Hunting and Fishing

Fri., Dec. 16, 2005

Alan Liere Correspondent The Spokesman-Review

Christmas gift tips

» Fishing and hunting licenses make excellent Christmas gifts. In Idaho, you may purchase one for a friend or relative if they are non-residents. If they are a resident, you must purchase a gift certificate at a Fish and Game office. In Washington, you may purchase a license for either resident or non-resident. WDFW's Web site offers details at (http://wdfw.wa.gov/lic/ formpage.htm), or call (360) 902-2464.

» Gift givers in Washington have a new option this year with a choice of five new vehicle license-plate backgrounds bearing the images of a bald eagle, a killer whale, an elk, a mule deer and a black bear. The special plates cost $40, in addition to regular vehicle-licensing fees, with proceeds going to wildlife management programs for those and other species. They will be available Jan 3, 2006. WDFW's Web site (http://wdfw.wa.gov/ license_plates/index.htm) offers a gift envelope that can be downloaded and printed to give a recipient funds for purchasing a "wild" license plate. The Web site also contains details on how to purchase the plates, along with the necessary verification form.

» Tickets for WDFW's quarterly drawings for a lifetime of hunting and fishing privileges make great stocking stuffers. Tickets cost $6.50 for state residents and $12.50 for non-residents and are valid for all drawings within 365 days of purchase.

» An annual vehicle-use permit comes with a Washington hunting or fishing license, but for those who don't fish or hunt and want access for boating or wildlife-watching on more than 600 WDFW recreational sites statewide, an annual vehicle-use permit can be purchased for $10.95. See WDFW's licensing Web page for details.

Overheard

» The water is so clear in Hog Canyon now, anglers are able to lie on their stomachs, block the light from the hole, and watch the fish bite. This is a great way to determine proper depth, as just a few vertical inches sometimes makes the difference in a limit and a skunk.

Heads up

» Hunter education classes in Idaho fill up quickly. There are none currently scheduled for the Panhandle region, and one of two in the Clearwater region is already full. The other runs Feb. 27, March 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29, April 3, 5, with a field day April 8. It will be held at the Eggen Youth Center, 1515 East D Street, Moscow, Idaho. Registration is at the City of Moscow Parks & Rec. Department, (208) 883-7085, beginning Jan. 3. Each student is responsible for a supplies fee as well as a facility use fee. The class is limited to 30 students. For information about classes in other regions, call toll free at 1-866-285-1544.

» A reminder: Idaho's 2005 fishing licenses expire Dec. 31, and new licenses are required starting Jan. 1.

Salmon and steelhead

Both bait and plug fishermen say steelhead angling has improved up the Snake River canyon. The Clearwater, however, is running very low, and about two-thirds of the river was iced over at midweek. The Grande Ronde, said Bill Vail at Boggan’s Oasis, is iced over, and it doesn’t appear that things will change soon. He suggested calling the store for conditions before making the drive. The phone number is (509) 256-3372.

Ice is forming along the edges of the Walla Walla, Tucannon and Touche rivers, and effort is way down because of the cold. About half of the catch now in the Little Goose/Lyons Ferry area is from recently released adult steelhead not needed for broodstock at the hatchery.

WDFW district fish biologist Bob Jateff of Omak said steelhead fishing has slowed considerably due to colder water temperatures and ice in the Methow and Okanogan rivers. “But steelhead are still being caught in the mainstem Columbia River between Chief Joseph and Rocky Reach Dams,” he said. Jateff also noted that an additional area is now open to steelhead fishing in the upper Columbia from the Highway 17 Bridge at Bridgeport to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam.

The few steelheaders braving the weather at Ringold this week averaged 8.1 pole hours per steelhead.

Ice fishing

Washington

A few fishermen were catching a lot of fish midweek at Hog Canyon, said John Williamson of Spokane. He and a friend both caught their five-fish limits, the biggest a 15-incher, the rest between 11 and 13 inches. He says most fish were caught on the drop about 2 feet below the ice. Black jigs and mealworms did the damage. Two friends and I also fished Hog Canyon on Thursday. White Glo hooks tipped with red salmon eggs worked for us. The best bite was between 10 and 11 a.m. in 6 feet of water.

Trout are also biting at Fourth of July, and most are big. Only two of the five-fish daily limit at Fourth of July or Hog Canyon can be over 14 inches.

The majority of the rainbow caught at winter-only Williams Lake in Stevens County are 13 to 18 inches – but there’s no size restriction on the five-fish limit. Hatch is producing some puny perch but few trout. Waitts Lake in Stevens County is open through February but has been slower to provide safe ice. There are a lot of 20-inch-plus browns in Waitts, and also nice perch.

Ice fishing is also under way on a few year-round lakes in the region. Sprague Lake is producing crappie and walleye, along with a few nice trout. Eloika Lake has good yellow perch and largemouth bass fishing through the ice. The bass are under the statewide slot limit – only those less than 12 inches or greater than 17 inches can be kept, and of the five daily catch limit, only one can be over 17 inches. Anglers fishing through the ice at Silver Lake in southwest Spokane County should be especially cautious, particularly near the boat launch, where areas of open water remained at midweek.

Little Twin and Davis lakes in the Methow area and Sidley and Bonaparte lakes in the Tonasket-Oroville area are good bets for nice trout.

Moses Lake is frozen over, and anglers are catching walleye and perch through the ice.

Idaho

Avondale, Upper Twin, Cocolalla, Rose, Hauser and Fernan lakes are providing ice fishing. Round Lake is good for limits of trout. Remember you will need to pay a state park entrance fee to fish at Round Lake. The chain lakes, especially Medicine and Killarney, are beginning to produce pike. Spirit Lake should be good for kokanee in the early morning. The limit is 15.

Winter fishing

Rock Lake in Whitman County is producing rainbows and browns for boat anglers who know the lake. There are a lot of underwater islands in Rock Lake that can make boating treacherous, and the lake can go from calm to whitecaps in just a few minutes.

Banks Lake is icing over but will probably not be thick enough to walk on for a few days. Look for Banks to provide some great perch fishing this winter if the ice gets thick enough.

Lake Roosevelt is still kicking out limits of fat net pen rainbows. Trolling with muddlers was hot this week near Lincoln.

Potholes anglers are taking some big walleye in open water near MarDon. There is slush at the boat ramps, but they are still open.

Other species

The crab fishery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays in marine areas 7, 9 and 10 but will open seven days a week beginning Dec. 21. Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) is open seven days per week through Jan. 2. Marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) and 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) will be open seven days a week Dec. 21 before closing for the season Jan. 2. Marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound) will remain open seven days per week through Feb. 28 unless the catch reaches state harvest share before then.

Whitefish season is open on portions of the Bumping, Klickitat, Naches, Tieton and Yakima rivers. There is no minimum size limit on whitefish, and up to 15 can be taken daily. Anglers can do fairly well on whitefish once they find the winter schools, and they make for very tasty table fare, especially smoked.

Hunting

Archery hunters in the North Sound (407) and Islands (410) game management units have until the end of the year to hunt black-tail deer. Archery hunters can take any deer in both GMUs.

It’s time for goose hunting in the Columbia Basin, with birds concentrated on big, open waterways. WDFW waterfowl biologist Ron Friesz of Ephrata says hunters are reporting that geese are abundant in the Moses Lake area, and have been feeding in grain fields in the Hiawatha Valley north of Potholes Reservoir.