Alan Liere’s fishing-hunting report for Nov. 4

Nov. 3, 2021 Updated Wed., Nov. 3, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.

By Alan Liere For The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

This week, thanks to a venison donation from Leahlyn Liere who shot a big mule deer buck near Cheney a couple weeks ago, I was able to again make venison stew with my father’s old recipe. Instead of crock pot, though, I used a deep cast iron frying pan with a lid, cooking the dish on a very low heat for seven hours. The meat was moist and tender, the cast iron producing a much better stew than any I have ever made in a crock pot.

Braggin’ rights

Last June, Caylun Peterson caught a 24.49-pound tiger trout from Loon Lake. After jumping through all the hoops and then a long wait, the fish has been declared to be not only a Washington State record for the species, but a new world record as well.

Heads up

Anyone interested in learning to skin, flesh and dry fur pelts is invited to attend a Pelt Preparation demonstration day on November 13 at the Farragut Shooting Range Center in Idaho from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be in-person demonstrations by experienced trappers. If you wish, bring your own fur for help with proper preparation and care. Contact the Intermountain Fur Harvesters at intermountainfurharvesters@gmail.com with any questions about the event.

The late general season for white-tailed deer runs from Saturday through November 19 in eastern Washington’s Game Management Units 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 121, and 124, and WDFW is encouraging hunters to stop by hunter check stations to have their deer checked for chronic wasting disease. The early season was slow at check stations and a lot more samples are desired. Idaho Fish and Game is also requesting that hunters have their deer, elk and moose checked. To date, no animals with chronic wasting disease have yet to be found in Washington or Idaho, but Fish and Wildlife in both states, want to be on top of it should that change.

Overheard

Initial reports look good for another year of perch fishing on Lake Cascade in Idaho based on gill-net surveys, and despite decreases in the number of jumbo perch, overall populations are still in the 10-12 inch range on average. Biologists once again found that angler harvest is not affecting the overall population or size, so the lake continues to produce large numbers of perch for anglers.

WDFW shellfish managers estimate that so far this season, diggers have harvested 2.3 million razor clams during 126,250 digger trips

Trout and kokanee

Trout are biting in the top 20 feet of water on Lake Roosevelt, but sometimes it takes some moving to find them. Don’t get stuck fishing one piece of water. Most of the fish are about 17 inches long, but trout weighing 2½ pounds are not uncommon. Several anglers had good things to say about perch-colored Kekeda flies this week

The water below Grand Coulee Dam has been a good trout fishery this fall. Lake Spokane (Long Lake) and Sprague Lake also have some good-sized rainbow that are willing biters.

The Wooten Wildlife Area lakes in southeast Washington – Watson, Blue, Spring, Rainbow and Deer – are open through the end of November. Hog Canyon Lake, northeast of Sprague in Spokane County, Fourth of July Lake on the Lincoln-Adams county line just south of the town of Sprague and Williams Lake north of Colville in Stevens County all open Nov. 26.

Anglers can look forward to reeling in hefty broodstock rainbow trout from a half-dozen small lakes and ponds in and around Yakima and Ellensburg. Stocking dates have not been set, but WDFW usually starts planting these 3- to 10-pound fish in mid- to late November. Anglers can check the trout plant reports to see when these fish are available.

Lake Chelan anglers launching at Mill Bay and running down to Rocky Point are finding good numbers of kokanee at 60-80 feet deep on the down riggers.

Salmon and steelhead

The Ringold Springs Access is open to bank fishing for chinook and coho salmon through Nov. 15 from one-fourth mile downstream of the Ringold wasteway outlet to one-half mile upstream of Ringold Springs Hatchery Creek.

Reel Time Fishing in Clarkston said the past few weeks have been up and down for steelhead anglers on the Clearwater. There is a lot of traffic on the river and unstable flows have caused the bite to be tough. The recent rains have resulted in “tea-stained water” as it has washed ash from summer fires into the Clearwater. The river should be clearing again, however, and even despite the adverse conditions, some big fish (a 20½-pound buck caught last week) are being taken.

Spiny ray

Diehard anglers know November offers good bass and walleye fishing as these fish pack on pounds before slipping into lethargy for the winter. Nearly every section of the Columbia and Snake rivers in south-central Washington holds large populations of smallmouth bass and walleye. Anglers should start in water 15-25 feet on the edges of the main river channels, but don’t be afraid to work the deeper waters.

Walleye fishing was slow on the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt this week, but anglers caught good numbers of rainbow while looking for the walleyes.

On Potholes Reservoir, largemouth bass fishing remains good on the face of the dunes. Look for steeper drops and work deep-diving crankbaits or skirted hula grubs and jigs down the slope. Use a blade bait or jigging spoon for deeper fish. Fish zero to 10 feet early and move to the 15– to 30-foot range at midday.

Other species

Another round of razor clam digs on the Washington coast began Wednesday.

Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager with WDFW, noted diggers should be aware of which beaches are open or closed on the days they intend to dig. Typically, only Copalis Beach or Mocrocks Beach are open on a given day, with the other beach closed.

“We’ve had some confusion with people thinking that all these beaches are open for every dig, but that isn’t the case,” Ayres said. “If you plan to visit Copalis or Mocrocks, be sure your intended destination is open on the day you want to dig.”

The new set of digs runs through Wednesday, but not at all beaches.

Hunting

In Northeast Washington, there are decent waterfowling opportunities on the Pend Oreille River and Lake Roosevelt, as well as in the Colville and Kettle valleys on private lands. There is lots of good information (starting on page 37) of where to hunt waterfowl in the District 1 Hunting Prospects. If you pass a hunter check station on the way home from a day of waterfowl hunting, stop, even if you didn’t get any ducks or geese. These stations like to hear how the seasons are going.

Late archery white-tailed deer season is Nov. 24 through Dec. 15 in GMUs 204, 209, 215, 233 and 243. Late archery mule deer season is Nov. 21-30 in GMUs 209, 215, 233, 243 and 250. Also late archery mule deer (3 point or antlerless) season is Nov. 20 through Dec. 8 in GMUs 272 and 278. Modern firearm elk hunting runs through Sunday in most areas, but remains open through Nov. 15 in GMUs 373, 379 and 381. Hunters with muzzleloaders can also hunt GMUs 373, 379 and 381 through Nov. 15. Archers will return to the field for spike bulls and antlerless elk starting Nov. 25 in several GMUs.

Impress your guests on Thanksgiving by serving a wild turkey you harvested. Marinate it for a day or two to improve tenderness and flavor. Fall wild turkey hunting runs through the end of the year throughout GMUs 101-154 and 162-186, and there are lots of birds.

A friend and I logged about 5 miles in the Palouse on Wednesday. Although we didn’t get any pheasants, we had one opportunity and saw three other roosters.

The dogs did some nice work on quail, providing a half-dozen for the pan.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com