Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Aug. 31

Thu., Aug. 31, 2023

By Alan Liere For The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Several hunting seasons in Idaho and Washington will be open while the weather is still hot. To make sure you don’t lose your meat to spoilage, begin the cooling process as quickly as possible. Meat spoils the quickest around the ball joints in the hip and underneath the front shoulders. Your harvest should be immediately skinned, reduced to quarters, and quickly transported to cold storage. With larger animals, it may even be necessary to make some cuts in between muscles to the bone to allow heat to escape. It is best to skin, quarter and put the meat on ice rather than hang it in fluctuating temperatures.

Heads upIt is now unlawful to possess or land chinook or wild coho in Marine Area 5. The previously announced increased pink salmon daily limit of four is still in effect. In Marine Area 1, retention of wild coho west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line is in effect. Salmon fishing east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line is closed. In Marine Areas 1, 2, 3, and 4, anglers may maintain wild coho.

Idaho Fish and Game staff and volunteers in the Panhandle Region will be hosting a Youth Marksmanship Skills Workshop on Sept. 16 at the Farragut Shooting Range Center in Athol. The workshop, for youths, ages 9 to 17 who have successfully completed hunter education, will run from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Registration is required. The cost of the class is $15 per student. It will provide participants the opportunity for one-on-one instruction and guidance on shooting safety and essentials, with particular focus on the mechanics of sighting in a scope. Participants will need to bring the rifle they intend to use during the 2023 big game hunting seasons and at least one box of ammunition. Please note that reloads are not allowed. Participants will also need to bring their own eye and ear protection.

Fly fishing

The St. Joe River has been fishing well. Terrestrials and attractors rule the program. Try downsizing your tippet this time of the year to up your odds, and also lengthen your leaders and droppers.

Late-summer fishing remains good on the Spokane River. Some bigger fish have been in the mix. Throw the usual dry/dropper stuff.

The North Fork Coeur d’Alene is skinny this time of the year, so look for water with depth.

Late-summer patterns like attractors, terrestrials and small chubbies with droppers will get it done. Small parachutes or midges will do well for picky risers.

Trout and kokanee

A friend who just fished Rock Lake (and fishes it a lot) said the catching there was the best he had seen. He lost track of the number of browns and rainbow he caught by casting a Rapala toward shore. He also said that when he got tired of catching trout, he found some excellent bass fishing in the bays.

Anglers fishing Twin Lakes near Inchelium are catching a lot of big rainbow and brook trout. Largemouth bass fishing has been spectacular at times.

Several of the put-and-take lakes south of Spokane are beginning to become productive again. Good reports have come recently from Clear, Badger and Fishtrap.

Salmon and steelhead

The sockeye season on Lake Wenatchee closes at the end of the month. Traffic on the lake is way down and there are still some nice fish to catch.

Spiny ray

The Lake Roosevelt weed beds are getting shallow, and the clear water has made the walleye go elsewhere, following baitfish to deeper water.

Anglers fishing near Buoy 1 with perch-colored jigging raps are still finding fish in the main river.

Some of Washington’s best walleye fishing in September is in the south-central region. The Hanford Reach, the Snake River below Ice Harbor Dam, and the Columbia River below McNary Dam will heat up as the weather cools.

Youths 15 and younger, seniors and anglers with a disability who possess a designated harvester companion card can find excellent fishing for good-sized perch and bass at Bear Lake, just north of Spokane off Highway 2. This little lake is often overlooked.

Other species

Carp caught from clean, cold water can be delicious. A quick Google search will show a multitude of recipes meant for carp, but batter-fried carp nuggets are always a safe bet.

Shallow water in the Snake River system is an excellent place to bait a hook with corn, worms, or your secret recipe dough ball. Toss it to the bottom and wait for a fish that sometimes rivals a salmon in fight.

Hunting

The Idaho forest grouse, turkey and rabbit seasons are in progress in most areas with the exception of a unit in the southern Panhandle that doesn’t open until Sept. 15. In Washington, forest grouse open Sept. 15 and the fall turkey season begins Friday in units 101-154 and 162-186. During this time, hunters may take two beardless turkeys and two of either sex. Washington quail, chukar and gray partridge seasons begin Oct. 7.

Dove hunters have been keeping a close watch on the weather, and until recently, there promised to be a lot of birds for good shooting. As usually (always?) happens a few days before the opener, however, we get rain and the doves begin to migrate. The best shooting will be in the first few days of the Friday opener, but pockets with substantial numbers could be around into October. Reports from Moses Lake, the Snake River canyons, Yakima, Clarkston and St. John indicate birds are scattered rather than flocked up and ready to leave, with lots still to be found in the vicinity of harvested wheat fields

Deer and elk hunting in Idaho will be similar to last year, but hunters in eastern Idaho will likely see firsthand the effects of a brutal winter that hit mule deer hard.

Elk herds remain stable to increasing in most of the state. White-tailed deer in the Clearwater area could see a modest bump as herds start to recover from the deadly 2021 outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, and last year’s winter wreaked havoc on eastern Idaho’s mule deer population, particularly fawns. One of the most severe winters on record hit the east side of the state roughly along the Wyoming/Idaho border. Deer hunting, especially for mulies there is going to be challenging.

There is a lot going on in Idaho this September. The following will help you keep track of hunting and fishing opportunities:

Friday – OPEN: Dove, sandhill crane, early goose season.

Friday – OPEN: Fall steelhead harvest season in most rivers.

Friday – OPEN: Fall coho salmon season

Sept. 7 – Returned tag sale at 10 a.m. MDT.

Sept. 16 – OPEN: Chukar, gray partridge and quail season.

Sept. 21 – Returned tag sale at 10 a.m. MDT

Sept. 23-24 – Youth, Veterans and Active Military Waterfowl Hunting Weekend

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com