Hunting and Fishing

Fri., May 20, 2005

Alan Liere correspondent

Tip of the week

» If you plan on fishing Sprague Lake, check with Four Seasons Resort and pick up a lake map. They have most of the prop busters marked.

Overheard

» Bank anglers using Power Bait have pulled in some big rainbow from the Spring Canyon shoreline.

Braggin' rights

» Earlier this week, Steve and Karen Heaps experienced excellent fishing on Fishtrap Lake. Although Steve caught many fish, his wife caught the three largest – rainbow of 2 pounds, 7 ounces; 3 pounds, 4 ounces; and 4 pounds. Steve nevertheless maintains that Karen is basically a good person, and he plans to take her again.

Heads up

“Last week I included a fishing report about Twin Lakes near Inchelium from Mark Charbonneau who owns Crawdad's Bait and Tackle at the Onion Creek General Store (509) 732-6648. I incorrectly identified the name of his store.

“Most lakes, reservoirs and larger rivers are open to fishing year-round in Idaho, but some smaller lakes and most streams are open from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Nov. 30. Anglers who buy a fishing license now will take advantage of the current prices, as fees will go up July 1.

“With a slight increase in the forecast of returning upriver spring chinook salmon, Washington and Oregon state fisheries managers have agreed to open sport fishing for steelhead and shad on portions of the lower Columbia River beginning Sunday. Shad counts are improving, as are water levels and visibility. Steelhead on the Columbia will be allowed from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to the I-5 Bridge, and shad fishing from the mouth of the river upstream to Bonneville Dam. All spring chinook hooked must be immediately released.

“The recreational halibut fishery off the north coast of Washington closed Wednesday when the May catch quota was taken. In just five days of fishing, anglers hauled in 3,637 halibut averaging 20 1/2 pounds apiece in marine areas 3 (La Push) and 4 (Neah Bay). Once catch figures have been confirmed, WDFW plans to reopen those areas for up to two days during the week of June 13. Elsewhere along the coast, halibut are still open.

Salmon and steelhead

The Associated Press reported Thursday that the Idaho Fish and Game Commission announced that the spring chinook salmon season will remain open on the state’s rivers and streams despite a low run, but only for four days a week. A rule change, to take effect May 30, will designate Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays as the only days that chinook fishing will be allowed. The season will be closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for the remainder of the year. The commission also approved new limits that will allow anglers to take one fish per day, have three in possession, and take a total of 10 for the entire season.

Fisheries managers have closely monitored the disappointing return of chinook salmon. The updated forecast suggests that fewer than 30,000 adult spring and summer Chinook will cross Lower Granite Dam, compared to about 92,000 that were predicted before the migration started. Nevertheless, a few anglers have taken a chinook or two from the Clearwater River, mainly fishing the hog line near the mouth. As of Monday, a total of 219 salmon had been harvested in the lower Clearwater River. Fish and Game estimates eight Chinook had been harvested on the Mainstem Salmon and none on the Little Salmon.

Fishing for spring chinook on the Kalama River was good before the rains early last week but slowed as the river cleared. On the Lewis River, spring chinook continue to be caught primarily from the mouth and salmon hatchery areas. Some summer-run steelhead weighing up to the midteens are also being caught. Wind River catch rates for spring chinook remained nearly identical from the previous week, a fish per every 5.9 boat anglers. Drano Lake angling success dropped substantially from last week.

Trout and kokanee

Fly fishing for West Medical rainbow has been excellent at the far end of the lake, said Mike Koestel of White’s Fly Shop. Small, black chironomids fished shallow have been most effective in the afternoons.

Lake Chelan kokanee are biting well at 20-30 feet everywhere from the Yacht Club to Pat and Mikes. Mac Lures Flashlites followed by a green wedding ring tipped with either maggots or anise scented shoepeg corn has been the successful combination. Most are 8 to 10 inches. Coeur d’Alene Lake kokanee are on the bite with the fish running a solid 12 inches. Loon Lake kokanee are smaller, but there appear to be a lot of them. Trollers are catching lots of fish.

