Alan Liere’s weekly fish and game report for July 14

Wed., July 13, 2016

By Alan Liere spokesmanliere@yahoo.com

Tip of the week

Don’t get married to one method of catching walleye. Just because spinners or Slow Death Hooks produced a month ago doesn’t mean they will continue to be effective. Currently, the larger Banks Lake walleye have moved into the shallows along the weed beds while the juvenile fish are staying in deeper water. Roosevelt walleye will follow the same pattern, but it takes longer for the weeds to grow so the fish will generally move about a month after those in Banks.

Overheard

A few anglers fishing the Columbia River out of Brewster are finding their boats high and dry when they don’t compensate for the periodic lowering of the water.

A fall chinook salmon fishing season is set to open on Sept. 1 on parts of the Snake, Clearwater and Salmon rivers in Idaho.

Heads up

Registrations are still being taken for the Brewster King Salmon Derby Aug. 5-7. This year’s derby will have $20,000 in cash and prizes, with cash awards to the top 10 in the adult division and the top 5 in the Youth Division. Sidepots will be sold at derby headquarters. Info: brewstersalmonderby.com or call (509) 429-9309.
Women can learn the basics of fishing, hunting, and other outdoor skills in a weekend workshop that includes sessions led by WDFW experts and other certified instructors. Scheduled for Sept. 16-18 at Camp Waskowitz in North Bend, the annual workshop is presented and coordinated by Washington Outdoor Women (WOW), a non-profit program dedicated to teaching women outdoor skills and natural resource stewardship. Info: washingtonoutdoorwomen.org. Partial scholarships from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are available for first-time participants.
The IDFG is hosting their second annual two-day Hunt Idaho event, beginning Aug. 26 at the Lewis-Clark Wildlife Club Shooting Range near Lapwai, and Aug. 27 at the IDFG regional office in Lewiston. This is for hunters and non-hunters alike. Participants will shoot a variety of weapons and have the opportunity to attend hands-on workshops. Emphasis will be given to wildlife biology and their habitat, hunting techniques and equipment, how to safely use and care for firearms, field dress and process your game. Participants will have the opportunity to taste wild game cooked several ways – from Dutch Oven to stir fry. Register by contacting the IDFG regional office at (208) 799-5010 for more info.

Fly fishing

The Spokane River is not fishing as well this week as last, but it’s not terrible, either. The St. Joe is still a top option with good fishing reports coming from everyone. The cooler weather has been a good thing for the North Fork Coeur d’Alene this week. The water is low and clear. Silver Bow Fly Shop says hoppers, ants, and beetles should definitely be in your fly box.

The Clark Fork River is flowing at 3,600 cfs and has warmed to 62 degrees with five feet of visibility. Mayflies are abundant. Some large cutthroat are showing.

The Grande Ronde continues to be a consistent producer of smallmouth bass. Guided trips can be booked through Silver Bow Fly Shop.

Trout and kokanee

The recent, cooler weather has invigorated the local fishing lakes. Good reports come from Clear, Badger, Williams, West Medical, and Fish lakes in Washington. Hayden, Fernan, Hauser and Kelso in Idaho have also been good.

Two friends and I fished for kokanee in front of Granite Point on Look Lake last Thursday, all limiting within two minutes of one another in less than 35 minutes. The bite began just before 10 p.m.

The Tum Tum area is still a good place to catch 12- to 14-inch rainbow, and you’ll probably pick a few perch and a lot of small bass, too. Small crankbaits will catch just about anything.

Big kokanee are still on the menu in the Keller Ferry area, but they have been less cooperative around Swawilla Basin and Spring Canyon. Recently, anglers have had good success near the mouth of the San Poil. The possibility of netting a new Washington State record fish, in addition to the common 4-pounders, keeps interest high. A good depth this week has been at about 50 feet.

The large concentration of kokanee on the south side of Lake Coeur d’Alene is slowly moving out and into the rest of the system. The fish are still small, however. The Dworshak Reservoir kokanee are a little bit larger and even more plentiful.

Rock Lake rainbow are averaging a healthy 14-16 inches. A few browns are also being taken on trolled plugs. The launch is in terrible shape, however.

Waitts Lake rainbow of 12-14 inches are hitting trolled flies at mid-lake. Tip with a piece of worm.

Mackinaw fishing remains good in Lake Chelan. Says Anton Jones of Darell and Dad’s Family Fishing, “This is the best chance of the year for big fish.”

Horseshoe Lake in Pend Oreille county doesn’t receive much angler attention, but recent reports from there say the kokanee are about the same size as those in Loon Lake. The trout are running a foot long, and there is always a chance of taking a decent sized mackinaw. Perch fishing has also been good.

Salmon and steelhead

Baker Lake sockeye fishermen got off to a great start last week, finding lots of good-size bright fish by trolling 40-50 feet down. Standard sockeye or kokanee gear got the job done. Things slowed down a bit this week, however, but that is likely to be the pattern until the season ends. Floating debris made trolling difficult.

The sockeye season on most sections of the upper Columbia River from Priest Rapids Dam to Brewster is now open and fishing has been good, particularly around the mouth of the Okanogan. The fish are larger than those caught last year. Recent rains have sent a lot of fish up the river, but there are a lot more coming. Anglers trolling sockeye gear are also getting chinook, but if targeting that species, you’ll probably do better with a Brad’s Super Bait. The early morning bite has been best. Both sockeye and chinook fishing has also been decent in the vicinity of Wells Dam.

Spiny ray

Bottom bouncers and Slow Death Hooks with nightcrawlers are doing the job for Banks Lake walleye anglers, who say the fish are scattered on the south end. Most of the fish are 15-19 inches.

Silver Lake largemouth are still active. Soft plastics seem to be favored now. Silver also has some decent-sized bluegill, and if you stay at it long enough you should catch a few perch worth cleaning.

Tiger muskie have been cooperating for Silver Lake anglers recently, hitting in-line spinners and big swimbaits. Most of the fish are in the 30-inch range.

Largemouth bass are hitting Senkos on Potholes Reservoir, but anglers there report a heavy algae bloom, which makes fishing difficult. Lind Coulee is particularly thick with algae.

Hunting

Eighteen lucky hunters will have an opportunity to hunt for deer this fall on the 6,000 acre Charles and Mary Eder unit on the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area in northeastern Okanogan County. Of the 18 access permits available, six will be reserved for bow hunters, six for muzzleloaders and six for hunters using modern firearms. Hunters can submit an application for the limited-entry deer hunt on the WDFW website at wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/scotchcreek, or by contacting the WDFW northcentral region office at (509) 754-4624. The deadline to apply is midnight on Aug. 14.

Idaho Big game hunters who were successful in drawing controlled hunt tags for deer, elk, pronghorn, and bear have until midnight Mountain Daylight Time on Aug. 1 to buy their tags. Applicants can find out if they drew a tag by checking the controlled hunt drawing results on the Idaho Fish and Game website at fishandgame.idaho.gov/CH.

Two 2017 Idaho bighorn sheep tags – one for lottery and one for auction – have been released. Information on ticket sales for the 2017 bighorn lottery tag will be available at idahowildsheep.org.

Contact Alan Liere via email at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com