Hunting+Fishing

Fri., Dec. 29, 2006

Alan Liere Correspondent

Tip of the week

» If you are counting on a bobber stopper to keep you at the right depth when steelhead fishing, check periodically to make sure it has stayed in place. They are not infallible, and if they take you even a few inches "out of the zone," your success will diminish significantly. Some anglers mark their line with fingernail polish where the stopper is supposed to be.

Braggin' rights

» Anglers have taken 10,800 lake trout and 5,800 rainbow trout from Lake Pend Oreille through an angler incentive program. Another 4,800 lake trout have been taken through a netting program. Taking a bite out of the predator population is affecting the lake's kokanee, and it is believed that if the effort is sustained, there will eventually be a kokanee fishery again in Pend Oreille.

Overheard

» "The wolf population in Idaho has fully recovered, and Idaho is prepared to manage the species," Idaho Gov. Jim Risch said in a Dec. 19 news release.

If the federal government moves forward with plans to delist the species in Idaho, Fish and Game could manage wolves through hunting in the same way they do with other large predators, such as black bears and mountain lions.

Heads up

» The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin accepting applications Tuesday from individuals and groups seeking financial support for volunteer projects that make a positive impact on fish and wildlife throughout the state. The grants will be awarded for projects undertaken between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009. Applications must be received by March 31. Application materials are available on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/volunter/ vol-7.htm or by calling the department at (360) 902-2700.

“Patterson Lake near Winthrop, Wash., will open to fishing Monday through March 15 for all gamefish but bull trout. This opener is to take advantage of an abundant yellow perch population, which is beginning to compromise the trout fishery in Patterson.

“Anyone planning to hunt or fish in Idaho on or after Monday must have a 2007 license. A tribal license, however, is good until April.

“Green Sturgeon retention in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam is prohibited effective Monday until further notice.

Salmon and steelhead

Lake Coeur d’Alene chinook are hitting from the surface down to 85 feet. Herring, whether fished deep or on a planer board, are bringing strikes.

The Clearwater River is running clear at 36 degrees and anglers are averaging six hours per fish. On the North Fork Clearwater, the average is 17 hours per fish. Two friends and I hooked 11 steelhead from shore near Orofino last week using a bobber and jig setup with no bait. The fall steelhead season remains open through Sunday, but the spring steelhead season starts Monday. Clearwater anglers will need a new steelhead permit and a 2007 fishing license.

The Snake River steelhead bite is picking up in Hells Canyon, said Steve Porter at Camp, Cabin and Home in Lewiston. He recommends a black jig with a white head.

The Grande Ronde was running at about 1900 cfs and rising slowly at midweek, but colder weather is expected, so it should be good by the weekend. Call Bill Vail at Boggan’s for current conditions: (509) 256-3372. Fly fishermen had good success earlier in the week on black leech patterns.

On the Cowlitz River, 116 bank anglers kept 42 and released six steelhead plus two coho. Six boat anglers kept three steelhead. The steelhead were sampled at Blue.

Fishing for winter steelhead had been good near Salmon Creek Park (Clark County), where 13 bank anglers kept 11 hatchery and released four wild steelhead. Bright fish up to 13 pounds were observed.

A fair number of fish have returned this past week to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Water conditions have not been favorable to boaters this season, but the river is still fishable.

Trout and kokanee

A few Hog Canyon and Fourth of July trout anglers made some good catches through the ice this week, but others complained of slow fishing. The bite is best in the morning on small jigs tipped with maggots or mealworms. Rock Lake is still a popular winter destination for large rainbow and browns.

Rufus Woods trout are on the bite for both boat and bank anglers.

“This is the best triploid fishing in five years on Rufus,” said Gordon Steinmetz at Big Wallys on the south end of Banks Lake.

One angler took several 7-pounders by casting a Super Duper from shore to a pod of rolling trout near the net pens. Despite losing four fish, guide Ray Bailey of Davenport limited all three clients on the boat on Wednesday with triploids running 7 to 11.5 pounds. Bailey fishes his “slinky” setup, dragging a nighcrawler along the bottom.

Lake Roosevelt has been coming up and is almost at full pool again. Rainbow trout fishing can be sporadic, but trollers out of Fort Spokane report good catches this week. A friend reported good fishing up the San Poil arm, including one 16-inch kokanee. Banks Lake has been yielding a few big trout, as has Potholes Reservoir and Moses Lake.

Mackinaw fishing on Chelan has been hot in the lower basin from Rocky Point to Pat and Mike’s. Trollers have been averaging upwards of three fish per hour.

The ice is finally thick enough at Rat Lake and fishing for tiger trout to 13 inches has been excellent. The road up to the lake is plowed to the gravel pit but you will need a 4x4 for the last quarter mile.

Rocky Ford Creek rainbow are being suckered by black Wooly Buggers or midge pupae patterns. Most fish are 16-22 inches.

Spiny ray

Ice anglers are catching small pike at the north end of Hayden Lake near the Sportsman’s Access. Largest fish are around 10 pounds, with most running smaller. Other Idaho lakes are also offering decent ice fishing for a variety of spiny ray and trout, but ice thickness is different on every lake, so drill test holes before venturing out too far.

Perch anglers on Banks Lake are fishing through 4 inches of ice at the Coulee City Boat Basin. Rapala jigs and Swedish Pimples tipped with worm or maggot are effective, but the bite has been hot and cold as the schools move through the area. The perch limit on Banks is 25 a day.

At Eloika Lake near Spokane, perch anglers are making good catches through the ice. With the cooling weather, Eloika ice should remain safe.

Persistent walleye jiggers are still getting fish on both sides of the island on Rufus Woods Reservoir. The trick, they say, is to fish close to shore during high flows and further out when there is less water coming over the dam.

Other species

Andy Brenaman of Silver Bow Fly Shop caught “a couple million whitefish and four nice trout” recently from the Clark Fork River near St. Regis. San Juan Worms and stonefly nymphs did the damage.

Starting Jan. 6, the Cowlitz River will be open to smelt dipping from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each Saturday through March 31. Like last year, the daily catch limit will be 10 pounds per person. All other tributaries to the Columbia River will remain closed to smelt fishing until further notice. Sport fishers can dip up to 25 pounds of smelt per day from the Columbia River during the season scheduled Monday through March 31, seven days a week.

A three-day, evening-only razor clam dig on Washington’s coastal beaches will begin over the New Year’s holiday. Opening dates are Sunday from noon to midnight on all beaches – Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks and Kalaloch. Four beaches, excluding Copalis, will then be open from noon to midnight Monday. One beach – Twin Harbors – will open for a third evening of digging Tuesday.

Hunting

The Idaho pheasant season in Areas 1 and 2 is open through Sunday. The forest grouse season also is open through Sunday. The chukar and gray partridge seasons, as well as seasons for bobwhite and California quail in Area 2 are open through Jan. 31. The cottontail season is open through Feb. 28, and snowshoe hares through March 31. Furbearer seasons also run into 2007.

Idaho waterfowl seasons are also open to Jan. 19, in Area 1, northern and eastern Idaho, and to Jan. 26 in Area 2, southwestern Idaho and Magic Valley.

Washington duck hunters are still shooting mallards off Winchester and Frenchman Wasteways in the Columbia Basin. The Potholes sand dunes are frozen, but birds are decoying to setups along the edge of the ice. There are a lot of ducks holding on Eagle Lake near Othello, and high counts as well on the Potholes Reserve.

Goose hunting has been excellent near Moses and Banks lakes. Alfalfa fields close to water are providing hot shooting.