Ns may web

FISHING • HUNTING • NEWS NWSPORTSMANMAG.COM

3

WALLEYE MAPS! AWESOME

OCEAN

OPTIONS! HALIBUT, LINGS & ROCKFISH Ilwaco, Garibaldi, Westport, Pacific City

BIG LAKES, BIG FUN! PEND OREILLE’S Giant Gerrards COEUR D’ALENE’S Big Kings ROOSEVELT’S Great Fishing, Camping

ROADKILL DINING! Deadly Byways, Salvage Rules +Deer Recipe ALSO INSIDE

Upper Rogue, Portland SPRINGERS South Sound SEA-RUN CUTTIES Columbia SHAD

u|xhCFCHEy24792tz]v!:;

2 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 3

4 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 5

6 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 7

Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 10 • ISSUE 8 PUBLISHER James R. Baker

Your Complete Hunting, Boating, Fishing and Repair Destination Since 1948.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EDITOR Andy Walgamott LEAD WRITERS Jeff Holmes, Andy Schneider THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Dave Anderson, Randall Bonner, Mark Bove, Jason Brooks, Dennis Dauble, Doug Huddle, Keith Jensen, M.D. Johnson, Randy King, Bill Monroe Jr., Buzz Ramsey, Don Talbot, Mark Veary, Randy Wells, Terry Wiest, Dave Workman, Mike Wright EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks, Jeff Holmes GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak

ALUMAWELD FREE DRIFTER

SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Ciara Pickering, Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING Audra Higgins COPY EDITOR/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro

SUN CHASER PONTOON

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER Lois Sanborn WEBMASTER/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford

SMOKERCRAFT OSPREY

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com

SEE MORE AT

VERLES.COM!

CORRESPONDENCE Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to awalgamott@media-inc.com, or to the address below.

ON THE COVER Kristina and Dave Anderson pose with a nice halibut caught last season off La Push. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST) THIS ISSUE’S MOTTO Our finger-lickinest best issue ever!

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and get daily updates at nwsportsmanmag.com.

ARIMA 17 SEA CHASER WE OFFER A LARGE INVENTORY OF QUALITY BRANDS ARIMA • ALUMAWELD • SMOKERCRAFT SUN CHASER PONTOONS • YAMAHA • SUZUKI • MERCURY

1-877-426-0933 www.verles.com 8 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com; mediaindexpublishing.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 9

CONTENTS

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 8 (KEVIN LANIER)

51

SALT SEASON BEGINS!

With plenty of toothsome lingcod and rockfish available off of the Washington Coast, Ilwaco and Westport charter skippers get you set up for catching them!

FEATURES 39

READY FOR OREGON HALIBUT? Now’s the time to prepare your gear and inspect the boat for Oregon’s flattie fishery – Andy Schneider covers that, as well as a Plan B for if/when the ocean’s too rough.

121 GRANT COUNTY WALLEYE  3 MAPS! Local guide Keith Jensen details the best flats to troll crankbaits over for spring and summer walleye at Moses and Banks Lakes and Potholes Reservoir.

83

LAKE ROOSEVELT GETAWAY Coming off a good winter kokanee and rainbow fishery, Washington’s biggest lake will shine this season for trout and walleye, as well as great camping opportunities.

137 BIG RIVER BASS They’re overshadowed by shinier fish, but the Willamette’s and Columbia’s bronzebacks are every bit as worthy a target for Northwest anglers, Randall Bonner writes.

91

NORTH IDAHO ’NOOKS They’re growing bigger and bigger king salmon at Lake Coeur d’Alene these days, and that’s just one of the species available at this vacation wonderland.

141 SPRINGER SEASON’S NOT DONE YET! Guide Bill Monroe’s advice for catching May spring kings at Drano Lake, on the Wind, Cowlitz and Willamette Rivers and at Tillamook Bay.

97

PEND OREILLE’S GIANT GERRARDS Its kokanee restored and Macks suppressed, Lake Pend Oreille is once again a world-class rainbow fishery – and its best days may be yet to come, reports a local sharpie.

155 LATESEASON GOBBLERS Bagging a tom this month is tougher, but still doable – turkey hunting expert MD Johnson offers his tips for the back end of the spring season.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details.

NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mail offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2015 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

10 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 11

CONTENTS 61

WESTSIDER Terry Wiest, our resident professor of Flatsider Studies, breaks down how to rig up for and find halibut during Washington’s brief May fishery.

77

NORTH SOUND Long before the snow melts in the Cascades, there are mountain trout to be had in the lowlands – Doug details seven hike-in lakes in the Bellingham Alps.

117 BASIN BEACON Chelan may not be the first lake you think of for spinyray fisheries, but Don knows the long, skinny fjord’s got nice bass – and he leads us into the mountains for morels!

131 BUZZ RAMSEY May marks the start of the Columbia River’s huge shad run, and Buzz puts us into position to waylay a few – and shares how to smoke ’em as well.

69 SOUTH SOUND New columnist Jason Brooks details the hows and wheres of catching scrappy, plentiful searun cutthroat trout in deepest Puget Sound.

(JASON BROOKS)

COLUMNS 34

THE KAYAK GUYS If there’s a coastal Mecca for Northwest kayak anglers, it’s the Oregon town protected by a giant rock and an outjutting cape – taking a cue from the dory fleet, Mark pushes off from Pacific City for salmon, lingcod and more!

149 SOUTH COAST Springers and Randy go way back – and this month the fish are way up the Rogue. This son of Southern Oregon has tips to catch the delectable salmon in the headwaters.

163 ON TARGET Load up that flat-shooting varmint rifle, pack a few hundred – if not thousand – rounds and head out to take on gophers, Dave advises.

169 CHEF IN THE WILD Hey, Washingtonians, need a good roadkill recipe? Randy’s got you covered!

We Have What You Need For Your Next Hunting, Fishing Or Camping Adventure!

ARCHERY: Mathews, Bowtech, Hoyt Bows GUNS: Sig, Kimber, Ruger, Remington, Smith & Wesson, Weatherby, Glock, Fierce Firearms FISHING: Lamiglas, Daiwa, Okuma, Shimano, Berkley, Yakima Bait GEAR: Vortex Optics, Swarovski Optics, Stika clothing

1825 N. 1st St. - Hwy 395 • Hermiston, OR 97838 • 541-289-6817 12 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 13

22 THE BIG PIC: Hit A Buck?

Pull A Wolfgang Puck!

Washington legalizes salvaging roadkilled deer and elk – here’s where and how to take advantage of it.

(DOT)

DEPARTMENTS 19

THE EDITOR’S NOTE: Highs and lows from the Northwest fish management world 21 CORRESPONDENCE: Reader reactions to recent news 27 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS: Daiwa, Browning monthly prizes 29 THE DISHONOR ROLL: I-84 bighorn sheep poaching; Guide can’t guide; Jackass of the Month 31 DERBY WATCH: NSIA’s Spring Fishing Classic and more recent results, upcoming events 33 OUTDOOR CALENDAR 33 BIG FISH: Record Northwest game fish caught this month 65 RIG OF THE MONTH: How to make copper pipe jigs 174 BACK PAGE: Pillow-hogging fishermen 14 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 15

16 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 17

18 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

THEEDITOR’SNOTE

While Puget Sound salmon anglers faced the possibility of spending summer on the banks, fishermen up and down the Northwest Coast will have Chinook and limited coho opportunities on the ocean. Meanwhile, winter steelheaders got a piece of good news when the feds greenlighted smolt releases into five North Sound systems. (ANDY WALGAMOTT; KEVIN LANIER; ART ARPIN)

I

t was the worst of times, it was the OK-est of times, it was the best of times. With apologies to Mr. Dickens, that could have described mid-April, at least as it pertains to fish and fishing around these here parts and this editor.

THE WORST With the annual North of Falcon season-setting talks between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Westside tribes broken down, the state agency warned salmon anglers it was “uncertain” it could get required federal permission to hold summer seasons in Puget Sound. Not that there’s a lot to look forward to, at least by the woeful coho forecasts that the tribes were using as a hammer for all but nailing shut the doors of local tackle shacks, but there are some Chinook available for harvest.

Marked selective fisheries surgically target hatchery stocks, where other fishing methods have more collateral damage and need their impacts better defined. The unprecedented collapse of negotiations had recreational leaders not only calling for “fundamental change” in North of Falcon but standing solidly behind WDFW Director Jim Unsworth, who heeded sportfish advisors’ advice not to cut a deal.

“The director stuck his neck out for us and we have to protect him,” Puget Sound Anglers president Ron Garner told Salmon University.

THE OK-EST There will be a salmon season in the Pacific from Neah Bay in the north to Brookings in the south, thanks to great numbers of Columbia fall kings and decent returns to the Oregon Coast and further south. There will even be hatchery coho retention from Long Beach down, and at press time, managers had penciled in the usual September nonselective silver fishery off Newport, Depoe Bay, Charleston, etc. Salmon are huge for Northwest ports, and though 2016 isn’t the greatest, it’s not the doomsdays of the mid-1990s.

THE BEST With the smolts itching to get out of their rearing ponds, the National Marine Fisheries Service gave WDFW the green light to resume releasing early winter hatchery steelhead into five Puget Sound systems. That will provide continuity of releases on one and restart programs on four that had been halted by 2014’s lawsuit by the Wild Fish Conservancy. In an ironic twist to WFC’s disruptive efforts, the fed’s permit will actually allow WDFW to put more smolts into the Stilly and Nooksack than prelawsuit days.

Those were head-spinning days last month, and in the end there are fish to catch this summer and will be two winters down the line. It’s not the best, it’s not the worst, it’s the OK-est. –Andy Walgamott nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 19

G N I H C N U A L JUNE 4TH, 2016!

SPONSORED BY

NWSportsmanMag.com

Join us for an hour of fishing, hunting, outdoor recreation, conservation and destination ideas covering not only our great nation but also the entire continent! If you love the outdoors, you’ll love this show! Join us for our inaugural show!

YOUR HOST

JOHN KRUSE

+ + + + + + +

John Kruse is a Northwest native and veteran outdoors radio broadcaster, book author, and writer. He is not only a passionate angler, hunter, hiker and conservationist, but has also completed 30 years of service and leadership in the U.S. Army and in law enforcement, which gives him a great deal of knowledge about firearms as well as military and police operations. These skills make him the perfect host for America Outdoors Radio, the show focusing on fishing, hunting and the shooting sports!

STATIONS THROUGHOUT T S E W H T R O N E TH

Outdoors news and hot topics covering fishing, hunting, conservation, shooting sports & more!

Guide and outfitter tips Outdoors celebrity and personality interviews Outdoor destinations you have got to visit!

New product reviews Wild fish and game recipes Find out about poachers, politicians and more who are walking the “Trail of Shame”

20 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

CORRESPONDENCE ‘VICTORY!!’

Perhaps it was because the news came so soon after one of the darkest hours in Puget Sound fishing history, but Rory O’Connor was pretty exuberant upon hearing that the National Marine Fisheries Service had just given the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife permission to release up to 530,000 early winter steelhead smolts this spring: “Yes! Yes! Yes! Victory!!”

THINK THEY GOT THE MESSAGE? I admit it: The story “Fishy Message Left Behind At Litigious Group’s Offices” I blogged about at nwsportsmanmag.com early last month was totally made up. The “advice” – spelled out with the carcasses of 47 spawned-out hatchery winter steelhead – on where they could file their next lawsuit was a pure figment of my imagination. Posted on April Fools Day, it came a day after the Wild Fish Conservancy sued the federal government over funding for the hugely important Mitchell Act salmon and steelhead hatcheries in the Columbia system. “It would be nice if the WFC would get the hint,” Brad Dailey posted. “So much more could be done if everyone worked together and pulled in the same direction.”

SHED SEEKERS GO IN EARLY This past winter was stronger than recent ones, leading to weaker big game and higher mortality in some areas, but that wasn’t stopping those who hoped to profit off of shed antlers. After we reported on a weekly WDFW report that said a few Central Washington elk-horn seekers were heading into the hills before they were legally allowed, Gary Johnson lamented, “Shed hunters are becoming poachers and harassing wildlife because of the money!

This needs to be nipped in the bud. Animals coming out the winter need time to recuperate.” A Yakima Herald article reported it’s tough to catch scofflaws, who can also easily pay off fines by selling an antler. A solution might be confiscating sheds instead, like the recent law that targeted trespassing hunters who had been willing to pay the citation as the cost of doing business to kill a trophy.

MOST LIKED READER PIC WE HUNG UP ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE DURING THIS ISSUE’S PRODUCTION CYCLE No sooner had Washington’s youth spring turkey hunting weekend come to a close early last month than we began receiving pics of successful young gobbler gunners. This image of Turner Allen and his first tom – shot on his first hunt – was a big winner on social media, receiving lots of kudos from fellow Northwest sportsmen.

Proud father Josh Allen sent in the photo. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 21

Wasted No More

Washingtonians will be able to salvage roadkilled deer and elk startingg this summer.

Deer hit along Highway 97 in the central Okanogan Valley are unceremoniously tipped over the side of a nearby hill, but starting later this year, the carcasses of freshly killed ones can go to better use by those who wish to salvage the meat. (JAY KEHNE)

By Andy Walgamott

T

here’s a stretch of highway in Washington that might as well be the road out of Kuwait City for one of the state’s most important big game herds.

Tractor trailers, ranch rigs and other vehicles traveling the 12 miles of Highway 97 north of Riverside strafe down an average of a deer a day, mostly as the critters cross the road to the Okanogan River in winter and then return west to the mountains in spring.

It’s been even worse since last summer’s monster wildfires. At one point earlier this year, six of the previous seven months had seen higher recorded roadkill than those same months in recent years, according to state Department of Transportation stats. And by one estimate, as many as 1,200 bucks, does and fawns could end up bumper fodder between October 2015 and this October.

Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jay Kehne and his wife Rita 22 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

have accounted for two themselves.

“Both of the deer we hit, I wish we could have used and not wasted the meat,” says the resident of nearby Omak.

The animals are instead collected by DOT crews and dumped into a nearby gulch for scavengers to pick over. The coyotes get the backstraps; the Kehnes and other Okanogan County residents and travelers are stuck with a mangled front end, if not far worse, and an average damage claim of $4,135, according to State Farm stats.

But in recent years, you could say Kehne’s been setting the table to allow that perfectly good venison to go to a better use: dinner.

“It’s something my hunting friends have always asked me about, so I brought it up a couple of years ago,” he recalls. “Then I talked with Montana about how their (roadkill salvage) program is working and they encouraged it completely. Idaho had similar reports of a good program that was appreciated. Most hunters hate to see game wasted, so we kept at it …”

MIXED BAG Indeed, in the lead-up to last month’s unanimous approval by the nine-member citizen panel, public comment was strongly supportive.

“I’ve never seen an issue before the commission that didn’t have comments split 50/50 or 60/40, so I was pleased to read almost everyone that commented on a salvage roadkill change was positive for it. Most said, it’s about time,” Kehne says.

I WILL ADMIT that it took a pretty serious shake of salt and pepper and large dollop of barbecue sauce, per se, to make the idea of eating roadkill palatable to this hunter.

My first exposure to what some call “freeway foraging” came 25 years ago, in John McPhee’s “Travels in Georgia.” Originally published in an April 1973 issue of The New Yorker (I read it in a later compilation of McPhee’s work), in it the author tags along with a man and a woman with the Georgia Natural Resources Council as they crisscross the Peach Tree State talking to landowners about registering unique properties in a conservation program, as well as picking up roadkilled animals for a university’s specimen collection and/or supper. The shopping list included a coalroasted mustelid, turtle eggs and more. Reported McPhee: “The taste of the weasel was strong and not unpleasant. It lingered in the mouth after dinner. The meat was fibrous and dark.”

As wonderful as “Travels” is, the story did not lead me to begin poking speculatively at dead things along the road like (what I thought of them at the time as) those two filthy Southerners. When I first learned Washington’s game commission was considering legalizing the possession of blacktails and muleys, whitetails and wapiti accidentally run down on the state’s highways and byways, my reaction was approximately this: “Hey, Madonna [Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson], this is Andy, Northwest Sportsman. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat in the hell are you people ...”

But after some reflection and a liberal amount of seasoning from Kehne, I ran it past my wife Amy and young sons one evening as we ate at the dining table: Andy: “What do you think about collecting and eating roadkill, my love?”

Amy: “No, we’re not going to do that, Andy. Why would you want to? Disgusting.”

River: “What is roadkill?”

Amy: “Dead things in the ditch.”

Andy: “But what if it was a deer that had just bounced off our bumper?”

Amy: “Wellllllllllllll, I guess if you immediately processed it – but no raccoons, skunks or other animals I would not otherwise eat!”

Indeed, once you get past the idea that we’re not talking about serving up possums, squirrels or Mr. Fluffynoodles after they got whacked, crawled into the roadside weeds and stewed for a couple hot August days, the idea doesn’t seem half bad.

You might even say it sounds appetizing.

Idahoans have been dishing it up since 2012 and Montanans have been forking it down since 2013.

Kehne says Washington’s program will be modeled after the latter state’s permitting system, and WDFW spokesman Craig Bartlett says it will include an online mapping feature to pinpoint where salvagers pick up carcasses.

According to the agency’s roadkill page (wdfw.wa.gov/ licensing/game_salvaging), the basic rules for when the program begins this July break down thusly: • You can salvage any deer or elk accidentally killed by a vehicle, except deer in Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum Counties because of potential legal issues with the feds over Endangered Species Actlisted Columbian whitetail deer there; • If the deer or elk ain’t dead yet, you can’t kill it. To prevent poaching in the guise of salvaging, only after an officer or someone authorized by WDFW puts the animal out of its misery can you get to carvin’ (“Montana did about a 5 percent spot check and found very few if any problems,” Kehne says); • You need to get yourself a salvage permit off WDFW’s website or from a regional office within 24 hours of taking the critter into your possession; • No, you can’t use your regular deer and elk hunting tags to salvage them; • The whole carcass – guts, sheared-off legs, dangling ears, etc.

– must be removed from the public right of way; • Unusable meat and parts must be disposed of under the tenets of WAC 246-203-121, which basically says don’t leave it in public view, bury it and for god’s sake, not in a low-lying area or place we get drinking water from; • And finally, these aren’t USDA-inspected beeves – you’re salvaging and eating roadkill at your own risk with no guarantees from WDFW about the quality of the meat.

Indeed, state highways are not Safeways; it is salvager and their stomach beware.

“Most people who would stop can figure it out pretty quick,” says Kehne.

He says that when Montana began allowing roadkill, very few people took advantage of it before cold weather hit. But after the first year, 800 permits had been issued, according to the Billings Gazette.

“No real costs to [Fish, Wildlife and Parks]. No real problems.

Something like 150,000 pounds of meat saved – that’s no small thing, especially at about $8.00 a pound for lean meat,” Kehne says.

In addition to deer and elk, moose and antelope can be collected off roads in Montana. Next door in Idaho, all big game as well as upland birds and small game, furbearers and predators can be picked up.

Some general but not foolproof guidelines for what to haul or haul-ass-on-past might include: • Sunny and hot? Stays on the asphalt.

• Cold and cloudy? Load up the Audi!

• Eye sockets empty? Don’t risk dysentery.

• Eyeballs clear? Dinner’s here!

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 23

MIXED BAG • If it’s bloatin’, don’t be totin’.

• Hit a buck? Pull a Wolfgang Puck!

ROADKILL’S BEEN SERVED in Washington for years. Prisoners used to be fed it until they sued, and crippled or dead deer, elk and moose have provided sustenance to the hungry in the Spokane area since 1996, thanks to the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council.

You may recall that the venerable organization’s Big Game Recovery Committee was the subject of a feature in our March 2010 issue. Written by longtime club member and local author James A. Nelson, he reported that when roadkills are phoned in during the cold and cooler months, trained volunteers head to the

fencing to prevent roadkill on Highway 97, DOT produced a couple maps that showed the worst stretches.

Besides the middle Okanogan Valley, the highways radiating out of Spokane see some of the highest deer collisions in Washington, but other hot spots include Port Angeles, Sequim, Whidbey and Bainbridge Islands, Olympia, Bellingham, Goldendale, Cle Elum, Cashmere, Wenatchee, Entiat, Colville, Touchet, Lacrosse and Colfax.

The worst areas for elk are along Highway 101 from Raymond to Ilwaco, Highway 20 from Sedro-Woolley to Concrete, I-90 from North Bend to Thorp and from Kittitas to Vantage, Highway 97 from the Teanaway Valley to Blewett Pass, Highway 7 on either side of Eatonville, Highways 12 and 410 west from Naches over

State Department of Transportation maps show the stretches of Washington highways where elk and deer collisions are the most frequent. Starting in July, their carcasses will be salvageable statewide, except deer in the Vancouver, Longview-Kelso and Cathlamet areas and three surrounding counties. (DOT) scene and collect the animal, then take it to a butchering shed that INWC had custom-built for $3,000.

Nelson reported that between 2008 and 2009, 164 deer, seven elk and 15 moose were salvaged, yielding 16,730 pounds of meat that was then wrapped and donated to local organizations that made it available to the poor.

“The work makes our highways safer by getting the carcasses off roadways, as well as helps fill the stomachs of the needy. After all, a good deer, moose or elk steak has never hurt anyone,” he wrote.

STARTING TO SALIVATE, aren’t ya? Then you’re probably wondering where in your travels you might start keeping a sharper eye out for free venison later this year. According to DOT, 81 percent of all reported wildlife-car collisions occur on state-administered routes, which actually comprise just 9 percent of Washington’s road network. Just under 60 percent of 5,224 dead deer carted off between 2011 and 2014 were in Eastern Washington, while 42 percent were on the Westside.

For a recent mule deer summit in Omak that Kehne was involved in to build support for new wildlife underpasses and 24 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

to Randle and the Cascade Crest, respectively, and the highways south and east of Spokane.

Allowing people to salvage deer and elk off those and other roads could provide another benefit. Kehne’s fellow commissioner Jay Holzmiller, an Asotin County Public Works Department heavy equipment operator, noted, “We spend a lot of time going around picking up deer carcasses, so hopefully that will alleviate some of that.” That potentially represents a savings for small, rural, cashstrapped counties like Holzmiller’s.

“The best thing, of course, is to never hit the deer in the first place, hence the effort to get fencing and underpasses,” says Kehne about his work on the Safe Passage 97 project (safepassage97.org).

“But on all the roads in the state, having a salvage alternative to a big pile of dead deer is a far better option in my book.”

Bon appétit! NS Editor’s note: Hat tip to Eric Bell and Chris Cocoles who came up with most of the edibility rhymes, but who are in no way liable (and neither are we) if they backfire and you get food poisoning and die and need to be thrown on the roadkill bonepile.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 25

26 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

PHOTO CONTEST

Hartman’s

WINNERS!

Log Cabin Resort, Inc. Inchelium, WA

• Log Cabins • Motel Rooms • RV & Tent Sites • Gasoline • Propane • Laundromat The pic Shelley Nasby sent of her daughter Devan and her Oregon gobbler is our monthly Browning hunting photo contest winner. It scores the Oregon Coast hunters a Browning hat!

• Restrooms & Showers • Kayak Rentals • Fishing Boats • Paddle Boats • Dock Stall Rentals

509-722-3543 www.hartmanslogcabin.com

• Tackle • Grocery Store • GIFT SHOP • REstaurant • Paddle Board Rentals

178 Twin Lakes Rd Inchelium, WA 99138

Sgt. Geremy Shull is this issue’s monthly Daiwa Photo Contest winner, thanks to his photo of nephew Wyatt Owens and his John Day River steelhead. It wins him a Daiwa hat, T-shirt and scissors for cutting braided line, and puts him in the running for the grand prize of a Daiwa rod-and-reel combo!

Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

For your shot at winning Daiwa and Browning products, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@ media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 27

28 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

MIXED BAG

2 Men To Be Arraigned In I-84 Bighorn Case

T

wo men who allegedly poached a pair of bighorn sheep along I-84 are scheduled to be arraigned in Gilliam County Circuit Court May 6.

Though not charged at press time, Cody J. Plagmann, 37, of Albany and Justin M. Samora, 32, of the Salt Lake City area could face restitution fines of a reported $25,000 each, according to the East Oregonian.

The case began around midmorning April 3 when the state police got a report of suspicious activity alongside the interstate just east of the John Day River mouth, where a local herd of bighorns is known to hang out. The caller told troopers that it looked like someone was gutting an animal, and they were worried it was one of the wild sheep.

Responding patrol and wildlife troopers found a vehicle nearby and inside was Samora. As they were chatting with him, drivers stopped and told the troopers that there was another guy hiding in the

brush nearby. A search of the area turned up two severed rams’ heads, and as more troopers joined the search, Plagmann was found that afternoon on foot 2 miles to the east down the Union Pacific rail line.

According to an OSP press release, “Plagmann and Samora had worked together to shoot and remove the heads of the bighorn sheep.”

While both rams’ carcasses were also found, neither was salvageable.

The duo were initially lodged in jail in The Dalles, Plagmann for allegedly taking and possessing bighorns, wastage and basically trespassing while hunting, Samora for aiding in a game violation.

The alleged crime was widely reported and reviled by hunters and wildlife viewers alike. Jeremy Thompson, ODFW wildlife biologist in The Dalles, leveled both barrels.

“It’s an outrage that someone would poach a bighorn sheep, when hunters can wait their whole life and still never get the opportunity to hunt this iconic species. This herd is also a popular viewing attraction for people driving along This one’s a no-brainer: you know who are this month’s JOTM – if not I-84, and has been there this year’s if not this decade’s. since 1993,” he said.

By Andy Walgamott

Plagmann

Samora

JACKASS OF THE MONTH

The bighorn sheep believed to have been killed and beheaded along I-84 east of Biggs Junction early last month by Cody J. Plagmann and Justin M. Samora. (OSP, ALL)

Guide Can’t Guide Till January

A

n Oregon salmon guide can’t run trips for eight more months after he pled guilty to committing fishing violations last fall.

Wayne Priddy, 59, of Oregon City also can’t possess any fishing gear outside of his home till Jan. 10, 2017, and was sentenced to serve 10 days in jail minus time served, pay $250 in fines and keep out of trouble for 36 months.

His case began last October when state troopers learned of several alleged violations during a paid trip, and subsequently found the guide aided “customers” in violating wildlife laws while they were fishing Tillamook Bay. Originally charged with six misdemeanors, he pled guilty early last month in Tillamook County Circuit Court to a single count of aiding in a

wildlife offense.

Bill Monroe, outdoor reporter at The Oregonian, says Priddy’s “high-visibility arrest at a boat ramp last fall has the professional guide community’s full attention.” Unlike on the Columbia during the fall salmon season, there’s no “boat limit” or “party” fishing on Tillamook Bay. Once an angler reaches their limit, their rod must be put away.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 29

30 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

By Andy Walgamott

$60,000 Raised At Spring Classic

N

early $60,000 was raised for sportfishing advocacy and fish conservation at last month’s Spring Fishing Classic.

Organized by the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association and held on the Willamette and other tribs because the Columbia closed the day before, the 24th iteration of the annual derby sponsored by Fisherman’s Marine & Outdoor was hailed as a “great success” and a lot of fun, and yielded some nice springers.

NSIA reported that Staci McAdams claimed the big-fish prize of $500 for her 22.9-pounder, caught out of guide Terry Mulkey’s sled, as well as a prize package that included a Lamiglas Pro-Kwik rod, Daiwa Saltist linecounter reel and Plano tackle box.

