Hunting+Fishing

Steelhead season closes April 30 on most regional waters, but goes until May 15 on the Little Salmon River. North and the South Fork Clearwater anglers are averaging a fish every 6 hours. On the Little Salmon, the average is just 3 hours per fish.

Salmon fishing seasons approved April 6 for Washington’s waters reflect the lower runs predicted and include increased restrictions for anglers in Puget Sound, the Columbia River and along the coast. The federal Pacific Fishery Management Council approved recreational ocean quotas of 31,000 chinook and 73,200 coho salmon. Those quotas are much lower than last year’s sport quotas of 43,250 chinook and 121,800 coho.

The East Fork Lewis River, from the mouth upstream to the top boat ramp at Lewisville Park, and Washougal River, from the mouth to the Mt. Norway Bridge at Vernon Road, open to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Sunday. Selective-gear rules will be in effect through May.

Trout and kokanee

Reports of good kokanee fishing are coming from Montana’s Koocanusa Lake and Idaho’s Dworshak Reservoir. The fish are on the small side. In Lake Chelan, kokanee are starting to fill the lower basin with big schools showing 140-180 feet deep.

Coeur d’Alene kokanee fishing generally starts about this time in the southern portion of the lake around the mouth of the Coeur d’Alene River and then moves north as the spring and summer progresses. Chinook anglers report graphing big schools of kokes near Harrison in 30-40 feet of water, but they don’t appear inclined to bite.

A few big kokanee are coming from Roosevelt’s Swawilla Basin, said Ray Bailey of R/C Guide Service. He said he’s still making some good trout catches using flies and dodgers or Apex lures and dodgers in the top 7 feet. To keep from spooking these shallow fish, Bailey recommends going back 150 feet.

The ice is finally gone from Curlew Lake, but the lake is still quite cloudy, reported Dick Beers in Curlew, who said that tagged Curlew Lake “money fish” have all been sponsored and are waiting for lucky anglers to claim their cash prizes.

WDFW has been busy this week stocking area lakes. Included in the trout releases have been several thousand 1 1/2-pound triploids. In Spokane County, Badger, Clear, West Medical and Williams received these sterile, fast-growing rainbow. In Stevens County, Loon and Deer both received plants, with Loon getting 546 and Deer getting more than 2,500. In Pend Oreille County, Diamond Lake received more than 1,000, and in Lincoln County, Fishtrap was sweetened with about 1,600. Triploid plants were also made in Grant and Okanogan counties.

Fly fishermen are finding excellent trout fishing on Coffeepot Lake. The narrows have been particularly productive. Sprague Lake anglers are catching trout 2 1/2-4 pounds.

Columbia County’s Tucannon River impoundments continue to be stocked with WDFW hatchery rainbow trout, and angler effort and success rates are increasing.

Spiny ray

Walleye fishing is about as hot as the weather. Columbia spillways below McNary are open and the river is like a blender. Sprague Lake is 49 degrees and giving up but a few fish along the shorelines, as are Banks and Rufus Woods. Potholes Reservoir is still filling, but the water back in the dunes has reached 54 degrees, so things could pick up soon. Several good Roosevelt walleye reports have come from north of Kettle Falls.

The best news is smallmouth bass are becoming active again in most waters. The exception might be the Snake below the Grande Ronde, where almost 100,000 cfs makes fishing poor and potentially hazardous.

The one-day Northwest Bass Tournament on Banks last weekend saw 112 boats weigh in 481 smallmouth. The winning team, Ethan Lewis and Paul Harmon, both of Ephrata, Wash., had a winning weight of 13.55 pounds for their five fish.

Northern pike are generally the first Idaho species to become active in the spring. Fernan, Twin, Spirit, Hayden and Coeur d’Alene lakes are all beginning to see limited action. Start by fishing the bays from shore with a dead smelt, herring or skinned perch under a bobber.

Perch are concentrating to spawn in shallow water. Crappie also become active during warm days, usually hugging the northern shorelines where the sun warms the shallows. It’s not too early to begin exploring such lakes as Fernan, Hayden, Newman, Long, Bonny, Eloika and Banks, but a little sun would certainly help.

Other species

Although catfish angling is usually best when the river is rising and getting muddy, fishing for Yakima River cats might be a little later this year as the river is almost too high and fast. Normally, chicken liver or fresh-cut bait sucker fished on the bottom in the deeper areas on the outside bends of the river takes catfish, particularly in the lower 20 miles. Catfish from 6-10 pounds are relatively common, while some fish more than 20 pounds are also caught.

The Snake River can also be good for big, spawning catfish when the water is coming up. Once again, fish the riffles in shallower, relatively flat water – places like the mouth of the Palouse, Wawawai and Rice Bar.

Lingcod fishing opened March 18 in coastal waters south of Cape Alava (Marine areas 1, 2 and 3) and will open Sunday in Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay). Most charter boats fishing lingcod out of Westport are returning with two-fish limits for everyone.

Hunting

The Washington and Idaho turkey opener could be a wet one. For the most part, the big flocks have broken up and the birds are dispersed. On a two-day scouting trip near Addy, Wash., at midweek, gobblers were talking at first light, but saying little after that. I saw toms with hens and toms still in small bachelor groups. I don’t know what to expect on opening day, but I’m excited for the opportunity to walk off some of my winter fat reserve.

Of the nearly 4,000 turkeys (85 percent of the state harvest) taken throughout the 10-county region of Eastern Washington, 88 percent come from game management units 101-136 of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln and Spokane counties. Of those, 47 percent are from the Huckleberry (121) and 49 Degrees North (117) units in Stevens County. WDFW wildlife biologist Dana Base of Colville reported late-winter turkey surveys conducted the last two years show the greatest density of birds in the Chewelah area in the center of unit 117, the Arden area on the west side of unit 117, and the Cedonia area on the west side of unit 121.

The Idaho big-game hunting brochure for 2006 seasons has been printed and will be available later this week at license vendors and at Idaho Department of Fish and Game offices statewide. Hunters will notice no sweeping changes in the big-game seasons for this year, but adjustments have been made in all regions of Idaho, so paying attention to the rules for specific areas is important.