Fly fishing
Most fly fishing rivers are running high, but Silver Bow Fly Shops said it’s still possible to find fish on the North Fork Coeur d’Alene. They report a mixture of bugs, depending on where on the drainage you are fishing. Drakes, PMDs, salmonflies, yellow sallies, goldens and caddis have all been hatching recently.
Trout and kokanee
Spectacle Lake anglers are taking kokanee to 14 inches. Loon Lake trollers are also finding nice-sized kokanee between storms.
Rainbow trout fishing at Curlew Lake in Ferry County has been excellent over the past week or two. Although perch are still holding in deep water, they should move into the shallows soon with the warming temperatures.
Sprague Lake has lots of good-sized rainbow trout and largemouth bass. Eloika Lake is also seeing some big bass, as are Liberty and Clear lakes. Liberty also has crappie and perch,
Many lowland lakes in Okanogan County, such as Pearrygin, Conconully Lake, Conconully Reservoir and Alta Lake, continue to produce fair to good trout fishing. Kokanee can be found in Patterson, Alta, Conconully, Bonaparte and Spectacle lakes. In Grant County, head to Park, Blue and Deep lakes. In Adams County, try Warden Lake, and in Douglas County, Jameson Lake. In Chelan County, Wapato Lake has been a decent trout producer.
Salmon and steelhead
A large return of spring hatchery chinook is forecast for the Icicle River, keeping it open daily through June 30. Daily limit is two. There is a mandatory retention of hatchery chinook there, but all salmon other than these must be released.
Two sections of the Yakima River are open to fishing for hatchery spring chinook salmon. The river section from the Highway 240 Bridge in Richland upstream to the Sunnyside-Mabton Bridge is open daily through Wednesday. The Yakima River section from the Interstate 82 bridge at Union Gap to the BNSF railroad bridge approximately 600 feet downstream of Roza Dam is open daily through June 30.
The Wind River is open until further notice from the mouth to 800 yards downstream of the Carson Fish Hatchery. Drano Lake is open until further notice in the waters downstream of markers on the point of land downstream and across from Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery and upstream of the Highway 14 Bridge.
The Klickitat River from the mouth to Fisher Hill Bridge and from 400 feet upstream of No. 5 fishway to boundary markers below Klickitat Salmon Hatchery is open daily until further notice.
A limited summer chinook fishery from the Astoria-Megler Bridge to Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River mainstem opens June 16-22 with a two hatchery chinook daily limit. The summer chinook fishery from above Bonneville Dam to Priest Rapids Dam is open June 16-July 31. Sockeye retention is off limits in both areas of the Columbia mainstem, but allowed upstream of the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco.
The section of the Columbia River in the Hanford Reach area opens for summer salmon fishing June 16 through July 15 from Columbia Point (one-fourth mile downstream of I-182 Bridge at Richland) to I-182 Bridge at Richland. Daily limit is six and up to two adult salmon may be retained. Release wild adult chinook. This stretch is open only to bank fishing with hand-casted lines from shore on the west (Richland) side of the river. It is closed to angling from a vessel and to fishing from shore on the east (Pasco) side of the river. With the exception of the “bank fishing only” area, all waters from the Highway 395 Bridge to the I-182 Bridge are closed to fishing for summer salmon and steelhead during the summer salmon fishery.
The section of the Columbia River in the Hanford Reach area opens for summer salmon fishing June 16-30 from Interstate-182 Bridge at Richland upstream to Priest Rapids Dam. Daily limit is six, and up to two adult salmon may be retained. Release wild adult chinook.
Spiny ray
Long Lake crappie anglers are finding some crappie, and some of them are large – 12 to 14 inches.
Crappie anglers are also picking up numerous smallmouth, and walleye fishermen report catching “a lot of nice-sized fish” around the confluence. Jigs have been more effective than bottom walkers.
Friends who fished Lake Roosevelt for smallmouth this week had fun catching these acrobatic fish near Porcupine Bay. Only two fish of a five-fish limit can be over 14 inches, however, and they released several fish that were pushing 20 inches.
Grande Ronde smallmouth bass fishing has been curtailed because of high water, but by mid-June it should really heat up. Fifty-fish days will not be uncommon.
Bottom bouncers with a variety of green-colored Smile blades on Slow Death Hooks are taking hungry Soda Lake walleye.
Most of the fish are under 17 inches long.
Other species
A substantial amount of quota remains for the Washington halibut sport fishery, particularly in coastal Marine Areas 1–4, so additional June dates have been added. These are: Marine Area 1, Monday and June 20; Marine Area 2, June 28 and 30; Marine Area 3 and 4, Friday and June 17 and 24.
Hunting
It’s time to submit your spring turkey report, even if you plan to hunt turkeys again this fall. Reports are required before Jan. 31, whether or not you were successful in harvesting a turkey.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com
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