Hunting & Fishing

The July 1 opener for summer-run chinook on the upper Columbia went better than expected for many anglers. There were reports of several fish over 25 pounds, all in excellent shape. Bait Busters or herring were taking most of the fish and the bite was early. This fishery will only improve. The Triangle Shell Food Mart in Brewster is sponsoring a chinook tournament running through Sept. 1. There will be weekly drawings for prizes as well as season-end cash awards for big fish. Largest so far this year is a 34-pounder. Info: Bob Fately (509) 689-3473.

Summer steelhead runs on the Cowlitz River and Lewis River are very strong. As a result, daily limit for hatchery steelhead increased to three on July 1.

The coho season out of Westport, Wash., started off slowly on July 1, but it has picked up, reports Coho Charters. Fishing is Sunday through Thursday each week, so bottom-fishing trips for rock bass are available Fridays and Saturdays.

Trout and kokanee

Idaho streams and rivers are dropping and fishing is excellent. Cutthroat densities in the St. Joe and Coeur D’Alene Rivers are some of the highest on record, so fishing should be very good throughout the season this year. Anglers may also want to try the Moyie River located in the far northern part of the Panhandle Region, or the Little North Fork of the Clearwater River in the far southern part of the region.

The St. Joe was running at 1560 cfs at mid-week, and reports are positive. Depending on whom you talk to, however, good dry fly action is available on either big Chernobyls or very small PMD Cripples. You’d best go find out for yourself

WDFW biologist, Curt Vail, says many Spokane area lakes, particularly the small, northern ones such as Waitts and Jump-off-Joe, are beginning to stratify. That means the fish are not necessarily found near the bottom. In 40 feet of water, for example, Vail suggests fishing at 25 feet and up.

Curlew trout fishing has been outstanding. Carryovers from last year are few, but this year’s net pen rainbow are rapidly gaining weight and length. The lake is loaded with zooplankton, and there could easily be a preponderance of 16-inch fish by late August.

Lake Roosevelt is still high, but trout fishing has been good in Swawilla Basin and Spring Canyon. Most successful anglers are going down at least 40 feet. Roosevelt silvers are few and far between.

Anglers drifting a weightless worm are fooling tiger trout from Fish Lake near Cheney, and the trout in Badger and Williams have been suckers for bright-colored Power Bait or garlic-flavored marshmallows.

Fly-fishing on the Spokane has been excellent evenings, but anglers tossing heavy spoons and spinners are also taking brightly colored rainbows in deep holes with lots of current. Biggest fish have been near the state line, but the system has been good clear to the Bowl and Pitcher. Wob-L-Rite spoon are an excellent choice, but remember they must have a single, barbless hook.

Anglers on Coeur d’Alene Lake are having a tough time finding the big schools of kokanee, but when they do, the fish are consistently over a foot long. There have been reports of kokes to 15 inches already. Indications are the Coeur d’Alene kokanee fishery peaked last year and is now into a typical cyclitic decline.

Spirit Lake kokes are a lot smaller than the ones at Coeur d’ Alene, but easier to find. At Loon Lake, the night bite continues hot in 29 feet of water. On Lake Chelan,

Twelve-inch kokanee have been biting fast and furious early then tapering off as the sun gets high in the sky. Anglers there troll Mack’s wedding rings baited with scented, white, shoepeg corn behind a 0000 dodger and snubber.

Spiny ray

The hot weather has made perch and crappie tougher to find, but the morning and evening bite on Long Lake can be good. A 21-pound northern pike came out of Long recently, right in front of Nine Mile Resort, and two other pike over 16 pounds were also taken. They should be in deeper water now, but anglers report seeing them still in the lily pads.

In the Coeur d’Alene area, pike are coming from deeper water in the chain lakes, and smallmouth fishing is excellent on the main lake.

Dworshak reservoir is also kicking out a lot of smallmouth. With its 250 miles of shoreline and numerous campgrounds, you can catch fish there without cutting another wake. The Idaho state record smallie – an 8 1/2-pounder – came from Dworshak.

The Boardman area of the Columbia is producing walleye, bass, and even some perch.

Bass fishing has been excellent on Banks Lake. Try any part of the lake with top-water crankbaits, or throw grubs in colors like dark brown or motor oil with red flake. Walleye fishing has slowed, but fish are being caught around the backside of Steamboat Rock and the Road Bed. Crankbaits are working, but live leeches have become increasingly popular.

Rufus Woods has been good for walleye. Troll downstream with spinners or throw jigs in the backwaters.

The Crab Creek channel of Potholes is giving up walleyes. Anglers have been trolling leeches or spinners with nightcrawlers. Smallmouth bass fishing off the dam face is excellent, and largemouth are taking topwaters in the dunes. Some really large bluegill have been taken recently from the MarDon Resort fishing dock. A lot of smallmouth and a few walleye are showing at Soda Lake, and there are rumors of really big perch at Moses Lake – if you can find them.

An overlooked perch fishery is Loon Lake. Although, anglers don’t generally find the huge schools they do in shallower lakes, it is fairly easy to put a couple dozen large Loon Lake perch in the ice chest by looking for weeds in 20-27 feet of water.

Largemouth fishing is good on most area lakes now. Find the shady spots and you’ll find the fish. Throwing weedless frogs onto the mat is an excellent method for Eloika Lake bass.

Other species

This is a good time of year to enjoy a night of bullheading on area lakes. Bullheads come into the shallows at night, so fishing from shore or dock with worms will usually bring results. Good bets for nice-sized fish are Liberty, Sprague, Deer, and Long.

The Snake River is still high and rather dirty, but sturgeon fishing has been excellent in Hells Canyon. Smallmouth are biting, also, but the big ones seem to have disappeared.