Fly fishing

A biologist snorkeling near the mouth of the Methow River estimates more than 3,000 steelhead are holding there. A little rain should send them on their way, populating the entire system. Info: Yakima River Fly Shop, (509) 674-2144.

Fly fishermen would do well to try some of the Central Washington lakes this week. Aneas, near Tonasket, is producing good catches of rainbow up to 15 inches, as are Big Twin, Davis and Patterson lakes, all near Winthrop. In the Columbia Basin, Dusty and Lenice lakes are still good and could produce some state record-sized tiger trout this fall.

Trout and kokanee

Amber Lake is open until Nov. 30 for catch and release, and indications are it will remain good right to the end. An olive and black Wooly Bugger on the west side brings consistent strikes.

Sprague Lake is still a trout-fishing hot spot. Hatchery trout stocked in this year-round fishing lake last spring have grown tremendously and now average about 11/2 pounds apiece. Cooler water and air temperatures have put the fish in a feeding mode and limits are coming quickly.

Rufus Woods reservoir continues to provide good fishing for triploid rainbow trout. Besides Seaton Grove, boats can be launched at Bridgeport State Park or at the Army Corps of Engineer’s site just above Chief Joseph Dam. Shore anglers can fish just above the dam or drive up to Brandt’s Landing.

Okanogan County has a couple of smaller lakes with good fishing for rainbow trout at this time of the year. Both Rat Lake near Brewster and the Green Lakes near Omak are under selective-gear rules until Dec. 1, but they can provide good catch-and-release fishing for 11- to 13-inch fish. There are boat-launching facilities at each of these lakes.

Salmon and steelhead

The most recent Snake River steelhead fishing creel checks show the best catch rates have been measured in the stretch from Lower Monumental to Little Goose dams. Steelheaders there have averaged about 17 hours of effort per fish. The best steelheading in the region is the Clearwater River where some big B-run fish are hitting plugs and jigs.

Bob Jateff, WDFW Okanogan district fish biologist from Omak, reported that steelhead fishing within the mainstem Columbia River above Wells Dam, the Okanogan River, and the Methow River has been good. Mainstem Columbia and Okanogan river anglers are averaging a fish for every 10 hours of fishing time, while the catch rate in the Methow River is 15 hours per fish. Just slightly slower catch rates have been measured near the mouth of the Grande Ronde River to the Oregon state line.

Hatchery coho salmon are providing most of the action on the lower Columbia River,

The best bet has been the Cowlitz River, where anglers have been reeling in lots of bright fish weighing up to 20 pounds, said Joe Hymer, WDFW fish biologist. The barrier dam remains the hotspot on the river. “Sometimes coho arrive with lockjaw, but these fish are biting on everything from lures to nightcrawlers,” Hymer said. “Local tackle shops report selling loads of nightcrawlers.” Hymer also noted that other rivers are giving up some nice fish. Bank anglers fishing the Lewis River have been catching nearly one hatchery coho for every two rods, while those fishing the Kalama have been averaging one for three.

Boat anglers fishing the Bonneville Pool have been averaging about one salmon for every two rods, with most of the action concentrated around the mouth of Klickitat River. About 90 percent of the catch has been made up of bright late-stock hatchery coho.

The Ringold area of the Columbia River opens for hatchery steelhead Saturday with a daily limit of two hatchery steelhead, identifiable by a clipped adipose fin. The area will be open to steelhead fishing through March 31.

Fishing effort has been light on Drano Lake, although anglers are catching some chinook and coho. Drano Lake reopens to fishing seven days per week on Saturday.

Art Viola, WDFW Chelan district fish biologist, said there are still insufficient numbers of wild steelhead entering the Wenatchee River to allow a fall/winter fishery. “We’re monitoring the run closely, and a fishing season will open if or when we are sure adequate numbers of wild fish are returning,” Viola said. “We must comply with a NOAA fisheries permit that requires a return of at least 600 wild fish before any season can be opened.”

Other species

The bank fishery for sturgeon just below Bonneville Dam continues to draw plenty of anglers, who averaged one legal-size fish for every seven rods during the week ending last Sunday. Boat anglers averaged a sturgeon for every six rods, with most of the fishing concentrated in the gorge. As water temperatures in the Columbia River cool down, fish move into the warmer waters of the Willamette River.

Four marine areas of Puget Sound will reopen to recreational crab fishing at sunrise Saturday. These are marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) and 12 (Hood Canal). Crab fishing will also remain open in marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu), and 13 (south Puget Sound), where the fishery has continued uninterrupted since June 18.

Hunting

In eastern Washington, the elk-hunting season for hunters using modern firearms runs through Sunday. In southwestern Washington, the season runs Saturday through Nov. 10. Southwest Washington traditionally has one of the highest success rates in the state.

Elk hunters will benefit from greater access to the St. Helens Tree Farm, where the Weyerhaeuser Company will again open miles of private logging roads seven days a week in four game management units. To find out about Weyerhaeuser roads open for motorized access, call the company’s Recreational Area Hotline at 1-866-636-6531.

Mikal Moore, WDFW waterfowl biologist from Moses Lake, recently counted 31,235 Canada geese and about 100 snow geese on Stratford and Round lakes, which she said is about 30 percent higher than the long-term average there.

Brock Hoenes, WDFW wildlife biologist, reported that an increasing number of ducks and geese are using WDFW’s Winchester Reservoir access area where Columbia Wildlife Area staff have flooded pools for the past month. “Current numbers are moderate with 5,000 to 7,000 birds, mostly mallards and northern pintails, using the area,” he said. “This is a regulated access area, but an excellent hunt should be waiting for the dedicated waterfowler willing to get up early to snag one of the parking spots.”

Hoenes also reported flooding work at the Frenchmen regulated access area to increase waterfowl use. “Hunters can expect mallards, green-winged teal, northern pintail, gadwall, and Canada geese here and less competition for the limited parking spaces,” he said. Waterfowlers can find more details about both of these WDFW-managed areas at www.wdfw.wa.gov/lands/ wildlife_areas/columbia_basin/.

Scaup (bluebills) hunting begins Saturday, and a large number of these ducks has been observed on the Wanapum Pool of the Columbia River (behind Wanapum Dam south of Vantage). Wanapum Pool typically holds the majority of diving ducks in the Columbia Basin through November. The scaup limit is two birds.

Upland game bird hunting continues in the Columbia Basin, with good numbers of quail and a fair pheasant season opener where hunters averaged about 1.5 birds each. The Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, where uplands are interspersed with wetlands, can provide some good quail and pheasant hunting.