Not surprisingly, McAdams’ hefty springer helped Mulkey and crew to a second-place finish in the team competition. Their 30.35 pounds of delicious salmon scored the boatload of anglers $1,000 worth of Okuma Guide Select rods and Okuma Coldwater lowprofile linecounters loaded with 50-pound braided TUF-Line.

As for the first-place team, that was skipper Jason Berg and Deborah LeBer and Suzy Seida, who came in with 35.95 pounds of Chinook, and left with $1,700 worth of Lamiglas Pro-Kwiks, Daiwa

2016 NORTHWEST SALMON DERBY SERIES July 8-10 July 27-31 Aug. 6 Aug. 12 Aug. 20 Sept. 3 Sept. 10 Sept. 24-25 Nov. 5-6 Dec. 1-3 Dec. 2-3

Bellingham Salmon Derby, San Juan Islands The Big One Salmon Derby, Lake Coeur d’Alene South King County PSA Salmon Derby, Areas 10, 11, 13 Gig Harbor PSA Salmon Derby, Areas 11, 13 Columbia River Fall Salmon Derby, Lower Columbia Willapa Bay Salmon Derby, Willapa Bay Edmonds Coho Derby, Areas 8, 9, 10 Everett Coho Derby, Central Sound salt- and freshwaters 25th Annual Bayside Marine Salmon Derby, Central Sound 2nd Annual Friday Harbor Salmon Classic, San Juan Islands 7th Annual Resurrection Derby, San Juan Islands

For more info on any of these, see northwestsalmonderbyseries.com

Spring Fishing Classic anglers are happy with their catch. (NSIA) Saltist linecounters and Plano tackle boxes.

The third-place boat of Kyle Buschelman, Alan Best and Brandon Sorensen won three Lamis and Daiwa Millionaire reels spooled with TUF-Line, all valued at $600 retail, for their 23.4 pounds of fish.

NSIA reported that 11 springers were weighed in by more than 200 participants at derby headquarters, Camp Withycombe in Clackamas. Numerous door prizes were given away, and after dinner and the awards ceremony, the raffle for a Willie driftboat went to a lucky angler who’d bought his ticket on a whim.

RECENT RESULTS Notable 2016 Westport Charterboat Association bottomfishing derby winners (charterwestport.com) March 18 Rachel Rowe, 30.55-pound ling, Hula Girl March 20 Chris Pattenaude, 28.75- pound ling, Slammer April 1 Lawrence Northwind, 27.6-pound ling, Slammer April 3 Dave Brown, 29.55-pound ling, Hula Girl April 10 Heather Enge, 35.7-pound ling, Hula Girl Vicki Klein and her 18.72-pound Chinook held on to win 2016’s abbreviated Frank Wilson Memorial Blackmouth Derby. Slated to run for 10 weeks, the event in the San Juans only lasted six because the limit on how many of the immature Chinook swimming in the islands were “encountered” by anglers was reached early. Klein won $1,000, while Rustie Mager collected $500 for his second-place fish, which weighed precisely 2 pounds less, and Jimmy Lawson came in third and scored $250 for his 15.47-pounder. (KEVIN KLEIN)

ONGOING, UPCOMING EVENTS May 13-15

The Detroit Lake Fishing Derby, Detroit Lake, detroitlakeoregon.org April 23-May 1 Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club Annual Spring Derby; lpoic.org More events: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/index.html. To have your derby or results listed here, email awalgamott@media-inc.com. nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 31

32 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

OUTDOOR

CALENDAR Sponsored by

NOW-JUNE 30 Family Fishing Events at Millicoma Interpretive Center east of Coos Bay (near Allegany) (free, Mondays-Fridays) – info: odfwcalendar.com MAY 1

3 4 6-7 7 7-8 8 10 12 12-14 14 15 19-21 20 21 22 25 26-28 26-29 28 31

Northern pikeminnow sport reward fishery begins at all stations on Columbia, Snake Rivers – info: pikeminnow.org; Halibut opener in Washington’s Marine Area 1, Oregon’s Columbia River nearshore and Southern Subareas (see regs for date restrictions); Area 2 halibut open day; Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca lingcod opener; Family Fishing Event at Alton Baker Canoe Canal (free) – info: odfwcalendar.com Area 2 halibut open day Sandy River Chapter of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders 18th Annual Banquet & Auction, Glenn Otto Park – info: sandysteelheaders.org Tri-Cities Special Needs and Kids Fishing Days at Columbia Park Pond – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html Areas 3-10 halibut open day; Family Fishing Events at Camp Baldwin, Commonwealth Lake, Vernonia Pond (free) – info: odfwcalendar.com; Clear Lake Annual Kid’s Fishing Event at Fairchild AFB – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html Family Razor Clamming Workshops at Fort Stevens State Park (registration, $) – info: odfwcalendar.com Area 2 halibut open day Area 2 halibut open day Areas 3, 4 halibut open day Proposed all-depth Oregon halibut weekend between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mtn. – info: dfw.state.or.us; Areas 5-10 halibut opener Family Fishing Events at Middle Fork Irrigation Pond, McNary Channel Ponds (free) – info: odfwcalendar.com; Adult Fly Fishing Workshop at Fall River Hatchery ($, registration) – info: odfwcalendar.com Oregon fall controlled big game hunt permit purchase application deadline Proposed all-depth Oregon halibut weekend between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mtn. – info: dfw.state.or.us Washington special hunt permit application deadline (midnight); Sequim High School, Helen Haller special needs kids fishing day, Carrie Blake Park Pond, Sequim – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html Family Fishing Events at Pine Nursery Pond, Eckman Lake – info: odfwcalendar.com; Kids Fishing day, Carrie Blake Park Pond, Sequim – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html Fishing opener on numerous Oregon waters Last day to hunt turkeys in Idaho Proposed all-depth Oregon halibut weekend between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mtn. – info: dfw.state.or.us Areas 5-10 halibut opener Idaho quality trout waters opener; Family Fishing Event at Mt. Hood Pond – info: odfwcalendar.com Last day to hunt turkeys in Washington, Oregon

RECORD NORTHWEST GAME FISH CAUGHT THIS MONTH

(WDFW) (IDFG)

Date

Species

Pds. (-Oz.) Water

Angler

5-1-43 5-1-56 5-1-78 5-1-98 5-6-15 5-12-06 5-22-67 5-26-94

Sea-run cutthroat Black crappie Black crappie Sacramento perch Tiger trout Splake White crappie Green sunfish

6.00 4.5 4.0 0-11.2 18.49 10.78 4-12 .3125

Bud Johnson John Smart Billy Biggs Jonathan Cogley Kelly Flaherty* Brian Allison Jim Duckett Tom Fulton

Carr In. (WA) L. Washington (WA) Lost R. (OR) Lost R. (OR) Bonaparte L. (WA) Ririe Res. (ID) Gerber Res. (OR) Hauser L. (ID)

* Pictured nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 33

Chinook and coho are drawn to the rich feeding grounds off PaciďŹ c City. With Haystack Rock in the background, author Mark Veary shows off a nice king. (SHANNON ANDERSON)

34 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

COLUMN

THE BOUNTY OF PACIFIC CITY

THE KAYAK GUYS

5

a.m.: Approaching Pacific City from the north, you look down from McPhillips Drive at a waning swell. In the sweet light of dawn, the glassy ocean pulses in slow motion onto the beach below. The 15-minute drive from your campsite at Sand Lake hasn’t Kayak Guys

By Mark Veary given the fog of sleep time to dissipate and you smile to yourself at the seamless continuum of dream and reality.

If ever there was a Mecca for Northwest kayak fishermen and -women, it is this town behind a rock on Oregon’s northern coast.

While there are countless other places to launch an ocean salmon, crab, halibut or bottomfishing trip, none offer such direct access to sheltered conditions. Where else can you find a drive-up beach launch, complete with site-specific surf forecasts, and impressive list of retail amenities?

6 a.m.: As another wave of kayaks and dories pushes off the sand, you rinse fresh Chinook blood from your foot wells and drysuit. The flash and swing of your Coyote spoon fooled the gregarious predator on its hunt for sandlance. You could be back in your sleeping bag within an hour, but it’s an all-depths halibut day and, besides, you promised the family crab for dinner.

Pacific City has a long history of ocean fishing, dating back to the early 1900s when human-powered salmon fishing dories first took to the surf here. Much like today’s kayak anglers, those intrepid souls were drawn to the shelter of Cape Kiwanda and the bountiful ecosystem just a mile offshore.

7 a.m.: A quick sprint to the shelf jutting out from the east side of Chief Kiawanda Rock – also known as Haystack Rock – has yielded a medium-sized black rockfish, the victim of a Gulp!

Saltwater Grub. Chicken legs and old carks have nothing on a fresh rockfish or greenling when it comes to crab bait. South of the rock and halfway back to shore you assemble, bait and drop your trap. The location and sinking line are both chosen to keep your gear out of the paths of the transiting dory fleet.

The popularity of Pacific City as a beach launch, surfing destination and vacation getaway means that in order to find a space in the public parking lot, you’ll have to show up early. The preferred alternative is to park with the other launch vehicles in the dory zone. Just be sure to leave your vehicle well above the high tide line and post a prominent note in your windshield that designates your ride is an official ocean launch vehicle. Without that note, you’ll assuredly return to a parking ticket.

8 a.m.: On your way to the halibut beds, another mile and a half beyond the rock, you troll the same Coyote in hopes of picking up a hatchery coho to round out your salmon limit. To blunt the force of a coho’s high-speed attack on your speeding lure, you’ve inserted a snubber between your main swivel and leader. Time passes slowly as you head to the marks you’ve gleaned from Oregon State University’s online library of bathymetric maps.

To accommodate all of the weekending and vacationing out-of-towners, Pacific City offers several hotels and even more campgrounds within minutes of the cape. For those traveling in a group or with family, the area also boasts a seemingly endless list of beach house rentals.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 35

COLUMN 10 a.m.: Your third ½-mile-long drift for halibut is coming to an end with nothing more than a chunky yelloweye rockfish that took too much time and a heavy decender to return to the depths intact. A north wind is texturing the water, letting you know it’s time to head back to the shelter of rock. No time to troll for the coho you missed on the way out: You’ve been caught out here before when the afternoon west wind kicked up and you don’t want to repeat that lesson.

Forgot your dry gear? No problem. Hit up Seven Surfboards or Moment Surf Shop and rent a wetsuit.

Need a little more gear or bait to fill out your tackle box? Stop by one of the tackle shops in Woods or Cloverdale on your way to town.

Starving after a long day on the water? Stroll over to the walkup window at Ben and Jeff’s Burgers and Tacos. No need to even change out of your paddle gear.

12 p.m.: The wind hasn’t materialized, fortunately, so you kill an hour at your favorite ledges on the reef a quarter mile north of the rock. Rockfish, lingcod and cabezon keep your rod bent but you won’t be able to properly store fillets while camping, so you opt for catch and release. The one exception you’d make is for a rare and delicious vermilion rockfish.

1 p.m.: With two bags from The Ice House in your cooler, you pull in to Webb County Park to clean your catch. Good thing you’ve already rinsed your gear in the surfer’s shower on the backside of the Pelican Brewpub, ’cause the cleaning station is in high gear with a half-dozen kayak fishermen and dory operators ahead of

you. But that’s OK: The solidarity of a common pursuit makes for easy conversation.

Besides, unloading a kayak-caught, salt-fresh Chinook and a half-dozen Dungeness onto the cutting board is always more fun in a crowd. NS

A kayak sits on the sand ready for loading as the sun sets behind Haystack Rock, also known as Chief Kiawanda Rock, at Pacific City. (LAUREN SMITH) (Inset top) Along with Dungeness, greenling and more, tasty rockfish and lingcod also can be caught in these waters. (LAUREN SMITH) (Inset bottom) The same conditions that have made Pacific City famous for its sand-launched dory fleet – namely, the protection of Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock – also make it a great spot to put in a kayak. Here, onlookers in days gone by watch as a pair of dories row just offshore. (USED BY PERMISSION OF LORRAINE ECKHARDT) 36 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 37

38 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING

A quiver of heavy-duty saltwater rods await deployment as an Oregon Coast boat heads for the halibut grounds. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)

Rig Up For Oregon Halibut Season Now’s the time to prepare your gear and inspect the boat for Oregon’s flattie fishery – and maybe come up with a Plan B for if/when the ocean’s too rough.

By Andy Schneider

A

s the boat idles at a painfully slow pace through the nowake zone, other boaters can’t help themselves and start jumping up on plane a little early. As their wakes rock your vessel, it’s easy to relate to

the anxiety that comes with wanting to be one of the first anglers on the halibut grounds on opening day.

It’s not every year that good ocean conditions correspond with the start of Oregon’s flatsider fishery.

Finally, at the end of the waveless area, you push the throttle forward

and the boat jumps onto plane, almost like it too is anxious to get to the fishy banks and shelves.

Transitioning from bay to ocean, a band of foamy ripples slap the hull noisily, marking the demarcation between sheltered and open water.

After a couple missed jabs, your nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 39

FISHING fingers punch in the proper GPS coordinates for a halibut rendezvous.

It takes a little adjustment to the throttles to find the right speed for the long, lazy swells, but soon enough you are deep in conversation with the rest of the crew, debating the difference between K-Cup coffee and the brew from the local mocha shack. As the ETA on the chart plotter slowly counts down to less than 5 minutes out, the crew quiets as they spot a large mass of boats already on the halibut grounds. How did they all beat us here?!

Dropping off plane, you idle the boat into position, just upcurrent from your waypoint. You smile to yourself as you see the crew has rods in hand, their hooks baited and are only debating how much lead they’ll need to keep the gear on the bottom.

Halibut season isn’t so much about the fishing as much as it is about sharing adventures with friends.

