Hunting+Fishing

The recent rains doubled the flow of the Snake River and had the Clearwater River running at 3,800 cfs at midweek. Guide Tim Johnson of FishHawk Charters said the Snake was muddy and full of weeds on Wednesday and the Lochsa and Selway have crested. The Salmon River, though, is still rising. The Grande Ronde went from 700 cfs to 6,600 cfs, practically overnight, the quickest rise in at least the last 20 years. At Boggan’s Oasis on Thursday, Bill Vail said the river was back to 3,200 cfs and he thought it might be “acceptable” by Saturday. It was raining hard in Orofino on Thursday, so steelhead fishing will probably be tough throughout the Snake River system.

The Snake/Clearwater Fishing Derby with $15,000 in cash and prizes runs Nov. 17-25 with fishing beginning on Nov. 18. You can register online at the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce Web site ( www.lewistonchamber.org).

Steelhead fishing was excellent before the rain in the Columbia above John Day Dam and in the John Day Arm last week, with boat anglers averaging 1.8 steelhead caught per boat and bank anglers averaging 0.28 steelhead caught per rod. Effort was light in the Columbia below Bonneville Dam, but anglers are still catching some hatchery coho near Troutdale.

On the John Day Pool of the Columbia, weekly checking showed six adipose fin-clipped steelhead kept plus three unclipped steelhead released for 32 bank rods, and 72 adipose fin-clipped steelhead kept plus 22 unclipped steelhead released for 53 boats.

At Ringold, an estimated 134 steelhead were caught last week with bank anglers averaging a steelhead for every 7.3 hours fished and boat anglers averaging one for every 8.2 hours. Anglers are still picking up an occasional chinook. As of Nov. 1, all hatchery steelhead may be retained.

Grays River, from the mouth to the Hwy. 4 Bridge, opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Wednesday. On the Cowlitz, bank anglers near the barrier dam are mainly catching coho, while those near the trout hatchery are catching mainly steelhead.

Until Dec. 31, a non-buoyant lure restriction and night closure will be in effect on the section of the Cowlitz River between 100 feet and 400 feet downstream from the barrier dam below the hatchery.

Trout

Most fishing lakes in the region are closed, but some waters with public access sites are still open. Waitts Lake in Stevens County is open through February and continues to produce nice rainbow and brown trout. Silver Lake in southwest Spokane County is open year-round with a little bit of everything, including tiger trout and tiger muskies. Rock Lake is providing good action on brown trout.

Sections of some rivers in the region also remain open year-round for fishing with various access points. The Pend Oreille River, which has net-pen-reared rainbow trout, plus some brown trout, crappie, perch and bass, is open year-round. WDFW maintains a primitive access site near Ruby Creek, on the Pend Oreille about 15 miles south of Ione. The uppermost portion of the Spokane River, from Upriver Dam to the Idaho border, is catch-and-release only through March 15. The rest of the river is open year-round, but anglers should check the rules pamphlet for catch limits and other regulations.

Guide Ray Bailey’s boat took limits of rainbow trout averaging 2.5 pounds from the Keller area Wednesday. He said he was done fishing by noon and that a trolling speed of 1.5 mph was most effective. Bailey noted that anywhere in the San Poil Arm should provide good trout fishing. Info: (509) 725-8342.

Anglers drifting bobbers and jigs baited with coon shrimp are taking many Rufus Woods triploids

At Koocanusa Resort in Montana, Randie Burch reported that bull trout are starting to hit, though they are on the skinny side. Rainbows are just beginning to feed on the surface. Flies and broken-back plugs are doing the best.

Spiny ray

Eloika Lake is open year-round and still has decent largemouth bass, perch and crappie fishing.

Bank fishermen drifting a slip-weight and jig with nightcrawler are making good catches of walleye in the Spokane Arm of Roosevelt.

At Moses Lake and Potholes, walleye fishing has been slow. Moses Lake is dropping, however, and a few fish are starting to show in the spillways and below the I-90 Bridge.

Other species

WDFW and Olympic National Park have both tentatively scheduled more razor clam digs Dec. 2-3. Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch beaches would open pending the results of a new series of marine toxin tests. Copalis Beach will again be closed to clam digging. One beach, Twin Harbors, would be open one additional day, Dec. 4.

Another clam opening is scheduled over the New Year’s holiday, with evening digs tentatively scheduled Dec. 31 at all five ocean beaches – including Copalis – and continuing Jan. 1 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch.

Sturgeon angling remains best in the Gorge where boat anglers last week averaged 1.0 legal white sturgeon kept per boat, and bank anglers averaged 0.22 legal white sturgeon kept per rod. A variety of baits is producing keepers.

Hunting

The extended buck season is in progress in eastern Washington. Hunters have until Nov. 19 to fill their tags in units 105-124.

The southwest Washington late-buck deer season runs Thursday through Nov. 19 for hunters using modern firearms, followed by seasons starting Nov. 20 for muzzleloaders and Nov. 23 for archers. About a third of the region’s annual deer harvest by hunters using modern firearms usually occurs during the four-day late-buck season, said Eric Holman, regional wildlife biologist. He noted that GMUs 574, 578 and 388 will be open to special-permit hunters but closed to the general hunt.

All of the region’s pheasant release sites have received farm-raised birds this year, and more will be released through the first weekend of December.

Columbia Basin reports indicate hunters are beginning to see a few northern mallards. Good hunting for mixed species, including wood ducks, was found around Moses Lake.