Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Oct. 12

Thu., Oct. 12, 2023

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Hunters will take to the woods Saturday when the deer season opens. Most will carry some type of survival gear like a flashlight, matches and a light tarp in the event they have to spend a night away from their vehicle. What some will neglect, however, is preparing their vehicle (car or ATV) for minor breakdowns, such as flat tires or dead batteries – not as traumatic as being lost, but a major inconvenience, to be sure. In any event, keeping a change of clothes in the vehicle for the drive back to home or to camp would be welcome after a wet day afield.

Heads up

It’s easy to forget in all the excitement that a hunter’s first priority after shooting an animal is tagging it properly. Improperly notched tags are one of the most common violations conservation officers see in the field. After you harvest your animal, validate your tag by completely removing the correct day and month and attaching it to the carcass.

Overheard

Idaho Fish and Game is seeking public input on a proposed rule change that would allow projectiles made of metal or metal alloy, and with accuracy tips and pressure bases, to be used in hunting seasons designated as “muzzleloader only.” This rulemaking was initiated in response to hunter requests to address the decreasing availability of lead-only projectiles for muzzleloaders and the increased availability of other metal projectiles. Written comments on the proposed rule will be accepted through Oct. 25, 2023, at rules@idfg.idaho.gov.

Fly fishing

Fall is in full swing on area rivers. October caddis, mahogany duns, blue-winged olives and midges are on the menu. Focus your efforts on slower, calmer water. On the Spokane River, Silver Bow guides are throwing nymphs, caddis pupa, perdigons and Chernobyls with a dropper. Blue-winged olives are out, and don’t be afraid to toss a streamer. Fishing has been good.

Trout and kokanee

As the water temperatures cool on area lakes, the trout get active and hungry. There are fish still being stocked in area lakes through October – 5,000 trout in Adams County’s Cow Lake and 5,000 in Chelan County’s Antilon Lake.

About 25,000 catchable-size rainbow are also being planted in several Grant County Lakes, including Canal, Corral, Deep, Heart, Lenice, Nunnally, Martha and Upper Caliche.

Salmon and steelhead

Friends fishing the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater this week say the appearance of chinook has waned, but more steelhead appear each day. About 1,150 were counted at Lower Granite on Monday. The Clearwater, Snake and Grande Ronde rivers are all giving up steelhead.

The Clearwater River, particularly, has been fishing well with some large B-runs in the mix, and trollers at the Snake/Clearwater confluence are finding a relatively consistent bite.

The return of coho from the Nez Perce Tribe’s hatchery program to reintroduce coho in the Snake River basin is large enough to provide harvest opportunities in the Snake. Coho retention will be allowed through Oct. 31 from the downstream edge of the large power lines crossing the Snake River approximately 3 miles downstream of Clarkston upstream to the Idaho border at Clarkston. The salmon daily limit is any three adult chinook and any two adult coho. Coho retention will also be allowed from the Idaho Border at Clarkston upstream to the Oregon state line Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. The daily limit will be any three adult chinook and any two adult coho totaling five adults combined. There will be no limit for any jack chinook or jack coho.

Spiny ray

Walleye fishing has been hot and cold on Lake Roosevelt. Great fishing one day will often be followed by poor fishing the next in the same area. The walleyes have been feeding on perch and crawdads. Porcupine Bay has been good at times.

Bass fishing has been poor at Diamond Lake this fall because the water level is down about 3 feet and much of the shoreline structure is high and dry. Perch fishing is much better.

Other species

The northern pikeminnow sports-reward fishery is over for the year. A total of 156,505 fish were turned in for the bounty.

Lake Roosevelt anglers report catching more burbot each week while fishing for walleye in and near Porcupine Bay.

At MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir, Pete Fisher said channel catfish are being caught on the face of the sand dunes and around Goose Island. He said most fish are in the 8- to 12-pound range with several 20– to 30-pound fish coming in.

Hunting

Idaho waterfowl season (except for scaup) begins Oct. 19 in Area One. The seasons in Areas t 2 and 3 are in progress. Idaho hunters are reminded that season dates for Canada geese in Area 3 include a split season. The season will be closed for a 12-day period from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3, opening again on Nov. 4.

The duck and goose season in Washington begins Saturday except for scaup, which open Nov. 4. There will be a two-day closure on Oct. 23 and 24 before the season resumes, running until Jan. 28.

The Idaho pheasant season for nonresidents opens Oct. 19 in North Idaho and Oct. 26 in southern and eastern Idaho. See area maps for opening dates on page 11 of the Idaho Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer seasons and rules.

Idaho Fish and Game will stock nearly 30,000 pheasants this year at locations in every region of the state. Hunters can see a full list of where and when pheasants will be released statewide on the Pheasant Stocking Program webpage.

Elk hunting is probably the best big game news in Idaho, with herds and harvests remaining steady over the past decade. Hunters have taken more than 20,000 animals for nine years in a row, and in 2022, hunters took home 20,952 elk, roughly a 3% increase from 2021.

In Washington, the general elk season begins Oct. 28 in most units.

The deer season in Eastern Washington begins Saturday, the pheasant season Oct. 21. Quail and chukar hunters have been finding more birds than usual. The breaks of the Snake River have been good for both.

Turkey hunters in Washington and Idaho have until Dec. 31 to get a bird. Family groups have come together in huge flocks and are conspicuous while feeding in harvested grain fields and on the perimeter of woodlands. They aren’t going to react much to the traditional turkey calls, so most hunters either spot and stalk them or bust up flocks, then hide and hope they reassemble in the same general area. A few hen clucks and purrs may be helpful at this time.

Central district elk hunting in Washington is mostly on private lands in game management units 124, 127 and 130, with harvest numbers increasing in GMUs 139 and 142. Hunters on private lands in GMU 130 have the highest success, probably due to its proximity to the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Elk hunting is only allowed on Turnbull for those who have drawn special permits. The best elk hunting in northeast Washington is in the Pend Oreille subherd area, which includes GMUs 113, 117 and 111.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com