Alan Liere’s hunt-fish report for July
Fly fishing
This is the peak season around the region for fly fishermen.
All local rivers are fishing well. Dry/droppers, nymph rigs and Euro rigs are all producing. Caddis flies are good in the afternoons and evenings.
Trout and kokanee
Rocky and Cedar lakes in Stevens County are good options for trout, as are Diamond, Frater and Yokum lakes in Pend Oreille County.
“Curlew Lake in Ferry County consistently produces good catches of trout, with smallmouth bass and tiger muskie also available,” said Brian Walker, WDFW northeast district assistant fish biologist.
Curlew is also loaded with yellow perch, which are willing biters during the warm months and should continue to produce good fishing through August.
Badger Lake in south Spokane County has been fishing well for cutthroat and rainbow trout. Badger also has kokanee, which are running about 12 inches and should reach 14-15 inches by late summer.
Several lowland lakes In Okanogan County are producing good trout fishing.
Try Pearrygin Lake, Conconully Lake, Conconully Reservoir and Alta Lake.
In Grant County, head to Park, Blue and Deep lakes.
In Adams County, try Warden Lake. In Douglas County, head to Jameson Lake. In Chelan County, Wapato Lake is a decent trout and kokanee producer. The Seep Lakes south of Potholes Reservoir are fishing well for rainbow trout.
Try Lake Chelan for a mix of kokanee, lake trout and chinook salmon. Shore anglers at Lake Chelan do well catching cutthroat trout and smallmouth bass in the Manson and Chelan areas.
Fish Lake near Lake Wenatchee is a good bet for kokanee and rainbow trout.
Other year-round lakes worth a try for trout are Sprague in Adams County; Roses in Chelan County; and Banks, Billy Clapp and Long in Grant County.
Smaller-size Washington trout lakes with more secluded settings include Round Lake and Long Lake east of Tonasket, Beaver Lake and Lake Beth in northeast Okanogan County and Wannacut Lake west of Oroville.
Kokanee can be found in Patterson, Alta, Conconully, Bonaparte and Spectacle lakes.
Salmon and steelhead
The sockeye limit on the Brewster Pool of the Columbia River has been increased from two to four fish. More than 20,000 sockeye are coming over Bonneville Dam each day.
The current return of upper Columbia summer chinook is tracking about 30% below the preseason forecast of 85,400 fish.
As a result, retention of adult summer chinook will close from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to Priest Rapids Dam.
Fishing for sockeye and jack chinook remains open from the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco upstream to Priest Rapids Dam.
Fishing also remains open for sockeye, hatchery jack chinook and hatchery steelhead from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge.
Sockeye fishing on the upper Columbia River began Saturday.
One of the most popular opening-day spots was below Wanapum Dam. Moderate flows there made conditions good, but the run is later than usual and may not reach last year’s numbers.
One of the salmon areas that has gained in popularity is at Chelan Falls, where the Chelan River enters the Columbia River, just below the Bebee Bridge.
The abundance of hatchery chinook and the proximity of two launches make Chelan Falls one of the best places to enjoy the salmon fishing season on the upper Columbia.
Salmon anglers at Westport, La Push and Neah Bay have taken fewer than 1% of the area guidelines for coho salmon. Baker Lake will open for sockeye salmon on July 15.
This has proven to be a popular and fruitful fishery over the years.
Spiny ray
Lake Roosevelt walleye anglers are finding fish in the Spokane Arm near Buoy 5 by trolling bottom bouncers and baited spinners. The smallmouth fishing has been good along rocky shorelines.
Banks Lake walleye have been hard to find lately, and the smallmouth fishing is not as good as it usually is this time of year.
They are somewhat larger fish than usual.
Newman Lake, in eastern Spokane County, is heating up for bass and tiger muskie. Silver Lake in southwest Spokane County also has tiger muskie, and both lakes have crappie, bluegill and perch.
Leader Lake, Whitestone Lake and Washburn Island Pond in Okanogan County are good for bass and panfish. Wapato and Roses lakes in Chelan County are also good for largemouth bass and panfish.
Other species
Boyer Park on the Snake River bested all other destinations last week for the most northern Pikeminnow checked in for the Northern Pikeminnow Sports-Reward Fishery. More than 130 anglers turned in 3,169 fish.
Catfish anglers in Potholes Reservoir are catching good numbers of channel cats with an assortment of cut bait, nightcrawlers and even hot dogs.
Most are between 8 to 12 pounds, but two fish over 30 pounds have been taken this year.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com.
Tip of the week
Kokanee are not line or leader shy, but color defines their world and clear line is best. Larger line size, however, translates to more water resistance or drag when trolling, so a thin diameter line is a plus for the main trolling line. When fishing for kokanee, precise depth presentations are critical to your success. Kokanee prefer fluorescent or bright colors and using larger hooks results in better hookups.
Overheard
Tiger muskie have made their homes in Idaho waters for about 35 years. Lakes such as Little Payette
, Winchester
and Hauser
all support populations of tiger muskie, but even some lowland lakes, such as Lake Lowell in Southwest Idaho and Shepherd Lake in the Panhandle have them. While catch rates are low, they offer diverse angling opportunities while helping to control the populations of undesirable fish. Tiger muskie are regularly stocked in about a dozen waters across the state, many of which are known for their bass fishing. And the two, as far as Fish and Game biologists have observed, tend to coexist without muskies noticeably altering the bass populations.