Alan Liere’s fishing-hunting report for June 2

Wed., June 1, 2022

By Alan Liere For The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

The cougar population in northeast Washington has boomed since trapping and hound hunting were outlawed. And though attacks are rare, a nine-year-old girl was seriously mauled May 28 while playing with friends near Fruitland, Washington in Stevens County. If you should encounter an aggressive cougar while recreating in the woods, WDFW advises you to never turn and run as that can trigger a chase response. Instead,

Make eye contact with the cougar and back away slowly.
If the animal approaches you, try to look as big as possible. Stand on a rock and put your hands above your head.
Be assertive and yell, throw rocks or other items at it.
If it attacks, fight back. Don’t play dead with cougars.

WDFW also says the use of bear spray is an effective offense during a cougars encounter.

Braggin’ rights

A hundred and one archers in 38 boats shot and removed a total of 203 carp weighing approximately 3,000 pounds from Moses Lake during the Moses Lake Carp Classic on May 21. The largest haul for the Big 10 category, in which a team of archers weighed in their 10 biggest fish, was 172.40 pounds by the team of Sean and Karla Manderville and John Wall. The largest haul for most carp in the boat was 23 fish by the team of Alex & Victor Mendoza, and the largest carp shot during the tournament by the team of Colby Myers, Trever Gibson and Christian Ellinger, weighed 29.4 pounds.

Overheard

While spiny ray are prolific, their populations tend to be cyclical. Big populations of crappie and perch one year can seem inexhaustible, then dip in following years due to changes in water conditions that drive spawning success and food availability.

Walleye aren’t “bad” fish, but this non-native fish is not suitable for most Idaho waters because they do not have the prolific prey base they do in the upper Midwest. When they are introduced (naturally or illegally transplanted), they can wreak havoc, throwing fisheries out of balance by targeting juvenile fish, such as trout or panfish. Idaho Fish and Game is currently involved in a large-scale project to minimize the effects of walleye in Lake Pend Oreille, where the fish have become established following an illegal introduction just upstream in Montana. They have also been recently found in Lake Lowell and Lake Cascade. Fish and Game is asking anglers to report any walleye catches from these waters.

Fly fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shops said there have been good reports from the Memorial Day weekend. Rivers are still up, but soft currents away from the main flows hold fish, and you don’t need a boat because most of the good water is near the shore.

The Spokane River is high, so use extreme caution. Caddis are out around 6 p.m. until dark and a few salmonflies are lingering around.

Friends and I made the 2,200-mile round trip from Spokane to Devils Lake in North Dakota last week, fishing six days for walleye, northern pike and white bass. We passed and crossed over many potential fly fishing waters on the trip, but all were high and muddy. For now, you’re better off fishing the local lakes.

Trout and kokanee

Rock Lake trout, mostly rainbow, have been running around 16 inches. The bite has been good for trollers.

Near Moses Lake, trout fishermen continue to do well in the Seep Lakes. The Hampton Lakes are producing quality and quantity rainbow trout and Warden Lake has been productive as well. The Pillar–Widgeon Chain is producing some 3- to 5-pound trout.

Trout fishing on the Potholes Reservoir has been good this week. Several reports of 3– to 5-pound fish have come in. Troll along Medicare Beach and in front of the state park.

By this time last year, friends and I were taking limits of 10-inch Loon Lake kokanee by still-fishing with Glo Hooks and maggots at night. This spring’s inclement weather has made the thought of sitting on the lake in the dark less than appealing, but daytime trollers are taking some kokanee that are much larger than they usually are this time of year. Whether that is an indication of good fortune or a smaller population of fish remains to be seen. When we get a couple of days of stable weather, I’ll be on the water even if I need a heavy coat.

Salmon and steelhead

The migration of Idaho-bound spring chinook salmon past Bonneville Dam is about complete. It has been the best run since 2015, and the third best when compared to the past 10 years.

On June 16, the Hanford Reach summer salmon fishery opens from Columbia Point to the I-182 Bridge at Richland for bank fishing with hand-casted lines from shore on the Richland side of the river. It is closed to angling from a vessel and to fishing from shore on the Pasco side. From the Interstate-182 Bridge at Richland upstream to Priest Rapids Dam, the chinook season will be open June 16 through June 30. Night closures are in effect for salmon.

Lower Columbia River salmon and steelhead seasons begin sometime between “immediately” and June 16, and some are already over. Check the “Fishing in Washington” rules pamphlet for details. The Region 5 contact is (360) 696-6211; Region 3 contact is (509) 575-2740.

Marine Area 11 opened for hatchery chinook fishing on Wednesday. This is more than two weeks earlier compared to 2021, and prior to that, it had been closed in June since 2018.

Spiny ray

Walleye fishing has been good up the Spokane Arm on Lake Roosevelt. Most fish are coming from 15 to 35 feet of water. The spawn is about over, but a few large egg-filled hens are still being caught.

Long Lake is still giving up eater-size walleye in the vicinity of Willow Bay. Smallmouth bass are also hitting up and down the reservoir, but the crappie bite has not really materialized. The shallow water weeds that usually hold fish are not yet showing.

Crappie anglers who did so well at Eloika Lake the past two years have been frustrated this year by the sporadic bite. The numerous crappie beds that are usually evident on the east side of the lake are not there this year. Whether this has to do with the cold spring or a downward cycle has not been determined. Largemouth bass fishing at Eloika, however, has been good, and it is also improving at Silver and Clear lakes.

Largemouth bass fishing has been good in Grant County’s Potholes Reservoir. Five-inch wacky-rigged Senkos and white spinnerbaits have been effective. The rock piles between Goose Island and the face of the dam have been producing decent smallmouth on Norisada blade baits, tubes, crankbaits and Senkos. Fish the sand dune weed lines for postspawn walleye. Look for spawning bluegill on shallow flats in the dunes. Look for the crappies close to and in the willows.

Smallmouth bass are hitting aggressively along the rocks on the Snake and Columbia rivers, and also on Lake Roosevelt and at Banks. Tube jigs have been a favorite for years on these waters, but a crawdad imitation plug is also a deadly fish-getter.

Other species

By the end of May, about 56,000 shad had passed over Bonneville Dam. There are millions more waiting in the wings, but impatient anglers are having some success tossing shad darts into strong currents.

Hunting

Controlled hunts are a chance at some of Idaho’s best buck and bull hunts, antlerless hunts, extra hunting opportunity or tags set aside for youth hunters.

The application period for fall 2022 deer, elk, pronghorn, fall black bear and fall turkey controlled hunts ends Sunday.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com