Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Jan. 1

Dec. 31, 2025 Updated Tue., Jan. 27, 2026 at 1:13 p.m.

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Tip of the week: Seatons Grove used to be the most popular launch to reach the middle net pens on Rufus Woods, but in recent years, many anglers are choosing to launch at the Colville net pens site. It is a shorter run from there to the upper net pens, which have become a very popular triploid fishing spot. Even with the access permit and launch fee, the shortness of running time makes it worthwhile. The Buckly Bar, which is near the Seatons Grove launch, however, has always been a favorite of walleye anglers.

Overheard: Trapper, wolf trapper, and hunter education classes are designed to give students the knowledge and skills needed to safely, ethically, and legally take part in Idaho’s hunting and trapping seasons. To register for any class, visit the Idaho Fish and Game website at www.idfg.idaho.gov/education and select hunter education in-person courses, trapper education courses, or wolf trapper education courses. Class sizes are limited and tend to fill quickly.

Heads up: Idaho Department of Fish and Game, along with WDFW Police are asking the public for information on two incidents where someone shot and killed a ram bighorn sheep. Non-governmental organizations are offering $30,000 to $45,000 in rewards for information leading to a conviction for each case. The first incident occurred east of Riggins in Idaho County, Idaho when a poached bighorn sheep ram was located above Big Salmon Road near Partridge Creek. The ram had been shot sometime from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22 with no attempt to recover the animal. The second incident occurred outside Asotin, in Asotin County, Wash., on or around Dec. 13, and involved the unlawful killing of a yearling bighorn left in the Peola Game Management Unit. Investigators believe the animal was shot in the middle of the night between Friday, Dec. 12 and Saturday, Dec. 13.

Fly fishing

The mile long stretch of flowing water at Rocky Ford is fed by an underground spring, and now that most of the weeds have cleared out it is getting some attention from fly casters. There are a few spots where a scud under an indicator will tempt a trout, and it is said there are some big ones under the bridge at the upper end that have been splashing on the surface.

Trout fishing is still tough to impossible on Idaho rivers except perhaps the North Fork Coeur d’Alene. Your best bet in the immediate area is the Spokane River, and even that can be a dicey proposition as flows are still very high.

Trout and Kokanee

Billy Clapp Lake is located about 16 miles from Soap Lake off Highway 28. The lake is known for good fishing for rainbow, walleye and smallmouth bass. In the winter the lake is drawn down and there is a large stretch of beach below the boat launch site where anglers gather to fish. The rainbow range in size from about 15 inches to 2 or 3 pounds, Boaters with a small boat and four-wheel drive can launch from the sandy beach there and troll. Crank baits, like Rapalas, are most successful when flat-lined behind the boat.

Some big triploids are being caught now at Rufus Woods if the current isn’t so strong you can’t get your offering on the bottom. An 18-pounder was reported recently, but most of the fish are under 4 pounds.

Crescent Bay which is located just down the hill from the town of Grand Coulee Dam on Banks Lake, is popular with bank anglers looking for the triploid rainbow trout that are released into Lake Roosevelt. Even when Roosevelt is at a very high level as it is now, Crescent Beach has a long sandy beach that people like to cast from.

A friend and his family enjoyed good trout fishing at Hunters this week, catching fish ranging from 14 inches to 20 inches. They threw a variety of Power Bait colors and said they wished they had arrived earlier because the fishing died dramatically after noon and anglers were leaving with 5-fish limits when they arrived at 10 a.m. The water was very high. Most other Lake Roosevelt bays are also producing good trout fishing from shore.

Another friend found Hunters too crowded and headed to Northport. He said the water there was somewhat high but clear with few weeds floating. He ended up catching a huge rainbow of about 27 inches, which he released along with another of 20 inches and another of 16 inches plus a nice whitefish.

Bonaparte Lake is reported to have four inches of ice in places. Williams Lake by Colville only has skim and Coffin evidently has just enough that a few possibly suicidal anglers have tried fishing on 1½ inches of ice. Other small lakes up north are also skimming over, but the upcoming weather report doesn’t look great for any improvements in thickness. Around Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, there is no ice, even on shallow Eloika Lake.

Steelhead and salmon

Reel Time Fishing out of Clarkston says the Clearwater River is clearing up again and their boats are catching steelhead again. Book a trip by calling (208) 790-2128. The Grande Ronde is still on the high side, and so is the Snake.

Spiny ray

A friend and his son have been doing very well on walleye at Long Lake this winter by throwing blade baits. The only public launch open on Long Lake, however, is the Little Spokane launch off highway 291, and the current there can get so fast depending on the weather that launching is nearly impossible. I drove by on Monday, though, and it looked to be useable with moderate current. Still, launching is probably a two-man operation.

Other species

WDFW has approved seven days of coastal razor clam digs that began Wednesday at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks beaches with an additional 27 days planned for early 2026. Bryce Blumenthal, a WDFW coastal shellfish biologist, says “Low tide times near sunset should allow for daylight digging during New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and hopefully the weather cooperates with quality low tides to allow for a successful week of digging to begin 2026.” Not all beaches are open every day. Additional tentative dates run Jan. 15 through Jan. 21.

Washington’s coastal commercial Dungeness crab season opened Wednesday from Klipsan Beach on the Long Beach Peninsula south to Cape Falcon, Oregon, including the Columbia River and Willapa Bay. It will open Sunday from Klipsan Beach north to Destruction Island, including Grays Harbor. “This is the first season since 2021-22 in which crab quality has supported a December opener,” said WDFW Coastal Shellfish Manager Matthew George.

Banks Lake whitefish averaging 2-3 pounds are schooled up in about 40 feet of water over gravel and sand bottoms at the Coulee City end of Banks Lake, and anglers using bait or small lures such as Forage Minnows and Swedish Pimples, are even catching them from shore. The Washington record whitefish taken from Banks Lake weighed 6.8 pounds. Experts recommend fishing slow and close to the bottom. Expect a soft bite.

Hunting

A nephew chasing ducks around Moses Lake this week reported finding some good hunting for mallards on some of the wasteways and on Crab Creek. Earlier, he also enjoyed some shooting for Canada geese in nearby fields. Waterfowl hunting will get better, of course, if the cold weather would stick around.

Washington eastside bird hunting for pheasants, quail, and grey partridge will end after January 19. The chukar season remains open through the end of January. The Washington turkey season ended after Wednesday. Forest grouse close after Jan. 15.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com