OREGON’S SEASON ARRIVES with perfect timing. To some, it is only a precursor of pelagic adventures later in the year, but to most it is the start of our saltwater season. While many diehard anglers have already ventured west multiple times in 2016, most of us have spent the year so far chasing winter steelhead, spring Chinook, possibly sturgeon and maybe some trout and kokanee. Halibut gives us an excuse to spend time with our beloved boats and tackle. We make sure the motors have fresh oil, fuel filters have been changed and lower units lubed, electronics updated, safety equipment is all in place and current, and, of course, new leaders are tied and rigged and ample weight is safely stored aboard. Not unlike putt-putting through that nowake zone, a lot of the approach of halibut season is the slow prep work and multiple trips to sporting goods stores that need to be made before we blast offshore.

Fishing off the Oregon Coast can be very challenging. Not only 40 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Using a standard gaff and with a little encouragement from Oliver the Fishhound, author Andy Schneider brings a decent Oregon flatsider over the rail. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)

are the consistent fishing grounds a long way out, ocean conditions don’t always cooperate on the preset season dates. But no matter the challenges that our halibut present, many anglers still find a way to fill all six slots on their tag every year.

Unlike salmon, steelhead and trout gear, halibut tackle doesn’t vary too much. Most successful anglers choose some sort of leader, either

heavy monofilament or wire. Wire spreaders or weight on a slider both work, though the former is more prone to tangling with other gear and snagging on bottom. The most important item to have is weight.

Not having enough to keep your gear close to the boat and on bottom could lead to tangles with other boaters and losing lots of expensive braided line, tackle and lead.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 41

FISHING When fishing for halibut in deeper water, keeping your bait moving will help ensure you hook fewer nontarget species, which means your bait will last longer and you’ll need to do fewer time-consuming (and forearm-exercising) bait checks and drops. Purple- or black-label herring, sardines, small shad and squid are some of the favorite snacks of Oregon halibut, but no matter your choice, make sure to secure the meat to the hooks and leader with some stretchy thread.

Circle hooks are used pretty much exclusively for halibut by commercial fishermen for a reason: once hooked, the fish stays on until it’s unhooked. They work best when there is not a lot of drift moving the boat or current moving the bait. If you’re covering a lot of water, a circle hook may not be the best. Once you get a bite, the tough part is doing nothing till the fish hooks itself. It’s

42 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

a different than fishing with the “J” hooks salmon anglers are used to.

OREGON MAY NOT be known for putting out many barn doors, but they occasionally do surface. If there is one consistent way to catch larger halibut than the more common “chicken” size ones, it’s with larger bait. But that is a gamble that may never pay off. You could fish all day looking for a bigger fish, only to have the bite die, ocean conditions deteriorate or time simply run out. Big flatties can be found in just about every popular halibut locale, but finding them trip after trip is more luck than skill.

Still, if you hook one, get ready for a rodeo. When you set the hook home on a halibut, the fish’s agenda is not to be brought to the surface without a fight. It’ll be more like, 100 feet of line will instantly peel off your alreadytight drag and then immediately the line will go slack. You’ll crank like mad with your painfully low-gear-ratio reel

to try and catch up to the fish as it makes mad dashes back and forth on the bottom …

Indeed, the first few and last few minutes are the critical dealmakers between either landing a trophy halibut or talking about the one that got away. The first order of business is to get your fish up off the bottom.

A big halibut making runs across the bottom is more likely to pull the hook free as your weight or gear snags something on the seafloor. So tighten the drag a little more and bring that fish up at least 50 feet.

Once the initial panic of the fish subsides, put a steady grind on the reel, setting a pace that you will be able to keep up till the fish hits the surface. Remember, any time you rest, so does the fish – and it will often take the opportunity to make another run to the bottom.

Have your crew prep for the fish so that when color is spotted, the plan is executed quickly and safely.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 43

If ocean conditions are too rough for a run over the horizon, rockfish and lingcod – like this one caught by Angela McCaferty off of Three Arches out of Tillamook Bay – are available close to shore. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)

A large halibut should either be harpooned or flying-gaffed once it hits the surface. Aim dead center behind the head if harpooning, or if using the gaff, utilize the fish’s lower jaw for a pierce point. Once the halibut is tethered, expect some serious shaking and thrashing.

Secure your rig’s cannonball as quickly as possible so that nobody gets walloped by a swinging 4-pound lead. Once the thrashing subsides, subdue the halibut with some wellplaced smacks of the fish whacker.

Wait the fish out; until all the fight has left, there is no need to risk bodily or boat harm bringing a thrashing fish onboard.

Halibut can be found out of all of Oregon’s popular ports. Last year’s 44 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

catch stats weren’t available, but 2014’s showed Newport accounting for the lion’s share of spring and summer all-depth poundage, followed by Depoe Bay and Garibaldi (the latter had the highest nearshore catch), with Bandon, Pacific City, Florence, Winchester Bay and Charleston also yielding several thousand pounds each. Really, it’s simply a matter of heading to your favorite launching point and plugging in the hot spot: Astoria Canyon (Columbia River), Halibut Hill (Tillamook), The Banana (Depoe Bay), The Chicken Ranch and The Rock Pile (Yaquina Bay) and The Bandon High Spot (Charleston).

BUT NO MATTER how well planned

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 45

a halibut trip might be, Mother Nature may have other ideas. Sometimes ocean conditions, tides and a deteriorating forecast just won’t allow for a 30-mile run over the horizon. But pulling the plug on halibut doesn’t mean a fishing trip to the coast is over. Productive bottomfishing can be found within a short distance of any of the above ports. While there are depth restrictions in place for fishing in May, nearshore fisheries can be more productive now than at any other time of year. Lingcod are in postspawn and hungry, black and blue bass are tightly schooled and can be found in huge numbers, and spring salmon are peaking in Tillamook Bay and its tributaries.

With an outgoing tide for most of the morning on the first three days of this month’s initial Central Coast alldepths halibut opener (May 12-14), ocean conditions will have to be pretty accommodating to allow the Tillamook Bar (and other ports’ bars) to be unrestricted.

If a bar restriction is in place, a perfect place to wait out conditions is along the North Jetty. Dropping a herring to the bottom and holding against the tide has accounted for many spring Chinook here. Even if ocean conditions are marginal, this will give you a first-hand look at the ocean’s temperament. If conditions improve, you will be the first to see and be able to change tactics again.

(May 19-21, 26-28 and June 2-4 are the other all-depths openers, with four sets of back-up dates in June and July, if enough pounds remain in the quota.)

If the ocean moderates but not enough to make the long run to the halibut grounds, a trip south of Tillamook to the Three Arches can be very productive. The most challenging thing about bottomfishing is finding the fish. Heading to popular reefs will always put you close to where they can be found, but doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. Reefs, pinnacles, anchored buoys and jutting shore structure are good places to start, and most chart plotters on the market today have built-in mapping software that will help locate these structures.

As you locate promising structure on your plotter, double check that it falls inside of any fathom-line restrictions and outside of any marine protected areas and marine reserves (see oregonmarinereserves.com).

When navigating to the structure, approach from the down-current side and pay attention to your fish finder; you’re looking for schools of suspended fish. Watch for what depth they’re at so that when you drift over them, you can effectively target them. Black and China rockfish are notorious for suspending. Utilizing linecounter reels makes it easier to target them, but most bottomfishing gear should also show up on your fish finder, making it easy to adjust your depth. When targeting these suspended schools, make sure to pay close attention when dropping your gear. If you notice your reel isn’t spooling at the same rate or stops all together, set the hook!

Schools of rockfish often will move with the tides or 46 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 47

follow schools of bait; if the school of rockfish moves off the reef, make sure to follow them. And don’t get stuck thinking rockfish can only be caught over rocks.

One of the most effective rockfish baits is a 4-ounce chrome diamond jig. Add two shrimp flies above the jig and you will have no problem filling a limit. Utilizing 30-pound mono is the easiest and safest way to fish for rockfish. If your jig gets hung up, the line is easy to break but also durable enough to stand up to abrasions from rocks and fish. One way to ensure you don’t continue to snag and lose diamond jigs is to remove the treble hook on the bottom and replace it with a single “assist” hook at the top of the jig. While these hooks are more expensive, the savings in tackle will make up for it.

After spawning in shallower waters, lingcod will start to move deep again. As they make their way out, they are hungry and looking for any sort of groceries.

Bait often makes the best meal, and if you happen to catch a small kelp greenling, add a little more weight and send it back down. (Remember to count the greenling as one of your rockfish limit to stay legal.) A kelp greenling is pure candy for lings, and one can equal a limit of large lingcod.

A 4-ounce banana weight with a 36-inch leader with two 5/0 hooks is a good way to rig a greenling (or any other bait) for lings. Oftentimes the cod will not be hooked and will simply be latching onto the fish, so make sure to have the net handy for these hitchhikers.

WHETHER YOUR SIGHTS are set on heading over the horizon for halibut or ocean conditions keep you closer to shore and bottomfish or salmon, just getting out and experiencing the rugged beauty of the Oregon Coast is worth the adventure. As you send baits to the bottom, don’t forget to take a look around and remember that all your preparation has led to this successful outing. NS 48 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 49

50 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING Colorful and tasty lingcod are just one of many reasons to book a charter on Washington’s South Coast this season. Author Jason Brooks’ son Ryan poses with a blue-colored ling he caught aboard Westport’s Rampage. (JASON BROOKS)

Good Bottomfish Season Expected Skippers on Washington’s South Coast detail how to catch lings, rockfish.

By Jason Brooks

T

he 43-foot Ilwaco-based Katie Marie slowed down and everyone headed for the back deck. Capt. Rob Gudgell began to explain to us how to fish for lingcod.

Using heavier gear than what anglers would use for seabass on this trip, the idea was to drop a herring or anchovy down to the bottom and let the big, toothy predator grab hold.

Just above the bait was a shrimp fly, as it’s possible to hook more than

one lingcod on your line at the same time. Gudgell told me a story about how a father and son on the boat had hooked a 39-pound lingcod on the shrimp fly, a 12-pounder on the herring and a 52-pound fish that had grabbed hold of the 12-pounder! nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 51

FISHING With a helpful pointer from an attentive deckhand, Ryan fights a monster of the deep – or at least a feisty bottomfish – to the rail.

(JASON BROOKS)

“As long as you don’t break the surface with the fish, the piggybackers, as we like to call them, will hang on and we can get them in the net,” Gudgell said.

After filling the boat limit of lingcod, it was time to target seabass.

WHEN FISHING WITH the skipper at Pacific Salmon Charters (800-8312695) out of Ilwaco, or one of the other six sister vessels in the fleet, you’ll probably cross the Columbia River bar and head south. Once in the open Pacific, the boat heads for the fishing grounds off Oregon’s Cannon Beach. It takes around an hour and a half to get there, and since you left a port in Washington and are returning to the same port, your Washington fishing license is valid.

52 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

However, you will need to abide by Oregon rules, which means a sevenseabass, or -rockfish, limit, instead of the ten in Washington waters.

“Springtime is best for big fish, as they have moved towards the shallower water,” says Gudgell. “On the days when halibut is closed – Monday through Wednesday – we can keep any halibut caught in the shallow water as bycatch. We just can’t target them in the deeper water on those days.”

He also stresses that the lingcod are big this time of year, as the older spawning-class fish are active on the reefs near shore.

“A 10- or 12-pound fish is common for our lingcod and we usually limit the boat as well, so it’s a great family fishery for some good-

eating fish,” Gudgell says.

By shallow, the captain means fishing in 100 to 130 feet of water.

After limiting on lings, the boat then locates schools of rockfish.

“Some guys like to switch over to light and even ultralight tackle. You can use down to about 8-poundtest line and it makes for a very fun fishery,” Gudgell says.

Pacific Salmon Charters will bleed your catch and keep the carcasses on ice while at sea. At their dock, Gudgell and his deckhands use their fishcleaning station. The cleaning area has a freshwater washdown and they offer vacuum sealing and flash freezing, if needed, for the long ride home. This makes for much better eating than if the meat is washed with ocean water.

Once you get home, it is best to soak

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 53

FISHING your fish in freshwater to get any of the seawater out of the fillets. Either way, the bottomfish that you catch will be some of the best eating fish in your freezer.

OUT OF WESTPORT, you turn north – opposite of the routine at Ilwaco – and head towards the large underwater rock formation just off the southwest edge of Olympic National Park. I have fished these waters in years past and a few years ago I took my youngest son Ryan on the Rampage with Capt. Randy Ratliff (Westport Sport Fishing, 866-964-8862). It was a full day of catching fish, including a lot of decent-sized lingcod. Another local skipper is Larry Giese of Deep Sea Charters (800-562-0151), and with a multi-boat fleet, there is always room to jump aboard one of his ships for a day of great fishing.

Giese echoed Gudgell in saying that May is a great time of year to catch

54 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Shrimp flies are a favorite for rockfish and even lings, especially when tied with UV-enhanced chenille body material, but small swimbaits like this one are good alternatives that won’t have you reaching for a fresh ’chovy after every drop. (JASON BROOKS)

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 55

FISHING big lingcod. He likes to fish whole herring, as well as shrimp flies. The minimum size is 24 inches, but rarely do they keep the smaller fish as there is enough big fish to limit the boat, and indeed limits are the norm. You will catch black rockfish in a lot of the same places as lingcod too, and since these are Washington waters, your personal limit is 10 rockfish.

“It should be a pretty good year this year,” says Giese. “We watch the weather, as the fish seem to bite really well when we have a high pressure system.”

Keep one eye on the barometer and if the wave prediction and light winds coincide with high pressure, expect a great day of fishing. The other eye should watch the sonar; once you find rock structure, slow down a little bit and soon you will find stacks of seabass. The fishing gets downright crazy.

