Out & About: Coeur d’Alene fisherman lands record moonfish

OUTCATCH – A pending state-record moonfish was caught last Sunday out of Westport, Washington, by Jim Watson of Coeur d’Alene.

He was on a boat with All Rivers and Saltwater Charters fishing for albacore tuna with a live anchovy when he landed the 36-pound opah, also known as moonfish.

The current record confirmed by state fisheries officials is 28.18 pounds caught in 2013.

Captain Mark Coleman said Watson’s rare catch landed 45 miles west of Westport was the first moonfish that his boat “has caught in six busy seasons and well over 10,000 albacore.”

Opahs are large, colorful, warm- blooded, pelagic lampriform fishes caught most often by tuna anglers.

The attractive moonfish are prized by trophy anglers for mounting as well as for their lightly flavored meat.

Priest Lake drawdown opens river to paddling

OUTFLOW – Priest Lake’s slow drawdown to winter level is set to begin Friday. Flows will be increased from Outlet Dam to lower the lake three feet from its current full pool at elevation 2,437.6 feet.

The drawdown should be complete by Nov. 1, but rainstorms can change the schedule.

The drawdown marks the unofficial beginning of a two- or three-week paddling season on Priest River.

Generally too low for canoes during summer – current flow is about 220 cubic feet per second – Priest River takes on new life as flows are increased.

• Lake Coeur d’Alene’s annual drawdown usually beings around Sept. 4, but drought had already done the job.

Normally, Avista lowers the lake a foot from the summer pool, 2,128 feet, by the end of September. But the lake was already down more than a foot. On Friday, the level was down 1.5 feet from the summer level and expected to gradually decrease, according to Avista.

The normal September increase in Spokane River flows out of Post Falls Dam is welcome by fish and downstream anglers, but the river didn’t get the surge this year.

In October, the drawdown rate may increase to reach the winter level of 2,122 feet by year’s end.

Park summit road closing

OUTDRIVE – The gate on the Mount Spokane Summit Road to the mountain top will be locked at dusk next Sunday.

Muscle-powered travelers looking for solitude will still be able to follow trails to the summit.