By Alan Liere

Fri., April 13, 2007

The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

If your deep-running walleye or bass lures are hanging up, remove the front treble and add two small split shot sinkers 18 inches ahead of the lure to help keep the head down.

Braggin' rights

Twelve-year-old Isaac Smith of Spokane had been fishing twice in his life, both times for perch, and neither trip producing a fish. Last weekend, John Petrofski of Spokane took Isaac to Amber Lake, and the elated youngster caught five trout while trolling a gold and perch Flatfish. The largest was a fat beauty 20 inches long.

Overheard

Channel catfishing is just beginning on Sprague Lake, but it has been excellent in the Palouse River. Anglers fishing the Palouse Flats can launch at either Lyons Ferry Marina or Lyons Ferry State Park.

Heads up

The Curlew Lake Association and WDFW will give a presentation regarding the past year's muskie studies on Curlew at 7 p.m. on May 2. The location in Republic will be announced later this month.

•The 13th annual Lester B. Smith Memorial Pike Tournament will be held April 28-29 on Coeur d'Alene Lake out of Harrison. Sponsored by Fins and Feathers, this two-person tournament has a $50 registration fee per team. Info: (208)-667-9304.

•Coeur d'Alene chinook are hitting in the top 30 feet of water, and Fins and Feathers in Coeur d'Alene and Skipper Bills is Spokane are sponsoring a chinook derby this weekend. It's not too late to register at either location.

Spiny ray

Rufus Woods was good for walleye last weekend. Anglers dead-sticking jigs near the island took numerous fish, including some big ones in 30 feet of water. Roosevelt Lake is dumping about a foot of water a day, so there is a lot of current on Rufus.

Smallmouth and largemouth fishing on Banks has been good, but it cooled off when the weather did, said Gordon Steinmetz at Big Wally’s. He says walleye anglers are seeing some nice catches on Barker Flats, and off the point across from Coulee Playland Resort, but the fish are moving in and out between 22 and 70 feet of water. Some big perch (up to 14 inches) are also coming off Barker Flats. The big ones have not entered the Coulee City Boat Basin.

Smallmouth fishing on the entire Snake River system is heating up, and some of the back sloughs are yielding crappie. A small curly-tail jig in white or yellow is a good choice for either species.

Potholes and Moses Lake are still not a consistent source of walleye, but Lind Coulee is giving up a few small ones. If fishing Moses, go to the far north end, which usually heats up first.

Local lakes such as Eloika, Newman, Long, Hauser and Cave are a few water degrees shy of good crappie fishing, but Fernan Lake crappie are already on the bite. Eloika was at 47 degrees early this week. When it hits 50 degrees, crappie fishing usually breaks loose.

The mouth of Rock Creek at the far end of the lake can also be a good crappie fishery this time of year. It must be accessed by boat.

District fish biologist Chris Donley said that while the trout fishing at Coffeepot is holding up, he is surprised no one is trying to catch perch. Bait is not legal at Coffeepot, but a crawdad-colored jig should bring bites. Donley also suggests that Bonnie Lake perch and crappie should be cooperating.

Coeur d’Alene pike are taking bait in the bays but are still too lethargic to chase lures. There were reports of a 30-pounder taken last week.

The Columbia River near Brewster is seeing a lot of water recently, and fishing is tough. The Okanogan River is still muddy but starting to clear, and there are a few bass fishermen out. When the water clears, the Okonagan can be a good walleye fishery.

Anglers on the three Columbia Pools are catching more smallmouth than walleye.

Trout

Rock Lake is one of the best trout fishing spots around, with persistent trollers taking limits of rainbows and browns more than 16 inches. The water is clear. Use plugs for the browns and Roostertails for the rainbows.

Amber and Coffeepot lakes have seen fair trout fishing this week. Fly fishermen are using small chironomids, and trollers have had some luck on Flatfish.

Curlew Lake is still winter murky, but a few nice rainbow are coming to trollers dragging orange flies. Curlew will be at its best in a couple of weeks after the water clears.

Trollers are catching Banks Lake rainbow to 20 inches, and bank fishermen on the point of the jetty by the net pens near Coulee City are also having success. Roosevelt bank anglers seem to be having more success than trollers, but the Roosevelt bite has not been as good as last year.

Silver Bow Fly Shop owner Sean Visintainer said the Clark Fork River has been fishing well. The water was a little high this week, but barring storms, should be good by the weekend. He said skwalas on top are the ticket.

Gray drakes have turned trout heads in the warm afternoons, according to Outdoors editor Rich Landers.

Pend Oreille and Priest Lake macks are active, anywhere from the surface to the bottom. Pend Oreille has a $15 bounty for each mackinaw tail turned in to the Angler Incentive Program.

Steelhead and salmon

This is the last weekend for Grande Ronde steelhead fishing, but Bill Vail at Boggan’s Oasis said anglers, particularly near the hatchery, are catching as many as seven a day.

The few anglers fishing the Wind River have not had any success. The first chinook of the season, an 18-pounder, was reported caught April 5 at Drano Lake. This week was the first Wednesday closure on Drano. The Wednesday closures run through May.

Anglers on the lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream averaged an adult chinook per every 8.8 rods last week, while bank fishing was considerably slower.

The Cowlitz River yielded some spring chinook and late-winter run steelhead this week near Blue Creek. Lewis River anglers are also catching a few fish.

The East Fork Lewis River, from the mouth upstream to the top boat ramp at Lewisville Park, and Washougal River, from the mouth to the Mt. Norway Bridge at Vernon Road, open to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Monday. Selective-gear rules will be in effect through May.

The upper Skagit remains open until the end of the month for catch and release, and steelhead fishing has been decent for large, wild fish. Twenty-pounders are not uncommon.

The salmon fishing package recently approved by the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council includes recreational ocean quotas of 16,250 for chinook and 117,600 for coho. The chinook quota is much lower than last year, while the coho harvest level is higher.

Other species

Fishery managers have tentatively scheduled a razor clam dig on morning tides April 19-22, provided marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat. If approved, the dig will give clam diggers their first opportunity of the season to dig razor clams before noon.

“We strongly advise diggers to purchase their new license before they head to the beach,” said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Morning digs are very popular, and no one wants to be standing in line to buy a license at low tide.”

Hunting

Turkey hunters out for the youth hunt last weekend said the large flocks are beginning to break up a little, but it’s not prime-time. There are lots of birds, but toms are still traveling in the company of many hens. The general season begins this weekend in Idaho and Washington.

The Idaho big-game hunting rules brochure for the 2007 seasons will be available by the end of this week. Hunters will notice no sweeping changes in the big game seasons for this year, but adjustments have been made in all regions of Idaho, so attention to the rules for specific areas is important. Applications for elk, deer and pronghorn antelope controlled hunts can be filed from May 1 through June 5.