Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for July 17, 2025

Thu., July 17, 2025

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Tip of the week: In hot weather, bass generally don’t want to feed during most of the day. To find some strikes in the heat, fish faster. If a fish isn’t going to strike because of hunger, the only type of bite you can expect is a reaction strike. Cast and reel quickly, only allowing the fish a glimpse of your lure. The next time the lure passes the fish, it may strike more out of instinct than anything else.

Overheard: Until further notice, all open flames are prohibited, including those from charcoal and propane, on all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands along the Columbia River from the Umatilla Bridge (I-182) through the Tri-Cities, and the Snake River to the Joso Train Bridge near Lyons Ferry. Enclosed propane and charcoal cooking devices are still allowed at Hood Park and Charbonneau Park Campgrounds but only in areas cleared of flammable material for at least 5 feet in all directions. Devices must be attended at all times while in use.

Heads up: The public crossing at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lower Monumental Lock and Dam will be closed from July 24 to Aug. 7 due to staffing constraints.

Hoot owl restrictions are in effect on several more Montana waterbodies – sections of the Ruby, Jefferson, Big Hole, Beaverhead, Smith, upper Bitterroot and upper Clark Fork rivers and Silver Bow and upper Rock creeks. Hoot owl restrictions prohibit fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight each day. These restrictions will stay in effect until conditions improve.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation will use purse seines at the confluence of the Okanogan River to collect chinook for hatchery broodstock and sockeye ceremonial and subsistence purposes. Anglers are asked to be respectful and give tribal staff space while conducting this activity. The Chief Joseph Hatchery releases millions of chinook that contribute to recreational fisheries in the Columbia River.

Fly fishing

The upper St. Joe, Spokane and Kootenai rivers are providing the coolest water and best trout fishing for fly casters. The morning hours are best. Go with a dry-dropper rig with some flash on the dropper and focus on rocky runs and riffles. Yakima River trout are hitting early, especially if the occasional caddis hatch is on.

The North Fork Clearwater River and Kelly Creek are fishing well early and late in this hot weather. Hoppers and ants will be working.

The Teanaway, Taneum and upper Cle Elum rivers in the Yakima/Cle Elum area are good for lots of small trout. Because of their abundance of fish, these are perfect waters for introducing kids to fly fishing.

In Montana, the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead River are fishing well, but both rivers have dropped significantly this past week. On the Lower Clark Fork River, dry fly action has been good in afternoons with PMD and caddis patterns headlining bug choice.

Trout and kokanee

Montana is a trout fishing mecca, home to pristine trout waters and 16 members of the salmonid fish family. Among these 16 species is the golden trout – a stunning, high-alpine specialist species. Golden trout can be found in some of Montana’s remote high mountain lakes and are, for many anglers, a bucket-list species. July and August are the best times of year to access many golden trout lakes, especially high-elevation lakes in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Every year, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks publishes a guide with detailed angling and access information for more than 300 lakes in this wilderness area. You can find it on Montana FWP’s website.

Kokanee fishing remains good on Coeur d’Alene Lake for 12-inch fish. The north end has been productive.

Williams, Badger, Waitts and Diamond have been mentioned in recent reports as having decent trout fishing. Farther north, Marshall Lake cutthroat are active in the evening on top.

Lake Chelan mackinaw running 3 to 5 pounds are hitting jigs by the rock slide down lake of the Yacht Club. Priest Lake macks of about the same size are hitting jigs in 80 feet of water.

Steelhead and salmon

Buoy 10 salmon fishing out of Astoria, Oregon, should be excellent this year with a run of 736,000 chinook and 342,000 coho expected to enter the Columbia River.

Lower Columbia River summer salmon and steelhead fishery updates from the Megler-Astoria Bridge to The Dalles Dam indicates the salmon and steelhead season will run through July 31. During that time, changes in species allowed as well as limits for these species will occur.

An updated forecast for the Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishery says about 46,000 sockeye are anticipated to reach the lake this season if the run up the Columbia holds up.

As of Monday, only 21,982 sockeye have passed over Wells Dam since June 1, compared with the 10-year average of 138,654 and 334,650 for the same time period last year. Chad Jackson, Region 2 Fish Program Manager for WDFW said competition with pink salmon that compete with sockeye for the same plankton are a factor, as are rising temperatures, bad lake conditions in Canada for spawning, and rising ocean temperatures.

The thermal barrier in the Okanogan River is in place, keeping sockeye in the Brewster Pool. A few sockeye are being caught there, with Wednesday being the best after the weekly three-day break in fishing. Willing biters are usually picked off early.

Spiny ray

I don’t get many fishing reports from Davis Lake and have only fished there through the ice in the winter for burbot or kokanee. A group that fished Davis recently didn’t have any luck with either of these species on a recent outing, but got into a mess of “decent” perch near the lily pads on the South end, and in about an hour of jigging ended up catching more than 40. To be honest, I didn’t even know Davis Lake had perch.

Largemouth anglers are catching some big bass from Eloika Lake, and the perch bite has been fair early in the morning. Upper Twin has also been good for numbers and also size of bass. Green pumpkinseed Senkos have proven effective.

Banks Lake is still giving up lots of smallmouth bass and a fair number of walleye. Lindy rigs with nightcrawlers are catching walleye on Barker Flats and the Devil’s Punchbowl. Trolling from Neighborly to the Goat Farm at 50 feet can also be good.

Walleye fishing is fair to good on Potholes Reservoir for anglers trolling the weed lines in Crab Creek or the sand dunes. In Lake Roosevelt, bottom bouncers and Slow Death rigs are finding walleye in Porcupine Bay and near Buoy five. The Kettle River has also been good.

The Idaho Panhandle has many spiny ray lakes, most of which are also stocked with trout. Kelso, Shepherd, Twin, Brush, Dawson, Robinson, Smith, Hayden, Hauser, Spirit and Fernan can be good. Rose Lake has perch, crappie and some of the largest bluegill in Idaho.

Hunting

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting new applicants for its Master Hunter Permit Program, which enlists skilled volunteers who are passionate about wildlife conservation and supporting both the Department and the public. Applicants must demonstrate a high level of hunting knowledge, skills and abilities, and be deeply committed to lawful and ethical hunting practices. Interested individuals can submit applications now through Aug. 15 and must complete all program certification requirements by May 15. A $69 application fee is required to apply to the program. For information on master hunter eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit WDFW’s website.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com