Hunting and fishing briefs

Trout

Winter lakes Hog Canyon and Fourth of July south of Spokane, and Williams and Hatch to the north, all opened Wednesday, but ice conditions were iffy to poor on all, and few anglers sampled the trout fishing. The road into Hog Canyon was accessible with four-wheel drive as of Wednesday, but the last hill down to the lake could present problems. The ice is thin.

At Fourth of July, there was a little open water around the edges Wednesday. There are a lot of fish in the lake, but there isn’t much fishable water open.

As of Wednesday, Williams Lake had a little open water at the ramp and anglers were catching 13-inch rainbow. A boat had broken through 2 inches of slush and ice and the anglers caught quick limits in the open water around the aerator. At Hatch, there were 2 inches of good ice with slush on top.

Eloika Lake is iced over, but not thick enough to be safe. The same at Sprague Lake. Rock Lake is wide open but not getting much attention.

Three Okanogan County rainbow trout lakes switched from catch-and-release fishing to catch-and-keep fishing on Wednesday. DFW district fish biologist Bob Jateff said Big Green, Little Green and Rat lakes offer a daily trout catch limit of five fish that can be caught on bait if desired.

In Idaho, there is no safe ice yet. Lakes such as Twin and Avondale are covered, but no one is out. Fernan anglers are still catching 12- to 14-inch trout in open water from shore. All small lakes in Idaho and Washington are in need of either moderating weather to open things up and melt the snow on top, or another serious freeze. The heavy snowfall last week slowed the ice fishing season down by insulating the initial ice cap and preventing freezing.

The bays at either end of Omak Lake have been good for Lahontan cutthroat.

Try trolling Rushin Salmon Wobblers or Silver Horde’s Kingfisher Lite spoons.

Trout fishing around Keller Ferry Marina and campgrounds has been productive, and it is a good place to fish from shore. Another bank-fishing destination that has been good is near the Lincoln boat launch. Take a left on West Mill Road before heading down the hill to the launch. Follow the road along the lake to the bay with the net pens and fish there.

Salmon and steelhead

Steelhead fishing has been good on the Clearwater River between the Memorial and Orofino bridges and on the Snake River above the mouth of the Salmon. The rivers are in good shape, said Andy Alldredge at Camp, Cabin and Home in Clarkston, who adds that many anglers have switched to bait. Drifting eggs or back-trolling shrimp has been effective.

Guide Richard Ellis of Reel People Guide Service out of Starbuck, Wash., was fishing the mouth of the Tucannon when I spoke with him on Wednesday. His boat had landed two steelhead in the hour it had been on the water and had a third fish on as we talked.

The Grande Ronde near Boggan’s Oasis has been frozen since about Thanksgiving, but there are indications it may be breaking loose if the moderate weather continues. Boggan’s is on winter hours, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

At Fins and Feathers in Coeur d’Alene, Jeff Smith said there are many 6- to 7-pound chinook being caught by anglers who put in a day. He says the fish are switching over from Mini Squid and dodgers to herring, though both will take fish. Smith prefers fishing in 90-150 feet of water.

Jig and bobber fishing for steelhead is good on the Upper Columbia between Bridgeport and Brewster.  Move around and vary your depth. Steelhead fishing in the tributaries slows down as air temperatures drop, but boat anglers should not overlook the mouth of the Methow River in Pateros.

Steelhead anglers have caught a few fish in the Columbia River above the John Day Dam and in the John Day Arm.

Other species

The Yakima River Basin is closed to steelhead fishing, but the whitefish season opened Wednesday on the Yakima and Naches rivers. The limit is 15 fish per day. Anglers are required to use one single-point hook no larger than a size 14.

Clam diggers have a green light to proceed with an evening razor-clam dig that starts today at Twin Harbors and expands to four other ocean beaches Saturday. Twin Harbors, which has the highest number of clams available for harvest, will be open for digging today through Monday. Four other beaches – Copalis, Mocrocks, Long Beach and Kalaloch – will be open for two days of digging, Saturday and Sunday.

Hunting

The late fall general hunting season for turkey concludes Dec. 15 in GMUs 105-124. The big birds are abundant and in large groups.

WDFW Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area manager Juli Anderson said limited waterfowl hunting is available at Z Lake, where an aerator is keeping water open. Waterfowlers in the Lincoln County area might also try the newly expanded BLM ponds to the north of Z Lake, the Lake Creek drainage, and the Twin Lakes farther south.

Huns, which are easy to spot in the snow, appear to be slightly more abundant than in recent years. Pheasants are highly visible, and from the numbers seen along back roads in the Rock Lake area, you wouldn’t know there is a shortage.

Mike Meseberg at MarDon Resort in Moses Lake said the puddle ducks have picked up and temporarily headed south. There are still lots of geese in the Columbia Basin and hunters on Potholes are shooting a lot of divers.