainbow each time out.

The south end of Coeur d’Alene Lake from Sunup to Harrison provided excellent kokanee fishing this week for John Kallas of Valley White Elephant, and friend, Jim Hough. Kallas says they had no luck for several hours, but when they found the right depth, the action was nonstop on fish running mostly 12-14 inches. One was over 15 inches. They were trolling 35-60 feet down, using 4 ounces of lead on mono and dragging a Mepps Pink and Glo Stacker tipped with red maggots.

The Coeur d’Alene Lake Big One Derby ends Sunday. At midweek, big chinook weighed 17.14 pounds. At Fins and Feathers, Justin Kimberling says the fishing has been very good all over the lake.

WDFW District Fish Biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake says kokanee trout fishing is picking up at Banks Lake. “I’ve heard the average kokanee there is a fat 16 inches,” he said.

August rainbow fishing in British Columbia’s Kootenay Lake is slow, but kokanee has been good.

Hot weather is beginning to affect trout streams throughout the West. Clark Fork fly fishermen, however, have been doing well on hopper patterns. With all the rivers in the Missoula area seeing high afternoon water temps and less than stellar fishing, Montana’s Missouri River is looking particularly good these days. Low stream flows on the Blackfoot River prompted the Blackfoot Drought Response Committee and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to request voluntary fishing restrictions beginning Saturday. Anglers will be asked to limit fishing on the main Blackfoot to morning only.

Spiny ray

The region’s fishing holes that have substantial populations of warm water species – including Spokane County’s Chapman, Clear, Downs, Eloika, Liberty, Long, and Newman lakes – are producing bass, bluegill, crappie, perch and catfish, says WDFW Central District Fish Biologist Chris Donley.

Early morning and late evening bass fishing has been very good on Potholes Reservoir, but walleye continue only fair during these dog days of summer. Crappie and bluegill fishing have perked up in the sand dunes, the Lind Coulee and at the Mar Don Resort Dock.

Roosevelt walleye anglers have reported good fishing above Kettle Falls from the bridge to Summer Island. Most of these ‘eyes are 13-18 inches and are appearing at all depths.

Hunting

Idaho waterfowl counts look much like they did last year, and a season similar to last year’s is proposed. In the Northern and Eastern Idaho Zone, which includes the Panhandle, Clearwater, Southeast, Upper Snake, and Salmon regions, geese and ducks (except canvasbacks) will be open Oct. 1 to Jan. 13. Canvasback season will run Oct. 1 to Nov. 29. The early statewide youth hunt for licensed youth ages 15 and under will be Sept. 24-25.

The Washington Game Commission has approved similar waterfowl seasons as last year. Duck hunting season will run Oct. 15-19 and Oct. 22-Jan. 29. Pintails, which have increased in numbers, are included in that 107-day season this year. Canvasbacks are restricted to a Dec. 1-Jan. 29 season due to declines in their numbers. Scaup populations are down slightly so the daily bag and possession limits have changed from four and eight to three and six.

All available tags for Idaho controlled hunts were drawn, but some of the tags for deer, elk, antelope, and fall black bear were not claimed by the Aug. 1 deadline. Unclaimed permits go into the second controlled hunt drawing. New applications must be submitted by Aug. 15.