Hunting+Fishing

Fri., Nov. 2, 2007

Alan Liere Correspondent

Tip of the week

Cutting around and removing the anal canal on deer is a difficult step in field dressing. Hunter's Specialties has developed an inexpensive, lightweight tool that can quickly and easily remove the anal alimentary canal on deer, pulling out a 10-inch section of the deer's intestine which can then be cut off. For information, log onto Hunter's Specialties at www.hunterspec.com.

Braggin' rights

When he dropped a big 4x5 mule deer in the Palouse River near Winona on Oct. 20, Larry Honn went looking for some fool to help him drag it out of the river. I'm sure the pictures he took of me in my underwear and fluorescent orange shirt will soon be available on the Internet.

Overheard

Mackinaw anglers on Lake Chelan have been catching and releasing numerous landlocked chinook salmon.

Heads up

“The largest steelhead derby in the Northwest will return to Lewiston on Nov. 16-24. The Snake Clearwater Steelhead Derby offers participants the chance to win more than $15,000 in cash and prizes and a chance at $25,000 or a 20-foot Fisher pontoon boat. For information contact the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce at 800-473-3543 (208-743-3531 locally) or visit www.lewistonchamber.org.

“The Idaho departments of Agriculture and Fish and Game are looking for volunteers to help gather sagebrush seed for rehabilitating rangeland burned this year. In southwestern Idaho, volunteers are needed on Nov. 17 and Dec. 1, 8 and 15. The Magic Valley region also will need volunteers on each of four Saturdays – Nov. 10 and 17 and Dec. 1 and 8. Info: Fish and Game at (208) 327-7095 in the Southwest Region and (208) 324-4359 in the Magic Valley Region.

“Several navigation locks at dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers will be closed soon to make some repairs and conduct maintenance. Five dams between The Dalles, Ore., and Lewiston will be affected. These include Lower Monumental Dam on Monday through next Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Little Goose Dam from 6:30 a.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Nov. 12; and Lower Granite Dam from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through next Sunday.

“Anglers planning to fish for coho salmon in the Grays Harbor area should be aware that the Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet erroneously shows several rivers closing early. The fishery for coho salmon will continue through November on the Chehalis River, and anglers may retain wild coho on the Elk, Hoquiam, Johns, Satsop, Wishkah and Wynoochee rivers, as well as Joe Creek. Anglers also may retain wild coho on the Newaukum and Skookumchuck rivers through Nov. 30.

Salmon and steelhead

The recent muddy water apparently didn’t ruin the steelhead fishing on the Snake River. Guide Tim Johnson of FishHawk Guides said two clients hooked 21 in two days this week and got 11 to the boat with seven keepers. The Clearwater, Johnson said, is also fishing well around Orofino. Limits have not been out of the ordinary the last few days. The Grande Ronde was crowded but slow earlier in the week.

Anglers in central Washington have made the most of the first hatchery steelhead opening on the Wenatchee River in 10 years. In recent days, anglers have been averaging about 10 hours per fish, said Art Viola, a WDFW fish biologist.

On the Methow River, stonefly nymphs with an egg pattern trailer are popular for steelhead. Okanogan River anglers are using mostly spoons and jig and bobber combinations. The Methow and Okanogan are under selective gear rules with no bait allowed. The mainstem Columbia near the docks in Pateros continues to produce fish for anglers using a jig and bobber setup tipped with a whole shrimp.

The Similkameen River will open to steelhead fishing Nov. 15 from the mouth to the Railroad Trestle Bridge. Selective gear rules apply.

The fishery for hatchery steelhead in the Ringold area of the Columbia River has been slow, but starting Thursday anglers were able to keep any hatchery steelhead with a clipped adipose fin, as opposed to those with both a clipped adipose fin and a clipped right ventral fin.

In southwest Washington, it’s prime time for late-run hatchery coho salmon in the Bonneville Pool and tributaries such as the North Fork Lewis River, where anglers have been averaging a fish per rod. Anglers are still catching hatchery coho in rivers throughout the Puget Sound area, although the focus is now shifting to chum salmon in areas ranging from Hood Canal to the Stillaguamish River.

