Steelhead

Steelhead anglers on the Snake River are catching enough fish to keep them interested. Best fishing has been near Heller Bar. On the Clearwater, anglers in boats are averaging a fish a day, with back-trollers doing slightly better than bait fishermen.

Some of the best steelheading around these days is at the docks in Pateros. At Alpine Fishing Adventures in Pateros, Virgil Yancey says if you want to make a long day of it, hit the docks for a couple hours in the morning, then make the 25-minute drive to Rufus Woods for your two rainbow and hit the Pateros docks again on the way home. Dark-colored jigs under bobbers are working at both spots. Most of the Pateros Steelhead are cookie-cutter 5-7 pounders, but occasionally, fish up to 14 pounds are landed.

The Grande Ronde was frozen near Boggan’s Oasis at midweek, but moderating temperatures are expected and the river should be ice-free by the weekend. Call ahead for info: (509) 256-3372.

Steelhead fishing was good late last week for boat anglers in the Columbia above John Day Dam. On the John Day Pool, anglers have been averaging about one fish per rod.

Ice fishing

Fourth of July in Washington is booting out some big rainbow, but anglers are disappointed by the size of the Hog Canyon fish.

Idaho lakes are also freezing. There has been activity lately at Fernan, Upper and Lower Twin, Hayden, Hauser, Avondale, Cocolalla, Jewel, Kelso, Mirror and Round. For small northern pike, try Killarney, Medicine or Thompson.

Waitts Lake anglers are finding rainbow and brown trout and a few perch straight out from the public access.

Curlew Lake ice is 5 inches thick and anglers near the state park on the east side are taking limits of 13- to 15-inch rainbow. Be careful of the wet spots marking midlake springs, however, as the ice can be much thinner there.

Some of the bays on Banks Lake are frozen and ice anglers are beginning to take perch. Thompson Lake near the state park has been good. Another good spot for perch and other spiny ray species is Eloika Lake north of Spokane.

Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir bays are freezing, but there is still a lot of open water. No one is ice fishing yet. Lind Coulee has not frozen.

Open water

Rufus Woods triploids are not biting quite as aggressively these days, with anglers taking 2-3 an hour rather than a fish every cast. Black, red or purple jigs fished under a float in 3-6 feet of water have worked well this week, as have trolled flies and plugs. Bank fishermen are using white Power Bait. Three fish over 13 pounds were reported last week, but most are 2-5 pounds.

Decent Lake Roosevelt rainbow fishing is available from Whitestone down. Troll in the top 10 feet with muddler/flasher rigs. Now and then, a kokanee to almost 5 pounds is reported in the Swawilla Bay area.

On Pend Oreille, few anglers have been out fishing due to the cold, blustery weather. The Hope Boat Basin and Bayview public launch are the only two launches open for public launching, but be prepared with chains. There has been sporadic action on Priest Lake macks.

Hunting

A lot of geese are resting on Medical Lake and flying out late to feed in the fields west of there. On a shoot last Saturday, two friends and I killed seven honkers, but they were flaring badly and we didn’t have any of the “in-your-face shooting” goose hunters hope for. Between 10 a.m. and noon we had at least 400 birds within 70 yards of our blinds. By this time of year, area geese have seen it all.

Good numbers of geese are still using the Moses Lake area. There are thousands using open water right in town by the Alder Street Fill and going west to feed. Gary Russell of Quackers Guide Service says duck hunting can be frustrating with barn-burners one day, nothing the next and no apparent change in weather to dictate the discrepancy.