Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Nov. 30
Fly fishing
Nymphing and streamers are dominating the fishing action on the Spokane River, but there has been some blue-winged olive action from about 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Silver Bow Fly Shop said to use hot beads, stones, squirmies, perdigons or Spanish bullets in the morning.
The North Fork Coeur d’Alene River is getting some ice. Look for the slower/deeper water and fish double nymph rigs using the same flies as those used on the Spokane.
Salmon and steelhead
Steelhead anglers are taking some big fish during the catch-and-keep season on the Clearwater and Snake rivers. The Grand Ronde River has been icy.
Trout and kokanee
Evan Johnson and Josh Weeks fished the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt last Saturday, limiting on rainbow running 18 to 22 inches as well as a 6½-pound whitefish. They said their best fishing for trout came by casting red-colored diving plugs into water with some current above Buoy 5. For anglers without a jet pump on their boat, this could be a problem as the water gets shallow. Trout fishing on Roosevelt has generally been good all over the reservoir.
The winter lakes, Hatch Hog Canyon and Fourth of July, are showing some ice. Fourth of July has been particularly good for large rainbow by bank fishermen.
Waitts Lake is also a productive open water trout fishery. When it freezes up, ice fishing is usually productive.
Spiny ray
It’s plenty cold on the water at Lake Roosevelt, but there is no ice and walleye and burbot are biting in and around Porcupine Bay. Many of the walleyes, however are small. Still, this is a great time for a Lake Roosevelt mixed bag of trout, smallmouth, walleye, burbot and lake whitefish.
Big walleye are beginning to show on the Columbia River. Anglers can use either Oregon or Washington licenses.
At MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir, Pete Fisher said that with the dropping water temperatures the fish are sliding into their winter habits – going deeper and not feeding as often. Slow your presentation down for walleye and bass. Crappie and bluegill are out on the face of sand dunes, and there have been some nice catches.
Smaller ponds, even those south of town, are iced up, and some of the shallower lakes like Eloika and Avondale are also showing skim ice. There is still a lot of open water, though, and ice fishermen are hoping the cold nights with no snow will soon put safe cap on their favorite waters.
Other species
Idaho Fish and Game is inviting burbot fishermen to participate in the Kootenai River Angler Science Program to gather information that will help make burbot fishing better. For participating, anglers will receive free swag and be entered into a free raffle for a chance to win some great prizes.
Fishing for burbot in the Kootenai River closed in 1992 because of a declining population. The population has since increased and the fishery reopened in January 2019.
As the fishery is relatively new, Fish and Game staff are closely monitoring how the burbot population is doing. Although they run an extensive annual monitoring program on the river from December through March, they are soliciting help to collect additional information. Contact the Panhandle Regional office at (208) 769-1414 for any questions or would like to learn more about the Kootenai River Angler Science Program.
Some big whitefish are being caught on Lake Roosevelt this winter. Look for deep depressions in shallow water where they congregate to spawn. A small jig or fly will be all you need, but I have always been partial to a small green and silver Swedish Pimple baited with maggots.
Lake whitefish are different than mountain whitefish. They are not native to Washington but are found in the Upper Columbia River and several connected reservoirs that include Lake Roosevelt, Banks Lake, Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir and Scooteney Reservoir. They commonly weigh 2-3 pounds and the state record is more than 7 pounds. At Banks Lake, you will find them now by the inlet and at the south end of the lake.
Mountain whitefish are smaller than lake whitefish, seldom growing larger than 16 inches. Several rivers in Washington offer good winter fishing. These include the Yakima, Entiat and the Little Spokane rivers (open Dec. 1 through the last day of February in certain sections) and the Kettle River, which is open through the end of February.
On all of these rivers, whitefish gear rules must be followed (only a single hook, size 14 or smaller is allowed and bait – usually maggots – may be used). If you are looking for recipes to cook whitefish, try the Great Lakes Whitefish website at www.greatlakeswhitefish.org.
Hunting
Pheasant numbers seem to be greater this year than the last couple. While some hunters say they are seeing nothing but hens, others say roosters outnumber hens. My experience is that it depends on where you are and what day you’re there. So far, it has been a rather unproductive pheasant season for me, but I scouted a new area this week that looks promising. On the down side, there were a lot of barbed wire fences, and I tangled with most of them. My hands look like I’ve been sorting cats in a dark room, and there are several new rips in my brush pants.
Northern mallards are just beginning to show up in the Columbia Basin. The small waters are freezing up, though, and even the Potholes Reservoir and Moses Lake are getting a skim around the edges. The wasteways will hold the birds that are not using the corn ponds. Goose hunting has been good with both snows and Canadas in the bags.