Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Aug. 21, 2025

Thu., Aug. 21, 2025

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Tip of the week: Of all the boat fishing tactics for chinook fishing on rivers, trolling with plugs is one of the most popular. A plug like a Kwikfish, Flatfish or Maglip draws the eye of a chinook as they wiggle and dive in the river current. An old but effective trick is to wrap thread and tie on a sliver of sardine fillet to the underside of the plug. This slows down the action of the lure and releases a heavenly scent.

Overheard: Coastal ports including Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores), Marine Area 3 (La Push), and Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay) remain open daily for salmon fishing through Sept. 15. All three of these marine areas could close earlier if quotas/guidelines are projected to be met. Ilwaco is already closed. Fishery managers encourage anglers to sign up for Fishing Rule Change email notifications and to check for emergency rules on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website prior to fishing.

In the past 10 days, counts of fall chinook over Lower Granite Dam have ranged from 48 to 212 fish per day. That count is somewhat misleading, however, because the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Nez Perce Tribe are trapping more than half of those fish for brood stock. While this may make some anglers angry, this strategy makes certain that broodstock goals for the hatcheries are met and also allows a liberal limit of 3 adult fall chinook per day, which includes unclipped fish. Another part of the strategy is to keep more of the larger fish for broodstock which will hopefully produce larger fish from the hatcheries in the future.

Heads up: It is illegal to intentionally fish for bull trout in most of Montana. While it might be tempting to cast a line to a group of large trout, angling can add additional stress or even mortality that some populations can’t tolerate.

Braggin’ rights: The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery is doing what it was designed to do again in 2025 – reduce the number of northern pikeminnow in the Snake and Columbia rivers, giving steelhead and salmon smolt a better chance at survival. To date, about 95,000 fish have been turned in for cash rewards.

Fly fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shop says it’s still very early for large numbers of fish returning to our inland steelhead rivers, but if you’re itching to get out, the lower Clearwater is an option. Don’t expect great fishing this time of year, but if you put the hours in you may find a stray fish.

The best-known stretch of the Yakima River is between Easton and Roza Dam, and fly fishermen have done well there recently. Use hopper/dropper combinations. The Upper Yakima has good access along I-90, between Easton and Cle Elum.

Trout and Kokanee

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Statewide Trout Derby. Anglers can still catch a tagged trout and claim one of more than 500 prizes. The derby runs through October 31 and you can get a list of the lakes that have tagged trout in them by going to the Trout Derby page on the WDFW website. Some of the prizes still available include Mariners tickets, resort stays, quality fishing gear and gift cards valued up to $250. Just take the orange tag from the fish you catch to the business on the tag to claim your prize.

Badger Lake has been better since the weather cooled some. The best trout fishing is on the north end and in front of the public launch. Kokanee anglers are doing fairly well by trolling early and late. The fish are near the bottom at about 30 feet.

Anglers trolling bottom bouncers and spinners baited with a nightcrawler between the upper and middle net pens on Rufus Woods can expect to catch triploid rainbow and walleye. Find 50 feet of water and troll fast enough to keep the bait just off the bottom.

Fishing has been good at Lake Lenore and Dry Falls Lake. Both are best fished from a boat, Lenore has big Lahontan cutthroat trout and Dry Falls Lake has been good for big rainbow. It also has brown and tiger trout. These are both selective gear waters. If you don’t have a downrigger and are fishing with leaded line, be sure to add some weight to your line.

Steelhead and salmon

A friend who fished the chinook opener this week on the Snake River said because of the inaugural salmon derby there were a lot more boats out in the confluence and Snake River than usual. Despite launching at 4:30 a.m., there were 10 boats ahead of him at the launch. There was an early morning bite between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Jason Discher from Highway 2 Tackle said he and some friends caught an 18-pounder and a 22-pounder, but overall the number of fish caught was disappointing to most anglers. The King of the Confluence was won by an angler with a chinook weighing 28.5 pounds.

A good number of A-run steelhead are headed to Idaho this year and anglers are looking forward to the catch and keep season for steelhead to begin Sept. 1 in the confluence of the Snake and lower Clearwater rivers.

Fishing for fall kings on the Columbia River should be especially good in the Wanapum Pool off the mouth of Crab Creek, and below Priest Rapids Dam this season. The preseason forecast for fall chinook is 736,200 fish, up from the 2024 return of 669,505. The coho forecast is 342,100 fish. From Tuesday through Sept. 6, retention of chinook and hatchery coho will be allowed. The daily adult bag limit will be two salmon, but only one may be a chinook. From Sept. 7 to Oct. 31 retention of hatchery coho will be allowed but chinook must be released. The daily adult bag limit is two hatchery coho.

The Lyons Ferry Bubble Fishery will be open Thursdays through Sundays from Sept. 4 to Oct. 26, with a daily limit of two adult chinook, including no more than one wild adult.

Sockeye retention is now open in Marine Areas 5, 6, and 7 (Sekiu and Pillar Point, East Strait of Juan de Fuca, and San Juan Islands). The daily limit is two, plus two additional pink salmon. Release chinook, chum, and wild coho.

Spiny ray

Porcupine Bay on Lake Roosevelt is seeing a decent walleye bite on the flats. Jigging along mud lines produced by boat activity can also be good.

Twin Lakes near Inchelium is a good place to catch big rainbow and brook trout, but the bass fishing can be spectacular and there are some true monsters.

Potholes Reservoir has seen some great largemouth fishing of late. A friend who fishes there often says he throws rubber frogs onto the weed mats back in the dunes and has taken numerous bass weighing more than 5 pounds.

Other species

Fish at night on the face of the Potholes Reservoir dunes for some really large channel cats. Lind Coulee can also be good.

Hunting

In Washington, Sept. 1 marks the beginning of seasons for bobcat, fox, raccoon, rabbit, dove, early cougar and turkey (in units 101-154 and 162). Forest grouse open Sept. 15. Washington’s early youth goose season in Goose Management Areas four and five is Sept. 27. The daily limit will be five Canada geese and 10 white-front geese.

Many Idaho archery seasons for deer and elk begin Sept. 1. Check your regulations. In Washington, archery season for deer begins Sept. 1. Archery elk season begins Sept. 6.

I’m not seeing as many young turkeys this year as I did last year when it seemed every hen on Wild Rose Prairie had at least a half dozen poults. This year, I keep seeing the same four hens with only five grouse-sized youngsters.

Granted, the view from my back deck is a small viewing area, but in what seems like a perfect summer with lots of grasshoppers and good cover, I expected to see more.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com