Alan Liere’s hunt-fish report for July 13
Tip of the week
Split shot is not a good option to weigh down your fly patterns for three reasons: 1. It hurts when it hits the back of your head. 2. It can take off the tip off a fly rod if the two meet in an errant cast. 3. It hangs up on rocks and other subsurface structure resulting in lost gear.
Braggin’ rights
During May and June 2023, five different anglers caught and turned in a reward-tagged walleye from Lake Pend Oreille, earning them each a payout of $1,000.
Overheard
This summer, hoot owl restrictions on many Montana rivers will continue to be implemented as they were in past years.
Hoot owl restrictions prohibit fishing between 2 p.m. and midnight on drought-impacted streams until conditions improve.
Heads up
This year’s bass week is July 23-29, during which the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will highlight some of the best bass waters in Washington and provide fishing tips and advice.
Tune in to the agency’s Facebook page for a special Bass Week live event at 12 p.m. on July 26.
Warmwater fish biologist and avid bass angler Danny Garrett will share some of his favorite bass gear, talk about hot spots to fish from boat and shore and answer your questions.
Fly fishing
Terrestrials will be important from here on out on most rivers said the guides at Silver Bow Fly Shop. Small chubbies or hoppers with a dropper will find fish. Most rivers will fish well until the tubers come out at mid-day.
The North Fork Clearwater and Kelly Creek are fishing well. Summer hatches include pmds, caddis, yellow sallies, goldens and terrestrials.
The Clark Fork River is in good shape and fishing well morning and evening. And the Kootenai River is a good option too.
Typically, the upper Icicle and many other small rivers in the Okanogan area are not fishable until late July or early August, but this year they can already be waded.
Some of these small waters include the Icicle, Entiat, Kettle, Methow, Yakima and San Poil. Most of these produce small trout, but there are bigger fish in the Kettle, Yakima and Methow. Be sure to take some size-12 Parachute Adams, Parachute Caddis and Stimulators.
Lakes for rainbow trout in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge are the Pillar-Widgeon Chain (Pillar, Snipe, Cattail, Shoveler, Hourglass, Sago, and Widgeon).
These walk-in lakes are consistent producers of quality trout. They are popular destinations for fly anglers looking for a quiet day in a beautiful setting.
Trout and kokanee
Most high-elevation or alpine-trout lakes are accessible this month for hikers packing their fishing rods. However, some may take a while longer to access due to the longer than expected colder weather this past spring.
Almost 200 small lakes, ranging from about 3,000 to 8,000 feet in elevation, lie on public land within Chelan and Okanogan counties, including the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, North Cascades National Park, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and Colockum Wildlife Area.
Beaver ponds located within or connected to streams listed as open to trout and other game fish follow the same rules as the stream. Many Okanogan County rivers should be fishable, but anglers should check for special regulations.
Omak Lake, on the Colville Indian Reservation, requires tribal licenses and permits to fish. However, this lake receives very little pressure and is producing incredible numbers of big Lahontan cutthroat.
Three anglers who were night-fishing for kokanee on Loon Lake reported a non-existent bite until 11:00 p.m. when the first fish came aboard.
From that time on, still-fishing was “lights out” until the boat limited with 16-inch fish. In another bay the same night, five boatloads of kokanee fishermen went without a bite.
Salmon and steelhead
Brewster Pool anglers are hauling in the salmon. The sockeye limit is now four, and an additional two chinook may also be retained. The chinook are not as easily caught as the sockeye, but there appears to be quite a few in the pool.
The sockeye limit has been raised to four through Saturday in the Hanford Reach area of the Columbia River; the chinook limit remains at two. Only bank fishing will be allowed, and only on the west side of the river.
The Columbia River from Interstate-182 Bridge at Richland upstream to 650 feet below Priest Rapids Dam will be open through Aug. 15.
Due to the unprecedented number of early returning sockeye to Baker Lake, it opened a week earlier than the original scheduled date of July 15. Anglers will now be able to fish for sockeye salmon in Baker Lake through Aug. 31.
