Alan Liere’s weekly fish and game report for June 2

Wed., June 1, 2016

By Matt Liere Correspondent

Tip of the week

The Kokanee Killer accounts for a lot of big kokanee on Lake Roosevelt and elsewhere, but if you use it you will have more consistent hook-ups if you slightly downsize the hook.

Braggin’ rights

Friends fishing Roosevelt’s Northport area recently boasted they spent more time cleaning fish than catching. They claim the last day of four could have ended with an easy limit, but they quit after an hour with 27 to minimize their labor.

Overheard

Eloika Lake has more weeds this year than last, and casting for bass is almost impossible even with weedless rigs.

– In the Clearwater region, IDFG has successfully repaired the siphon at Winchester Lake, which allows the lake to be drawn down if emergencies arise. With the siphon now operational, permission has temporarily been granted to refill the lake up to full pool for the 2016 summer season.

Heads up

June 11 is Free Fishing Day in Idaho. Veteran and novice anglers of all ages, residents and nonresidents alike, may celebrate by fishing anywhere in Idaho without a license. To help beginners, the IDFG is sponsoring a number of fishing events throughout the state. Fish and Game personnel will be available to answer questions and help anglers learn about tackle, casting, fishing techniques, and fish identification. Some tackle and bait will be available for persons without their own gear. Events are planned throughout the Panhandle Region. One early event is scheduled in Coeur d'Alene at Ponderosa Springs Golf Course from 7-11 a.m. Other events are planned from 9 a.m. until noon at Post Falls Park Pond, Priest Lake Golf Course, Rathdrum City Park and Round Lake State Park near Sandpoint. Rainbow trout are being stocked in each location. Limited equipment will be available for use for the clinics, but bring your own if you can.

–State and tribal fishery managers have finally agreed to Puget Sound salmon-fishing seasons (known as “North of Falcon”) for 2016, but fisheries will be greatly reduced as low returns of chinook, chum and coho are expected. The tribes and state have closed all fisheries directed at returning coho except in a few areas where sufficient fish are expected to return. Changes to this year’s Puget Sound sport salmon fisheries can be found on WDFW’s website.

Fly fishing

The Spokane River has two sections, the Upper and Lower, opening this week. The experts at Silver Bow Fly Shop suggest caddis fishing is a good bet early in the month. Complement your tactics with a double nymph rig – a “slam dunk” according to the pros.

The entire North Fork Coeur d’Alene is fishing well. PMD hatches have allowed for some good dry fly action. The St. Joe is also an excellent option.

The North Idaho Fly Casters’ annual conservation project will begin June 25 at 8:30 a.m. They would like volunteers to help plant a creek bottom on the Coeur d’Alene River to stabilize the creek. This is an opportunity for anyone who fishes the Coeur d’Alene to give something back. Meet at Horse Haven Landing; lunch will be provided. Contact Ed Lider at (208) 651-3249, or twoc.elider@gmail.com to let him know you’re coming. For more info, go to the club website.

The Icicle Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited is offering a Women’s Introduction to Fly Fishing on June 11 at Mountain Spring Lodge in Plain. The three-hour course includes hands-on introduction to fly fishing for a maximum of 10 participants. All are guaranteed to catch and release trout, and will receive a free one-year membership to Trout Unlimited. No experience or fishing license required. Anyone over 15 years of age can participate. The class will be taught by Doug Pendleton of the Northwest Fly Fishing Academy. Call (509) 548-7747 for details.

All Montana tributaries are now open. They’re running a little high, but remain very fishable.

Trout and kokanee

There haven’t been many reports from Sprague Lake recently, but the big rainbow there haven’t gone away. Anglers dunking Power Bait off the docks at both Four Seasons and Sprague Lake Resort are catching some huge fish, and trollers are doing the same.

Lake Roosevelt kokanee have been slow to bite lately, but a change in tactics, lure size and depth may work for those investing effort. Catch reports have been few and far between, but for those invested, a 4-pound fish in the boat is worth the effort.

In contrast, the kokanee at Lake Chelan have been hammering just about everything thrown at them. Varying depths don’t appear to matter, with hookups occurring at the surface and as far down as 80 feet. Smile Blades and pink hoochies tipped with white corn are a lethal combination.

Loon Lake trollers continue to pull kokanee averaging 10-14 inches from 30 feet of water, but some have changed gears and switched to still-fishing at night. If you can stand the cooler temperatures, a glow hook tipped with worm or maggot in 30-32 feet of water might boost your take.

The June fish stocking schedule for Idaho lakes is now available at the fish and game website. IDFG has plans to stock trout many lakes in all regions.

Salmon and steelhead

Several rivers, tributaries and streams open the first Saturday in June for all game fish, including salmon and steelhead. Consult the Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet for selective gear rules and specifics.

The Idaho chinook salmon season ends at the end of fishing hours on Thursday on the lower Salmon River from Rice Creek Bridge upstream to the uppermost boat ramp at Vinegar Creek. The Snake River from Dug Bar boat ramp to Hells Canyon Dam will also close today, but other areas will remain open. Anglers can get information and maps here.

The upper Salmon River and the South Fork Salmon River open to chinook fishing June 18.

Spiny ray

Banks Lake anglers are catching fish all day long if the wind doesn’t push them out. The north end has been good for walleye, smallmouth and perch. Chartreuse spinners with nightcrawlers or Slow Death setups with Smile Blades are effective for just about anything. Some trollers say they are going deeper now to find fish.

Walleye have been hitting hard on Lake Roosevelt, but there are a lot of smaller walleye to contend with. Jigging off the bottom in the Spokane Arm has produced more than a few limits of decent fish averaging 18-20 inches. The occasional fish over 25 inches keeps anglers interested, with most fish responding well to anything displaying crawfish colors.

Fishermen on the Snake River near Lower Granite Dam took home decent catches of smallmouth bass over the extended weekend. Purple and brown plastics thrown from the bank convinced more than a few to strike, but Rapalas colored orange and brown fooled a fair amount, too.

Lake Spokane’s bass fishing has been fair. Anglers throwing plastic green or brown worms toward rock ledges and the weedy bank edges have had luck on smallies, with some approaching the 2- to 3-pound range.

The spawning crappie bite should be nearing an end, but fishermen on Lake Spokane have reported taking boatloads of fish this past weekend. Dropping multi-colored jigs with grub bodies off the dock, or casting next to stumps along the banks are your best bet while it lasts.

Other species

Five areas of the Puget Sound open today for summer recreational crabbing. Fishery managers determined legal-sized Dungeness crab would be at hard-shell condition by June, allowing an earlier opener than normal. Marine Areas 4, 5, 12, 13,

and the northern section of Area 9 will be open Thursdays through Mondays each week. For details, consult the WDFW’s website.

The summer-season recreational fishery in Bonneville Reservoir opens to white sturgeon retention for two days this summer – June 18 and July 1. Retained fish must be between 38-54 inches, from tip of snout to middle of the fork in the tail.

Hunting

Montana deer hunters hoping to hunt the Marias River WMA southwest of Shelby have the month of June to submit their application. Applications can be submitted on the FWP website, or at any FWP regional or area office.

Contact Alan Liere via email at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com