Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Dec. 14

Thu., Dec. 14, 2023

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Whitefish will generally eat the same bait, flies and lures as a trout. To fish for them, you might need some thicker waders, but you won’t have to break the bank on custom flies or lures. Whitefish will readily take a single salmon egg, chunk of worm or other bait, such as maggots. They will also take artificial flies. They have small mouths, though, so as a rule of thumb, size down your offerings and fish the bottom.

Overheard

According to Idaho Fish and Game biologists, in most cases where trout and whitefish co-exist, whitefish greatly outnumber trout, but stream surveys indicate they are not out -competing the trout for food. Fish and Game fish managers have learned that trout populations can be affected by flow, habitat conditions or even harvest, but competition with whitefish is not a real concern. In the long term, they found the limiting factor for trout populations in good habitat is often winter survival, not competition from whitefish.

Something to look forward to while you’re shoveling your driveway: A release of 4- to 5- pound triploids will be made at Seaton Grove and above Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport sometime in February.

Heads up

If you are planning to fish in Idaho this winter, remember that a new license is required after the end of December. Washington licenses are good through March.

Fly fishing

Spiking water levels have put several fly-fishing waters out of commission, but Rocky Ford stays pretty consistent and has yielded some decent action. The Spokane River is still an option, but it’s mostly an indicator game with hot bead patterns, stones and worms. Streamer fishing is also on the agenda, Silver Bow Fly Shop said.

Salmon and steelhead

Lake Coeur d’Alene chinook are running small this year with most of the fish under 20 inches. Still, they’re fun to catch, and trollers pulling mini squids and flashers are taking quite a few. Fins and Feathers in Coeur d’Alene said the biggest chinook taken recently was 8 pounds. To book a guided trip, call (208) 667-9304.

Trout and kokanee

Anglers fishing the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt say the water has risen several feet because of the recent rain and snow and the hot bite toward Little Falls Dam went dead last weekend. Water quality in the main lake has not been affected much, however, and there have been some good catches reported from bank fishermen and from boats at several launches. The mouth of the San Poil has been good, and so has the Lincoln area across from Sterling Point. The fish have been close to shore, suspended at 20-25 feet.

Long Lake rainbow trout have provided fair action this week from the pull-outs along the highway near Tum Tum. Orange Power Bait has been popular. Many of the trout are 16 inches long. Anglers using nightcrawlers for bait have also taken a few walleye and perch.

Waitts Lake trollers dragging Wooly Buggers tipped with worm say fishing is just as good as it was this summer. Anglers casting Power Bait from shore at the public launch are also getting enough action to keep them warm. Many of their trout are running 12-15 inches.

Rock Lake fishing for big brown trout gets good around this time of year. Bank fishermen are taking smaller browns and rainbow at the access, but the best fishing for the larger browns is the far end of the lake near the inlet and up against the cliffs. A friend who fishes a Super Duper swears they are the most effective lure on the lake.

Spiny ray

The Hunters area on Lake Roosevelt has been fair for walleye and burbot are being caught on the same jigs and nightcrawlers in deep water.

Hot spots for walleyes in the Tri-Cities area have mostly been close to the boat launches. The Snake River downstream to Badger Island and the stretch from McNary Dam downstream to Boardman have produced some big fish.

In years past, anglers have been ice fishing for perch at Curlew Lake by this time. At this time, you’ll need a boat. The perch are biting in about 25 feet of water out from the launch and around the big island.

Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir are still wide open. Walleye fishing has been best at Potholes, but chances for big perch are enticing anglers to cast their bait from boat and bank around the I-90 Bridge and around Blue Heron State Park on Moses Lake.

Other species

River whitefish have moved into deeper holes for the remainder of the winter, but lake whitefish in Moses Lake, Banks, Scooteney Reservoir, Potholes Reservoir and Roosevelt have moved into shallower water to spawn. Banks Lake whitefish are by the inlet and at the south end of the lake. The best fishing is from a boat, but with a little more work, the fish can be taken by anglers casting from shore.

Razor clam diggers got the go-ahead from WDFW to proceed with razor–clam digs through Sunday. Not all beaches are open for every dig, so make sure your intended destination is open before heading out. Optimal digging occurs between one and two hours before the listed time of low tide. Additional tentative dates in December are:

Dec. 26, 6:18 p.m.: -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 27, 6:57 p.m.: -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 28, 7:35 p.m.: -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 29, 8:11 p.m.: -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Hunting

“Still no big flights of mallards” is what I am hearing from waterfowl hunters in Washington and Idaho, though there is sporadic action, particularly in the Columbia Basin, and I have observed some flocks on the water at Long Lake. On Friday, I will be hunting the Columbia River out of Patterson where I have often done well on a variety of waterfowl including red heads, canvasbacks, wood ducks and a couple of other varieties of divers in addition to mallards. To get away from the crowds, a nephew anchored his boat at a less popular spot last weekend where there were no mallards but lots of widgeon and divers.

Ice is gone from lakes around Coeur d’Alene that had been getting a thin cap earlier in December. There are a lot of widgeon in the Chatcolet and Round Lake areas, however, and now and then an early mallard settles into the decoys. Until just a few days ago there was nearly no snow in southern Alberta, so mallards that would have normally been exiting frozen fields were finding plenty to eat and didn’t need to leave. Geese are another story and there has been some good shooting in Idaho and Washington.

Flocks of Canada geese are spending their nights on Rock Lake and flying out to feed during the day. They are somewhat difficult to pattern, though, as sometimes they want the harvested grain fields and sometimes winter wheat or alfalfa.

Friends hunting private property near St. John in the Palouse survived a sloppy wet weekend while chasing pheasants. They said the only place they found birds was in the tree lines.

I’ve gone another week without shooting a pheasant, but I can’t blame my dog because I muffed two birds over solid points. The highlight of my day was seeing a big flock of gray partridge in the sagebrush near Davenport – the first I’ve seen in a couple of years.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com