When Ryan and I fished with my

56 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Bar crossing is serious business. It is best to go out of Ilwaco and Westport on a charter, as the captains have years of experience and training. Rob Gudgell is a secondgeneration charter boat captain – he’s the son of Milt – and says that if you take your own boat, don’t try and cross the Columbia River bar during a minus or outgoing tide.

Instead, wait for the incoming or high tide.

His crew is very knowledgeable and knows the crossing routes.

“Usually we can cross the bar, but depending on the weather and tides, we

might cross it on the north side or the south side,” he says.

For the Westport bar, make sure to heed the Coast Guard warnings, as the station is right at the boat launch. Keep your UHF radio on and if you have never crossed there, it’s a good idea to follow the charter boats out of the harbor. One thing you really need to look out for, especially at Westport, is all the crab pots.

A bar crossing here is more than just ride a wave, as the myriad pots and buoy lines can foul your prop, and depending on the tides, it can turn your boat around, causing a life-threatening emergency. –JB

friend Chad Hurst and his daughter Marissa, the fishing was so fast and furious that I switched over from live anchovies to swimbaits from Density Tackle. A 2-ounce lead jig with the perch-colored swimbait threaded on accounted for several fish in just minutes, as we didn’t need to take the time to rebait. The night before I had also tied up some shrimp flies

on 4/0 plastic worm hooks weighted with lead on the shank of the hook, making them sink well when paired with a 5-ounce mooching weight.

The key to my homemade shrimp flies was using UV-enhanced chenille body material and a Hevi-Bead for the head. Not only did the UV shrimp fly catch a lot of rockfish, but it also accounted for the first lingcod of the

BEWARE THE BAR

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 57

FISHING trip when Ryan dropped it down below the school of seabass and came up with a 9-pounder.

Giese also encourages the use of lightweight tackle for the seabass, as it turns a “meat fishery” into “a really fun” one. This trip is popular for firsttime ocean anglers and families, as there is a lot of action. Plus you get to take home a lot of fish to cook up.

Giese likes to target the rockfish first and once the boat limits, they change out to heavier gear and head to known lingcod grounds to finish the day’s fishing. The lings vary in size and color, with a blue making for a social moment on the boat as everyone wants to see these uniquely colored fish.

Whether you’re headed for Ilwaco or Westport, remember to take a large cooler, as bottomfishing can be really productive. For full listings of the charter operations at both ports, including the newer express-style boats at Westport, go

58 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

to ilwacofishingcharters.com charterwestport.com.

and

IF TAKING YOUR own boat, watch the tides and weather. For those with smaller craft, some great fishing can be had right along the jetty on the south side of the mouth of Grays Harbor, on the outskirts of Westport.

Make sure you leave the motor running so you can maneuver away from the rocks. The end of the jetty is the most dangerous area – the rock wall extends out further than what most people think and sometimes is just inches below the surface but impossible to see due to the wave action. It can take the lower unit of your motor out in a hurry and leave you stranded on the rocks or, worse, sink your boat. But there are big lings that live along the jetty, as well as a fair amount of rockfish.

If you decide to fish the jetty, stop off at a bait shop and get some live herring or anchovies. Use a

mooching set-up but don’t let it all the way to the bottom, as you will lose your gear to the rocks. Instead, pull the line out, counting the amount, and stop a few feet from the bottom. Just let the bait swim around and it will get eaten. This is a very fun way to fish.

Also while in Westport you can throw a crab ring off of one of the many docks and get a Dungeness to add to your fish-and-chips dinner.

SHOULD YOU FIND yourself wondering what to do this May, take advantage of the great bottomfishing Washington’s South Coast has to offer. Load up the car with a cooler and a few friends or the kids and head to the beaches. Make sure to call the charters and make reservations so you know you have your spot already upon getting to the marina.

Once back home, get the deep fryer ready for some of the best-tasting fish in the Pacific Northwest. NS

Luxury Luxury && Relaxation...Alaska Relaxation...Alaska Style!

Style!

2015 was over the top with our best year ever! Great guests, JUHDW À VKLQJ DQG DQ awesome staff. Come À QG RXW ZK\ LW JHWV better every year!

Call Now For A Spot For Next Season.

It’s Filling Rapidly.

907.755.2930 ZZZ À UHZHHGORGJH FRP LQ .ODZRFN RQ $ODVNDҋV 3ULQFH RI :DOHV ,VODQG

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 59

60 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

COLUMN

Get your sea legs under you – it’s halibut season! A Washington angler hefts a nice flattie. (TERRY WIEST)

M

igrating down from Alaska, halibut are one of the most prized fish in our ocean. May is the perfect time WIESTSIDER to fish for these flatBy Terry Wiest bottomed creatures and by coincidence happens to be when our halibut season is. OK, maybe not a coincidence, but rather when fishery managers know they’re off our coast.

Many halibut in the 100-pound range will be caught, even a few up around 200, though Washington’s state-record 288-pounder will probably keep its spot in the books. Most of the flatsiders you’ll hook off the coast will be in the 20- to

Halibut 101

25-pound range (last year’s average was a bit shy of 18 pounds). When we go out, we try and keep those fish that are over 30 pounds.

Once we find the halibut, fishing can be very good, allowing us to catch and release fish that are undersized (there is no minimum) in order to get the most for our trip dollars. As a general rule, if you’re on small fish, you’ll continue to get small fish, as they tend to school together with those of the same size. In order to find larger fish you may have to move. When I’m traveling 30plus miles out of Westport, La Push, Ilwaco or Neah Bay, I don’t like to settle for the first fish I catch, and I certainly don’t want a teener fish (although they taste excellent).

I always plan on spending a whole day on the water, catching and releasing flatties

and enjoying my time at sea.

THOSE OF YOU who have already fished for halibut off Washington know where to head. Halibut spots rarely change, so where you find them one season, they’ll likely be there in the following years. That is, of course, assuming you marked those spots on your GPS! But if you’ve never fished for halibut, how do you find them? Here are several ideas: You can follow your buddies out; You can follow the fleet out; Do your homework and look at graphs and charts. Look for water in the 400- to 800-foot-deep range. Although there are plenty of fish caught in depths 200 feet and shallower, the migration puts the fish in these deeper waters during our brief nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 61

COLUMN May season; see wdfw.wa.gov for dates.

Most halibut grounds consist of smaller gravel, rock and even sand. This type of bottom plays to our advantage, as “bouncing” your weight on the bottom will attract the fish by way of sound vibrations. This is also one of the most important aspects when halibut fishing: Bouncing your lead will not only attract the fish, it will also let you know you’re still on the bottom, where the fish are.

What you really need to look for is a “halibut hump” consisting of a large dropoff, with a shelf or shelves somewhere before it reaches the bottom. This is where the halibut will be, just waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting baitfish brought their way by the current. If you can drop your bait over these shelves, your chances of hooking up are significantly better than just dragging the bottom.

TO GEAR UP, a shorter rod will give you the leverage needed for bringing these larger fish to the surface. A 5½-foot,

super-stiff rod rated to 200 pounds is what you’re looking for. Couple that with a large capacity reel with strong gears and a strong drag system. Two I use are the Shimano Tekota 700 for its power and ultra-smooth drag, and the Penn Senator 114H for even deeper water, which can be supplemented by a heavy-duty cranking handle that is extremely beneficial on those long hauls back up to the boat. I spool up my halibut reels with 65-, 80or 100-pound braided line, depending on the situation. This season, the new Maxcuatro line from PowerPro is going on my reels. Twenty-five percent thinner than regular PowerPro, it will cut down resistance and get my gear to the bottom quicker. It also means more line on my reel should I break off.

As you can imagine, fishing depths of 400 to 800 feet means you’re going to have to use a little weight to get down to the bottom. You want enough to hit bottom with your line going straight down. If your line “wanders” out, put more weight on. Three to 5 pounds is in the

Ellensburg, Washington

Serving You Since 1975

Inland Boats & Motors GET READY FOR FISHING SEASON! Come Check Out a Raider, Alumacraft or Weeres Boat Package Today!

Great selection of Raider Boats in stock

GREAT DEALS NOW! 111 N. Kittitas St.

509-925-1758

www.inland-boats.com Hours: M-F 9-5:30pm • Sat 9-2pm

Indoor Showroom & Complete Service, Storage & Repair Facility

62 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

general ballpark.

I like to use Gamakatsu Big River 10/0 hooks. The strength, sharpness and sicklelike shape of these hooks are the best I’ve ever used. Another exceptional hook is the Owner SSW Cutting Point octopus in 10/0.

With either hook, use 270-pound tuna cord or 100-pound mono for leader. The use of a spreader bar is preferred by some with a short 12-inch leader on the hook side.

As for what you put on those hooks, when it comes to halibut, think bait.

Meaty offerings are responsible for most of the halibut hauled up by sport anglers.

Whole herring (black label) and salmon bellies are the most popular. But this isn’t Chinook fishing – you don’t want the herring to spin, as it will just cause tangles.

You do want to make sure the bait is hooked on there good so the halibut can munch on it without it coming off. The use of a hoochie or skirt over the herring is a great aid as an attractant.

Artificial lures can also be extremely effective for halibut. One of the most popular lures is the plain ol’ pipe jig – literally, a piece of copper pipe filled with lead, a huge swivel and hooks attached (see Rig of the Month on the following pages for its construction). You jig the pipe.

Whatever’s at the end of your line, let it out in free spool, making sure that when you hit bottom you stop the spool so you don’t create a bird’s nest. Once on bottom, engage the reel and crank four or five times so your weight is not lying on the seafloor. Using either the action of the swells or creating your own up-and-down motion if it’s calm, you’ll want the lead to occasionally thump the bottom. Sound is a great attractant for halibut. If you don’t feel bottom every so often, let out more line. You want to be consistently just off bottom with the occasional thump.

Make sure the halibut has your bait solidly and that you can feel the fish before you set the hook. When you do set it, bring home the winner! NS Editor’s note: Terry J. Wiest is the author of Steelhead University: Your Guide to Salmon & Steelhead Success and Float-Fishing for Salmon & Steelhead, and is the owner of Steelhead University, SteelheadU.com.

LLC

Winner of Suzuki’s Top Service Award 7 Years In A Row!

Sales & Services On The Water 8141 Walnut Road NE • Olympia, WA 98516

360-491-7388 pugetmarina.com nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 63

64 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

RIG MONTH

SPONSORED BY:

OF THE

CINCH TO MAKE LEAD COPPERPIPE JIGS Story and images by Capt. Dave Anderson

M

aking copper pipe jigs for deepwater halibut and lingcod fishing is quite the process, as there are several steps involved: 1) purchasing/rounding up the lead for the needed weight so the lure reaches bottom; 2) gathering the materials you’ll build the jig with and attaching the first parts; 3) pouring the hot lead; and 4) turning the now-lead-filled pipes into fish-catchers.

1

THE FIRST STEP, gathering lead, can be done several different ways. You can find people on Craiglist who may be selling it. You can also get lead from tire weights, or buy it from a friend of a friend. You also may be able to purchase some online. I have always been lucky enough to either find some on Craigslist or buy it from friends.

3

I CUT THE pipe into 12-inch lengths and the cable into 8-inch sections. I fray the cable’s ends apart and put the line through a 500-pound-rated swivel. Then I string both ends of the cable into the pipe with the swivel hanging out the top.

Next, I place a ¾-inch cap on the pipe.

2 YOU’LL THEN NEED to gather the rest of the materials. On the shopping list: lengths of ¾-inch copper pipe, 12/0 Mustad trebles, large cotter pins and O-rings, 500-poundrated swivels and 3/8-inch stainless cable.

NEXT IS MELTING and pouring the lead, which takes the bulk of the time. Safety is crucial during this step.

Lead melting pots work well; another option is a turkey fryer burner with a cast iron pot. I always wear safety glasses, mask, long pants and gloves working with lead. When you melt down tire weights or dirty lead, stand well clear of the pot. During the initial stages of melting, you will get a lot of splatter – lead in hot liquid form won’t feel good on your skin. Pouring lead into the capped copper pipe should be done in a well-ventilated area or outside. Pour the lead directly into the top of the pipe. Once the pipe is filled, place it into a bucket of sand to cool.

4

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 65

SPONSORED BY:

RIG MONTH OF THE

6

THE NEXT STEP, which I usually do the day after pouring, involves using a drill press to drill holes in the lead-filled pipes, either through the center or slightly higher. A cotter pin with a 500-pound swivel attached to it goes through this hole. I press it through and cut off the end so there’s about a ½ inch left. Next, I separate the cotter pin and use a hammer to fold over each side of the pin.

5

AT THIS POINT, the pipe jigs just need a stainless O-ring and a treble. I recommend not using stainless hooks. If they snag bottom, there is no bending them to break them free. I use a 12/0 Mustad for my ¾-inch pipe jigs.

For my smaller pipe jigs, I use the same process, except slightly different materials.

I use 8x½-inch pipe or 12x½-inch pipe, smaller stainless cable and 250-pound swivels versus the 500-pound models.

MASTER MARINE SERVICES 360.336.2176

2016 1750 Rebel XS Sport Lund, Mercury 90 ELPT, & Galv. Shoreland’r Trailer Includes: Live-well, complete canvas package package, navagation lights, 3 pedestal seats & blige pump

CALL US FOR SPECIAL PRICE 333 E. Blackburn Rd. Suite C • Mt. Vernon, WA

(1-5 Exit 225)

www.mastermarine.com

66 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 67

2016 LUND 1800 SPORT ANGLER

DUCKWORTH BOATS

With a Mercury 90hp 4-stroke motor.

Quality all-welded boats ranging from 18’-30’.

Starting at $32,995

Starting at $29,995

2016 FISH-RITE

2016 WELDCRAFT 220 MAVERIC DV-YAMAHA

17 Fish Master-Mercury 40hp Outboard Jet Motor, Swivel Seat, Light Kit and a Galvanized Trailer. Contact Dealership for Price and Inventory

GREAT SELECTION OF LOWE JON BOATS IN-STOCK!

