Hunting and fishing
Dworshak Reservoir near Orofino has good trout fishing now in the lower portion and at mouths of tributary streams. The reservoir above Granddad Bridge is closed to fishing and boat ramps at Canyon Creek and Granddad are unusable. Boaters can still launch at Bruce’s Eddy, Dent, and Dworshak State Park.
Whitefish, common in most Idaho streams, are active all winter and can provide excellent cold-weather fishing. The Clearwater River below Kooskia, the lower Selway and Lochsa are usually good in the Clearwater region. In the Panhandle, try the Coeur d’Alene River, Little North Fork Coeur d’Alene River, South Fork Coeur d’Alene River, North Fork Coeur d’Alene River, St. Joe River, St. Maries River and the Spokane River from Stateline upstream to Post Falls Dam. Small wet flies just off the bottom in riffle areas bring best results. If bait is allowed, tip the fly with a maggot or piece of nightcrawler.
Most Idaho lakes and ponds offer excellent ice-fishing opportunities. Hauser, Fernan, Cocolalla, Kelso, and Twin Lakes are good places to catch a mess of perch and rainbow trout through the ice. Spirit and Mirror lakes are good for kokanee. The limit for trout and kokanee in Mirror Lake is 6 in the aggregate, but the limit at Spirit is 15 kokanee and 6 trout. The kokanee closure on Coeur d’Alene Lake ends on December 31, but the limit will remain at 6 (in the aggregate with trout).
Washington waters
The few anglers who are boating to the second net pens on Rufus Woods report phenomenal fishing from the surface down to eight feet using a weighted fly that imitates the fish pellets used to feed the triploids in the pens. Reports are that many of the fish are over seven pounds, with some bruisers to over 20.
Further downstream, there are fireboxes along the Corps of Engineers fishing areas above Chief Joseph Dam on Rufus, and at intervals along the shore at Brandt’s Landing. Anglers fishing from shore are packing in wood for fires and making a day of it. Fishing has been fair.
Winter whitefish action on the Yakima River below Roza Dam has picked up. Whitefish are also fair game now on sections of the Naches and Klickitat rivers, but check the fishing rules pamphlet for specific river stretch descriptions. In the Columbia Basin, whitefish and perch are coming through the ice on Soda Lake.
Eloika Lake north of Spokane is usually a good place to catch a mess of perch through the ice. A friend who fished there Tuesday reported 18 inches of snow covering three inches of slushy ice on top of three inches of hard ice. He caught several grass pickerel, some perch, and a large crappie. If your cabin fever is particularly severe, pack a snow shovel and be prepared for a strenuous trudge. There is access at the public launch, which has been plowed, or call Jerry’s Landing Resort at (509) 292-2337.
Other Spokane-area lakes have similar snow and ice conditions. If you can get through the drifts, Newman, Curlew, Banks, Sprague, Hog Canyon and Moses Lake hold a variety of fish.
Steelhead and salmon
Clearwater River steelhead have been practically ignored for two weeks. When the weather moderates, anglers should find plenty of fish holding in the usual deep pools. Plain jigs drifted under a bobber can be very effective now.
Anglers fishing from shore above Rocky Reach Dam are doing pretty well on steelhead. The artificial point on the Chelan County side has been good. Anglers who brave the icy ramps and launch their boats just above Lake Pateros Inn are enjoying good fishing for steelhead.
Other species
To meet this year’s lower allotment of white sturgeon on the Columbia, anglers fishing the Wauna power lines area near Cathlametupstream to Bonneville Dam will be allowed to retain fish only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Jan. 1 through July 31 and from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. Three days of retention fishing was the norm for those waters until two years ago.
Beginning Jan. 1, smelt dipping will be allowed seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the Columbia River. The limit will be 25 pounds a day. Starting Jan. 3, the Cowlitz River fishery will open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays only through March 28. The daily catch limit will be 10 pounds per person. All other tributaries to the Columbia River in Washington State will remain closed to smelt fishing until further notice. Indications are there will be a weak return of smelt for 2009.
Hunting
The Washington pheasant, quail and partridge season is supposed to remain open through Jan. 19, but weather is preventing most hunters from venturing afield. Ranches near Winona where I can usually find a few pheasants and minimal snow this time of year have almost two feet of the powdery stuff on the ground. Birds are concentrated in heavy brush, but getting to them can be an ordeal.
Area ducks have moved to the Columbia River, but though there are pockets with good concentrations, the overall picture is bleak. Most water in the Columbia Basin is frozen, and heavy snow is making it difficult for ducks to find food. Geese can deal with the snow better, but the lack of open water is sending them on their way to the big river.
Things aren’t looking good for deer and elk populations right now. A recent study by IDFG indicates that, with abundant high-quality forage and mild winter weather, elk calf production will be high, and an elk population can maintain itself or grow, even with quite a bit of mortality from hunters, wolves, and cougars. Conversely, with scant, poor-quality forage and bad winters, populations will decline even without hunting and predation.