Alan Liere’s hunt-fish report for Aug. 24

Fly fishing
St Joe water levels are suitable for wet wading. The summer insect activity has trout feeding actively on the surface and below, making it a prime time for dry fly and nymphing enthusiasts. A friend who just returned from the Joe said he didn’t catch anything particularly large, but there was a lot of activity from cutthroat running 8-12 inches. Try running smaller droppers this time of the year. Terrestrials, small attractors and small midges/parachutes will work for dries.
Mike Schmuck, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist for District 5, says fishing should be good at Lake Lenore and Dry Falls Lake. Both are best fished from a boat, float tube or pontoon boat, but internal combustion motors are prohibited.
Lenore is most famous for its very alkaline waters that only Lahontan cutthroat trout can survive in. It offers a good chance to catch a fish pushing or slightly exceeding 30 inches. Dry Falls Lake is located north of Soap Lake and east of Park Lake. Fishing has been excellent the past five years for rainbow trout ranging in size from 12 to 20 inches with most fish greater than 14 inches. Additional species include brown and tiger trout.
Trout and kokanee
Trout reports have been few and far between from Lake Roosevelt this summer. Normally, the action is good around Split Rock this time of year for those trolling flies and dodgers 30 to 40 feet down.
Good trout fishing reports come from Curlew Lake, and Badger Lake has been good for trollers and still-fishermen. Action has been concentrated at the north end and in front of the public launch.
Priest Lake mackinaw fishing has been slow. Those caught have been mostly less than five pounds. Anglers are either drop-shotting plastics are dragging Flatfish near Outlet Bay and around the islands.
Salmon and steelhead
On Sept. 1, harvest opens for steelhead in the Snake/Clearwater area, making a combo catch-and-keep trip for salmon and steelhead possible. On Sept. 10, steelhead harvest opens on the Clearwater. The Clearwater River harvest seasons are a little difficult to follow so here is the schedule: Aug 18 – Oct 14 chinook harvest opens; Sept 10 – Oct 14 steelhead harvest opens; Oct 15-Nov 9 steelhead harvest closes; Nov 10 – to the end of season, steelhead harvest is open.
The fall chinook run over Bonneville Dam is not as high as last year’s return, but this year’s run is expected to be high enough to provide good fishing opportunities. Salmon counts at Bonneville Dam are just beginning to increase and expected to peak in the next two weeks. On average, it takes about 14 days for fish to get from Bonneville Dam to Lower Granite Dam.
The steelhead forecast for this year was not good, but recent counts at Bonneville Dam suggest the run might not be as bad as forecasted. It is still early in the run, and the next few weeks are typically when the bulk of Idaho’s steelhead run crosses Bonneville Dam.
With three species of salmon and steelhead on their way to Idaho, there is the possibility of catching a steelhead, fall chinook salmon, and coho salmon in the same waters, potentially in the same day. Expect good numbers of coho to start entering Idaho around the first week of October.
Marine area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores) will now be open through Sept.30 to chinook retention.
My oldest son just returned from a fishing trip on a friend’s boat to Neah Bay. He said the coho and pink bite was phenomenal, and he caught some nice rock fish and ling cod.
Spiny ray
Walleye fishing has picked up on Potholes Reservoir. They are in 5 to 20 feet of water right now. Fish the shallower fish in the sand dunes with a trolled number 5 Flicker Shad, jerk baits, flukes, swim baits and lipless crank baits. Fish the deeper fish with a Slow Death Hook with a Smile Bade rig with a crawler and bottom bouncer. Jigging 3-inch plastics and grubs on a ¼- ounce jig head is producing as well. Crab Creek and the face of the dunes have been productive.
Banks Lake walleye are on the humps and along steep drop-offs. Friends who fished there this week said they caught a bunch of dinks and nine fish between 16 and 18 inches.
Newman Lake is reported to have a decent topwater morning bite at times by smallmouth and largemouth bass. Silver Lake largemouth had also been active before the fire, but the big tiger musky that had taken up residence under the dock at the public access has looked for quieter waters. Liberty Lake has been giving up some decent-sized perch and bluegill recently.
Curlew Lake tiger musky will hit a big topwater now and then, and the perch fishing remains good. Newman Lake tiger muskies still tantalize and sometimes reward persistent casters.
An often overlooked fishery this time of year is for smallmouth bass in the Okanogan River. Anglers fish above the bridge at the mouth of the Okanogan River and cast crank baits or jigs to the shore.
Coeur d’Alene northern pike fishing has been fair recently with in-line spinners and spinnerbaits taking fish along the weed lines. Chartreuse or white have been the best colors.
Bass have been active at Hauser, Hayden, the Chain Lakes and the southern end of Coeur d’Alene Lake. Senkos and Yamamoto grubs have been the ticket.
Other species
Channel Catfish are being caught on cut bait, Catfish Magic, chicken liver and even hotdogs back in the sand dunes and the face of the sand dunes at Potholes Reservoir. Most are in the 8–12-pound range. Kevin Webster, from Sunnyside, landed a 14.50-pound Channel Catfish while fishing for crappie.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com