Field Reports: $10 bounty offered for Roosevelt pike

FISHING – A $10 a head reward on northern pike caught in Lake Roosevelt will be offered by the Colville Confederated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Program starting May 1.

The reward is part of the effort to reduce the number of the nonnative predators moving into the Columbia River system. The Colville Tribe has earmarked up to $10,000 for paying the bounties. The Colvilles also are working with the Spokane Tribe and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to gillnet and remove pike in the Kettle Falls area.

To qualify for the reward, the pike must have been caught in the main stem Columbia River from Grand Coulee Dam upstream to the U.S.-Canada border, the Spokane River upstream to Little Falls or the Kettle River.

Anglers age 17 and older must fill out a card with information on their catch, remove pike heads according to directions and drop off the heads in freezers at Kettle Falls Marina or at Noisy Waters gas station northwest of Kettle Falls off US 395.

Doe hunting reduced;

Reardan lakes expanded

WILDLIFE PANEL – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission reduced some antlerless hunting opportunity and added acreage to a Reardan wildlife area among other actions Friday during a meeting in Spokane.

Among rules adopted for upcoming hunting seasons, the panel voted to reduce hunter harvest of deer and elk in several areas of the state, especially in Eastern Washington where harsh winter conditions took a toll. The changes include:

• A reduction in white-tailed deer hunts in northeast Washington for senior hunters.
• Switching some northeast late archery deer hunts from “any white-tailed deer” to “any white-tailed buck.”

The commission also approved four land transactions, including acquisition of 150 acres of wetlands adjacent to the state Fish and Wildlife Department’s Reardan Audubon Lake Wildlife Area.

Tagged fish net prizes

in statewide Trout Derby

FISHING – Anglers who catch fish with yellow tags at designated lakes will be able to claim prizes in Washington’s statewide 2017 Trout Derby running next Saturday through October.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has stocked tagged trout in dozens of lakes to give anglers a shot at more than 900 prizes, the agency says.

Lakes with tagged fish in Spokane County include Badger, Bear, Liberty, West Medical and Williams. Other area lakes include Cedar, Loon, Starvation and Waitts in Stevens County; Fishrap in Lincoln County; Curlew in Ferry County; Diamond in Pend Oreille County, and Garfield Pond in Whitman county.

The derby is free to anyone with a valid Washington state fishing license. Details are online, wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/derby.

Idaho Trails volunteers

headed to Hayden Lake

TRAILS – English Point Trail 80 on the west side of Hayden Lake will benefit from the first trail maintenance project of the season led by the Idaho Trails Association.

The lowland trail includes 6 miles of easy loops through forest terrain.

Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. on Saturday at the English Point trailhead off East Lancaster Road.

The Idaho Trails Association will provide hand tools for cleaning out water bars, trimming brush and removing mud from bridges.

Sign up at IdahoTrailsAssociation.org. Info: tom@idahotrailsassociation.org.

Wind Rivers hike recounted

HIKING – “Traversing Wyoming’s Wind River Range,” a free program by Spokane Mountaineers Tyler Nyman and Shuwen Wang, is Monday at 7 p.m. at Mountain Gear Headquarters, 6021 E. Mansfield in Spokane Valley.