Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Oct. 5

Fly fishing

Fall mode is in full swing on the St. Joe River, according to Silver Bow Fly Shop. That means October caddis, mahogany duns, blue-winged olives, midges, and fall caddis. Focus on slower, calmer water. The whole river should be fishing well for a few more weeks.

Many of the same bugs are out on the Spokane River. Fall fishing has been good. Treat yourself to a guided trip with Silver Bow Fly Shop (509-924-9998).

Rivers like the North Fork Clearwater River and Kelly Creek are fishing well with the same patterns and techniques as those used on the St. Joe. The Kootenai River and the Clark Fork will also be good.

Trout and kokanee

Some Spokane County trout lakes closed Saturday, but there are lots of other area options. Clear Lake offers rainbows, brown trout and bass, and Amber Lake remains open through November and has rainbow and cutthroat trout. Medical Lake, with rainbow and brown trout, is also open through November.

North of Spokane, many lakes remain open until Oct. 31, and fall produces some excellent fishing for trout and panfish. Cedar Lake and Rocky Lake in Stevens County are good bets for rainbow trout, and Renner Lake in Ferry County offers browns and brookies.

Salmon and steelhead

Chinook and sockeye fishing remain open this month in the upper Columbia River from Priest Rapids to Chief Joseph dams. The Okanogan, Silkameen and Wenatchee rivers are also open. The Upper Columbia is scheduled to remain open through Oct. 15.

Fall chinook fishing in the Hanford Reach should remain decent through the middle of this month, and a substantial proportion are expected to be larger 4-year-old fish. The lower section of the Hanford Reach (I-182 Bridge upstream to the old Hanford townsite powerline) is scheduled to remain open through Dec. 31 to allow anglers to target the late returning coho to Ringold Springs Hatchery.

Fall chinook fishing is open on the Snake River Thursday to Sunday weekly through Oct. 29 from the red river marker (Marker 28) on the south shore upstream to the Highway 261 Bridge.

The Snake River is open daily through Oct. 31 from the downstream edge of the large power lines crossing the Snake River upstream to the Oregon state line. The daily limit is three adult chinook (clipped or unclipped), and no daily limit for jack chinook. All other salmon must be released. Steelhead returns destined for the Snake River are strong enough to allow the fishery to proceed.

The Lower Yakima River is open to fall chinook and coho salmon fishing through Oct. 31 from the Hwy. 240 Bridge in Richland to the Grant Avenue Bridge in Prosser. The fish are expected to return in sufficient numbers to provide decent sport fishing opportunities.

Tule and bright stock chinook destined for areas upstream of Bonneville Dam have returned in higher abundance than previously forecast, which will provide additional mainstem angling opportunity. October can be productive trolling for chinook and coho using orbital flashers with various lures such as spinner, Super Bait and Spin Fish. Bank angling can also be good.

The Icicle River is open for coho salmon retention through Nov. 30. To date, few fish have been observed.

Spiny ray

The extended warm water temperatures should create decent fishing for bluegill, crappie and yellow perch this month. Near Yakima, there are panfish opportunities in Scooteney Reservoir and the I-82 Ponds, and year-round lakes like Silver and Newman in Spokane County will have good bass and panfish fishing. Long Lake can be great for perch, trout and walleye. Farther north, year-round lakes such as Curlew, the Little Pend Oreille Chain and Diamond provide good opportunities for bass, perch and trout. Corral Lake, located immediately south of Potholes Reservoir, is a year-round fishery that provides excellent opportunities for rainbow trout, largemouth bass and crappie. Warden Lake has excellent fishing for smallmouth bass, perch and rainbow trout. Banks Lake provides good fishing this month for bass, walleye and lake whitefish. Several hike-in lakes just west of Potholes Reservoir are a decent choice for anglers in search of largemouth bass that don’t get a lot of pressure. South of Potholes are some good warm water options like Soda, Long, Upper and Lower Goose, Hutchinson and Shiner lakes. Roses Lake in Chelan County and Leader, Patterson and Palmer lakes in Okanogan County should all be decent for perch, black crappie, bluegill and bass.

Other species

There are some catch-and-release sturgeon fishing opportunities this fall on the Columbia River from Priest Rapids Dam to Chief Joseph Dam. Start fishing in the deep holes below the dams. McNary Reservoir, except for the Hanford Reach upper section, is open year-round for sturgeon but limited to catch-and-release. The fishery extends from McNary Dam upstream to Priest Rapids Dam on the Columbia River and upstream to Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River.

Hunting

In Washington, the general season for modern firearm hunting for white-tailed and mule deer begins Oct. 14. The northeastern region’s best white-tailed deer hunting is in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties. Mule deer are usually harvested in Game Management Units 101 and 121. In Spokane, Lincoln and Whitman counties, there are almost equal hunting opportunities for white-tailed and mule deer. The best white-tail hunting is usually in GMUs 124 and 127. The best mule deer hunting is in GMUs 136, 139 and 142. Asotin, Garfield, Columbia and Walla Walla counties are best known for mule deer. GMUs with the highest success rate – 145, 149, 178 and 181 – also have the most private land so access can be limited. GMUs 166 and 175 have the most public land but also the lowest success rates, in part due to high hunter numbers.

Idaho hunters can expect deer and elk hunting to be similar to last year except in eastern Idaho, where the brutal winter hit mule deer hard. Elk herds remain stable to increasing in most of the state; white-tailed deer in the Clearwater area could see a modest bump.

Idaho’s pheasant season opens Oct. 14 in North Idaho and Oct. 21 in southern and eastern Idaho. Opening dates are on page 11 of the Idaho Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer Seasons and Rules. In Washington, bird hunting begins Sunday for chukar and gray partridge. These birds are mostly found along the Snake River and throughout the grasslands of Asotin County. The general season for pheasant hunting starts Oct. 22 in Eastern Washington, with most of the action in Whitman County and south of the Snake River. 

In addition to wild birds, pheasant hunting opportunities are enhanced with releases of farm-raised roosters at sites across the region. Details can be found at on the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program web page.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com