Hunting+Fishing

Catfish aren’t the only quarry anglers catch near the confluence of the Palouse and Snake rivers. Trout are stocked in Marmes Pond, created by a berm built to protect ancient artifacts as the river was being inundated by Snake River dams. Some healthy 12-inch rainbows at Marmes recently fell to worm and marshmallow “sandwiches.” A good rise going on toward evening would have provided some excellent fly fishing.

Some giant brown trout (10-12 pounds) are lurking in both Liberty and Clear lakes, but they remain mostly unchallenged, said Chris Donley, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department district biologist in Spokane.

“You’ve got to actively target these fish,” Donley said. “Fish early and late. Browns are pure predators, so you’ve got to use big baits, big plugs or flies with a lot of bulk.”

Fly fishing for cutthroat trout along the shoreline of Priest Lake and especially in Upper Priest Lake during evening hatches is putting smiles on anglers’ faces.

Many Idaho lakes are managed as Family Fishing Waters, which designates simplified regulations (six trout and six bass bag limit, no length limits, and no special fishing gear restrictions). Besides the simplified regulations, Family Fishing Waters also are a great place to take youngsters to catch a fish. Most have good fishing docks and restroom facilities.

Check the Idaho fishing regulations pamphlet for the long list of family waters in the region.

Kokanee

A few anglers are taking advantage of the temporary opportunity to make money while helping revive the kokanee fishery at Lake Pend Oreille.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department is offering rewards to encourage anglers to keep every rainbow or mackinaw they catch in the big lake in order to reduce the predation on the decimated kokanee. The daily limits on rainbows and Lake trout have been waived during this crisis. Submit the head at one of four freezer drop-offs around the lake for a chance at winning $100 to $2,000. Some PDO trout are marked with visible spaghetti tags. These fish tags can be turned in for rewards ranging from $10 to $100, but you must provide information about the fish species, length, weight and date of catch.

June is a good month to try for kokanee in both Palmer Lake near Loomis and Bonaparte Lake east of Tonasket. Bass fishing can be good in Palmer, Whitestone and Washburn Island Pond, as well as in the lower Okanogan River.

Dworshak Reservoir kokanee fishing is picking up, and you don’t have to run too far to be in fish, as they are still congregated near the dam. As summer progresses, they move toward the more remote, upper end of the reservoir. The daily limit for kokanee in Dworshak is 25, with a field possession limit of 50.

Though Dworshak is known for its big population of kokanee, it is also a top-notch smallmouth destination. Plastics or crankbaits are equally effective along rocky shorelines.

Salmon

As salmon fishing fever hits the Clearwater Region, “A few salmon anglers are getting caught up in the excitement, and they’re simply not reading the regulations,” said Larry Barrett, senior fisheries technician for Idaho Fish and Game in Lewiston.

The main stem Clearwater, the North Fork Clearwater, the South Fork Clearwater, and the Little Salmon rivers are open only from Friday through Monday each week until the season is closed.

Fishing hours are a half hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset local time. Anglers are allowed to take one fish per day. Only hatchery fish with a clipped adipose fin may be kept.

Spiny ray

Northern pike are found in Box Canyon Reservoir, but neither their size nor their numbers are large, according to Jason Connor of the Kalispel Tribe’s Natural Resources Department. Connor has been studying pike movement in the reservoir for the past year.

Growth rates are similar to other parts of the country, with the pike putting on about 6 inches and 4 pounds a year by feeding on the abundant forage fish, he said. But only a small number of the fish show up in the reservoir as adults.

The majority of pike anglers focus on the southern half of the reservoir. Without regulations, overfishing could be a problem.

Anglers who catch pike with bright orange tags placed near the dorsal fin are encouraged to record date, location and tag number and call (509) 445-1147 ext. 1285. Radio telemetry transmitters have been implanted into some of the fish, and anglers are encouraged to release any pike that has an 8-inch wire antenna hanging from its belly.

Tiger muskies have grown large in a few area lakes for years, and this is about the time they begin to “wake up.” They are found in such Eastern Washington lakes as Newman, Silver, Evergreen, Red Rock and Curlew, and in several North Idaho lakes, including Blue, Dawson, Freeman, Shepherd, and, most notably, Hauser, which produced the Idaho state record of 38 pounds, 7 ounces.

A cross between a northern pike and a muskellunge, tiger musky have unique tendencies. They don’t seem to like large lures. They do not generally hit after dark. And they do not generally hit topwaters. Both trolling and casting are effective for tigers, using bucktail spinners, spoons and jointed plugs. Smaller bass lures can also be effective. In the heat of summer, they go deep, but look for them now in shallow water, right against the shoreline near logs and weed beds. Cloudy and rainy days are considered prime time for tiger muskies.

Other species

The first round of crab openings is set for June 18 in marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound).

Sturgeon retention is allowed seven days a week in the Bonneville and John Day pools. The Dalles pool is closed to keeping sturgeon for the rest of the year.

Shad fishing has been excellent in the lower Columbia. More than 700,000 shad have migrated over Bonneville Dam, mostly in the past week. They’re booming across the dam and upstream at a rate of more than 120,000 a day.

(Outdoors editor Rich Landers contributed to this column.)