Hunting and Fishing
Steelhead
This week’s warmer temperatures should stir up the Snake River fish, though the accompanying rains will most likely add a lot of color to the rivers. Jig and shrimp combos under slip floats have been catching fish near Almota and Boyer Park. The best bite there is reported to be from first light to about 11 a.m. Some of the Snake tributaries are running high and muddy. The Clearwater has seen some huge fluctuations.
The few boat anglers sampled in Bonneville Pool have done well on steelhead. There has not been much effort on other Columbia River pools.
Wild, winter-run steelhead are returning in good numbers to Northwest rivers and streams. Remember that on the Olympic Peninsula, anglers may retain one wild steelhead per season if it is caught in designated waters of 11 state rivers: Bogachiel, Calawah, Clearwater, Dickey, Goodman, Hoh, Hoko, Pysht, Quillayute, Quinault and Sol Duc rivers. One wild, summer-run steelhead may also be retained on the Green River in King County, although that fishery closed for the season Nov. 30. Wild steelhead caught in all other rivers in Washington must be released.
Trout and kokanee
The lower basin winter fishery of Lake Chelan is still good, with macks slamming plugs within 10 feet of the bottom.
Rufus Woods Reservoir is heating up. According to Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service, the lower end, right at the “dead line” of barrels above Chief Joseph Dam, is giving up jumbo kokanee as well as triploid rainbows. He suggests pulling a baited fly or Wedding Ring combo behind a dodger or pop gear in the top 20 feet and to vary your speed and be patient. Some days you’ll go hours without strikes, then limit the boat in an hour of furious fishing.
Idaho river anglers can continue to catch and release rainbow trout through March 31, and harvest whitefish and brook trout. Rivers open during the winter include the Clark Fork below the Railroad Bridge, North Fork, Little North Fork and mainstem Coeur d’Alene, St. Joe, St. Maries, and the Moyie — although all of those rivers are swollen to the brim with runoff this week.
Ice fishing
At midweek, there were numerous area lakes offering safe ice for fishing. In Eastern Washington, these waters include Eloika for perch, bass, and a few trout, Waitts for perch and trout, Hog Canyon for 10-13-inch rainbow, Fourth of July for rainbow, mostly over 14 inches, Hatch for perch, Williams for rainbow up to 17 inches, Bead for mackinaw and burbot, and Banks Lake for big perch.
With the warming weather, don’t take anything for granted. Idaho Fish and Game’s Panhandle Region issued an update Thursday saying that ice conditions had become “extremely dangerous” on some lakes.
My observation at four area lakes on Wednesday was that water and slush on top will make things messy, but there was 6-8 inches of hard ice underneath the slop. The road into Hog Canyon, incidentally, can probably now be navigated in a two-wheel drive vehicle.
In North Idaho, there are even more ice fishing opportunities, although you have to realize the ice conditions are changing by the hour. Possibilities include:
Avondale: Small perch, fair crappie, occasional largemouth bass, sunfish and bullhead.
Blue: (Bonner County) Small perch, crappie, bass and an occasional channel catfish.
Brush: Rainbow trout, bass and bluegill. Access can be limited by snow. It is about a 2-mile hike in.
Cocolalla: Lots of 6-8-inch perch and a few crappie. Nice rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout.
Coeur d’Alene: Many of the back bays have good ice and anglers have found plenty of hungry pike. Try dead smelt fished under tip-ups. If this week’s warmer temperatures open up the ice, smelt fished under a bobber should be deadly.
Dawson: Perch 7-9 inches, with occasional crappie, bluegill and bass.
Fernan: Perch 7-10 inches, with occasional crappie, bass and northern pike, rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Freeman: Perch 6-9 inches, occasional crappie, sunfish, bass, tiger muskie and stocked rainbow trout. Access can be limited by snow. It’s a quarter-mile hike in.
Gamble: (Gamblin) Perch 8-12 inches. but not very numerous. Occasional bass, sunfish and crappie.
Hauser: Perch 7-10 inches, occasional crappie, sunfish, and bass. Good for rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Hayden: Northern pike in the north end at Sportsman Park. Most run 24-30 inches. Some perch. Trout and bass fishing closed.
Jewel: Perch 6-9 inches, bluegill, channel catfish and stocked rainbow.
Kelso: Good for stocked rainbow trout and mixed spiny ray.
Killarney: Northern pike 18-24 inches. Small perch.
Medicine: Small perch, occasional bass and northern pike.
Mirror: Rainbow trout and occasional kokanee.
Pend Oreille: Limited ice fishing in Fry Creek Bay on the southeast end of the long bridge (Hwy. 95 south of Sandpoint), Condo Del Sol on the northwest end of the long bridge and in Denton Slough east of Hope. Also try Springy Point area on the Pend Oreille River. Good perch fishing with some large (12 inches), but few in number. Perkins: Perch 8-11 inches, with occasional crappie, sunfish and bass.
Priest: If we get any safe ice, Priest Lake can provide good ice fishing for lake trout along the east shoreline from Cavanaugh Bay north to Pinto Point. Try jigging spoons and lead headed jigs tipped with cut bait. Harvest of cutthroat, kokanee and bull trout is closed.
Robinson: Good fishing for 10-12 inch rainbow, brook, and occasional cutthroat trout. Some bluegill, pumpkinseed and bass. Bass closed until July 1.
Rose: Perch 7-9 inches, some crappie, bluegill, and bass.
Round: Perch 7-9 inches. Excellent for stocked rainbow trout. State Parks Pass required for entrance.
Smith: Good fishing for 10-12 inch rainbow and cutthroat trout, some bass.
Spirit: Good kokanee fishing for 7-10 inch fish. Limit is 15. Best bite is at first light.
Thompson: Northern pike, 18-28 inches.
Lower Twin: Perch 7-10 inches. Nice-sized rainbow and cutthroat trout and a few big kokanee.
Upper Twin: Mostly perch, 6-9 inches.
Hunting
Canada geese are open daily until the end of the season beginning Jan. 22. If the warming weather brings them back, the last week could be the best of the season.
Hunters hoping to participate in controlled hunts for Idaho black bear and turkey this spring have only until Feb. 15 to apply for permits. Most of the controlled turkey hunts are in the Southeast and Upper Snake Regions, with a limited number of permits available in Unit 38 and a portion of Unit 32 in the Southwest Region. Sixty-seven turkey permits have been set aside for youth hunts. To qualify, youth hunters must be 15 years of age when they apply.
Most of the special cougar hound hunts authorized this year in northeastern Washington are closed or closing as the hunters reached the quotas set in each county for the number of female cougars allowed in the hunts.
Washington hunters have a couple of new F-words to consider: File or Fine. With participation in a mandatory postseason hunting report program declining every year, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has proposed adding a fee of up to $50 to the cost of licenses for those hunters who fail to submit their information on time.
As of mid-January, only 31 percent of hunters who purchased a 2004 deer, elk, black bear or turkey tag had submitted their hunting information. The reports are due by Jan. 31.
(Outdoors editor Rich Landers contributed to this column.)