Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Dec. 28
Fly fishing
The North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River is seeing a few fly fishermen this week and reports were decent for late December. Dredging with double nymph rigs or streamers on sink-tips will find a few fish. Hot bead nymphs, stones and worms are all good choices. Buggers, sculpins and leeches are good choices for streamer fishing.
Some decent steelhead reports come from the Clearwater River. Indicator tactics have been the only effective method for fly fishermen. The Snake and Grande Ronde rivers are also an option. Silver Bow Fly Shop said the Grande Ronde will be a nymph game and the Snake River will be the better option for swinging.
Trout and kokanee
Hoochie-type lures in pink and chartreuse are trolling well on Lake Roosevelt anywhere between 5 and 30 feet below the surface. Most of the fish caught in the Seven Bays area are larger than those taken closer to Fort Spokane where shore fishermen say their action comes in bunches with a lot of dead time in between.
Rock Lake rainbow and a few browns are being caught by anglers trolling Rapalas, Old Goat Lures or Apexes along the cliffs. The fish are close to the surface.
Ice fishing
At 21 acres, Coffin Lake in Stevens County is a good multispecies lake for ice fishing. There are 8 inches of good ice on Coffin Lake. A friend who fished there recently said the trail to the lake from the parking area is not long, but it is moderately steep and slick. He caught one 9-inch crappie and several small brookies.
Eloika Lake is skimmed over, but the ice is not safe for ice fishing. Sacheen has 3 inches of ice at the launch, but probably won’t have good ice for fishing until mid-January.
Thomas Lake, 17 miles northeast of Colville in the Little Pend Oreille chain, has enough ice for fishing and is producing multiple species including some decent-sized bass. There is ample public access from the U.S. Forest Service Campground on the northeast side of the lake.
In Idaho, Gamlin is almost ice-capped. Shepard is frozen completely with about an inch of ice. Granite, Kelso and Upper Twin are ice-capped but not ready for foot traffic.
Spiny ray
The perch bite has slowed by the I-90 Bridge in Moses Lake, but it is still possible to take some good-sized (up to 12 inch) fish both from boat and bank. Walleye fishing on Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir has been fair.
Other species
A razor clam dig is scheduled for some Washington beaches during afternoon and evening low tides (noon to midnight only) Thursday and Friday. Not all beaches are open for every dig, so diggers are encouraged to make sure their intended destination is open before heading out. Additional dates are tentative scheduled for Jan. 9-15.
There is no shortage of whitefish in Banks Lake, and shore fishermen are taking advantage of them while fishing from the dike at the top end of the lake. Put a weight on the bottom of your line with a couple of small hooks above baited with shrimp or maggots and cast out. These fish commonly weigh 3 pounds.
Burbot generally are found in deep water, but in the winter they move into water 40 feet deep or less. Anglers are catching them fairly regularly in Lake Roosevelt, but Banks Lake has a good population that goes largely untouched. The best spot for these is in the north end. Green or white soft plastic lures on a weighted jig head has proven to be a favorite with anglers, and they are even more effective when sweetened with a nightcrawler or piece of fish.
Hunting
It has been another frustrating year for duck hunters.
As far as anyone can tell, Pacific Flyway ducks are either late or have taking a detour out of Canada. There are ducks on the Columbia River, but nothing compared to years past at this time. Goose hunting, on the other hand, has been good.
The cold weather has made coyotes more active and they are quite conspicuous in pheasant and quail habitat, particularly in the morning.
Fur prices are low this year, however, and there has not been much effort from hunters.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com