Hunting and Fishing

Salmon and steelhead

Steelhead apparently are making their move. Last week, steelhead counts over Lower Granite were running about half of last year’s total, though the numbers over Bonneville were pretty close to the same. This week, Lower Granite showed better numbers – sometimes more than 4,000 steelhead a day – though the counts earlier in the week were about 25,000 fish less than last year’s 69,200.

Steelheading success on the Clearwater has been heavily influenced lately by the amount of water released from Dworshak. The temperature of the Snake is down to the low 60s and the weather is changing with more potential for rain, so fishing should pick up in the river and tributaries. A few fish to 12 pounds have been taken below Lower Granite. Spokane angler John Williamsom and a friend recently landed six, including two keepers, by fishing shrimp 20 feet below a bobber.

The action at Heller Bar has been slow, reported Tim Johnson at FishHawk Guides in Clarkston. Fly fishers, however, are having some success below the mouth of the Grande Ronde, as are anglers probing the mouth of the Salmon.

Predicted rain had not influenced the Ronde’s river flow as of Thursday morning, but any increases should trigger a surge of fish into the tributary.

Lake Coeur d’Alene chinook, running 2 to 10 pounds are being caught in the main channel between Tubbs Hill and Arrow Point and near Hudson Point and downlake at Lost Bay and Carlin Bay, according to Fins and Feathers sport shop. Guides are fishing mini-squids or herring around 75 feet deep.

The Columbia River downstream of the Hanford townsite (Ringold) opens Saturday for the retention of steelhead returning to the Ringold Hatchery. These hatchery steelhead have both adipose and ventral fins clipped, and these are the ones that can be harvested.

Chinook fishing at Hanford has picked up but is not going full force yet. Catch rates last week were one adult chinook per 15 rod hours.

On the coast, salmon fishing off Ilwaco will close today, but a late bubble fishery out of LaPush remains open through Oct. 9.

Trout and kokanee

Kokanee are still biting at Lake Coeur d’Alene. The noses are hooking, and there is a slight hump on the back, but they are running 15 inches and should still be good in the smoker. Most anglers are working 40 to 50 feet deep eastward from Higgens Point, according to Justin Kimberling at Fins and Feathers in Coeur d’Alene.

Chapman and Loon lakes in Washington and Spirit Lake in Idaho are still producing kokanee.

Rainbow trout fishing action on Lake Pend Oreille is hottest during the fall with October and November being peak months. Running at 3 to 4 knots and pulling 3- or 4-inch surface flies behind a planer board is one of the preferred methods.

Pend Oreille Lake trout anglers generally are trolling just off the bottom with big spoons or plugs such as Flatfish, Kwikfish, Litefish, Apex, Rapala, Rebel or Lyman. Dodgers and hootchie flies on a short leader also work well. A small strip of fresh cut bait or nightcrawler will greatly improve your chances. Natural color combinations of black or blue over silver or white are good choices. Lake Pend Oreille is so deep that areas of suitable depth are limited to the flats in the north end of the lake around the islands, off the mouth of the Clark Fork River, along the Green Monarchs, Garfield Bay, Whiskey Rock and in the south end around Cape Horn and off the Eagle Boat Ramp in Idlewilde Bay.

Triploids are beginning to show in Rufus Woods. The bite should pick up as the season progresses.

Several trout fishing lakes throughout the region close today, including Liberty, Badger and Williams. The last days of trout fishing should be excellent.

Fly fishing

While Spokane had been sunny and warm until Thursday, Western Montana was already enduring cool, wet and windy weather. But the trout seem to love it. On the Clark Fork, fish have been feeding on the surface this week, according to Clark Fork Trout & Tackle in St. Regis. The shop is recommending that anglers bring along plenty of baetis and Para-Adams patterns. Streamers cast tight to the shore and stripped back quickly also have been effective.

Big cutthroats are spreading throughout the St. Joe River. Try big caddis patterns in the heavier water and don’t be afraid to skitter them across the surface.

Spiny ray

Smallmouth fishing has been hot on the Snake River, with numerous fish between 1 and 3 pounds. Smallmouth also continue to hit on Lake Roosevelt, Banks, Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir.

This is a good time to get Long Lake perch. Good catches are also being made at Eloika, Downs, Loon, Deer, Waitts, Diamond and Banks.

Eighty-one teams fished the Northwest Bass 2005 Championship Circuit Tournament on Banks last weekend, catching 709 fish weighing an average weight of 1.92 pounds. The first-place team of Lou Nevismal of Wilbur, Wash., and Phil Johnson of Puyallup, Wash., brought in 26.91 pounds of smallmouths, winning a Triton bass boat for their efforts. Most of the fish were caught on top-water plugs or Senkos, tournament organizers said. Numerous walleye also were caught during the tournament.

On Roosevelt the bass fishing has been excellent using the same methods as on Banks Lake. On Rufus Woods, best walleye fishing is in the current.

Other species

Lower Columbia anglers will again be able to retain sturgeon three days a week starting Saturday.

The fall razor-clam season will get under way Oct. 15 at all five ocean beaches if tests continue to show the clams are safe to eat.

Hunting

The first half of Washington’s split fall turkey hunt ends today to make way for the muzzleloader elk hunters who start their weeklong hunt on Saturday. Then the turkey hunters will have another crack at the birds Oct. 8-14 in Units 105-124.

Washington upland bird hunters can pursue quail and partridge beginning Saturday, and wildlife biologists throughout the region say it looks like there will be plenty of birds. Thursday’s rain was perfect timing. Scenting conditions had been so dry and bad in some areas, even the top pointing dogs were running over planted birds last weekend at the Fishtrap Lake field trials.

Idaho’s partridge and quail season opened Sept. 17.

Idaho duck and goose general hunting season will run Oct. 8-Jan. 20 in northern and eastern Idaho and Oct. 15-Jan. 27 in the southwest, including the Magic Valley.

Washington’s general waterfowl season is open Oct. 15-19 and Oct. 22-Jan. 29. The general upland bird season, including pheasants, runs Oct. 22-Jan. 16.

At the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge east of Colville, biologist Jerry Cline has tallied the number of wings collected from the first two weeks of the grouse season. He said this looks like the best year since 1999, with 80 percent of the birds being juveniles.

Idaho youth hunters between the ages of 10 to 15 can have an early shot at a pheasant by participating in the youth pheasant hunt in certain areas Saturday and Sunday.

Idaho’s general deer hunting season opens Oct. 10 – a change from the past to standardize season dates across southern Idaho and to allow hunting in the last week of October.

(Outdoors editor Rich Landers contributed to this report.)