Alan Liere’s fishing-hunting report for Oct. 4

Wed., Oct. 3, 2018

By Alan Liere spokesmanliere@yahoo.com

Tip of the week

More upland and waterfowl seasons begin this month in Washington and Idaho. The majority of hunters for these species have at least one dog. The following is a list of supplies to help you create a first-aid kit for your hunting dog. They are suggested by veterinarian Dr. Lynn Tedrow, who practices at the Animal Clinic of Pierre, South Dakota. “The thing you have to remember about hunting dogs is that they’re all heart: When they’re hurting, they hide it,” she said. “You and your vet should also discuss the proper use of any medications, medical instruments and bandaging materials.” Consider these:

Anti-inflammatory medication, such as Rimadyl.
Nail clippers
Blood stop powder
Bandaging supplies including clean socks to absorb blood
Saline rinse
Needle-nose pliers or forceps
Antiseptic rinse, such as diluted Betadine
Cotton swabs
Antibiotic ointment
Karo syrup and treats, for dogs showing symptoms of hypoglycemia
Antihistamine medication, such as Benadryl
Skunk odor–removing spray
Hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting after ingestion of a toxic substance
Thermometer
Contact information for veterinarians in the area where you’ll be hunting.

Braggin’ rights

The best thing I can say about a hunting companion is “He’s a good man to hunt with.” He is safe, ethical, pulls his share of the work without complaint, is easy and fun to converse with and appreciates the fact there is a lot more to hunting than pulling a trigger. I had the extreme pleasure of being with such a man last week – my 15-year-old grandson, Walker Alan Liere, a first-time waterfowl hunter on our goose hunt in Alberta.

Overheard

The WDFW has lifted fire restrictions on most department-managed lands in Eastern Washington. Some localized restrictions will remain in place, including a campfire ban through Oct. 15 at all WDFW wildlife areas in Benton, Franklin, Yakima and Kittitas counties. Similarly, a campfire ban is in place at the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area in Grant and Adams counties through Oct. 31.

Heads-up

Anglers ages 8-14 are invited to participate in the annual Steelhead Clinic held on Oct. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Oct. 27 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Lewiston. Both events will be held at the Idaho Fish and Game regional office on 16th Street. Clinic participants are required to have a valid 2018 Idaho fishing license and be dressed for the weather. They should bring a life jacket and lunch. Idaho Fish and Game will supply all the needed fishing gear/equipment, boats and fishing instruction.

Advance registration is required and space is limited. To learn more or to register for this free clinic, contact the Lewiston Parks & Recreation office, 208-746-2313.

Fly-fishing

Cooler weather is bringing out the larger trout on area rivers. All the fall hatches are going on – October caddis, mahoganies, bwo’s and fall caddis. Terrestrials will still get fish during the warm part of the day, but the window for these is fading.

Fly fishermen are picking up a few steelhead on the Grande Ronde River. If you can’t entice a steelhead, you should be able to catch trout until your arms go numb.

Year-round-open Rocky Ford Creek in Grant County is usually a good bet this month for catch-and-release fly-fishing opportunities.

Salmon and steelhead

Two friends continue to dunk shrimp under a bobber at the Snake/Clearwater confluence. They are averaging about three steelhead a day, with one being a clipped hatchery fish. They noted the chinook appear to have moved on.

Drano Lake remains closed to night fishing for salmon and steelhead and closed to retention of steelhead. The chinook limit is one. The steelhead limit on the lower Hanford Reach has been reduced to one hatchery steelhead marked by both an adipose and right ventral fin clip. Fishing has been fairly good for trollers dragging flashers and Super Baits filled with tuna downstream The one-fish limit is often filled. Fishing will remain open below Priest Rapids Dam through the weekend. After that, Fish and Wildlife will crunch the numbers to determine how much longer it can keep this stretch open without going over escapement needs.

The Yakima River can turn on in a heartbeat when the atmospheric weather changes. Several of the fish caught recently have been 20-30 pounds.

Salmon fishing at Vernita has been best in the morning. The same flasher/Super Bait/tuna combination has been most effective.

Trout and kokanee

Many more Eastern Washington trout lakes closed at the end of September. Notable exceptions are Deer, Loon, Waitts, Bear, Long, Liberty, Clear, Amber, Sprague and Medical. All of these but Medical also have spiny ray species.

It looks like another good fall is shaping up for Lake Roosevelt rainbow anglers. Limits of 13- to 16-inch fish are being taken fairly consistently on orange Kekeda Flies. The Spokane Arm of the reservoir is currently the most popular destination.

Trout fishing has been good at Curlew Lake. Still-fishermen and trollers are finding rainbow in all sizes up to 18 inches, although most are closer to 12. Curlew is open year-round.

Rainbow trout seem to be plentiful at Rufus Woods Reservoir, although they can be fickle biters depending on the amount of water coming over Grand Coulee Dam. There are still some monster trout in Rufus, but a lot of those being caught are 18-20 inches.

Spiny ray

The fall bite is beginning on Potholes Reservoir. Walleye are hitting along the face of the sand dunes and the midreservoir humps north of Goose Island. Some big crappie and bluegill are being taken, as well as both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Moses Lake walleye are beginning to bite again and the perch bite continues to be decent.

Sprague Lake on the Adams-Lincoln county line continues to be productive for largemouth bass. Trollers are taking some big rainbow.

October is a great time to tangle with some big walleye below McNary Dam. Fall fishing for walleye is hot between Umatilla and Boardman, said Paul Hoffarth, Columbia River Fish Biologist out of Pasco. “Those fish are putting on the feedbag for winter and are eager to strike big lures,” he said. Walleye fishing has also been fair to good below John Day Dam, and a lot of smallmouth are also being taken.

Hunting

Judging by the snow, the cold and the millions of migrating geese in the mid-Alberta area, it seems likely the migrations into Washington and Idaho may come early this year. It would be nice to get some good flights before everything freezes up.

Beginning Saturday, the valley quail, chukar and grey partridge season begins in Eastern Washington. Grant County was Washington’s top county for quail harvest in 2017, and quail hunting is expected to be good again this year. Traditional quail hunting areas on WDFW lands in the Columbia Basin district include:

The Desert Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area between Potholes Reservoir and the town of George.
Lower Crab Creek between Corfu and the Columbia River.
Gloyd Seeps Unit between Stratford and Moses Lake.
The Quincy Lakes Unit near the town of Quincy.
The Dry Falls area at the south end of Banks Lake Unit.

Quail harvest in the Chelan and Douglas county district dropped in 2017. Harvest is expected to be similar in 2018, although the district still offers some of the best quail hunting in the state. Opportunities for chukar hunting are numerous within the district because of the large amount of habitat that falls under public ownership, and more chukar are shot in this district than any other in the state.

Hunters took 8,583 quail in Okanogan County in 2017, up from the five-year average, and the 2018 harvest is expected to be similar. Quail are locally abundant and widespread throughout the district’s lower elevation shrub/steppe and open pine forest habitats. Chukar and gray partridge rose substantially from 2017, suggesting another good year is in the offing.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com