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He said the catch-and-release section appeared to have more fish.
The Columbia River near Brewster is still giving up some chinook, but fishing seems to be better during the week than on weekends when there is more boat traffic. Dam counts indicate the fall chinook run is right around the 10-year average.
The Westport and Buoy 10 fisheries are still waiting for fish. Last week, ODFW estimated 1,124 angler trips at Buoy 10 produced only 67 chinook and 14 coho. At Ilwaco, anglers averaged salmon per rod, mostly coho.
Some summer run steelhead are being caught on the Wind River, and Drano Lake is producing summer run steelhead and some bright fall chinook.
The White Salmon River is producing steelhead, and bank anglers at the mouth are casting spinners to catch chinook.
The Cowlitz River has been the Westside hot spot of late. Boat anglers averaged over a hatchery steelhead per rod, and bank anglers nearly a fish per rod last week from Blue Creek downstream to I-5.
Salmon anglers who fish off Washington's southern and central coast will be able to retain chinook salmon that are at least 24 inches in length, beginning Friday, Aug. 13. The former size limit was 26 inches.
On August 7, Mick McFarland of Spokane boated a 57 lb. chinook salmon at Rivers Inlet, British Columbia. He was using his regular steelhead outfit with 20 line. It took 1 ½ hours to land the king.
Trout and kokanee
Last week, I reported a good trout bite over the springs at Sprague Lake. The bite continues on 14- to 20-inch fish, but the springs are located off the Sprague Lake Resort dock rather than as otherwise reported.
Veteran Loon Lake kokanee anglers say this last week has been as close to a sure-thing limit as you can get. Kokes 9-11 inches are schooled up in 39 feet of water from Granite Point to Morgan Park. The bite has been best after 10 .
Fishing guides are working Banks Lake kokanee, a good indication the big fish are finally coming back.
Large kokes are hitting in 80 feet of water at the mouth of the Sanpoil, reports John Kallas at Valley White Elephant. He also says Coeur d' Alene Lake kokanee are deep. Good numbers have been found in Wolf Lodge and Windy Bays.
With this hot weather returning, the Spokane River is looking prime for hoppers, and the evening caddis action is enticing some nice fish.
In south central Washington, small streams or high mountain lakes with rainbow and cutthroat trout are the fishing sites of choice right now. Two of the most popular streams in Yakima County are Rattlesnake Creek and the Little Naches River, including some of the forks and tributaries. Another opportunity is the upper reaches of the Yakima River, where there are no catch limits on brook trout.
Spiny ray
Dan Dwyer of Spokane recently caught an 8-pound walleye at Sprague Lake. Anglers using nightcrawlers have been catching mid-day channel catfish up to 6 pounds. There is quite a bit of algae on the water right now, but bass fishing has held up at Sprague during the early mornings and after the sun has set.
Walleye fishing has been good south of Hunters and by McCoy's Landing up the Spokane Arm.
For perch, Lake Spokane (Long Lake) is heating up from Forshees Resort downriver. Try the weed edges in at least 12 feet of water. A friend and his family took over a hundred perch and a two-pound smallmouth from Loon Lake's northwest end on Wednesday. They reported several perch over 10 inches.
The Valley Marine Bass Tournament last weekend on Banks Lake netted 433 bass for 44 boats. Though a team tournament, Scott Hyde from Spokane, fishing alone, won first place overall with a total weight of lbs. Banks Lake, Lake Roosevelt and Rufus Woods have had exceptional morning and evening bass fishing of late.
Hunting
The Washington Wildlife Commission has adopted a general statewide duck season that will run from Oct. 16-20, and Oct. 23-Jan. 30, 2005. Pintail and canvasback hunting will be closed Oct. 23-Dec. 6. The special youth hunting weekend is set for Sept. 18-19. The general statewide goose season also begins Oct. 16, with a daily bag limit of four Canada geese. The eastern Washington early goose season will be Sept. 11-12 with a limit of three Canadas. The commission also approved a proposal to allow public goose hunting on a 30-mile stretch of the Snake River on Lake Sacajawea.
Eastern Washington's partridge and quail season will run Jan. 17 this year. Pheasants don't open until the 23rd of October (I'm not thrilled about that either). Fall turkey season is Sept. 25- Oct. 1 in Game Management Areas 105-124. You are allowed one bird of either sex providing you didn't fill both tags in the spring. Dove, grouse, and rabbits open Sept. 1. Idaho pheasants open Oct. 9, quail and partridge Oct. 18, grouse and doves Sept. 1.
The Washington Wildlife Commission has enacted an emergency rule to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease. It restricts the importation of deer and elk into Washington from animals taken in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois, South Dakota, Nebraska and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The rule goes into effect Sept. 1 and allows importation of boned out meat. Deer and elk hides and capes are allowed if heads are not attached, and skulls and antlers are allowed if all soft tissue is removed. Finished taxidermy mounts are allowed. According to Jerry Nelson, WDFW deer and elk manager, the spread of chronic wasting disease to Washington's herds is a very real concern and the new regulations will be strictly enforced. A violation is a gross misdemeanor. The new ruling shouldn't be an inconvenience anyway, as responsible hunters will take the time to bone and care for their game meat before heading home.
Only half as many hunters purchased lottery tags for Idaho Fish and Game's second Supertag drawing, meaning the odds of becoming a winner should be better when the drawing is held August 16 at Fish and Game Headquarters in Boise. There will be 17 second-drawing winners and the coveted tags are good for any open deer, elk, antelope and moose hunt in the 2004 hunting season.
Tip of the week
You can make a very tasty "crab cocktail" by substituting perch or other white-fleshed fish for the more expensive shellfish. Simmer the fillets in slightly salted water until flaky and mix with a bottle of inexpensive cocktail sauce and a half-cup of diced celery. Garnish with lemon.
Braggin' rights
Tuesday, local taxidermist Dale Moffat took four grandchildren, ages 5-11, perch fishing on Diamond Lake. They didn't catch any perch, but despite tangled lines, ineffective hook sets, and a lot of enthusiastic bouncing, the kids all caught limits of 10- to 12-inch rainbow plus six carryovers that ran 15 inches.
Overheard
Smallmouth anglers on the Grand Ronde are starting to catch incidental steelhead and some big rainbow. The 'Ronde opens for steelhead Sept. 1.
Heads up
The Two Rivers Trout Derby runs August 21-22. Entry fee is $100 per two-man team. For more information, contact Two Rivers Casino at (509) 722-4000.
-- Low dissolved oxygen conditions in Hood Canal have not reversed themselves over the past two years and have resulted in several fish kills. As a result, there is a permanent fishing closure in place on Hood Canal for a number of species, including bottomfish, herring, smelt, squid, octopus and sea cucumbers. This closure does not affect fisheries for salmon, crab, shrimp or intertidal clams and oysters.
-- The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is now accepting grant applications for volunteer projects designed to benefit fish and wildlife species across the state. The department expects to award approximately $200,000 in grants for projects undertaken by volunteer individuals and organizations between Oct. 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005. Applications for volunteer grants are available through the WDFW website (.gov/
volunter/) or by contacting the department directly at 360- 902-2700. The deadline for applying is , 2004.
You can contact Alan Liere by e-mail at spokesmanliere @
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