Salmon and steelhead

Anglers are still taking chinook at Wells Dam in the afternoons, said guide Ray Bailey, who also notes that the best morning bite is closer to Brewster.

The steelhead-fishing season opens Sept. 1 in Idaho, but the fish may be running behind schedule. As of Wednesday, about 167,000 summer steelhead had been counted at Bonneville Dam on their way upriver. The preseason forecast was for about 312,000.

Seventy-two steelhead passed Lower Granite Dam on Wednesday. To date, 9,561 have been counted. Anglers in the catch and release section near Orofino report hooking a few A-run fish on barbless Steelie Spoons, but anglers in the catch and keep section at the mouth aren’t having much luck.

Salmon fishing was slow at Buoy 10 this past weekend. Boat angler success in the mainstem is beginning to show signs of improvement as the salmon move up stream.

“The fishery could break loose at any time,” said Joe Hymer, a WDFW fish biologist.

Ilwaco continued to have the ocean’s highest catch rate last week, averaging about one fish per angler, mostly coho. In Westport, the count was about three-quarters of a fish per angler. Two coho were caught for every one chinook. In LaPush, anglers averaged nearly a fish per rod. About half were chinook. But Neah Bay saw only one-third fish per person. Almost all were coho.

Grays River including West Fork opens to fishing for hatchery coho beginning Sept. 1. The Elochoman River also opens Sept. 1 for fall chinook and hatchery coho.

On the Cowlitz River, boat anglers from the Kelso Bridge downstream averaged nearly a steelhead per rod last week. Some fall chinook and sea run cutthroat were also caught.

Boat anglers are catching a few Wind River steelhead. Drano Lake boat anglers are averaging one-half steelhead per rod, with some chinook also found in the catch. White Salmon River anglers are catching steelhead and a few chinook. There is not much happening on the Klickitat River.

Salmon fishing has been open since July 1 on the Quillayute and Hoh River systems where all wild chinook and coho must be released. Beginning Sept. 1, however, anglers can keep wild fish from these systems as part of their daily limit.

Hanford Reach reopened to fishing for salmon Aug. 16, but no chinook were checked.

Trout and kokanee

Anglers are taking some big rainbow off the Sprague Lake Resort dock, said Monika Metz. She said even with some algae bloom, the fish taste good if put on ice immediately.

The best bite on Coeur d’Alene kokanee has been from dawn until 9 a.m., with only a few fish hitting between then and noon. The larger fish, too – up to 16 inches – are coming on the early bite.

Koocanusa kokanee anglers are delighted with the 12-inch average length and limit catches on that lake. One angler measured a koke at 16.5 inches. High afternoon winds make it prudent to fish early.

Also in Montana, Lake Mary Ronan has experienced good kokanee fishing all summer. Fish are currently running 12-14 inches. Unlike Loon Lake, north of Spokane, where most of the kokanee fishing is done at night, anglers on Lake Mary Ronan fish mainly during the day in 20 feet of water. A fluorescent orange lure tipped with yellow corn is the offering of choice.

Chapman Lake near Cheney is giving up kokanee to 10 inches. Several 10-fish limits were recorded this week.

Sources at Rainbow Beach Resort on Twin Lake near Inchelium say the trout bite has been steady, with triploids running 3-5 pounds. Few brookies are showing, but that fishery usually picks up in October.

Lake Roosevelt is producing kokanee and lots of rainbow trout with trollers dragging their lures as deep as 65 feet. The Two Rivers trout tourney last weekend weighed in many limit catches. The largest fish was reported to exceed 7 pounds.

Some Spokane-area lakes like Badger, West Medical, Williams, Waitts, Loon, Deer and Fishtrap have remained good throughout the summer for trout anglers fishing really early and really late.

Pend Oreille has been good for macks, and a few kamloops are also coming in.

Spiny ray

Tiger muskies and bass are biting sporadically at Newman Lake. There were recent tiger musky catches of fish measuring 36 and 44 inches.

Roosevelt’s smallmouth bass are active and relatively easy to catch with some in the 14- to 15-inch range. There is excellent smallmouth fishing nearly everywhere in Idaho and Washington, perhaps with the exception of the Snake River, where things have slowed.

The hot walleye bite seems to have cooled some on Banks Lake, but savvy anglers are still finding walleye and bass on the south end.

Chapman Lake is a good bet right now for perch, crappie and bass. There is no limit on perch or crappie at Chapman.

Other species

Fishing has been good at Sprague Lake for big Channel cats to 20 pounds. The lake could stand a lot more pressure.

Hunting

Applications are available for hunters who want to participate in the third year of a three-year pilot cougar-hunting season with the aid of dogs, beginning Dec. 1 in five northeastern Washington counties. The deadline to submit the applications to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is Sept. 16. The special cougar hunt is by permit and limited to Washington residents who own hunting dogs that are capable of tracking and treeing cougar. Hunters may only hunt with dogs they own and must report any cougar they kill to WDFW. Cougar permit applications can be purchased for $5.48 at http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov or by calling 1-866-246-9453. Hunters will be selected at random. Area descriptions, season rules, and more information are available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/ game/hunter/cougar/index.htm and at all WDFW offices. Applications also can be submitted online or by calling 1-877-645-3492. Applications must be submitted by midnight Sept. 16.

Hunting seasons for black bear and cougar have been under way in most of the state since Aug. 1, and dove, rabbit, and early archery deer hunting seasons open Sept. 1.

” Hunters need to check access restrictions before heading out, be prepared to use camp stoves rather than open fires, and take extra caution with anything that could start a fire outdoors,” said Mark Quinn, lands division manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.