Hunting and Fishing
Salmon and steelhead
The Little Salmon, South Fork Clearwater and Lochsa rivers will remain open to chinook salmon fishing today through Monday. Anglers can fish for summer chinook on the South Fork Salmon River seven days per week until the state’s share of harvestable fish is caught there.
Salmon fishing opportunities expand on West Side rivers come July 1, including the month-long sockeye salmon fishery on a sliver of the Skagit and Baker rivers. The Skagit will open to sockeye fishing downstream from a point 200 feet above the east bank of the Baker River, while the Baker will open from the mouth to the Highway 20 Bridge at Concrete. The season closes from 12:01 a.m. July 5 to 2 p.m. July 6, and from 12:01 a.m. July 11 to 2 p.m. July 12. The lower portion of the Samish River (from the mouth to the Thomas Road Bridge) opens to salmon fishing July 1.
Sockeye salmon are moving through the Ballard Locks and into the Lake Washington system. Salmon managers forecast a return of about 398,000 this year, which could mean limited sport and tribal fisheries later this summer.
More than 1,000 summer chinook a day are coming over Priest Rapids Dam – double the 10-year average. The season opens July 16 at Hanford and from Priest Rapids up.
Trout and kokanee
Caddis imitations on the Big Spokane River are proving effective for rainbow, said Larry Cowles at Silver Bow Fly Shop in Liberty Lake. He reported that the Clearwater and St. Joe, though high, are fishing well. The lower Coeur d’Alene River is also good, although water levels in the upper tributaries are dropping quickly. Muddy water on the Clark Fork made fishing tough last weekend, and with the sporadic rain, it may not have cleared yet. Cowles and friends fished the Missouri last week for browns and rainbows to 20 inches, but he reports that when water was released from Holter Dam, it shut down the bite.
Rock Lake is giving up a lot of 16- to 17-inch rainbow and browns for trollers dragging Needlefish or Flatfish. Williams and Fishtrap continue to boot out limits of rainbow, and anglers at Loon are catching lots of rainbow to 18 inches while night fishing for kokanee. I’ve fished Loon kokanee three times this year, doing well with a Glo hook and maggot in 24-27 feet of water on the east side. The bite usually starts after 9:30 p.m.
Marshall Lake cutthroat between 11-13 inches are hitting green Roostertails, Wedding Rings or trolled flies tipped with mealworms. Still fishermen are making good catches by dunking worms or Power Bait. No reports have come from Mystic or No Name, but both had good populations of cutts last year and should be productive.
On Coeur d’Alene, the best kokanee fishing has been near Powderhorn and Sunup bays. The bigger fish seem to be suspended between 10 and 30 feet over deeper water.
Lake Chelan macks, most 2-5 pounds, are biting in the lower basin from Lake Chelan Shores to Minneapolis Beach. They are feeding heavily on the recently stocked kokanee fingerlings and shrimp. The majority are being caught within 10 feet of the bottom in depths of 212-256 feet. Chelan kokanee are still scattered in feeding schools throughout the lower part of the lake. They range from 9-12 inches.
On Roosevelt, small trout 10-12 inches are a nuisance, according to Ray Bailey at R/C Guide Service out of Davenport. He said the fishing has been up and down with all the recent storms, but a few silvers and larger rainbow are coming out of Swawilla Basin and in the Keller area.
Chapman Lake is producing kokanee for trollers and still-fishermen, particularly along the south side, said Bruce Culver at Chapman Lake Resort. Several large rainbow have been taken recently from the same area, two more than 5 pounds.
Large rainbow are suspending below the I-90 Bridge west of Moses Lake. Nightcrawlers and bobbers have taken several up to 3 pounds, with one 6-pounder reported.
Spiny ray
Limits of walleye are being taken fairly regularly from Lake Roosevelt. Best reports have come from the Keller area, Swawilla Basin, up the San Poil and in front of Hanson’s Harbor.
In Moses Lake, Mike Graham of Mike’s Bait and Tackle reported lots of shakers but also some nice limits of keeper walleye. Trolling worm harnesses has been most effective with the north end of the lake being better than the south, He said there is a pretty good bloom on north end, but, if anything, it has improved the fishing.
Sprague Lake ‘eyes have been cooperative to anglers throwing plastics off the points. The fish are fat and in excellent shape.
The vegetation is up on Long Lake. For crappie, fish the pockets between weed patches, and for perch, move to the outside of the weed beds.
Nice largemouth bass have been taken this week from Chapman, Newman, Eloika, Potholes Reservoir, Waitts and Long lakes. Long (Lake Spokane) is catch and release until July 1.
Waitts Lake is also giving up some large catches of perch. In Moses Lake, too, big catches of 10- to 12-inch perch have come from the south end of Goat Island. Banks Lake perch seem to be more numerous this year than in years past, running up to 14 inches. Big ones are also being taken on Rufus Woods.
Smallmouth bass are still hitting aggressively on Liberty, Long, Roosevelt and Banks. At Boggan’s Oasis on the Grande Ronde, Bill Vail reported excellent angling for large fish from Schumacher Grade to the Snake River. He said you’ll do best with a drift boat or raft, and that fly fishermen as well as pluggers and jiggers are having a lot of fun with the smallies. Four anglers in two boats recently combined for more than 200 smallmouth in one day. Vail reminds steelheaders to book reservations early for this fall as cabins and guides are booking up. Info: (509) 256-3372.
Other species
Earlier this week, Spokane shad guru Charles Palmer and his friend, Franklin Duncan, had excellent shad fishing on the Washington side, three-fourths of a mile down from Bonneville Dam. The duo fished two days between 8 a.m. and noon, casting traditional shad darts with a red head, white body, yellow calf’s tail and an ounce of lead. Palmer recommends a 20-inch leader tied to a swivel with the weight above. He suggested letting the lure coast without reeling during the entire middle of the swing, and then reeling fast at the end to avoid snagging the rocks. About 177,000 shad passed Bonneville on Monday, so there should be at least one more week of good fishing.