Randi Burch at Koocanusa Resort and Marina said the bull trout fishing was outstanding this winter, and again looks forward to the June 1 opener. The kokanee bite is picking up.

Priest Lake macks are starting up again after a slow period. There seem to be a lot of fish less than 10 pounds, but a few lunkers are landed every week.

At Kootenay Lake’s Woodbury Resort, John “Ziggy” Zielger said this is the beginning of the best six weeks for rainbow and bull trout. Fish are hitting flies and plugs, with purple and green the hot colors. A 19-pound, 8-ounce rainbow was landed recently. Info: 1-877-353-7717 or inquiries@woodburyresort.com

John Williamsom and two friends fished near Hanson’s Harbor on Roosevelt last week, catching five nice rainbows and two 19-inch silvers. The next day, they also caught a couple of nice trout but said 8-inch fish that must have just been released from a net pen plagued them. One was sporting a yellow tag.

Fishtrap and Williams lakes are still providing excellent trout fishing. Flatfish or Wooly Buggers on leaded line and 20 feet of mono are working for the trollers. Clear Lake browns to 16 inches are common. Liberty Lake trout have been scarce.

To the north, Yokum Lake cutthroat to 14 inches are on the feed. WDFW district fish biologist Curt Vail said fishing continues to improve at many waters in the north end of the region. Deep and Cedar lakes in Stevens County remain best bets. Rocky Lake and Ferry County’s Ellen Lake are well stocked to carry them through this first year after rehabilitation.

Spiny ray

Diamond Lake anglers are catching more 8- to 9-inch rainbow than the 14-inchers reported earlier, but some big perch are beginning to show. Most caught are males, still filled with milt.

At Sprague Lake Resort, Monika Metz said that walleyes began hitting lures along the shoreline last weekend and some anglers caught limits in 5 to 10 feet of water. They reported hooking numerous small walleyes as well as largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Walleye are biting well north of Kettle Falls. Moses Lake walleyes have moved off the shelves into deeper water, but Mike Graham at Mike’s Bait and Tackle in Moses Lake said they’re catching them “by the truckload.”

On Potholes, the water is still high and the walleye are scattered. Largemouth fishing is picking up at both lakes.

Banks Lake walleye are hitting in post-spawn spots. Try trolling spinners or jigging just off the flats.

Bonneville Pool boat anglers averaged 13.5 smallmouth bass per rod last week. In The Dalles Pool, they averaged more than nine per rod. On the John Day Pool, boat anglers averaged more than five bass and a walleye per rod.

WDFW central district fish biologist Chris Donley of Spokane reported that perch are biting at Bonnie and Downs lakes in southwest Spokane County, and crappie and smallmouth and largemouth bass are biting at Long Lake. For Long Lake crappie, you have to move around to find the big ones. If you get in a school of 8-inchers, that’s probably all you’re going to catch in that spot. Bass are also hitting at Eloika, Liberty and Chapman. Remember that bass fishing on Long Lake is catch and release only during May and June.

Other species

Channel cats are being caught in the Palouse, but the best fishing is quite a distance up the river.

Marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound) will all open to crab fishing June 18, seven days per week, under new fishing rules adopted earlier this month by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Sport crabbers daily bag limit has been reduced from six to five crabs in all areas of Puget Sound.

It is possible to catch a limit of halibut, a limit of lingcod, and a limit of rock bass from Westport waters. Last week, Mike Graham of Moses Lake did so for two consecutive days on the Tequila 2 out of Westport Charters. Info: 1-800-562-0151. Overall, the best action for lingcod and rockfish seems to be in areas scattered throughout the San Juan Islands.

Columbia River sturgeon fishing has improved from the estuary all the way to the gorge. Anglers are averaging about two sturgeon per boat in the gorge and one per boat in the estuary.

The northern pikeminnow reward fishery is up and running on the Columbia River. Check out www.pikeminnow.org on the Internet for more information, or call toll free (800) 858-9015.

Hunting

Am I the only turkey hunter to get skunked this year? Reports are the birds were gobbling aggressively the last week of the season while I was attending a son’s graduation out of state. With luck, I’ll fill my tag during the fall season when most of my friends will look for their second bird.