With 250 SHO motor, semi-hardtop, custom paint, washdown, fisherman’s interior, kicker pre-rig, Gateway trailer and much more. Contact Dealership for pricing and financing options

USED BOATS Over 20 Used Boats In Stock!

We have 9 jon boats in stock ranging from 12’ tiller to 20’ center consoles. Contact Dealership for inventory and pricing.

** Financing available as low as 3.99%O.A.C. **

68 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

COLUMN

The Sea-runs Of Deep South Sound

Matt Clabaugh casts for sea-run cutthroat at high tide in one of southern Puget Sound’s many finger inlets.

(JASON BROOKS)

S

outh Sound anglers have had a discouraging few years, what with dismal coho returns and now a low forecast for this summer and fall. Resident coho provide a late spring and early summer fishery for those who like to pursue fish from SOUTH SOUND our rocky beaches and shorelines before the migrating adult fish move in later in the year.

By Jason Brooks But with numbers of coho on the decrease, luckily there is another anadromous fish that is plentiful and easy to catch in the saltwaters of southern Puget Sound and Hood Canal: sea-run cutthroat trout.

Found off just about every beach, bay, grassy flat and estuary, sea-run “cutties” are a lot of fun on light-action rods and a true blessing for fly anglers. Sure, it’s a catch-and-release fishery in the salt, but it is a very productive one that can make for a fun morning of catching.

I WAS INTRODUCED to saltwater SRC fishing a few years ago. It was Memorial Day Weekend and my friend Matt Clabaugh took me to a local beach in Mason County. It’s owned by a private timber

company that allows public access, and some of its employees were camping along the shores. We quietly walked around the tents and as I neared the water I spied a trout feeding on snails in less than 4 inches of water. Its tail stuck out of the salt as it fed along the bottom, then darted to deeper waters as my shadow warmed of my presence.

Our morning consisted of graceful casts with weight-forward floating lines tipped with a chum fry pattern Matt had tied up on size 8 stainless hooks (barbless, of course). Our four-weight fly rods arched with each hook set as the trout fed aggressively in the early hours. It was high tide and the chum fry were doing their best to hide in the eelgrass. We waded out to our knees to keep our backcasts from hitting the sleeping party-goers’ tents; otherwise, we stood on shore as the trout fed in the shallow flats.

During our hour of fishing we hooked around 20 fish apiece, but only landed about half of them due to the barbless hooks.

May is a great time to target sea-run cutthroat, though they are mostly thought of as a March and April target. I believe that’s because at other times of the year there are other fisheries to spend our time on. In reality, the only anadromous species among the 13 kinds of cutthroat found in the United States, according to

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 69

COLUMN the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, SRCs live in a relatively small area close to their natal streams and rivers. This means that you can target them just about any month of the year. The fish do enter freshwater to spawn from early fall through late spring, but not all fish spawn each year, and those that do rarely stay in the rivers for any length of time. Instead, they head to the saltwater and its richer feeding grounds to forage on various insects, shrimp and small fish. In May, the chum fry have flushed out of the rivers and are in estuary waters. The trout gorge on the small fry and are often seen chasing after them, much like how a Chinook goes after a school of herring but on a miniature scale. These are not big fish, by any means, as most run 6 to 18 inches, but the state

SRCs, as they’re also known, typically range from 6 to 18 inches, but the state record, caught 73 Mays ago, went 6 pounds and was caught in Carr Inlet, west of the Tacoma Narrows. (JASON BROOKS)

70 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

record is a 6-pounder that was caught in Pierce County’s Carr Inlet back when it was legal to retain them in the salt. That fish was landed on May 1, 1943, by Bud Johnson.

CHUM FRY PATTERNS, sculpins and Muddler Minnows in sizes 6 through 10 are tough to beat. But earlier this year I stopped by Puget Sound Fly Company (253-472-2420) in Tacoma and talked to the owner, Anil Srivastava.

It was a quick conversation: “Anil, I’m looking for patterns to catch sea-run cutties.” His reply followed a short walk over to the display case: “Here, Clouser Minnows; try this one in a tube fly version, and this other chartreuse one – it’s our most popular. I’ll pinch the barbs for ya.”

Just like that I had two of his best flies, a chartreuse standard Clouser in size 6 and a tube fly, also in size 6. He not only pinched the barbs for me but assembled the tube fly as well.

Srivastava is just as helpful when it comes to where to go; while I already had my secret beach, he will point you in the right direction, or you could just head to any of the many public beaches in southern Puget Sound. Many are on city, county and state parks.

One of my favorite but better known places is Penrose State Park, just outside of Gig Harbor near Lakebay. This 165-acre park offers beach access and tide flats with 2 miles of beachfront.

Another park in the area is Kopachuck with 5,600 feet of shoreline.

Both parks fish well from the beach or from a float tube or small

DESIGNED OTALLY RE SEE THE T DE G2’S AT THESE EVINRU EALERS PREMIER D

OREGON

KLAMATH FALLS

Pelican Marina 541-882-5834 www.pelicanmarinaoregon.com

WASHINGTON CASHMERE

Lyle’s Boats & Motors Inc. 509-782-1844 EDMONDS

Jacobsen’s Marine 206-789-7474 www.jacobsensmarine.com EVERETT

Bayside Marine & Outboard 425-252-3088 www.baysidemarine.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 71

COLUMN watercraft. For anglers who want room to roam and a great fishery, try the Tacoma Narrows area on the Gig Harbor side of the bridges. Currents can be swift here during the tidal change, but this flushes food into the kelp beds.

Once the tide is slack you will see cutthroat jumping and chasing forage fish.

Saltwater and Dash Point State Parks offer viable cutthroat fisheries closer to the South Sound’s metropolitan areas for city dwellers seeking a quick getaway to do a little fishing for a few hours. But just about any park with a shoreline can be good for sea-runs, though if you can locate ones with a small creek or near an estuary, you are likely to catch more fish.

In addition to chum fry patterns, sculpins and Muddler Minnows in sizes 6 through 10, chartreuse or tube-y versions of Clouser Minnows, both in size 6, work well for cutties. (JASON BROOKS)

DON’T FLY FISH? Casting spinners like Yakima Bait Rooster Tails and small spoons like Dick Nites is very productive. Make sure to switch out any trebles with single siwash barbless hooks.

Trolling in small boats can be a lot of fun as well. Stay just outside of the kelp beds and troll along at a slow speed. If you are out in a rowboat, you will do well with just a few pulls of the oars.

For bank-bound anglers, a long, light-action “noodle� rod makes it easier to cast the lightweight lures the distance you might need to get to the edge of the kelp beds. If you find a large flat with eelgrass, then cast out and reel fast enough to stay above the grass.

As this summer starts to heat up and if the coho don’t show, keep an open mind and target the sea-run cutthroats of southern Puget Sound and the canal. On light tackle they are a lot of fun to catch, and if you time it right, there is plenty of action. Since most of the areas are fairly populated, you won’t be alone but you will enjoy some good fishing. NS

THE BEST KEPT SECRET ON THE WEST COAST TOLL-FREE: 1.800.992.3252 | PHONE 250.934.7672 www.westviewmarina.com

Nestled in the heart of Esperanza Inlet and Nootka Sound!

West Coast of Vancouver Island, BC All-Inclusive Guided Fishing Packages • Moorage, lodging, Marine services & boat storage • Full facilities including the Grillhouse Restaurant, Patio Pub, Free Wi-Fi, Island Attitude CafÊ, Rental Fishing Boats, full-time marine mechanics, laundry, showers, diesel, gas, bait & ice • Booking service for Tahsis Accommodation, ÀVKLQJ FKDUWHUV HFR WRXUV PRUH

The Best Bring Your Own Boat Marina/Lodge in BC

“MAY SPECIALâ€? All-Inclusive Salmon Fishing #32m. 3 night lodging, 2 full days of guidHG ÂżVKLQJ DOO PHDOV )RU D SDUW\ RI HD 86' SHUVRQ OLPLW WLPH RIIHU 72 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 73

Best of BC Lodges, Charters and Guides, Destination B.C

FLYFISHING • SPINFISHING • OCEAN FISHING LODGING • WILDERNESS CAMPS

Book now, your adventure awaits! wpschmidt@xplornet.com • 250-615-6954

YOUR DOLLAR GOES FURTHER IN CANADA! ALL-INCLUSIVE SPORTFISHING PACKAGES FROM JUST $2,550 USD!

INCLUDES: Airfare from Vancouver, BC, semi-guided Salmon DQG +DOLEXW ¿ VKLQJ DOO PHDOV ZLWK ZLQH DW GLQQHU

DFFRPPRGDWLRQV DQG SURFHVVLQJ RI \RXU FDWFK

Book your Canadian adventure today!

1-800-663-2370 www.shearwater.ca

Exchange Rate 0.78 US*

6$/021 +$/,%87 $1' %27720 ),6+,1* $// :,7+,1 0,187(6 • West coast of Vancouver island ‡ 'ULYH LQ DQG à \ LQ WULSV DYDLODEOH ‡ $OO LQFOXVLYH À VKLQJ SDFNDJHV XS WR JXHVWV

‡ 5XJJHG3RLQW/RGJH FRP ‡ LQIR#UXJJHGSRLQWORGJH FRP

*Subject to change

76 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

COLUMN

Low Down Mountain Troutin’

Fragrance Lake is one of seven fishable lower-elevation backcountry waters on the ChuckanutBlanchard Mountain complex between Bellingham and Burlington. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

H

ot off April’s opening day, get further from

By Doug Huddle May’s madding crowds by hitting the out-of-the-way foothills ponds and lakes found on private, state and federal timberlands.

This month’s focus is the grouping of seven upland lakes in the ChuckanutBlanchard Mountain complex west of Interstate 5 in southwest Whatcom and northwest Skagit Counties. While just outside Bellingham’s and Mount Vernon’s back door geographically, this collection of rural upland waters, located on privateand state-owned forest and recreation lands, have the “feel” of their much more remote cousins farther out and higher up in the mountains.

Hatchery-bred indigenous trout species and stocks (resident coastal cutthroat or Ross Lake rainbow) support and in some cases sustain fishing in them, but good angling fortune is not an absolute in these waters. Occasional frustration is a thread that always weaves

NORTH SOUND

itself throughout the fabric of these angling experiences. On one trip you may not be able to catch a fish to save your life, but on the next you might have to keep the trout off with a stick. A lack of catchable-sized trout on any given day might be the result of earlier anglers beating you to the cast. But it’s just as likely a fishless day is the result of some unrevealed or undiscovered quirk in fish behavior, water or maybe just the color of your lure that’s the absent value you need to solve the angling equation of the day.

A lot of fishers can’t bring themselves to believe they haven’t got a good bead on their quarry and a mystical understanding of their target waters. At one of these lakes, which shall remain nameless, I remember long ago flogging the water for four hours with the full breadth of spinners and spoons from every pocket of my overloaded vest. I’d worked the graveyard shift, then walked in about 3 miles and up 1,800 feet of elevation as a change of pace from fishing the river.

Battling a welling urge to leave and while sitting on the end of an increasingly tippy

dead tree jutting out from shore, as a last resort I decided to tie up a single egg hook and bobber to soak a Pautzke’s Ball of Fire.

It seemed a shame having had the lake and its setting all to myself not to bag at least one fish by my admittedly vaunted young angling prowess. Not much had changed the whole day – the sky remained cloudy, it hadn’t warmed much and nary an insect was emerging as the afternoon wore on. Within an hour of the first bait cast, however, I had a limit of trout (at that time eight fish), including a nearly 4-pound lunker cutthroat that tried to roll me off the log I was balancing on.

That was back in the days when a maximum weight limit also accompanied the total number of fish you could legally keep. Even though it happened more than 40 years ago, the exhilarating experience is still fairly etched in my memory. The difference between an empty creel and a lifetime remembrance was merely a hunch, or more like a wish.

One thing I wouldn’t have minded doing, even as close to home as I was, would have been to camp overnight.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2015

Northwest Sportsman 77

COLUMN FRAGRANCE LAKE The more-often visited

Ross Lake rainbows, like this one, and coastal cutthroat are stocked as fry or fingerlings in the lakes. “With consideration from anglers, these lakes can grow and maintain some nice fish,” says author Doug Huddle. (DOUG HUDDLE) If you come to sample these waters, Larrabee State Park makes a good base.

For the price of the overnight camping fee, running time to even the furthest trailhead is less than half an hour.

To help reach them, there are a host of map products for sale at REI or Village Books in Bellingham or available on the web. A good online iteration is DNR’s Blanchard Forest and Chuckanut Mountain map, available as a PDF via the “Maps” tab at dnr.wa.gov.

An ultralight inflatable raft or an equally economic (simple) “belly” or small float tube are essentials for several of these lakes, but first three notes of caution: One, the lay of the land in the Chuckanuts is not conducive to easy or safe cross-country travel – unless you are the likes of Bear Grylls. Sticking to existing roads and trails is the best and safest way for weekend fishing and hiking adventurers to matriculate (thank you, Hank Stram) through this woodland country.

Two, be sure to secure valuables in your vehicle out of sight, in the trunk or in a concealed, bolted-down lockbox when parking at trailheads. Basic camping gear (tents, cookware, etc) is usually OK left in plain view in the campground.

Three, there are many beaver ponds in the myriad steep drainages in this locale that are not stocked with trout, and even if they have trout in them, under the current state regulations, the ones in the greater Oyster and Colony Creek basins are not open to fishing.

78 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

of Larrabee’s freshwater venues, this 6-acre lake at just 1,000 feet above saltwater can legally and practically be fished yearround. It now gets coastal cutthroat as fry or fingerlings each year to replenish and maintain a reliable year-to-year rate of catch. Fish it spring or fall when the lake is cooler and avoid midsummer’s hot water.

Most hook-ups come on small spinning lures or spoons.

