Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025 Updated Wed., June 25, 2025 at 3:21 p.m.

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Tip of the week: While “playing a fish” is fun for the anglers, it’s not good for the fish, especially in hot weather. While it goes against the instincts of most sportsmen to horse a fish in, that’s exactly what you should do when it gets as warm as it has been lately.

Overheard: The WDFW has finalized its acquisition of the Sekiu boat launch property in Clallam County along the northern Olympic Peninsula. The Sekiu Water Access Area will maintain the only developed launch for motorized boats along the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Neah Bay and Port Angeles.

It is open season on walleye in Lake Lowell in southwest Idaho, and Idaho Fish and Game is asking for anglers’ help to keep this population in check. Anglers no longer need to report their walleye catches and are instead asked to “catch, kill and keep walleye and not release them alive.” Idaho and walleye just aren’t a good match in most waters. Walleye are native to large Midwestern lakes that tend to have large and prolific forage bases of small baitfish. Those baitfish are not available in most Idaho waters, so walleye will eat other game fish that are highly valued by Idaho anglers. Eventually, these other fish species could be gone, or greatly diminished, and the result could be a bunch of stunted, unsustainable walleye populations.

Heads up: Results of the Idaho deer, elk, pronghorn, fall black bear, fall turkey, and swan controlled hunt drawings are available. Fish and Game will not be sending postcards this year, so hunters are encouraged to review their email to verify their results or log into their online account at GoOutdoorsIdaho.com.

In many areas of Montana, stream flows and water temperatures are at mid-summer levels. That means restrictions and closures may be implemented soon. The trigger for an angling restriction for most streams is for the water temperature on a waterbody to reach 73 degrees for three consecutive days. These angling restrictions are called “hoot owl” restrictions and prohibit fishing between 2 p.m. and midnight until conditions improve.

Fly fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shop said caddis are on the menu all summer long on the Spokane River. The best dry fly window is generally right before dark. Swinging soft hackles can be productive, especially with low light in the late evening if fish are feeding on emerging caddis. Streamer fishing has continued to be decent.

On the North Fork in Coeur d’Alene, caddis and golden stones are generally the choice bugs. Mornings can consist of running dry/droppers with more fish eating the dropper (caddis pupa or perdigon kind of patterns) and as the day warms up, running just a single dry fly. The river is lowish for June, so no problems fishing anywhere you want.

Sean Visintainer at Silver Bow said the St. Joe River will be a great option from here on out. River levels are getting to be more conducive to finding productive water. Dry/droppers are the best prospecting tactics through most of the day. Stoneflies, drakes, PMDs, yellow sallies and caddis are all on the menu depending on the stretch you fish.

Trout and kokanee

Two friends and I fished Rufus Woods Reservoir for triploids late last week with limited success. In about five hours, we had only three hits, but we landed two fish. One was about 2½ pounds, but the other was an obese 5-pounder. Both hit deep-diving Shad Raps. When we returned to the Seaton Grove launch, a couple fishing there from shore was just packing it up, having caught two limits of big triploids on Power Bait.

Mackinaw trollers on Priest Lake have been catching their fish around Eight-Mile Island. The majority of fish are running 3 to 4 pounds, but some double-digit macks have also been netted.

Fishtrap Lake has provided good trout fishing the last couple of weeks, but being on the water early is important. Williams Lake also remains good early for 10- to 14-inch rainbow, and so does Badger Lake, where it is possible to catch a 10-fish limit of kokanee as well as a five-fish limit of rainbow trout.

Curlew Lake has gained a reputation as an excellent perch destination, but it still has some good trout fishing. Dodgers and Wedding Rings have always been a favorite of Curlew trout fishermen, but drop-shotting has become popular, and a still-fished worm will also catch a lot of fish.

Steelhead and salmon

July 1 marks the start of the summer sockeye fishery on the Brewster Pool. A forecast of 350,200 sockeye and a four-fish limit should provide some great angling opportunities.

Recreational anglers will have the opportunity to reel in a salmon off the Washington coast beginning Saturday at Neah Bay, La Push and Westport-Ocean Shores (Marine Areas 4, 3 and 2), and Wednesday at Ilwaco (Marine area 1.) The total catch quota of 53,750 fish for these areas is up from last year’s quota of 41,000. The coho quota of 99,720 hatchery-marked coho for this year’s recreational ocean fishery is up from last year’s quota of 79,800.

The summer chinook salmon seasons for the South Fork Salmon and Upper Salmon rivers will open Thursday. The Lochsa River opened Saturday. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has increased the season limit from 10 adults to 20 adults, based on an increase in the number of adult chinook salmon that have come back to Idaho, relative to preseason forecasts.

Spiny ray

Anglers are catching smallmouth bass along rocky shores on Lake Roosevelt and say the fish are consistently larger than they have caught before. Even anglers casting tube jugs from shore are catching fish 16 to 18 inches.

A friend who fished at Northport this week said water level is up – but not too high – and color is good, His party caught a bit of everything – four sturgeon up to about 40 inches, walleye, trout and whitefish. All were taken on Power Bait and worms.

On the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt, walleye anglers are finding their fish between Porcupine Bay and Buoy 5. Anglers are also catching walleye near China Bend.

Bass anglers on Potholes Reservoir report catching as many as 50 largemouth a day. Most of these anglers start off the morning throwing top water baits, then swimbaits as the day warms up and finally deep diving crankbaits and jigs in the hottest part of the day. Look for shaded cover. Smallmouth bass have moved in along the dam and rock outcroppings around Goose Island.

Hutchinson and Shiner lakes, near Potholes Reservoir, have been the stars of the pan fish show. Anglers are getting daily limits of crappie, bluegill and perch by slowly trolling a size 10 bait holder hook tipped with a 1.5-inch piece of a red wiggler worm under a slip bobber. There have also been reports of perch being caught in Corral Lake. Anglers continue to find good numbers of walleyes up the Crab Creek Channel in 10 to 12 feet of water along weed beds.

Other species

Puget Sound summer crab-fishing seasons will get underway July 3 in many marine areas. “Crabbers will find that the 2025 summer seasons are very similar to those in 2024,” said Don Velasquez, WDFW crustacean biologist. “The areas with closures and limited seasons from last year remain in place for 2025.”

Hunting

Hunters still have a second chance to win an Idaho Super Hunt tag this year. The entry period for the second drawing goes through Aug. 10, where tags for two elk, two deer, two pronghorn, one moose and one Super Hunt Combo will be drawn. Super Hunt winners can participate in any open hunt in the state for deer, elk, pronghorn or moose – including general hunts and controlled hunts – in addition to any general season or controlled hunt tags they also hold. Winners of the second drawing will be notified by Aug. 15. Hunters may enter the drawings online, at license vendors, Fish and Game offices, or by calling 1-800-554-868

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com