Hunting and fishing

Fly fishing

The Grande Ronde was running at 2,000 cfs Wednesday night and Jon Allen at Silver Bow Fly Shop said there are steelhead “all over the place.” He recommends going deep with nymphs or swinging heavy sink-tips. Allen said there is deep snow in Schumacher Canyon so the lower section from the mouth up is where the action is.

If you’re really desperate for a fly-fishing fix closer to home, the North Fork Coeur d’Alene has decent trout fishing for anglers throwing midges.

Steelhead

At Reel Time Fishing in Clarkston, guide Toby Wyatt said steelhead fishing in the Clearwater is not as good this week as last, but his six boats are averaging 10 fish each per outing, and some of these are 15 pounds plus. The water is again clear and low. Wyatt predicts that unlike most years, March will be the best month for steelhead fishing. Unfortunately, many anglers will have quit trying by then because they think it’s all over. Info: (208) 790-2128.

Steelhead fishermen drifting Corkies and yarn are doing as well or better than the fly fishermen on the Grande Ronde. At Boggan’s Oasis, Mike Treece said the water is emerald green with 2 feet of visibility and the fish are holding close to shore. Info: (509) 256-3372.

Treece, who fishes nearly every day, said he is averaging a fish every 1½ hours.

Trout and kokanee

There is a lot of water on top of the ice on area lakes, so wear rubber boots and proceed with caution. Waitts Lake has seen some good fishing out from Lake Waitts Resort where a 29-inch brown came through the ice this week. Further north, Williams and Hatch are still producing rainbow.

Fourth of July Lake has been fishing well. Many anglers are dunking bait and going home early after only two fish because most trout are running 14 inches or larger.

Rufus Woods has been good for 3-5 pound triploids on both ends of the reservoir. Trollers dragging small dodgers and flies or small lures are doing well. Lake Roosevelt was hit-or-miss this week – as it has been all winter. The fish are high in the water column.

Roses Lake in the Okanogan is pumping out planter 10-inch trout and jumbo perch. The 6 inches of ice has lots of slush on top. This freezes, creating a frightening sensation when you break through. Rat Lake, also in the Okanogan, has a lot of snow and almost 18 inches of ice. The trout fishing is worth the effort, as most are running 12-14 inches.

About 1,500 one-half-pound rainbows went into Klineline Pond in Southwest Washington on Thursday and 13 adult steelhead were released into Kress Lake near Kalama.

All the small lakes near Coeur d’Alene, with the exception of the Chain lakes, are still fishing well. Slush on top detracts from the overall enjoyment, however.

Spiny ray

Eloika Lake is still a good place to go for a variety of spiny ray. There is often a lot of dead time between frantic bites. Anglers are finding the best bite in the middle of the lake. The Silver Lake perch bite is usually more consistent and the fish are larger, but even Silver can turn off quickly. Silver Lake perch seem to prefer fish eyes over maggots.

A friend with an electronic fish finder who does well at Silver said the perch come through in schools, mill about for a little while, and then disappear. He says anglers who think the fish aren’t biting are just not in the right place at the right time. This week, he has consistently made good catches from 29 feet of water.

The Pend Oreille River seems to be good anytime for pike. Anglers throwing swimbaits are taking some nice-sized northerns. Chatcolet Lake, at the end of Lake Coeur d’Alene, is producing pike through the ice for anglers dunking herring under tip-ups.

Other species

Sturgeon fishing is good in the Bonneville Pool with boat anglers averaging nearly a legal kept per boat. Water flows have been high and boaters should be mindful of large debris floating down the river.

Winter is a good time to catch a mess of whitefish. Use a small white fly tipped with a maggot and fish toward the downstream end of a riffle or hole. Add split shot until you are bouncing the bottom. The Columbia River and most major tributaries all have whitefish. Close to home, try the Clearwater, Coeur d’Alene, Little Spokane, Yakima or Kettle rivers. In winter, whitefish congregate to spawn. If you don’t find fish in a likely looking spot, keep moving until you locate a school.

Hunting

The application period for Idaho spring bear controlled hunts opened Jan. 15 and runs through Feb. 15. You’ll find hunt descriptions and hunt numbers in the 2011 Big Game Rules Book in the Bear Season section.

Good numbers of ducks, mostly mallards and redheads, are again using the Pend Oreille River. Motor out to the islands above Newport and set up on the shallow points.

A nephew in Yakima has been running to Patterson on the Columbia River the last few weekends and says there are good numbers of mallards but lots of competition. He uses spreads with almost 120 decoys. Duck and goose hunting closes in Washington at the end of shooting hours Sunday.