Alan Liere’s hunting and fishing report for Oct. 31, 2024

Thu., Oct. 31, 2024

By Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review

Tip of the week

Brandts Landing on Lake Roosevelt is a great place to fish from shore in the winter. A lot of big trout are caught there – triploids released by the Colville Tribe. The landing has fire pits, tables and vault toilets. Take some firewood, a chair and some snacks and enjoy the day. Don’t forget the Power Bait.

Heads up: A new American Disability Act-accessible waterfowl blind was recently constructed in WDFW’s Region 1, thanks to a partnership between WDFW, the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council, and a private landowner near Clayton, Washington. The property is unique in that it has a pond in the middle surrounded by agricultural fields. In addition to this new ADA waterfowl hunting blind, there are a few others in Eastern Washington in the Regulated Access Area near Moses Lake. To use any of these blinds and learn more about the private lands program on the WDFW website, reach out to the private lands biologist in your area for help getting started.

Overheard: Friends in Killam, Alberta, say the white-front geese have left, but there are still honkers and a lot of snow geese in the area. Freezing water should soon be sending the ducks down.

Braggin’ rights: Nephew George Twigg, from Sunnyside, Washington, needs to buy another freezer. On the Eastern Washington deer opener, he took his two youngest daughters, Claire 18, and Josie 12, deer hunting in the Dayton area. Josie shot a big, classic-racked 4x4 white-tail and Claire shot a big-bodied 2x4 mule deer. Later that week, after chasing it for five days, George shot a high, wide 4x4 white-tail. Having applied for a special elk tag for 22 years in the Yakima area, George was finally been drawn. Two days after shooting his white-tail, he was packing out a big 6x6 elk.

Fly fishing

Silver Bow Fly Shop said fall fishing on the Spokane River is still good. Rubber leg stones, hot bead stones or hot bead/hot spot jig patterns are working. Silver Bow guide Randy Dingman said clients had great streamer fishing last week on small sculpins.

Some of the central Washington lakes would be worth trying this week for fly fishermen. Davis, near Winthrop, should fish well. Dusty, in the Columbia Basin, is still good and could produce some big tiger trout until the season ends Nov. 30.

Steelhead fishing on the Grand Ronde near Boggan’s Oasis has been a little slow for fly fishermen, but it is better on the lower river. It is probably a sink-tip game from now on. Dredging with stones or attractor nymphs will be the most productive.

A few steelhead were caught by fly fishermen on the Methow River this week. The steelhead fishery on the Methow has been most productive for the first angler to fish the hole in the morning.

Trout and kokanee

Amber Lake is open until Nov. 30 for catch and release, although one trout 18 inches or more may be retained daily. Fishing should remain good to the end. Wooly Buggers bring consistent strikes on the west side.

A friend, George Orr, has caught limits of 11- to 16-inch rainbow trout fairly regularly from Deer Lake this week, still-fishing with worms off a friend’s dock.

Fish Lake in the Okanogan provides good rainbow trout fishing for anglers trolling flies. This is also the best time to catch the big brown trout. Brown trout fishing has also been good at Rock and Clear lakes.

Lake Roosevelt trollers are catching 16- to 24-inch rainbow in the top 10 feet of water from Swawilla to the San Poil Arm. Good bank fishing is probably still a month away, as most of the fish are holding over deep water.

On Lake Pend Oreille, temperatures are bringing the bigger Kamloops to the surface where trollers are beginning to take them on Apexes. Priest Lake anglers are jigging glow-in-the-dark Berkeley Power Grubs and finding lots of mackinaw, mostly in 80 to 100 feet of water. Mackinaw fishing has also been good on Lake Chelan, and with the new year-round open season on Deer Lake, anglers should also have some mackinaw success.

Salmon and steelhead

The recent rains have moved a few coho salmon into the Icicle River. A lot more rain will move the big numbers of fish still waiting in the Columbia or lower Wenatchee rivers into the Icicle.

Chinook numbers have dwindled over Little Goose and Lower Granite dams, but steelhead are coming on strongly. The counts on Sunday and Monday totaled 1,060 at Little Goose and 1,267 at Lower Granite.

My friend Rick Itami said fishing has slowed at the Snake/Clearwater confluence and the lower Clearwater as steelhead move further upstream. The best action is between the Cherry Lane Bridge and Orofino. Back trolling plugs or side drifting eggs, shrimp or beads are productive ways to catch them. A few steelhead have made it all the way to the South Fork of the Clearwater, but flows are too low there for optimal fishing.

Back trolling plugs between Boggan’s Oasis and Schumaker Gulch is producing steelhead on the Grande Ronde.

Fins and Feathers in Coeur d’Alene said anglers are catching some small chinook salmon while trolling hoochies and flashers on the big lake at 70 to 90 feet.

Spiny ray

Largemouth bass fishing has remained good on Potholes Reservoir. Anglers are finding the bigger ones along Perch point and Medicare beach.

Walleye fishing has slowed down on Lake Spokane, but smallmouth bass and perch are still active. Perch remain on the menu at Curlew Lake. In Idaho, Fernan Lake is also a good perch destination.

Other species

The whitefish season opens Friday on the Kettle River in Ferry and Stevens counties. Fishing gear is restricted to one single point hook, maximum size 14. Catch limit is 15 whitefish, any size.

Northern pike remain active on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Weed beds are still up, and that is where anglers are finding fish by throwing spoons and jerkbaits.

Hunting

MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir reports a small increase of new ducks over the past week. Hunters are reporting mallards that are more responsive to calling, an indicator the migration has started. Goose hunters are finding good fortune in Columbia Basin fields.

Positive pheasant reports continue to come in from all over Eastern Washington and the Moscow region of Idaho. Hunters say there is plenty of tall cover, which makes walking a real workout.

The late white-tail buck season for modern firearms begins Nov. 9 in units 105, 108, 111, 113, 117d, 121 and 124.

Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com