Alan Liere’s weekly fish and game report for July 21

Wed., July 20, 2016

By Alan Liere spokesmanliere@yahoo.com

Tip of the week

Don’t neglect to check the water level on your trolling battery or you will be buying a new one prematurely. Manufacturers recommend checking the level after 10 charges.

Braggin’ rights

Two friends who fished Hayden Lake recently for limits of mostly 12-inch kokanee were also rewarded with two very large kokanee. Mike Sweeney caught “the biggest kokanee of my life” – a 19-incher that had already begun to show some red – and Dale Moffat brought in a 17-incher that was also well into its spawning phase.

Overheard

WDFW is proposing to treat Park, Blue, Vic Meyers and Mirror Lakes in Grant County this fall. They are also proposing to treat a 5-mile section of Smalle Creek in Pend Oreille County.
Most anglers agree that the put-and-take lakes south of Spokane are not as productive this year as in years past. Some feel that the huge influx of cormorants and pelicans on these lakes is responsible. They say eastern Washington lakes are unique in that trout can be planted cheaply as fry and allowed to grow in the shallow, rich waters. But if the birds are eating the fry before they mature, it makes no sense.

Heads up

Lake Wenatchee opened for sockeye salmon fishing on July 20 with a limit of six fish per day. The 60,000 sockeye destined for Lake Wenatchee should provide 37,000 for harvest. This fishery may close on short notice, so anglers are advised to check the fishing hotline at (360) 902-2500 or WDFW’s website.
WDFW has scheduled six public workshops scheduled for early August at which the public can comment on the department’s revenue and spending priorities and proposals to expand conservation programs and hunting opportunities through a combination of state funding and license fee increases. The closest meeting to Spokane is Aug. 2 at Center Place, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley from 6-8 p.m.
The Coeur d’Alene Big One Derby begins on July 27 and runs through July 31. Chinook are currently at 50-80 feet. Info: Fins and Feathers (208) 557-9304.

Fly fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shop reports better action on the Spokane River this week, though you’ll still have to work for your fish. It has been a bobber game lately with bead heads and soft hackles being top choices.

Wading is still an effective method on the St. Joe, but flows are good enough for float fishing too.

Kelly Creek and the North Fork Clearwater are fishing very well. Golden stone patterns get a lot of attention. Clark Fork trout are favoring streamers. On the Kootenai River – just a short drive – Chernobyls have been productive during most of the day.

The Yakima River has cleared and leveled off and fishing is said to be outstanding. The big bugs are out, and it would be difficult for the dry fly fishing in the evenings to be any better during the last 45 minutes of light. Plan to stay on the water until dark.

Trout and kokanee

The Whitestone area of Lake Roosevelt to the mouth of the San Poil is producing some big rainbow. Anything that will take a kokanee will also take a rainbow, but the standard Muddler Minnow tipped with a piece of nightcrawler is always reliable. Don’t forget to include a few Apex lures in your tackle box.

Both the shrimp and the large kokanee that feed on them are dispersing on Lake Roosevelt, but it is still possible to take a fish or two trolling flashers and hootchies sweetened with scented corn. As always, the early morning bite has been best, and most of the fish are deeper than 50 feet. It is predicted the state kokanee record will be broken this summer.

A friend who fished Rock Lake this week said the trout are all of 1 1/2 pounds. He caught them by throwing shallow-diving Rapalas in the middle of the lake.

The summer mack bite on Lake Chelan is on and fishing is excellent for 2- to 5-pound fish. The Bar and Manson Bay have produced the majority of fish with a T4 Purple Glow Flatfish the best lure. Troll at 1 to 1.3 mph within 5 feet of the bottom.

Lake Pend Oreille kokanee are numerous and growing fat. Recent reports indicate most of the fish are 10-12 inches. The kokes in Lake Coeur d’Alene are small (7-9 inches) but plentiful. Same story at Dworshak Reservoir.

Salmon and steelhead

Brewster area sockeye are taking advantage of the cooler water and high flows in the Okanogan River and not lingering long in the pool. Fishing has been much slower this year than last. Sockeye fishing has been opened for retention and total salmon limits have been increased on the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers.

The Wells Dam area has also been slow for sockeye. Baker Lake sockeye, too, have become difficult to catch recently.

Chelan Falls has been one of the better spots this week for chinook salmon, but the bite is not as vigorous as a week ago.

Mixed reports come from ocean salmon fishing destinations. Chinook fishermen at Neah Bay are doing well, but Seiku has been pretty dead. Ilwaco anglers are doing well. Ilwaco is the only Washington coast destination to have a coho quota, as depressed numbers elsewhere have not allowed the season to open. Anglers should try to avoid catching coho incidentally when fishing for chinook by fishing deeper, using larger baits and leaving the area if a coho bite begins.

Spiny ray

Friends fished for bass at Fan Lake this week and said they caught several nice largemouth on Texas-rigged Senko knockoffs. They also fished the Pend Oreille River across from Pioneer Park for some big smallmouth.

Walleye fishermen are heading upriver from Porcupine Bay, finding good numbers of fish by throwing jigs into the weed beds or trolling Smile Blades on Slow Death Hooks with a nightcrawler. Many of these fish are small, but there are enough 16- to 22-inchers around to make a couple of good fish fries.

Long Lake remains good for both smallmouth and largemouth bass. Many of the fish are only 1-2 pounds, but largemouth to 5 pounds have been landed by anglers throwing Senkos. Several anglers have reported losing their gear to “something big” – most likely northern pike.

Walleye fishing has temporarily slowed down on Potholes Reservoir, but the Lind Coulee arm can be good in deep water close to shore. Banks Lake ’eyes, like those in Roosevelt, are in and around the weed beds.

Coeur d’Alene pike are hitting spinnerbaits in 8-10 feet of water around the weed beds. Some good smallmouth have been taken on jigs and drop-shots in 15-25 feet of water. A bass tournament on the big lake last weekend was won by a team that weighed in 10 largemouth with a combined weight of over 47 pounds.

Other species

White sturgeon between 38 and 72 inches fork length are open for harvest in Wanapum and Priest Rapids Reservoirs through Sept. 30. These are hatchery origin fish and the current abundance has resulted in the relaxed length requirement. Anglers report moderate success.

Hunting

Idaho waterfowl seasons will be similar to last year, except seasons in northern and eastern Idaho will begin two weeks earlier than last year to allow hunting opportunities prior to wetlands freezing. Overall, hunters will enjoy a 105-day season for ducks and Canada geese with a two-day youth hunt scheduled statewide on Sept. 24 and 25.

The deadline for Idaho’s Super Hunts is Aug. 10, and you can buy as many chances you want. Super Hunt tags are available for deer, elk, moose, pronghorn and one Super Hunt combo, which includes one tag for each of those species. These tags allow the bearer to hunt in any unit open for the species in which the tag is valid. Even if you have already purchased a tag for one of these species, you can still buy a Super Hunt tag here.

Contact Alan Liere via email at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com