Location: On the west slope of Chuckanut Mountain at midelevation, 6 miles due south of Bellingham.

Amenities: A well-kept nearshore trail rings the lake, providing access to four or five dry-foot spots for plunk or bobber presentations. Two shore-sits have space enough for backcasts.

Getting there: Several approaches offer hike-up or walk-down walks to the lake, depending on which state park road you go in on. The Hiline/Cleator Road route off Chuckanut Drive at milepost 16 (about 5 road miles south of I-5 in Bellingham) enables you to drive to a jumping-off point above the lake for a hike down the former road. The second approach has an A or B option – park at the old trailhead right on Chuckanut Drive near the entry to the park campground and hoof the trail, or use the headquarter’s off-road lot and walk up the service road, which does not get traffic.

LOST LAKE The largest of Larrabee’s stillwaters, its remoteness plus its trouts’ reputation for being aloof lend a sense of appropriateness to the lake’s official moniker. It too is amply stocked with hatchery-produced coastal cutthroat every year or two. As with Fragrance, it is best fished in the spring and fall. It’s suspected to be somewhere around 30 to 40 feet deep toward the geophysical center of its 12-acre surface area, which means it likely stratifies temperaturewise during summer’s high heat, so its trout go deep looking for cold submarine seep springs. In keeping with this, tactics that get baits or lures to those depths are much more likely to entice trout.

Location: On the east slope of Chuckanut Mountain near the park’s east boundary.

Amenities: Unfortunately, the planned

backpack campsite at Lost has not been completed, nor is it allowable yet under park rules to stay overnight there. Due to the walking distance, fishing Lost is an extended daytrip and its environs further limit effective fishing time. Though Lost is seven times longer that it is wide, its shores are either thickly forested or steeply inclined bedrock with only a few casting stands.

Getting there: As with Fragrance, Lost’s visitors can select from two basic routes in and out. One combines coming up the Fragrance Lake service road from the headquarters lot and the namesake destination foot path, the Lost Lake Trail, about 4.5 miles distance. The second comes down from the Cyrus Gates Overlook at the end of Cleator Road via the steep Rock Trail to link with the Lost Lake Trail.

MUD LAKE One of the long, shallow, inevitably beaver-enhanced natural water bodies in the Chuckanuts, Mud grows some stout trout in its 4.5-acre confines. In recent year’s both Ross Lake rainbow and coastal cutthroat fry or fingerlings have been put in at rates that enable them in the span of three years to attain 14-inch stature.

The landlord, Bloedel Timberlands, the private corporation that owns the area’s forest lands and logging roads, is one of the few Western Washington timber companies that sanctions the stocking of fish in any waters within its holdings.

By company rule, its roads are closed to motor vehicles, but people may enter for the day on foot, mountain bike or horse.

Camping and fires are not allowed.

Location: In Friday Creek’s headwaters, about an air mile west of Lake Samish in the eastern crook of Chuckanut Mountain.

Amenities: A strategically downed giant cedar tree jutting out from the west shore helps dry-foot anglers get to upper Mud’s open surface. There’s also a fiberglass Hi Laker dinghy there that, when not full of rainwater, will float sufficiently.

Getting there: A combo of mainline/ spur logging roads kept up by Bloedel goes right to the lake’s western shore, but the rub is too many visitors violate the ban on motor vehicle trespass. The mainline for walking or peddle-biking takes off from Roy Road at Lake Samish,

Best of BC Lodges, Charters and Guides, Destination B.C. • Exchange Rate 0.78 US*

KYUQUOT SOUND VANCOUVER ISLAND

“The Wild West Coast” Action packed & Value priced.

250.723.8022 www.murphysportfishing.com

Help Us Celebrate Our 32nd Season in Hakai Pass, BC! JOE’S “CENTRAL COAST FISHING ADVENTURES” INCLUDE: • Round-trip airfare fromVancouver, BC • Unlimited use of 17-foot BostonWhalers and unlimited fishing time • Delicious home cooked meals • Box lunches, beverages and bait • A beautiful lounge and sun deck • Heavy-dutyWetskin raingear and boots

CALL TOLL FREE

• Complete fish care: filleted, vacuumsealed, flash frozen and boxed to be flown back with you • Rods and reels all in A-1 condition • Complete boat care: boated are cleaned and fueled every time you come in • Bait and tackle for both salmon and bottom fishing

g!

70 pound sprin

1-888-452-8822

email: doug@joessalmonlodge.com

*Subject to change

COLUMN STATEWIDE TROUT DERBY ON NOW just south of the lake bridge where the gated pipeline access takes off.

CEDAR

& PINE LAKES Well-visited throughout the year, these mountaintop lakes within a stone’s throw of city lights are popular deep-forest destinations for local hikers, as well as anglers.

The Department of Fish & Wildlife owns the timbered parcels surrounding these public waters, while the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department is your host for parking and the strenuous hike to the summit. The trail up from Old Samish Road is in places astride a former logging road. It’s steep, but negotiable by bike or horseback.

Both lakes are stocked interannually with 700 to 800 coastal cutt fry, often packed in by the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington’s Whatcom Chapter.

Location: Atop north Chuckanut Mountain, several miles as the crow flies from downtown Bellingham.

Amenities: Developed campsites (fire pits and pads) and standing permission for overnight stays allow anglers to enjoy these upland forest waters on a multi-day trip. Both lakes are bounded by dense undergrowth and slowly emerging second growth. Nestled in individual pockets of terrain, each is concentrically ringed by a rough path in the dry and a narrow emergent zone of marsh-acclimated vegetation through which anglers have poked warrens to get to the edge of open water. Knee-high boots or a pair of watertolerant sneakers are advisable.

Getting there: The front-door entry to the Cedar-Pine duo goes up from Old Samish Road between Chuckanut Drive and the North Lake Samish interchange of I-5. There’s a side-door entry off the end of one of the spurs of Bloedel Timberlands’ Mud/Oyster Creek system, but you need to know the lay of the woods well or have a kinship with forest gnomes to find it.

LIZARD & LILYPAD LAKES In their history, these two Blanchard Mountain-summit lakes were the domain of loggers and thus accessible by latter-day timber-haul roads or routes of even earlier logging technology, the incline skid/haul roads – 80 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

It’s been a little more than seven fishing WDFW’s 700 derby-winning trout days since the 2016 trout opener, but it’s have orange spaghetti tags with likely some of the Department of Fish special numbers that correspond and Wildlife’s statewide derby-prize- to prizes available at sporting goods outlets. (WDFW) winning fish still haven’t succumbed to the temptation of angler offerings.

The 19-week, agency-organized contest has more than 700 prizes to give away. Nine of the 105 lakes across Washington that have these specially marked rainbows are in the lowlands from Everett to the Canadian border.

In Whatcom County, Cain, Padden and Silver received a smattering of spaghettitagged fish, while Skagit County’s McMurray, Sixteen and Heart got them, as did Ki, Riley and Bosworth north and northeast of Everett in Snohomish County.

To claim the associated prize, anglers lucky enough to land a tag-bearing trout must call in the catch’s number found in the tag. For more info, see wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/derby. –DH the Northwest’s version of the European funicular or cliff railway.

Thanks to our societal move toward recreation, though Blanchard is still under state forest board management, it’s less a working forest now and more an outdoors mecca for hikers, view-seekers, mountain bikers, horse riders and a few anglers.

It has an extensive, well-maintained path network and developed camp sites at each lake, making them destinations for daytrippers or through-hikers on the Pacific Northwest Trail.

Location: Atop Blanchard Mountain between I-5 and Samish Bay in northwest Skagit County.

Amenities: Both lakes are of undetermined depth, but based on the extensive emergent or “lilypad” zone are likely quite shallow. At a higher elevation and away from the tempering marine influence they might ice over thoroughly enough in the winter to be inhospitable to trout, but only rarely do they seem to lose their finny denizens to hard freezes.

In fact, both carried possible reproducing numbers of introduced eastern brook trout perhaps for decades. They are now stocked on a one- to three-year basis with coastal cutthroat fry.

The challenge for fishers here is that the lack of depth does not leave much to the imagination of angler or fish. Essentially, it’s up to hook-and-line aficionados to

splash and thrash out to open water, then make like a snag long enough for the fish to forget he or she is there. Then it’s time to execute a slow-motion, surface-hugging presentation that would be the envy of any Montana spring creek fly fisher.

Getting there: Again, as with the Chuckanut venues, there are multiple access points/routes to Blanchard’s top waters. Using the typical elevationtrumps-distance standard for choosing mountain treks, two routes, each sprouting from Barrel Springs Road, get you to fishing most efficiently. One trail is known as the Incline Trail and takes off from the upper parking area on DNR’s BL-ML Road and gets you to 1,800-foothigh Lizard Lake. The second is the Larry Reed/Max’s Shortcut route up from DNR’s BM-16 Road to swing into 2,000-foot Lilypad Lake. The namesake Lizard Lily Trail is the third and horse route, while ambitious hiking anglers can come up from Chuckanut Drive on a fourth path.

NEXT ISSUE Upper Skagit spring Chinook and lower Skagit red salmon, and getting up even higher for trout. NS Editor’s note: Doug Huddle lives in Bellingham, is retired from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and has written about hunting and fishing in the Northwest for more than 33 years.

WEST COAST MARINE SERVICES MARKS THREE DECADES One of the older marine dealers in the country is celebrating 30 years in business this spring with great deals and a barbecue.

West Coast Marine Services, located just off Bellingham Bay, opened their doors on May 1, 1986, with all of three part-time employees and has since grown to offer a range of fishing boats, including models from Wooldridge and Marlon, and outboards such as Honda, Evinrude, Yamaha and Lehr.

But as their name suggests, West Coast Marine’s primary business is parts and service. They work on and have parts for Volvo Penta (gas and diesel), OMC, Evinrude, Johnson, Honda, Yamaha, EZ-Loader, Wooldridge, Marlon and Lehr Propane Outboards. They also sell EZ-Loader trailers.

From humble beginnings and surviving a 2008 fire that destroyed their original Known for the colorful LED palm trees that brighten building (above), West Coast Marine Services has grown through the years and is known for their colorful LED palm tree displays at the annual Seattle Boat Show. up their display at the Seattle Boat Show – which they’ve attended for 28 of those 30 years – West Coast Marine Services has successfully rebuilt from a 2008 fire that destroyed their original building. Indeed, can-do must be part of the company’s mantra, because they were actually able to resume limited operations across the street a week later, and two weeks after the blaze were back in full business – with none of their six full-time employees missing any work.

Since then, West Coast Marine Services has had their building rebuilt and celebrated that with a grand reopening/25-year anniversary in 2011, a year that also saw a seventh full-time employee added. The company also began offering Yamaha and Volvo Diesel products. West Coast Marine says that Honda Marine has told them that they are the third oldest marine dealer in the U.S. Still growing and looking to add employees, West Coast Marine Services will be celebrating three decades in the industry with barbecues, giveaways and what they’re terming the “best discounts ever on boats, motors and trailers.”

Stop by and see West Coast Marine Services at 1200 C Street in Bellingham. Easily reached off northbound I-5, take exit 253 and immediately turn south on King Street for one block. Then head west on Lakeway Drive and northwest on East Holly Street for 1.4 miles to C Street. Store hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more, see West Coast Marine Services’ website, wcmarine.us, and like them on Facebook. Call them at (360) 676-8020.

Celebrating 30 Years!

360-676-8020 www.wcmarine.us

1200 C St Bellingham, WA 98225 nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 81

82 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING

Roosevelt Vacation Planner Coming off a good winter kokanee and rainbow fishery, Washington’s biggest lake will shine in spring, summer for trout, walleye, as well as great camping.

By Jeff Holmes

W

ashington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Region 1 Fish Program manager Chris Donley met Brian Lynn and I on a subfreezing, deadcalm morning this late winter at the Lincoln Boat Launch on the south shore of Lake Roosevelt. The day prior, Lynn and I had spent the day chasing trophy trout in North Idaho on the Lake Pend Oreille system, having fun but also preparing for an article on Lynn’s work as vice president of marketing and communications for the Sportsman’s Alliance. That group mans the front on the battle against extremist animal rights and anti-hunting groups who enforce their agenda via legislation seeking to curtail and eliminate hunting and even fishing. I’ll feature Lynn and the work of the Sportsman’s Alliance (sportsmensalliance .org) later this summer as hunting season approaches and thoughts turn back to the woods and fields.

It was a tough day of cold and persnickety fish for most, but with his expertise and the aid of side planers, Donley’s boat outfished the others around us 10 to 1, and we nailed kokanee to 20 inches and rainbows into the high teens.

The fishing was as good as the wildlife viewing for trophy bighorn rams and mule deer. But what stuck out to me and always does about Roosevelt is the wealth of beautiful public sandy beaches. Any season, even winter, is a great time to visit, but from May through September, Roosevelt is a summer playground unlike any other in the Northwest.

Whereas most lakes and rivers bearing sandy beaches are overrun, Roosevelt is so big that even when the hordes descend on the big reservoir, there is plenty of room to spread out. The article that follows is an abridged draft I wrote for Donley that later became part of WDFW’s Great Washington Getaways, a summer vacation planner he and I put together. Fishing remains excellent all summer long, and the camping and swimming could scarcely be better.

LAKE ROOSEVELT IS a 130-mile-long Columbia River impoundment created after the completion of Grand

Brian Lynn, the Spokane-based vice president of marketing and communications for the Sportsman’s Alliance, admires a nice Lake Roosevelt kokanee he caught there earlier this year. (JEFF HOLMES)

Coulee Dam in 1941. The 550-foot-tall, nearly 1-mile-long dam was built without fish ladders due to its immensity, the limitations of early 20th century engineering, and a lack of fisheries management and knowledge. Immense runs of salmon and steelhead were cut off from their spawning streams. The dam’s completion marked a decades-long era of poor fisheries. But today Roosevelt boasts robust fisheries for large rainbow trout, the state’s largest kokanee, walleye, smallmouth bass and burbot.

