Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Dec. 5, 2024

Fly fishing

There are still a few blue-winged olives and midges out on the Spokane River with a small window for some midday risers. Find the slower currents and get your streamers or indicators rigs down. Fishing is slow.

Silver Bow Fly Shop said fishing on the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River means finding slower and deeper holes to fish and adjusting your expectations. Finding a fish or two is about all you can hope for this time of year. Nymphing with hot bead or hot spot patterns, midge pupa, Rubber leg stones and San Juan or squirmy patterns are all working a little. Streamer fishing can be good especially if flows bump.

The Snake River is typically a good swing location with its warmer water. Indicator fishing has been the better tactic on the Grande Ronde.

Trout and kokanee

Triploid fishing at Rufus Woods is good around the upper net pens for 2- to 4-pounders, with an occasional 8- or 10-pounder being netted.

On Tuesday, two friends and I trolled everything in the tackle box on five rods down Lake Roosevelt from the Fort Spokane launch to way past Lincoln, but in six hours we caught only four trout, and two of them were wild. We saw only two bank fishermen in the whole stretch. All fish caught were robust and at least 16 inches long.

Hatch, Williams, Hog Canyon and Fourth of July lakes, which opened Friday, provided some good trout fishing for those who decided they’d rather fish than shop. Fourth of July had the biggest fish (16 to 20 inches), but fishing was slower than anticipated. Because of low water, it is nearly impossible to launch a boat there. Hog Canyon fished well for fish averaging 15 inches with some larger ones as well. Williams and Hatch also provided good numbers. From this point on, ice cover on the lakes could be a factor in fishing success, as the lakes as at some point soon will probably have too much for casting and too little for ice fishing.

Chelan County’s Roses Lake should be a good trout destination this winter, as 25,000 catchables were planted this fall. Catchable-size brown trout and tiger trout are also stocked in the early fall and most varieties of spiny ray are available. There is good shoreline access at and around the boat launch, dock and parking area on the south side of the lake.

Steelhead and Salmon

The lower Grande Ronde and Snake River near the Grande Ronde confluence have been good for steelhead.

Water levels in the Clearwater River are rising, prompting steelhead to move upstream where guides are getting them by side-drifting. Though a significant number of fish haven’t left the confluence, bobber fishermen are finding action to be slow. Nevertheless, trollers are getting hits on flat-lined plugs in the same water. December, January and February should be good.

Chinook and coho fishing remain open in the mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco through Dec. 31

Hatchery steelhead retention is allowed from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco through Dec. 31.

Drano Lake returned to permanent rules Nov. 1, with retention limited to one adult salmon or hatchery steelhead through Dec. 31.

Other species

Winter recreational crab fishing is open daily through Dec. 31 east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line, Sekiu-Pillar Point, the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands, the eastern side of Whidbey Island (8-1 and 8-2), northern Puget Sound/Admiralty Inlet, and Hood Canal north of a line projected true east from Ayock Point. Coastal areas are open year-round for crab fishing, but be sure to check for certain gear restrictions.

Puget Sound squid returns usually peak in December. Timing is key to catching them, with the prime period occurring at night during or right at flood tide change. When abundant, you can even catch squid on a daylight flood tide. All you need is a trout-style rod and spinning reel with a weighted pink, chartreuse, red, green, orange, or glow-in-the-dark jig. Squid fishing is open year-round.

The Little Spokane River opened Sunday for whitefish. Regulations differ on the Little Spokane, depending on where you fish, so always be sure to review the current sport fishing rules pamphlet.

Lake Wallula (McNary Reservoir) catch-and-release fishing is open year-round for sturgeon except for a winter closure from the Hanford townsite to Vernita Bridge.

Hunting

Pheasant hunting south of Spokane remains decent. Friends are seeing good numbers of birds but say they are in tall grass and quite wild. A good snowfall will make a big difference. Pheasants, quail, partridge and forest grouse hunting continues into January throughout the region. If you harvest a grouse, deposit one wing and the tail into wing collection barrels located around the state. Biologists use the wings and tails to help build estimated population trend datasets for each species in an effort to set appropriate harvest limits.

A few positive duck hunting reports have trickled in from the Moses Lake area.

Some of the harvested fields have attracted huge numbers of snow geese. Canada geese are also abundant.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com