Trout

Local angler John Petrofski reports catching numerous Rock Lake browns and a few rainbow by trolling the middle of the lake with an F-7 gold Flatfish. He and a friend also caught two Pend Oreille rainbow more than 14 pounds in Garfield Bay. He says both fish hit flies on top.

Amber Lake is catch and release only, but anglers report good success on 15- to 18-inch rainbow. The bite is early.

The fall fishing bonanza at 45-acre Roses Lake in the Okanogan will begin soon, as the Chelan Falls Hatchery will stock approximately 18,000 catchable rainbow trout.

Rufus Woods fishing is hot for 4- to 6-pound triploids and will just get better as the weather cools. Bait anglers are reminded that each fish counts against the two-trout and two-kokanee limits

Rainbow trout fishing on Lake Roosevelt has been outstanding for the last few weeks, according to Jeff Lombard, WDFW Spokane Fish Hatchery specialist. Limits of 1 1/2- to 3-pound rainbows are the norm, he said. The best fishing has been downriver from the Seven Bays area, near Whitestone and Lincoln.

WDFW district fish biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake reported that rainbow trout fishing at Dry Falls Lake in Grant County has been good. “Spring fingerlings stocked there have already reached 12 inches,” he said, noting that “there are plenty of 15- to 18-inchers, and more than the occasional fish runs up to 20 inches.” Korth also suggests fishing Lake Lenore, which has cutthroat averaging 2-3 pounds and up to 5-6 pounds. Dry Falls Lake and Lake Lenore, along with the other selective-gear fisheries, Lenice, Nunnally and Dusty lakes, are open through the end of November.

Spiny ray

Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir walleye are turning on a little according to recent reports. Banks Lake and Rufus Woods Reservoir walleye are still hitting.

This is an excellent time to load up on big perch at Banks Lake. Lake Spokane perch are also on the bite. Reports from the West Side say good numbers of really big perch are coming off the flats south of Kenmore on Lake Washington.

Smallmouth bass fishing is excellent on the Snake River. Fall is a great time for some really large fish.

Other species

Most waters of Puget Sound will reopen to recreational crab fishing today, seven days a week through Jan. 2. Two other marine areas – 8-1 and 8-2 east of Whidbey Island – will reopen for crab fishing on a daily basis Nov. 22-25.

Sport crabbing will not reopen this year in Marine Area 7.

About 20,000 razor clam diggers took home their 15-clam limit during the season opener at four ocean beaches Oct. 25 through last Monday. The next weekend dig is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 23-26.

The whitefish season opened Thursday on the Kettle River in Ferry and Stevens counties. Catch limit is 15.

Hunting

The late eastern Washington buck season in units 105-124 begins Monday and runs through Nov. 19. In many western Washington units, the late season runs Nov. 15-18.

Pheasant hunters are still finding pockets of roosters in the Palouse country. Success has been much better than anticipated. Duck hunters are not reporting any northern mallards. Uncommonly mild temperatures and an abundance of food and water in northern Canada appear to have held birds there longer than usual.

The season for elk hunting with modern firearms got under way last Saturday in eastern Washington and continues through Sunday. In the Blue Mountains, nice weather on opening weekend made for spotty success on spike bulls. The elk season in Western Washington runs Saturday through Nov. 12.

Snow geese numbers in western Washington are starting to climb. About 27,000 have arrived at the game reserve on Fir Island, and thousands more are expected in the coming weeks

The western Washington early modern firearm season for deer wrapped up Wednesday. Up next for hunters is the modern firearm season for elk, which gets started Saturday in select game units. Once elk season is over, a four-day modern firearm season for black-tailed deer opens Nov. 15-18.

The late-buck deer season in southwest Washington runs Nov. 15-18 for hunters using modern firearms, followed by seasons starting Nov. 21 for archers and muzzleloaders.