Alan Liere’s fishing-hunting report for March 17
Trout and kokanee
A friend who fished from shore with orange Power Bait near Hansen Harbor this week limited in just 45 minutes. He said there must have been a recent release from net pens as only two of the five trout were the typical 15- to 17-inchers, and the other three were between 13 and 14 inches.
Lake Roosevelt “Trifectas” – trout, kokanee and walleye on the same trip – are becoming more common as we move into spring, and it is possible to also catch a good-sized smallmouth bass. Some large walleye have been caught. The water is about 15 feet lower than it was last year at this time and there is a fair amount of discoloration in and around the Spokane Arm. Best success now will be in the main lake. The lake level is at 1,253 feet above sea level, so major launches are still usable.
Sacheen Lake still has good ice, but water is showing around the edges at the access where the inlet stream is running hard. Perch are still being caught. On Sunday, Waitts Lake anglers were finding a good trout bite through 9 inches of ice. Power Bait on the bottom in about 25 feet of water was the magic combination. Deer Lake ice is holding, but there is again water on top in places.
Most of the Quincy lakes, including Quincy itself, were still ice covered on Monday, but a friend fishing from a boat in open water with Power Bait at Burke Lake said he and three other anglers did well, catching numerous 13- to 16-inch rainbow, with the majority of fish being the larger ones. The Burke Lake trout fishing tournament is Saturday.
The Seep Lakes Wildlife Area, south of Potholes Reservoir, has many year-round fisheries that provide some good early season fishing, and they are ice free. Read the regulations pamphlet carefully, though, as there are several seep lakes that do not open for fishing until the fourth Saturday in April. This can be confusing because in years past they opened April 1.
The Tucannon lakes were stocked again early this week following another stocking around the first of March. Fishing has been good for 8- to 12-inch catchables and jumbos running 13 inches and over, some as large as 18 inches.
Potholes Reservoir is ice free and anglers have been catching some nice trout by trolling in front of Medicare Beach. The launches are open.
Mirror Lake in Idaho is still frozen. Ice fishermen are catching kokanee, but they are only 7-8 inches. Shepard and Gamble lakes are also frozen, but Blue Lake ice is getting iffy.
Salmon and steelhead
“This year’s (salmon fishing) options continue to provide needed protections for Puget Sound chinook stocks, but also allow for a substantially larger coho quota for Washington’s recreational fisheries compared to 2021,” said Kyle Adicks, intergovernmental salmon manager for the WDFW.
Chinook fishermen are picking up some 4- to 8-pound fish by trolling helmeted herring in the top 30 feet on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Try Beauty Bay and Wolf Lodge Bay on the north end. Mica Bay at midlake and East Point, Powder Horn and Rockford Bays on the south end.
The Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton Area) salmon fishing season has returned to permanent rules as listed in 2021/2022 Washington Sportfishing Rules pamphlet. It is open daily with a salmon daily limit of two hatchery chinook, minimum size of 22 inches and no minimum size on other salmon.
Spiny ray
The Columbia River in the vicinity of Crow Butte Park is giving up some large walleye again now that I have vacated the area.
Anglers looking for a personal best are having the most success after dark. Several fish in the teens are reported.
Fishing from shore at Long Lake from the big pullout at Tum Tum has yielded some walleye as well as trout running to 18 inches.
Smallmouth bass are waking up on the Snake River. Work the slower water with plastics. Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho has pumped out of few huge smallmouth, and the fishing should get better as we move into mid-March. Dustin Shepherd set an Idaho catch and release record two years ago with a football-shaped fish measuring 22¾ inches.
Anglers using jigs and blade baits are starting to catch Potholes Reservoir walleye in 40 feet of water. The largemouth are beginning to hit back in the sand dunes.
Bobber fishermen on Lake Coeur d’Alene are catching large pike on dead baits from Wolf Lodge and Cougar bays.
Other species
Razor clam fans can get more of their favorite Pacific Northwest cuisine now that digs until Tuesday have been approved. The first four days are on evening tides, but the next three are on morning tides. Shellfish managers with WDFW have also announced tentative dates for razor clam digs at beaches along the Washington coast through April. Final approval of tentatively scheduled openings depends on results of marine toxin tests. “We know that many harvesters look forward to morning digs and they’ll find a lot of nice clams waiting for them when we make the switch to morning tides on March 20,” said Dan Ayres, the WDFW coastal shellfish manager. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license or Fish Washington license, are available from WDFW at www.mywdfw.com and from hundreds of license vendors around the state. WDFW recommends buying your license before visiting coastal beach communities.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com