Initial reports indicate a lot of fish are being caught. The daily limit is three adult sockeye salmon that exceed 18 inches.
Marine Area 3 (La Push) will be open for salmon now through July 31. The daily limit is two with a minimum size of 24 inches for chinook and 16 inches for coho. Regulations west of Bonilla-Tatoosh line at Neah Bay are the same.
Spiny ray
Billy Clapp Lake, about 20 miles east of Soap Lake, has a dam at the very top end that manages the flow into the reservoir.
There are a heavy current and a snaggy bottom there which make it difficult to fish for walleye, but that is where you’ll find them. Many are small, but anglers can usually find enough “eaters” for a few good meals.
Moses Lake is a good place to toss crankbaits, tube jigs and plastic worms for bass.
It also has a decent crappie population, as does Potholes Reservoir. Several hike-in lakes just west of Potholes Reservoir can be good for anglers in search of largemouth bass. These include Desert Lake and the Frenchman’s and Winchester Wasteways.
Rufus Woods walleye anglers are doing well trolling downstream below the upper net pens and on the Nespelem Bar.
Roses Lake, near Manson, Washington, is one of the best small multispecies lakes in that region. It has recently seen good catches of rainbow trout, bluegill, perch, crappie and big catfish.
Walleye fishing has been picking up in Lake Pend Oreille, and it should continue to provide good opportunity.
More walleye heads were turned in during June than in any other month since the Lake Pend Oreille walleye angler incentive program started in March 2019. Since the incentive program started in 2019, over 50% of the reward-tagged walleye have been caught in the northern end of Lake Pend Oreille.
Other species
Named for their serpentine appearance, northern snakeheads are an invasive species of fish in the United States, native to parts of Asia and Africa.
Also known as Frankenfish, they are voracious predators that disrupt American ecosystems.
They can breathe air and lay up to 50,000 eggs at a time four times a year and have spread to 17 states, Missouri being the furthest west so far.
Although they have not appeared in the northwest, the northern snakehead are prospering in the east where they have severely impacted populations of traditional fish like perch and crappie.
Coincidentally, a shirttail relative in Maryland says they are delicious to eat and have become a popular fish for anglers in that state. However, the U.S. government encourages killing them on sight. Throwing them onto land won’t kill them as they breathe air and can crawl back to the water.
Hunting
If you are hoping to hunt private lands this fall, now is the time to do your research, knock on doors to meet landowners to ask permission and scout potential hunting areas.
If you would like to hunt private lands but don’t have connections to landowners, WDFW’s Hunting access on private lands program can help connect you with property owners who welcome hunters to their lands.
Idaho Fish and Game is asking hunters to review and comment on proposed sage-grouse hunting seasons and tag proposals for 2023-24. The deadline to comment is Wednesday.
To see a map of area proposals, comment, get more information and see the 2023-24 seasons and tag proposals, go to idfg.idaho.gov/form/sage-grouse-seasons.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com.
Tip of the week
Split shot is not a good option to weigh down your fly patterns for three reasons: 1. It hurts when it hits the back of your head. 2. It can take off the tip off a fly rod if the two meet in an errant cast. 3. It hangs up on rocks and other subsurface structure resulting in lost gear.
Braggin’ rights
During May and June 2023, five different anglers caught and turned in a reward-tagged walleye from Lake Pend Oreille, earning them each a payout of $1,000.
Overheard
This summer, hoot owl restrictions on many Montana rivers will continue to be implemented as they were in past years. Hoot owl restrictions prohibit fishing between 2 p.m. and midnight on drought-impacted streams until conditions improve.
Heads up
This year’s bass week is July 23-29, during which the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will highlight some of the best bass waters in Washington and provide fishing tips and advice. Tune in to the agency’s Facebook page for a special Bass Week live event at 12 p.m. on July 26. Warmwater fish biologist and avid bass angler Danny Garrett will share some of his favorite bass gear, talk about hot spots to fish from boat and shore and answer your questions.