Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Dec. 12, 2024

Thu., Dec. 12, 2024

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Ty Brown’s new book, “Along the Little Spokane River – A Sense of Place,” would make an excellent Christmas gift for an angler, a Spokane history buff, or anyone who wishes to explore the Spokane area’s deep cultural roots. The 213-page book offers a captivating journey through the rich history and natural beauty of the Little Spokane River valley. It can be purchased at Wandermere Ace Hardware, Mel’s Gifts, Auntie’s Books, REI and Kalispel Golf and Country Club.

Heads up: Nearly every year, there is a boating accident in Idaho involving duck hunters or winter anglers. With water temperatures just above freezing, these accidents can tragically result in a fatality. In the past 10 years, nearly 67% of the fatal boating accidents in Idaho were the result of victims falling into the water from small boats.

Overheard: The first brook trout lakes in the Okanogan highlands have formed good ice, and anglers are taking some big brookies in only 4 to 6 feet of water.

Most area rivers and reservoirs have big populations of whitefish. They are fun to catch and the limits are generous. Unfortunately, whitefish get a bad rap because they are bony. The meat of a whitefish is not dissimilar from that of a trout. It’s light and mildly fishy tasting. Smoking whitefish is one of the easiest ways to separate the meat from the bones. In this internet age, there are hundreds of smoked whitefish recipes available.

Ice fishing

Near Spokane, Eloika Lake iced over Sunday night, but most of that had melted by Tuesday morning. Coffin Lake is one of the few Washington lakes that has fishable ice. Anglers there are catching perch and brook trout. Half Moon Lake has 4 inches of ice. Lake Bonaparte has 2 inches. Sacheen and Waitts lakes are wide open, and the north end of Deer Lake has a broken sheet of thin ice.

In Idaho, the low lakes around Coeur d’Alene are free of ice. When there is finally safe ice, try Avondale, Bonner, Cocolalla, Dawson, Fernan, Freeman, Hauser, Perkins, Medicine, or Upper and Lower Twin for perch and some trout. The best small Idaho lakes for pike are Hauser, Hayden, Killarney and Thompson. For trout, try Robinson, Round and Smith. The farther north you go the more the likelihood of finding safe ice.

Fly fishing

Fly fishing area waters gets even slower as the cold weather continues, and many of the lakes are forming ice. Rocky Ford and perhaps Crab Creek are a couple of options that will always be free of ice. There have been some good reports from Rocky Ford, but none from Crab Creek.

Trout and kokanee

Lake Roosevelt trollers are having mixed results in their pursuit of rainbow trout. There doesn’t seem to be any weather event that makes fishing there good or bad. Some of the most consistent reports come out of Hunters with Rippin’ Minnows and Muddler Minnows doing the damage on 16- to 22-inch rainbow up high in the water column. Anglers report catching a lot of wild fish (adipose fin intact) that must be released. Shore fishermen are catching a few fish each trip from Fort Spokane downstream by throwing Power Bait under a slip sinker.

Rufus Woods can be good or bad for 2- to 3-pound triploid trout, depending on water flow. The can line near Chief Joseph Dam has been good for trollers, but the downstream net pens are also consistent.

I haven’t heard anything lately about the trout fishing on Lake Spokane, but at this time last year it was good. Friends who have caught trout there in the winter say they are good eating. Troll the same flies and lures you would use for winter trout on Lake Roosevelt.

Steelhead and salmon

Steelhead fishing has been fair on the Columbia River near Bridgeport. Most of the fish are being taken on trolled plugs by boat fishermen or by bobber and jig combos tipped with shrimp by bank anglers. Steelheading has also been decent on the Columbia River from Rocky Reach Dam to Wells Dam,

The Snake, Clearwater and Grande Ronde rivers remain good choices for steelhead fishermen trolling plugs or bouncing eggs or shrimp. Small, crappie-sized jigs in red or black are also good at times. Fly fishermen aren’t having much luck.

Chinook salmon in Lake Coeur d’Alene are on the small side. There is a 20-inch minimum and a lot of the fish have come in at 19¾ inches. Guides are taking two to three keeper fish a trip by trolling flashers and hoochies between 90 and 105 feet down. Next year, the chinook minimum size will be raised to 24 inches, but the results of this change on overall quality of fishing can only be speculated.

Spiny ray

Walleye fishing has been good on Potholes Reservoir around the MarDon Resort. The walleye bite is also decent on Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake.

Curlew Lake perch have moved into the deeper water at the state park. The bite is decent and will crank up.

Other species

Northern pike can still be caught on Lake Coeur d’Alene by trolling jerkbaits on the deeper side of dying weed lines. Casting has not been effective.

Hunting

A few duck hunters are finding pockets of birds in the Moses Lake area, but Sean Dougherty, district biologist, said, “The ducks are just not here yet,” and blames above-average temperatures in Alberta for slowing the migration. “There are a ton of geese, though,” he said, noting that at times about 30,000 snow geese are sitting on Potholes Reservoir. Dougherty also said the pheasant population in the area is about average, but most of the birds are in thick cover along the wasteways and flushing hundreds of yards ahead of hunters.

There appear to be more ducks in the Coeur d’Alene area than last week with widgeons and gadwall the most numerous on the south end of the big lake and on the Clark Fork Delta. The fear of duck hunters is that the waters will freeze before the mallards get down and they will hop over the area and head for California.

A friend said he is still finding quite a few pheasants in the Palouse. Windy days are tough because the birds are spooky, but rain keeps the birds from flushing wild.

He has the luxury/pleasure of hunting with good dogs. He is seeing a lot of hens.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com