Hunting and Fishing

Fri., April 22, 2005

Alan Liere Correspondent

Tip of the week

» I always have at least three different types of calls in my turkey vest. If one isn't getting a response, the others may. Don't worry too much, either, about "making a mistake" when calling. Hen turkey calls range from raspy to shrill to broken. Some sound like three-pack-a-day smokers, and others are pure and seductive.

Overheard

» Judging by the number of walleye smolt that show up at the juvenile fish facilities at various Snake River dams, there should be enough fish in the system for decent angling. A few have been caught recently near the mouth of the Palouse and at Texas Rapids.

Braggin' rights

» Fisheries biologists working for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game have received an award for Outstanding Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration. Biologists in the department's sterile hatchery fish research program received the award for their work on producing sterile triploid trout. The department uses these triploids to stock waterways where stocked fish might come into contact with native fish.

Heads up

“Washington turkey hunters must file a harvest report within 10 days of taking a turkey. Reports can be filed by telephone (toll-free at 1-877-945-3495) or on the Internet at www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.

“As Washington anglers and hunters renew their annual recreational licenses, they are reminded to add a donation for youth. "When hunters and anglers buy their licenses, cashiers are supposed to ask them if they would like to donate," said Ray Wilson, coordinator for the Go Play Outside program. Unfortunately, many cashiers skip this question. GPO volunteers hope that customers will ask to make a donation themselves. License buyers' donations are passed on to the Washington Wildlife Coalition, a consortium of outdoor recreation groups that sponsor youth-focused outdoor recreation events throughout the state. Contributions may also be made directly to the youth outdoor recreation program through the WDFW web site at www.wdfw.wa.gov/gpo/index.htm.

“Idaho Fish and Game offices have taken a flurry of calls recently with callers describing a variety of offers involving particularly desirable deer tags. The one thing almost all callers mentioned was a requirement that they give their Social Security numbers. This is a scam, obviously aimed at identity theft.

“Hunters planning to apply for Idaho controlled hunt drawings for moose, bighorn sheep or mountain goats have until April 30 to file. Tag and permit fees must be paid up front when applying for trophy species hunts, making the cost $165 for residents and $1,515 for nonresidents. Hunters may apply at Fish and Game offices or license vendors or can use a credit card by telephone or over the Internet. Telephone applications may be made at 1-800-554-8685; Internet users can apply at fishandgame.idaho.gov

Salmon and steelhead

With Columbia River spring chinook salmon counts continuing to lag far behind projections, Washington and Oregon fish managers closed salmon fishing in the mainstem river below McNary Dam at midnight on Wednesday. The action also closes all fishing for steelhead and shad in the mainstem river. Fishing will remain open under state rules for hatchery spring chinook and other species in Columbia River tributaries, including the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind and Klickitat rivers, as well as Drano Lake. Because few Chinook have made it into Idaho, anglers are not expected to have any effect on the run in the next couple of weeks. Saturday’s opener will be slow.

Anglers are catching some spring chinook and late-winter run steelhead on the Cowlitz River and some spring chinook on the Kalama River. On the Lewis River, some spring chinook and summer run steelhead are showing.

Steelhead fishing ends April 30 on the Bogachiel, Calawah, Dickey and several other north coast rivers, but will remain open May 1-30 for marked hatchery fish only on the Quillayute and Sol Duc rivers.

Trout and kokanee

White’s Fly Shop’s Barry Pipella fished Amber and Coffeepot at midweek. He said chronomids fished deep were the most effective on both lakes, though Coffeepot was cloudy and slow.

Woodbury Resort in British Columbia reports fishing on Kootenay Lake is picking up. Gray or purple bucktails on the surface are working again for big Gerrard rainbow. Bull trout in the 5- to 8-pound range are common.

Koocanusa Resort Marina’s Randi Burch reports that 6- to 10-inch kokanee are schooling now, and that the feedbags will be on by the May 14 start of the two-day Koocanusa Trout and Salmon Derby. Deadline for entry is May 12. Info and applications are available at koocanusaresort.com, or call (406) 293-7474.

Coeur d’Alene Lake chinook fishing remains good, with a lot of fish showing at only 15 feet. This would indicate kokanee are schooling just above them, said Doug Holcomb at Northside Fishing. A few kokes have been caught near Spokane and East Points.

Rufus Woods triploids have not been cooperative lately, and on Lake Roosevelt, bait fishermen are doing better than trollers. Big rainbow are being found far back in the bays, especially those with springs running in. Roosevelt rainbows are in full spawn, and there are lots of dark fish.

Columbia County’s Curl Lake may not open for fishing April 30 because of repair work underway on its dam. Curl is one of eight man-made, stocked impoundments on the Tucannon River in southeast Washington.

Spiny ray

Boat anglers on the Bonneville Pool have averaged more than 10 smallmouth bass per rod. On The Dalles Pool, some bass are also showing, and boat anglers averaged nearly a walleye kept per rod. Numbers on the John Day Pool were similar.

Smallmouth fishing has really heated up on the Snake River, reported Tim Johnson of Fishhawk Guide Service in Clarkston. A recent trip to Dug Bar yielded nearly 75 smallies for three anglers in three hours. A Snake River bass tournament last week had a winning weight of just less than 20 pounds for five fish. Both crankbaits and jigs have been effective.

Crappie are becoming active at the mouth of the Palouse. Long Lake’s Felton Slough and the shoreline across from Forshee’s are also giving up crappie, as are Newman and Eloika in Washington and Hauser and the chain lakes in Idaho.

Coeur d’Alene pike are biting bait, but it’s not real fast as the water is still a cold 42 degrees. Pike generally will not take lures until they’re through spawning in the middle of May.

“Now is the time to fish the lower Yakima River for smallmouth bass as they make their upstream migration to spawn,” said WDFW biologist Jim Cummins of Yakima. Special slot limit regulations on the Yakima provide liberal harvest opportunity for bass 12 inches or less in length.

Other species

Catfish and sturgeon, though still slowed somewhat by the cold water, are becoming more active in the area around Starbuck, Wash. For info, call Darver Tackle at 866-578-3808.

The pikeminnow bounty season begins May 2 from John Day Dam downriver and on May 16 in the rest of the system.

Halibut fishing is under way from the Port Angeles area to southern Puget Sound (except Hood Canal), and opens on the coast in early May. The lingcod season is up and running on the coast and opens May 1 in many Puget Sound areas.

A three-day razor clam dig recently received final approval for a Saturday through Monday opening at Long Beach, Mocrocks, Copalis, Twin Harbors and Kalaloch.

Hunting

Turkey hunters in Idaho and Washington are taking lots of bird. All the toms I have seen since opening day have been with multiple hens, but the 50- to 100-bird flocks seem to have broken up. I haven’t put a tag on a tom yet.

The expansion of wild turkeys across the west has been remarkable. In Idaho in 1983, turkey hunting opportunity in the Clearwater consisted of a nine-day general spring season that was open in four management units. Only two birds were harvested in the entire region. The statewide turkey harvest in 1983 was a meager 14 toms.

Because of aggressive IDFG transplants beginning in the early 1980s, turkey opportunities in Idaho have exploded. In 2003, Clearwater Region hunters harvested 2,528 toms out of the 6,491 statewide. The 2003 season had increased to a 41-day general spring hunt in 13 management units, followed by 36 days of general fall hunting in some units. In Washington, the number of turkey hunters increased from 689 in 1984 to more than 15,000 in 2004.