Alan Liere’s weekly fish and game report for Oct. 20

Wed., Oct. 19, 2016

By Alan Liere spokesmanliere@yahoo.com

Tip of the week

Large fish such as pike generally do not do well in a bass boat-sized livewell, so if your intent is to release them anyway, do it quickly. A group picture of all your big fish is impressive, but it is a crime against nature if it jeopardizes their well-being.

Braggin’ rights

Lily Pippin, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Northwood in the Mead District, took advantage of the first-year Hunter Education waiver last weekend. Accompanied by friend and mentor Mike Sweeney, she used his.270 to make a clean kill on a doe whitetail near Mt. Spokane. The duo had been preparing for the day for several weeks.

Overheard

For the fifth time since a relatively high preseason forecast, river managers have again downgraded their estimate of the size of the fall chinook run to 707,600 adult chinook. The preseason forecast was 960,000.

Heads up

–The Tri-Cities Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association’s King of the Reach salmon fishing derby is scheduled for Oct. 28-30. The object of this derby is to deliver as many wild salmon as possible to the hatchery facility at Priest Rapids Dam. The salmon season on the Hanford Reach closes on Saturday, but anglers participating in the derby are allowed to fish, and salmon caught are delivered in live wells (provided to anglers), which go directly into hatchery trucks. For more information, do a web search for “King of the Reach Salmon Derby.”

–Waterfowl hunters who showed up last weekend to hunt on Winchester Wasteway near Moses Lake found there was not enough water to float a boat. The situation is not likely to improve soon. Overall, the duck opener was only fair.

–State check stations will be set up this coming weekend at Enaville in Idaho and at the U.S. Highway 395 weigh station south of Deer Park. Idaho law requires all hunters to stop at state Fish and Game check stations regardless of their success. Stopping at a Washington location is optional, but encouraged.

Fly fishing

Fall is a good time for blue-winged olives, caddis, and October caddis on the Spokane River. Silver Bow Fly Shop says soft hackles in the softer riffles are also finding fish, especially when trailed behind a streamer. Nymph rigs are always good.

The best water on the St. Joe will probably be around Avery and downstream. Mahoganies, baetis and October caddis patterns have been good.

The North Fork Coeur d’Alene is still an option with the same flies as used on the Spokane. Best fishing will be from Pritchard down.

The Clark has dirtied up a bit from the rain, but fishing remains good. Cast nymph or streamer rigs in the morning.

Bull trout are feeding actively on the North Fork Clearwater, and the cutthroat are also active. This fishery will not last much longer.

Salmon and steelhead

The Clearwater River blew out on Monday, but it is dropping and should be fine by the weekend. Fishing for the big B-runs has been has excellent and the hot bite should continue, says Andy Alldredge at Camp, Cabin and Home in Lewiston. Drifting eggs and shrimp above Orofino has been best.

Kyle Jones Sportsfishing reports success catching both steelhead and chinook out of Heller Bar by side drifting eggs and yarnies. The steelhead are several pounds larger than the 4- to 6-pound fish usually taken this time of year. Jones notes that the river conditions can change quickly. Info: (208) 861-0654.

At Boggan’s Oasis on the Grande Ronde, Bill Vail says fishing is best downriver to the mouth. Much of the rain that hit the Inland Empire bypassed the area and visibility is decent and expected to improve. Vail said the rains have definitely moved more fish into the ’Ronde.

A precipitous drop in the upper Columbia River steelhead run means there will be no fishing season for them this year in north-central Washington. Jeff Korth, WDFW regional fish program manager, said the run is only 33 percent of the 10-year average of counts at Priest Rapids Dam, and this falls far short of the minimum 9,550 fish NOAA-Fisheries requires to allow a fishing season. Limits for lower river fisheries, from the mouth to Highway 395 south of the Tri-Cities, have already been reduced to one hatchery steelhead.

The only steelhead fishery remaining in the Columbia River above Highway 395 will be at Ringold, a “bubble” fishery held on hatchery steelhead specially marked with both a clipped adipose and left ventral fin.

Chinook salmon limits have been increased in the upper Columbia River through Nov. 30 from Priest Rapids Dam to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam. Six chinook salmon – clipped or unclipped – may be retained, of which only three may be adult.

At Vernita Bridge, salmon fishing has slowed considerably and the fish that are coming in are extremely black. The Hanford Reach could be done for the year.

Trout and kokanee

Rainbow anglers on Lake Roosevelt say it doesn’t matter where you fish, you’re going to do well. Most of the trout are 14-15 inches, but there are still a lot of bigger fish to be had. Trolled flies have been best. Don’t go any deeper than 15 feet.

Idaho anglers have taken some big Kamloops recently from Lake Pend Oreille. The fish have come up some and are now between 30 and 70 feet. On Lake Coeur d’Alene, however, chinook are going the other direction. Look for them at 90 feet and more.

Coeur d’Alene kokanee should be good for another two weeks. Some of the 9- to 11-inch fish have begun to redden slightly. The limit is 15.

Spiny ray

Potholes Reservoir walleye fishing is improving and just good enough to keep anglers on the water longer than they want to be in the rain. The walleye are being found mostly back in the dunes. “Give walleye a bush and 15 feet of water and they’re happy,” says Rob Harbin at Mardon Resort, and most of the fish have not ventured into the main lake.

On Lake Roosevelt, the only positive walleye reports have come from Hawk Creek. Anglers there have been trolling bottom walkers with worm harnesses.

At Banks Lake, Lou Nevsimal at Coulee Playland Resort says everyone is hunting and no one is fishing for walleye. He noted the water temperature is currently in the low 60s and needs to drop another 10 degrees before the fishing picks up again. In November, when the temps are between 45 and 55 degrees, fishing for both smallmouth and walleye will get good again. Nevsimal says he is pleased with the tonnage of fish taken from Banks this summer as the lake was in need of a good thinning.

Lake Coeur d’Alene weed beds are still up and that’s where you’ll find the northern pike. Jerk baits and spoons have proven effective recently.

Hunting

Idaho Fish and Game’s online hunter reports have been a casualty of the data breach of their online vendor’s database, but hunters are asked to file their reports by calling the toll-free number at (877) 268-9365.

The 2016 pheasant hunting season gets underway on Saturday in Washington. It looks as if this year will have more birds than last, but in an area where I usually find a lot of birds, I have seen no quail or grey partridge.

Encouraging reports regarding quail and pheasant numbers come from sources in the Columbia Basin. Quail brought off as many as three broods, I’ve been told, and pheasant numbers are building – especially along waterways where there is lots of cover. Moses Lake pheasants seem to be adapting to ever-cleaner farming methods and are finding food and sanctuary in the cattails and Russian olives.

Deer hunters on the opener in Washington found slim pickings in many units. In Unit 124 near Spokane where I hunt, I heard nine shots last year; this year, there was one. It wasn’t mine. Last summer’s blue tongue wiped out a lot of bucks. Idaho hunters have had fair success. Conditions are prime for better than that.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere @ yahoo.com