Weekly hunting and fishing report

Fly Fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shop says the St. Joe River has seen decent fishing from Avery upstream. Other than that, most Idaho rivers are almost too warm to fish.

Montana has lifted drought-related fishing restrictions on the upper Clark Fork River and Flint and Silver Bow Creeks, where stream temperatures have cooled to tolerable ranges for trout. The entire Clark Fork is now free from “hoot owl” restrictions, as is the Blackfoot main stem and Bitterroot.

Salmon and steelhead

Tuesday marks the first day of the fall Chinook salmon fishing season on parts of the Snake, Clearwater, and Salmon rivers as well as the second-ever coho season on the Clearwater River. The Snake River will open for fall Chinook fishing from the Washington-Idaho border upstream to Hells Canyon Dam. The coho season will be on the mainstem and Middle Fork Clearwater River from the mouth upstream to Clear Creek near Kooskia, and on the North Fork Clearwater River downstream from Dworshak Dam. You’ll want to wait on both of these, however, as few Chinook and no coho had been counted at Lower Granite as of Tuesday.

Tuesday also marks the beginning of the fall steelhead harvest season on the Snake, Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. The Snake River is open from the Washington State line at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers upstream to Hells Canyon Dam. The Salmon River is open from its mouth upstream to the posted boundary 100 yards downstream of Sawtooth Hatchery. The Little Salmon River is open from its mouth upstream to the U.S. Highway 95 Bridge near Smokey Boulder Road. Fishing will be slow as only about 200 fish a day are clearing Lower Granite Dam.

The pink salmon run on the Washington coast and rivers continues to monopolize angler attention. The Snohomish, Puyallup, Nooksack and Duwamish rivers have been very good.

Trout and kokanee

The algae bloom at West Medical Lake is heavy, but still-fishermen are dredging up some nice rainbow from the warm water. It is imperative these fish are cleaned and iced immediately, and it is a good idea to get the skin off, too.

Rock Lake trout fishing is good, but getting a boat in and out takes a lot of maneuvering at the launch. Hip boots would come in handy.

The public launch by the island at Sprague is closed for some upgrades and at the other launch on the same side, the water is 15 feet from the end of the concrete. The Four Seasons launch is also running out of water, though a small boat might be put in. Launching is still good at Sprague Lake Resort.

Spring Canyon is giving up fast kokanee limits of 18-inch fish. The same size kokes are also being caught regularly out of Lincoln. Most limits come at a depth of 60-70 feet over deep water. Pink hootchies remain hot. Anglers note that the fish don’t fight much in the warm water. Most of the rainbow being caught now are the smaller ones suspended at 40 feet.

Priest Lake macks of 3-5 pounds are common for trollers and drop-shotters. The kokanee bite is still decent for 11- to 16-inch fish.

Spiny ray

Liberty Lake largemouth anglers have caught some nice bass recently and trout fishermen are finding brown trout after dark.

Some good crappie catches have come from near the public access at Sacheen Lake. Small bass seem to be everywhere.

Shad Raps in orange and perch colors are connecting with Banks Lake walleye early in the day, but bottom bouncing with Slow Death hooks and a Smile Blade work better when it gets warmer. Anglers report a lot of small fish but enough over 15 inches to keep things interesting.

Potholes Reservoir remains good for walleye in the Crab Creek area for anglers dragging spinners and worms. A lot of large bullheads are being caught too. Cindy Kalamikis of Moses Lake says it looks like the crappie are making a comeback in Potholes Reservoir. Anglers are not yet seeing the 16-inchers of years gone by, but it is not impossible to find foot-longs.

A friend who has been fishing Silver Lake this summer says the largemouth bite was slow this week, but of the three bass he caught, two were about 3 1/2 pounds and another was over 5 pounds.

Sprague Lake water is pretty green, but the surface algae has dissipated and bass fishermen are catching some big fish. Anglers are also bringing in steelhead up to 19 inches long.

Twin Lake near Harrington has been excellent for bass fishermen drop-shotting Robo Worms. The water is low but there is no algae.

Cooler night temperatures have somewhat reinvigorated Coeur d’Alene northern pike and anglers tossing spinner baits around the cabbage beds are drawing strikes from scattered fish.

Other species

Day trips out of Westport are finding good tuna fishing without having to go too far.

Channel cats are hugging the bottom in deep holes in the Snake River. They can be enticed during the day with a variety of dead bait or nightcrawlers, but the fishing really picks up at night. Decent-sized bullheads are also being caught, especially at night when they move into the shallows to feed, so bank fishing is an option at any one of the campgrounds between Wawawai and Clarkston.

Hunting

The 2015 Idaho mourning dove, sandhill crane, and early Canada goose seasons open Tuesday. The early Canada goose season is open in Bear Lake and Caribou counties, and that portion of Bingham County within the Blackfoot Reservoir drainage. The Idaho cottontail and snowshoe rabbit as well as the forest grouse seasons begin Sunday.

In Washington, forest grouse (ruffed, dusky and spruce) as well as doves and rabbits open Tuesday barring fire closures. Dove populations appear to be high and grouse populations may be up from last year. A lot of good grouse habitat throughout the state has burned or is burning, however. With the current drought, grouse will be concentrated around water.

With big game hunting seasons quickly approaching, hunters are reminded that the Farragut Shooting Range is available for sighting in rifles on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In October and November the range closes at 3 p.m.