Hunting+Fishing

Trout and kokanee

Eastern Washington’s Saturday trout opener did not disappoint. While some lakes, like Fishtrap in Lincoln County, Cedar and Deep in Stevens County, and West Medical and Williams in Spokane County, gave up a limit per angler, there was a lot of great fishing all over the state. Badger Lake near Cheney, for example, yielded 4.74 trout per angler, most of them 12-16 inches long, while Deep and Perch lakes in Grant County, Conconully Lake and Conconully Reservoir in the Okanogan and Mudgett in Stevens County gave up well more than four fish each.

In Pend Oreille County, Diamond Lake plants were numerous, but there was also a good showing of 12- to 15-inch rainbow and browns and some surprisingly large perch. Marshall Lake anglers averaged 2.3 cutthroat each and Yocum Lake just slightly less. Most fish were around 11 inches.

Waitts Lake and Clear Lake anglers averaged less than two fish each in the surveys, but a lot of 8-inch trout were caught and released. Not many were as large as the 5-pound carryover brown taken from Waitts by Sam Hedding, 8, of Spokane. Jump-Off-Joe was a pleasant surprise for many opening day anglers with numerous carryover and broodstock browns to 4 pounds.

Skip Larsen took the largest Loon Lake mackinaw of the opener, 17 pounds. A few smaller macks were also caught, but large, carryover rainbow and triploids caused the most consistent commotion. It is still a little early for Loon Lake kokes to be biting with much enthusiasm. A little farther north, Deer Lake produced numerous small mackinaw, the largest reported to weigh 7 pounds. One angler said he caught a half dozen 16- to 20-inch macks trolling a diving plug along the bank in 20-30 feet of water. Others reported catching several 14-inch brook trout from Deer – fish raised on the lake in net pens and released last year.

WDFW fish biologist Bob Jateff reported that Blue Lake, on the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, probably had the best catch rates in the area on the opener, with a catch-and-release average of 10 trout per angler. The daily catch-and-keep limit at Blue is one fish, and the few brown and rainbow trout kept by anglers were running 12 to 20 inches. Jameson Lake in Douglas County also had good fishing on the opener, with limits of rainbows being taken by both shore and boat anglers. The average size of yearling rainbows was 9 inches, with carryover fish to 14 inches.

The trout season opened on Hayden Lake in Idaho Saturday with a two-fish limit, minimum 14 inches. There are rainbow more than 10 pounds in Hayden.

The Kokanee fishing at Harrison on Coeur d’Alene has just started with fish averaging 11 inches, best near the surface.

On Pend Oreille Lake, Pat Raynor of Sagle still led the annual K&K Derby on Thursday with a 24-pound, 1-ounce Mackinaw. Kenny Breeden of Sandpoint had the largest rainbow at 12 pounds, 1 ounce.

Though the bite isn’t fast, kokanee are finally showing on Lake Chelan. Wapato Lake has been producing lots of 9- to 12-inch rainbow limits, but there are larger triploids and broodstock as well. Rufus Woods is still giving up good numbers of triploid rainbows. Weed growth, however, is making trolling difficult.

Steelhead/salmon

Bank anglers on the lower Cowlitz are catching some adult and jack spring chinook. On the Kalama River, boat anglers averaged a chinook kept per every three rods. A few hatchery summer run steelhead are also appearing in the catch. On the Lewis River, boat anglers averaged a chinook kept per every four rods. Catch is primarily focused at the mouth and near the salmon hatchery.

Wind River boat anglers averaged a chinook kept per every six rods last week. Effort has been light. On Drano Lake, bank and boat anglers averaged a chinook kept per every 6.5 rods. There were some reports of spring chinook at the mouth of the White Salmon River. Bank anglers are catching some spring chinook on the Bonneville, John Day and The Dalles Pools.

Spiny ray

The Washington State Bass Federation Shoot Out on Banks Lake last weekend saw 26 boats and lots of fish.

The walleye bite in the Lake Pateros stretch of the Columbia and below Wells Dam. is pretty much over until September. Next up in the area is the Okanogan River, once it clears. Most all fish will be caught in the lower 5 miles.

Reports of big smallmouth bass and lots of them keep coming in from Dworshak Reservoir.

Snake River smallmouth are biting cranks and tubes throughout the system. Lake Roosevelt smallies are also on the bite, and Lake Coeur d’Alene has been excellent too. Many local lakes, such as Long, Loon and Deer, also have good smallmouth populations, though Deer and Loon water temperatures are still a little low (49 degrees) for an aggressive bite.

The lower Yakima River should see good smallmouth bass fishing through at least the end of May, with some great fishing from Benton City down. The recent cool weather in the mountains has resulted in a steady decline in river flows, so this is prime time. A lot of the fish are 1-2 pounds, but a number of 5-pounders and larger are caught every spring.

In Idaho, the Chain lakes, as well as Hayden and Coeur d’Alene lakes, are fishing well with anglers catching crappie, pike, large and smallmouth bass.

Other species

Montana’s spring paddlefish season opens May 15 downstream from Fort Peck Dam and on the Yellowstone River, and a year-round season is open upstream from Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton. Montana also provides an opportunity to harvest a paddlefish with bow and arrow on the Fort Peck Dredge Cuts during the summer. Adult paddlefish in Montana can weigh up to 120 pounds.

Shad are beginning to show at Bonneville Dam. Low double-digit counts were made each day this week.

Hunting

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking public comments on proposed changes to the Panhandle Region’s fall turkey hunts. The proposals are intended to resolve chronic depredation issues in game management units 1, 2, 3 and 5. Details on the proposals are available at all Fish and Game offices, where the public can complete a questionnaire. Deadline for all public comments is Thursday.

WDFW wildlife biologist Dana Base of Colville has been seeing turkeys almost every day on state lands west of Colville. Base reports recently seeing six different groups of turkeys in the fields early mornings while driving Highway 395 between Colville and Chewelah. The season ends May 31.

The Montana Wildlife and Parks Commission is contemplating opening the general antelope-hunting season on Oct. 7. If approved, the general antelope-hunting season would run from Oct. 7 through Nov. 4., instead of Oct. 14 through Nov. 11. No change was proposed for the pheasant opener, set to open on Oct. 13.