Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Aug. 15

Thu., Aug. 15, 2024

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Throwing weedless topwater frogs for bass is extremely effective in the summer. On lakes laden with vegetation, like Eloika, largemouth seek shelter in the thickest mats of weeds they can find. Casting a frog over the top of these mats draw the bass’s attention upward. To make the lure easier for the fish to find, add rattles by inserting BBs into the hook hole in the belly. Be aware, however, that too many BBs can get in the way of good hookups. Don’t overdo it.

Heads up: The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced this week that it is seeking members for a for a working group to assess perspectives on “fair” technology in big game hunting.

The agency said in news release that it has traditionally managed game species with a focus on providing greater hunter opportunity. Some members of Idaho’s outdoor sporting community have begun to express concerns related to the advancement of hunting technology and the potential erosion of fair chase ethic. However, Fish and Game also said that others do not share those concerns.

For more information, visit the HAT Working Group webpage at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hat-working-group.

Overheard: This year’s steelhead counts over Bonneville Dam are the highest in years. A-run counts are nearly double compared to last year, and the B-run forecast is anticipated at 32,200. Last year’s fall chinook run exceeded expectations, and this year’s forecast is set to be even better. The Snake River basin is expected to see counts in the tens of thousands.

Fly fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shop guide, Randy Dingman, reported good trout fishing on the Spokane River last weekend. He said streamer fishing was the ticket. Other reports from the Spokane indicated good hopper/dropper action too. The river stays cold downstream of Sullivan Bridge, and this is a great time to hit that stretch on foot. There are lots of dry rocks to hop around on and get to fishy spots that normally require very tricky wading.

Hopper/dropper rigs are working well on the North Fork Coeur d’Alene. Bee patterns have been good, as have caddis, beetles, ants, and attractors. Small flashy tungsten droppers always work best during the summer. The key right now is finding areas with some depth.

The North Fork Clearwater and Kelly Creek have produced good water volume and lots of fish. Hopper/droppers, ants, beetles, small chubbies and streamers have been productive.

Trout and kokanee

My friend John Kallas trolled for kokanee on Coeur d’Alene Lake recently and said catching a 15-fish limit was “like taking candy from a baby.” He said the largest was about 10 ½ inches, but most were 8-9-inches.

Salmon and steelhead

The Snake River fall chinook season opens Sunday and runs through Oct. 14. There will be a three-adult limit (clipped or unclipped.)

The catch and keep steelhead season begins Sept. 1 on the lower Clearwater and Snake rivers. The main Clearwater opens for steelhead harvest Sept. 10 through Oct. 14. It will reopen for harvest Nov. 10.

A friend who fished Brewster last Wednesday said it took all day for three limits of sockeye. He said it was generally slow for everyone with active fish “here and there.” The quality was good except for a few wounds, but the fish were a bit darker than the week before.

The confluence of the Snake and Clearwater has been decent for steelhead anglers. Purple or pink-dyed shrimp fished under a bobber has taken numerous fish. Drano Lake steelhead are also hitting on the dyed shrimp and bobber setup. Mornings are best.

Spiny ray

While the kokanee fishing on Loon Lake is kaput for this season, spiny ray can fill in. Anglers jigging some of the usual kokanee spots at night are catching crappie suspended at about 20 feet, and the perch fishing is often very good too. A green-glowing light hung overboard at about 20 feet seems too make a difference. Hang any light overboard at night, and you will soon be surrounded by bluegill. Some of these are palm-sized.

Deer Lake bass fishermen are finding both largemouth and smallmouth close to weeds and docks. Perch fishing has also been good.

Liberty Lake perch fishermen are catching some big perch near the public access, but the best bite has been late – from 7:30 p.m. on. A similar report comes from Diamond Lake, but across the lake from the public access.

The largemouth bass fishing has been excellent this week on Potholes Reservoir. Fish frogs early and late back in the sand dunes and always have an assortment of swim jigs, jerkbaits, chatter baits, Senkos, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged plastics ready to change things up. Fish are in 1 to 12 feet of water. Lots of 1- to 3-pound fish are being caught with a few in the 4 to 5 pound range. Walleye fishing has improved this past week as they move from the weeds to the main channels and to the face of the sand dunes. Cast into the weeds or troll the channels with a slow death rig and nightcrawler or cast paddle tail swim baits, fluke baits and hard jerk baits. Fish in 6 to 15 feet of water.

A friend who fishes often on Long Lake showed up at my house with “a few little fish for you.” The sack he gave me contained two fat 15-inch crappie, six 10-inch perch and a 21-inch walleye. He said he also caught six walleye of around 20 inches and lost two larger ones.

Lake Roosevelt walleye are in the weeds in 15 to 25 feet of water. Fishing has also been good on the flats and in the mud lines. Most fish are close to 16 inches long.

Other species

It doesn’t seem to matter what body of water they come from, the homely, oft-maligned bullhead is a good-eating fish. They are found in abundance at night as they move into the shallows to feed in many area lakes. Sitting in a boat or on a dock, or even casting nightcrawlers from shore is a great way to spend a hot summer night fishing for them. If you can do this somewhere where a light shines on the water, so much the better, as baitfish seek out the attracted insects.

The best-sized bullheads are in Long Lake – up to 14 inches – but there are also some good ones in Liberty and Deer lakes.

Farther from Spokane, Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir and Fernan Lake are good.

Loon Lake has a lot of bullheads, but they tend to be small.

By the end of week 32 of the northern pikeminnow sports-reward fishery on Aug. 11, 9,445 angler days have resulted in 116,919 northern pikeminnow turned in for cash.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com