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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Alan Liere’s fishing-hunting report for Jan. 30

Alan Liere writes the weekly fishing and hunting report for The Spokesman-Review. (The Spokesman-Review / SR)

Fly fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shop says the Spokane River continues to be the top winter fishery around right now. Hot bead nymphs are finding the most fish.

The next meeting of the Spokane Fly Fishers will be Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Hillary Hutcheson, fishing guide, fly shop owner, host of Trout TV and named one of Fly Fisherman magazine’s 50 most influential people in fly fishing. The meeting is at the usual location in the basement hall at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1104 W. Heroy Ave. in Spokane.

Trout and kokanee

There have been no reports from Fourth of July Lake for over a month, but the lake could well be ice-free now. The erratic weather and ice conditions this winter have discouraged participation and there should be lots of big trout left.

Trout trollers on Lake Roosevelt have had some long, unproductive days on the water recently, but two friends fishing from shore to the left of the swimming area at Ft. Spokane have done pretty well the last two weeks. They said they are throwing Power Bait a foot above a slip sinker “about as far out as you can cast,” but add that even so, their bait hits bottom quickly and they figure the water is only 8 to 10 feet deep. They are averaging about one fish an hour. Roosevelt’s water was at 1,278 above sea level on Wednesday and leveling off. It is hoped the more stable flow will improve the fishing.

The far end of Rufus Woods Reservoir at Brandts Landing has been a good place to catch some big triploids. The fishing has been hit-or-miss, however.

The launches on Potholes Reservoir are now free of ice and trout fishermen are again chasing the lake’s big rainbow trout. Sprague Lake, also, is said to have an open launch.

Spiny ray

Walleye anglers near Porcupine Bay on Lake Roosevelt are catching their fish in 25 to 70 feet of water. Toward the Hunters area, they are going much deeper – as much as 175 feet down. Fish in both spots have been mostly small.

Two walleye anglers fishing the big flat out of Porcupine Bay had excellent results last week by dragging around a banana weight with a couple of feet of leader, a hook and a nightcrawler. A friend who tried to duplicate their success a few days later caught only three fish and said the half-dozen boats in the area had a similar lack of success.

Ice fishing

Ice fishermen are venturing out on Curlew Lake near the state park but are catching more rainbow trout than perch. Near the park, there is 5 or 6 inches of ice, but farther out, it is much thinner. Elsewhere on the lake, the ice cap is very thin and deteriorating rapidly.

A friend stuck it out in the rain on Sacheen Lake on Tuesday, fishing through 8 inches of water, 6 inches of slush and 2 1/2 inches of good ice. He said he caught a few small brook trout, but no perch.

Other species

On Feb. 1, the McNary Pool (Lake Wallula) on the Columbia River shifts to catch-and-release fishing for white sturgeon year-round. This includes the Hanford Reach and Snake River upstream from Ice Harbor Dam.

Hunting

The Idaho spring controlled turkey hunt application period runs Feb. 1–March 1. Hunters may apply at any hunting and fishing license vendor or Fish and Game office; with a credit card by calling (800) 554-8685; or online idfg.huntfishidaho.net/login. A 2019 Idaho hunting license is required to apply.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is proposing seven extensions of the 2020 wolf hunting seasons and two proposed changes to open more areas to wolf trapping and extend trapping seasons. Public can see the proposals and comment at Fish and Game’s public comment webpage. idfg.idaho.gov/form/2020-wolf-proposals. Deadline to comment is Feb. 10.

Youth, veterans and active military will have a special one-day waterfowl hunting opportunity on Saturday.. This special hunt includes all regular season opportunities, including brant in Clallam, Pacific, Skagit and Whatcom counties. All bag limits will be the same as those allowed during the regular season with a single-day possession limit. WDFW wildlife areas that allow waterfowl hunting access will remain open to access for this special hunt, and many USFWS national wildlife refuges in Washington will remain open in designated areas. Contact specific refuges for details.

With bird and big game seasons over, area hunters are limited to chasing cottontail and snowshoe rabbits or coyotes. The cottontail rabbit population seems to be up this year, but rabbit hunting hasn’t caught on in the West the way it has in the South. Coyotes aren’t in short supply this year either. The breeding season is approaching, so they are quite vocal, and the cold weather keeps them on the prowl searching for food.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com