Hunting+Fishing

Fri., April 27, 2007

Alan Liere Correspondent

Tip of the week

Newly planted trout tend to stay in the top 3 feet of water for a week or more after being released. Trolling or casting with unweighted Roostertail or Mepps spinners is a good way to find them.

Overheard

About 3.3 million pink salmon are expected to come back to Puget Sound streams this summer, nearly 1.3 million more fish than forecast in 2005.

Heads up

The Lake Pend Oreille Spring Derby opens Saturday and runs through May 6 with top prizes of $3,000 in the rainbow and mackinaw categories. Buy derby tickets before fishing at businesses around the lake.

“Ringold will re-open Tuesday for spring chinook through May 31. Fishing is restricted to bank angling only on the hatchery side of the river.

“Columbia main stem spring chinook anglers can keep up to six salmon daily (only two adults) in a season extended through Thursday from Tower Island lines (6 miles below The Dalles) upstream to McNary Dam.

“Hunters have through Monday to apply for Idaho moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat controlled hunts.

Washington trout

Hundreds of Washington trout lakes open for fishing tomorrow, and it should be an excellent one if the weather cooperates. These should be some of the best:

Spokane region

Top-producing waters in the Spokane area to include Badger, Williams, West Medical and Fishtrap, said Chris Donley, Washington Fish and Wildlfie Department district fish biologist.

Badger’s rainbow and cutthroat are averaging 10-12 inches, with some up to 20 inches. The lake also was stocked with 5,000 rainbows 8-12 inches, 200 broodstock rainbows 2-5-pounds, and about 2,000 triploid rainbows up to 1.5 pounds each.

Williams Lake should produce limits of 11- to 20-inch trout. In addition to large spring fry plants the last two years, Williams also has received 10,000 rainbows 8-12 inches, 400 rainbow broodstock 2-5 pounds, and almost 3,000 triploids up to 1.5 pounds.

West Medical will be better than last year, boosted by broodstock and triploids, and huge spring fry plants.

Fishtrap Lake has plenty of 11- to 16-inch rainbows along with broodstock and triploids, and fry plants running 10-12 inches, Donley said.

Medical Lake rainbows and browns are running to 20 inches and the tiger trout up to 18 inches. Fishing at Medical Lake is under selective gear rules, with a 14-inch minimum size and two-fish daily catch limit.

Fish Lake, which isn’t selective gear water, will also be good for brook trout 8-16 inches, tiger trout 7-20 inches, plus 400 hatchery brook trout running 2-plus pounds.

Clear Lake has been heavily stocked. It has received 85,000 rainbow trout fry, 55,000 brown fry, and 20,000 tiger fry over the last couple of years, plus 30,000 rainbows 8-12 inches, 10,500 browns 8-12 inches, 50 rainbow broodstock 2-5-pounds, and 2,261 triploids running up to 1.5 pounds.

Two mixed-species lakes in Spokane County could also be fairly productive. Downs Lake gets 5,000 catchable-size rainbows every year, but it also has lots of perch and a fair population of bass and crappie. Chapman Lake gets 7,500 rainbow catchables, added to more than 100,000 kokanee fry that have been growing since last spring. Chapman’s kokanee fishing will pick up later in the season.

Northeast

Rocky Lake in Stevens County will be one of the best bets on the season opener, said WDFW district fish biologist Curt Vail of Colville. Limits of 9- to 12-inch rainbow should be the rule.

Waitts Lake in Stevens County should also be good with abundant stocking, including more than 30,000 brown trout fry from last year, 17,000 rainbows 8-12 inches, 250 rainbow broodstock 2-5 pounds, and 24,000 net-pen rainbows.

Marshall Lake in Pend Oreille County should also produce good catches from the 35,000 cutthroat fry stocked last fall.

Cedar Lake in Stevens County, which received more than 18,000 rainbow fry last spring, historically produces big rainbows on the opener.

Mudgett Lake, which received more than 10,000 rainbow fry last year, should also be good.

Southern Stevens County’s Deer and Loon lakes are receiving lots of triploid rainbows ranging from three-quarters to 1.5 pounds. Deer Lake received 3,350 triploids, along with 15,000 rainbow fry, 31,400 rainbow catchables, 500 rainbow broodstock and 900 brookie broodstock. Loon Lake got 1,063 triploids in addition to more than 16,000 rainbow fry and nearly 110,000 kokanee fry.

Central

Grant County’s Blue and Park lakes, which were just rehabilitated last fall and stocked with 10- to 12-inch rainbows, plus triploid rainbows, will be among the best bets in the Columbian Basin, said Jeff Korth WDFW biologist.

Blue Lake received 105,000 catchables and 5,901 triploids, while Park received 70,000 catchables and 3,752 triploids. That’s plenty of fish for a good opening. Fingerlings for the 2008 fishery will be stocked later this spring, and the Park and Blue lakes fisheries will return to their former glory (next year), Korth said.

Vic Meyers Lake, which connects to Park Lake, was also rehabilitated last fall, and is stocked with 3,000 catchable-sized rainbows and 280 big triploids.

Deep Lake usually is good on the opener, yielding four to five rainbows per angler. The better kokanee fishing comes in July and August.

Perch Lake is among the most consistent waters in the Basin, with limits of 11- to 12-inch rainbows generally the rule, Korth said. Perch Lake is mostly a shore fishery, although hand-carried boats or float tubes can be used.

The Okanogan

Conconully Reservoir, Conconully Lake, Wannacut, Fish and Alta lakes are good bets for lots of 10-inch rainbows, and some carryover rainbows to 14 inches, said Bob Jateff, WDFW district fish biologist

Pearrygin Lake, near Winthrop, was rehabilitated last fall but has been re-stocked with both 12-inch rainbow and 1-2-pound triploids.

Big Twin Lake, near Winthrop, suffered some winter kill but has been planted with triploid rainbows and catchable rainbows.

Other good bets for selective gear lakes are Blue Lake on the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area (for rainbow and browns up to 18 inches) and Ell Lake, southeast of Tonasket (for rainbows 14-16 inches). Opening Wapato Lake will take some of the pressure off Roses, which continues to be good.

Fly-fishing-only lakes – Aeneas and Chopaka – should have slower-than-normal fishing for rainbow trout, Jateff said, but in both cases the opportunity exists for some exceptionally large fish.

Leader Lake near Okanogan should provide fair fishing for rainbow trout, as well as black crappie and bluegill.

Other waters

Many Spokane-area lakes not mentioned here as some of the best will nevertheless have fair-to-good fishing. These include Diamond, which received a healthy plant of browns, rainbow and triploids, Fan, Sacheen, Liberty and Jump-Off Joe.

Amber and Coffeepot, which opened in March, are still producing quality trout.

Spiny ray

Walleye are starting to bite on Banks Lake, said WDFW warmwater fish biologist Matt Polacek.

Bass fishing has been excellent on Lake Coeur d’Alene. A tournament there April 14 saw a total winning weight of 23.35 pounds taken by the team of Brian Quinnett and George Farwell.

Hunting

Turkey hunters in Eastern Washington and North Idaho appear to be having a successful season. Birds are still henned up, but the groups are becoming smaller as the female birds begin to nest. Idaho’s season closes May 25; Washington’s May 31.

(Outdoors editor Rich Landers contributed to this column.)