Establishing fisheries was difficult due to the sheer size of the lake and because of massive swings in lake elevation.

Roosevelt’s shallow-water environments are left high and dry as the lake’s level is manipulated to store and use water and generate power. Shallow bays, points and flats are nearly devoid of aquatic plants for part of the year and, thus, the invertebrate communities that depend on them.

In 1985, WDFW’s forerunner worked with Winn Self from Seven Bays to set up a net pen for rearing hatchery trout. From an initial stocking of 5,000 rainbows to the eye-popping number of 750,000 today, the Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pen Program assists WDFW in continuing to raise a special strain of rainbow that preys primarily on plankton called daphnia that don’t depend on shallownwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 83

FISHING water habitat. The rainbows grow fast and fat, putting on several inches and doubling their weight after just a few months in the reservoir. The abundance of plankton results in football-shaped trout with gorgeous, red meat.

UNPARALLELED IN THE Evergreen State as a cool and coldweather trout fishery, Roosevelt attracts legions of anglers in pursuit of the lake’s shallow-running rainbows. During summer, however, rainbows seek the cool refuge of deeper water, and most anglers let their trout rods rest and abandon the lake until fall. Some also switch over to walleye rods or to water skis. Meanwhile, the fish are still in the lake, gorging themselves 25 to 50 feet below the waters’ surface. Still fishermen who locate rainbows with their fish finders sometimes do well, but Roosevelt is a troller’s paradise. The fish can be widely distributed due to the abundance of daphnia throughout the reservoir, so covering lots of ground is often the best approach. To get trolled offerings down to the depths at which the rainbows cruise, most summertime trout anglers use several colors of leaded line, downriggers or heavy trolling sinkers.

The same lures that catch fish during the cooler months work during late spring into summer too. A Muddler Minnow tipped with a fluttering segment of nightcrawler is a proven Roosevelt rainbow killer, fished alone or

84 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Walleye are another of FDR’s favorite fisheries, a highinterest target during the prespawn, when Payton Ochse landed this nice one, and in summer. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

behind a dodger or gang trolls. Local anglers and shops have developed a variety of specialized Muddler variations, as well as other trolling flies. Small baited spinners are also deadly effective, as are small, fluttering trolling spoons and small minnow imitations. The lake’s large but lessnumerous kokanee take many of the same offerings, but often run far deeper during summer, up to 150 feet.

THE STATE NEVER stocked walleye in Roosevelt, but around the 1950s, the species showed up – illegally. The lake became Washington’s first walleye fishery, and they ruled the bag for decades until the advent of net pens.

Rainbow trout and kokanee draw more anglers to the lake

RV SPOTLIGHT 1-800-967-6006 • 541-689-9204

RVCORRAL.COM IN BUSINESS SINCE 1988

Adventure

1890 Hwy 99N Eugene, OR 97402

AWAITS...

FISHING than any other species; however, walleye fishing is also very popular, especially during summer. Walleye anglers tend to congregate in good fishing areas, usually trolling shorelines where the fish find most of their forage during summer when the lake is at full pool.

Night fishing can be very productive from the shore or from boats as walleye move freely in shallower water and trout and kokanee swim closer to the surface. But the nighttime has its avoidable dangers on the shore and on the water. Rattlesnakes are common along Roosevelt from spring through fall, especially on the lower half of the lake, and they are most active at night: lure-chucking shore anglers, beware. Boaters can do well but must avoid potential debris, cliffs, reefs and other boaters.

MOST OF ROOSEVELT is part of the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, and the National Park Service offers extensive resources for families of all income levels to plan a trip. Likely areas to find good walleye and trout fishing and camping in the lower half of the lake include Fort Spokane, Seven Bays, Hanson Harbor, Keller Ferry and Spring Canyon. The drowned lower Spokane River, known as the “Spokane Arm,” offers good fishing and camping too, especially near Porcupine Bay. On the northern half of the lake, Hunters, Gifford, Kettle Falls, Marcus and the

Lance 975 Truck Camper The Presidents Pick! Dry bath, check... Full Wall Super Slide, check.... Above Wheel Well Floor Design, check...

Amazing Storage inside & outside (including new "Lance Locker"!), check... Available dual power awnings with LED lighting, 2.5K LP generator, ultraDECK+ bumper, solar panels & more, CHECK, CHECK & CHECK!!

All coming in under 4K pounds, CHECK MATE!

Far away from population centers, the shores of Lake Roosevelt provide habitat for many species, including the state’s Lincoln Cliffs bighorn sheep herd. (JEFF HOLMES)

mouth of the Kettle River offer strong opportunities and abundant camping access.

For more on the recreation area’s many camping opportunities, see nps.gov/laro. To make reservations for Roosevelt’s campgrounds with reservable campsites, visit Recreation.gov. More info can also be had through the Colville Chamber of Commerce (colville.com). Many campgrounds do not require reservations, but competition is high during summer for obvious reasons. Who wouldn’t want to emerge from a sleeping bag into the morning sun in one of Washington’s premier summertime playgrounds?

To eliminate the competition and ensure a camp spot, check out LRNRA’s shoreline camping rules for boat-in opportunities. NS

PR LlOuW sSAELES

O U A X R AT T 7%! .

7 F O Floor Length: 10'4" Dry Weight: 3330 Lbs. Sleeps up to 4

17104 State Route 9 SE • Snohomish, WA • 800-289-7870 • W W W. C L E A RV I E W RV. C O M 86 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

RV SPOTLIGHT

TRUCK CAMPERS / TOY HAULERS TRAVEL TRAILERS / 5TH WHEELS

www.UNEEKRV.com

1-5 Exit 36 • Kelso, WA Right on the Freeway – Right on the Price

800-248-6335 U-Neek RV Center is proud to announce

RIC NDLY P E I R F MER CUSTO

www.UNEEKRV.com

1-5 Exit 36 • Kelso, WA Right on the Freeway – Right on the Price

800-248-6335

ING

88 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 89

ADVENTURE IS WAITING JUST OFFSHORE We Are The Most Fun Operation On The Water!

Book for 20Now 16

• One Day “Run & Gun” Tuna Charters Catch Tuna ‘til Your Arms Fall Off and be Home By Five • Faster, More Fuel-Efficient Boat We Spend Less Time Running & More Time Fishing • American Made Seeker Rods & Avet Reels We Have The Best Equipment In The Business!

GIVE US A CALL TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY!

Reservations@offshorenorthwest.com

www.offshorenorthwest.com • facebook.com/OffshoreNorthwest

90 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

1648923-01

FISHING

Chinook Size Up At CDA Salmon just one of several species to fish for at North Idaho getaway lake.

By Mike Wright

I

t certainly would be fair to characterize North Idaho as lake country. There are a multitude of smaller stillwaters dotting the landscape, from high-mountain tarns with very little aquatic vegetation and feed to weed-choked lowland ponds teeming with insect life.

However, without argument, the three top jewels of the region are Priest, Pend Oreille and Coeur d’Alene. These three massive lakes dominate the geography of the

northern Panhandle and provide a major economic boost to the region. An Idaho Department of Fish and Game survey from just over a decade ago indicated anglers spent approximately $6.7 million fishing on Coeur d’Alene alone.

Together with funds from other lake recreational pursuits, these revenues have helped make up for some of the decline in the timber industry, and it might be safe to say that for a number of small, lakeside communities, these activities are critical to their survival.

PRIEST AND PEND Oreille provide excellent fishing opportunities for trophy-sized fish, but without a doubt Coeur d’Alene is the most popular destination for most anglers.

One of the most heavily fished lakes in the entire state, the main attraction are the Chinook, although huge pike are also a draw. Salmon were first introduced into the lake in 1982 in an effort to reduce the abundance of kokanee and improve their size. In addition, it was hoped a trophy fishery could be established in the lake.

This goal was definitely achieved.

The size of Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Chinook is on the upswing, if results from the Big Horn Fishing Derby are any indication. Last year’s winner was a shade under 28 pounds, and this one held by local salmon guru Jordan Smith wasn’t too far behind. The lake’s original plants were fall Chinook from Washington’s Washougal, then from Great Lakes hatcheries. Now they’re self-sustaining. (FINS & FEATHERS)

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 91

FISHING However, with the stocking came one rather unexpected occurrence.

The Chinook made their way up the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe Rivers and began to reproduce naturally. It was never expected that the population could be self-sustaining, but in four short years wild Chinook became very common in the lake. Although IDFG still augments the population with an annual stocking of 20,000 fish, this has been somewhat problematic, according to Andy Dux, a state regional fisheries biologist.

It has been found that the survival rates on these new plants have been rather low. It is not completely clear why, but the naturally reproducing fish are currently sustaining the Chinook population in the lake.

Determining the number of the Chinook in Coeur d’Alene has been inherently difficult. Unlike many other species, the pelagic stock cannot be easily netted or electrofished. In addition, the sheer size of the lake – 31,487 acres, or nearly 50 square miles – makes the job of accurately estimating the population a daunting task. But to aid in this endeavor an angler reporting program was instituted in May 2014.

Chinook fishermen record length and weight of those they catch, and remove the heads of harvested fish and pectoral-fin rays from released fish. Information derived from the program is helping IDFG to evaluate and manage the population.

Another method of monitoring has been to count redds. This is done annually on both the Coeur d’Alene and the Joe. In comparing spawning beds from previous years, officials in 2015 observed the highest number since the surveys began in 1990.

Over 300 redds were observed, shattering the old record of 179 set just one year earlier.

SEVERE FLOODING IN the 1990s had a distinctly negative impact on Coeur d’Alene’s kokanee. Since the landlocked sockeye are the 92 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

With more than a dozen boat ramps spread from the town of Coeur d’Alene at the north end of the lake south to the Harrison area, there’s plenty of opportunity to get on the water and troll for Chinook and kokanee. (MIKE WRIGHT)

main food source of the Chinook, it was felt that the number of kings should be reduced for the long-term benefit of both species. To achieve this goal, Chinook spawning beds were excavated.

“The benefits of these efforts were questionable and the practice was discontinued in 2007,” says Carson Watkins, another IDFG fisheries biologist based in the town of Coeur d’Alene.

By 2009 there was a significant rebound in the kokanee population.

During the years when kokanee numbers were down, it was exceedingly rare to catch a Chinook over 15 pounds. IDFG considers 12 to 24 adult kokanee per acre of water as the benchmark for a healthy fishery. During these years kokanee density averaged about 1.2 per acre.

In response, Chinook planting was drastically reduced, limits were liberalized and kokanee fishing was suspended. These efforts, together with favorable environmental conditions, have helped in the rebound of both the kokanee and the Chinook populations.

Today, both species are at historical highs, and Chinook sizes are also increasing by at least one measure.

“Each year since 2009 the weight of the winning fish in the Big Horn Fishing Derby has increased over the previous year,” notes Jordan Smith of Fins & Feathers Tackle Shop and Guide Service (fins1.com) in Coeur d’Alene. “The winning entry in last year’s derby weighed in at 27.94 pounds. This was the largest recorded fish in the past 27 years.”

The immediate future looks very good for Chinook fishermen, especially considering the nearrecord number of kokanee in the lake and the increasing size of the Chinook, but there are some areas of concern. A recent year-class of kokanee was very small, and more stocked Chinook appear to be surviving and reaching maturity.

Even though the latter is viewed as a positive sign, there is the need for monitoring to ensure a healthy balance between predator and prey.

As IDFG’s Dux points out, there will always be fluctuations, but if the lake is monitored effectively, we may be

IDAHO CANVAS PRODUCTS Quality Craftsmanship for over 79 years Stock & Custom Size Wall Tents Pyramid and Indian style Tepees Boat and ATV Covers RV Awnings & Skirting Repair Service

www.idahocanvas.com

888-395-7999

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 93

FISHING able to minimize the severity of these fluctuations. Hopefully the current trend in the lake will continue and there will be happy anglers for many years to come.

SPEAKING OF HAPPY, Smith has some tips to ensure you are one of those fishermen this season. One of the first things to remember is that timing is critical. March through the middle of May and late August through December are the best times for Chinook.

In the spring, the south end of the lake around a spot known as East Point is usually the best area.

During this time the fish can usually be found in 15 to 25 feet of water.

Herring and Rapala Deep Down Husky Jerks work well.

In the fall, Carlin Bay seems to be the hot spot. The fish tend to be much deeper here, anywhere from 90 to 120 feet of water. Herring is

94 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

again the best bet, but attach a single 8-inch flasher to your line. A squid or hoochie can also be effective.

In late July and August, the south end is again the preferred destination.

However, you will need to go deeper, 40 to 70 feet down. Herring or squid with a single 11-inch flasher are the best choices. Trolling a Frisky Jenny Fly with a single 8-inch flasher can also be effective. Smith suggests using an 8½- to 10½-foot medium-heavy action rod with 15- to 20-pound test.

Even though 66 percent of anglers on Lake Coeur d’Alene target Chinook and to a lesser degree kokanee – daily limits are two of 20 inches or more and 15, respectively – there are a number of other game fish species that can provide excellent action. Very large northern pike can be found in several spots on the lake, most notably Cougar Bay. Although it has been broken now, for several years the lake was home to the state record pike, a 39.12-pounder. Cutthroat,

bull trout, rainbow and brook trout can also be targeted by fly fishermen, especially early in the season. The March brown nymph is the fly of choice during this period. Note that bulls and cutts cannot be retained.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie and perch can also be found in several spots on the lake.

LAKE COEUR D’ALENE has more than a dozen boat ramps spread up and down the lake, and there are plentiful lodging options in the town of Coeur d’Alene (coeurdalene.org) and along the shorelines, plus lots of fun for the family nearby. The nice thing about fishing the lake is that even if you don’t catch anything, the beauty of the area will make for a memorable trip. Fortunately, with the number of fish present in the lake, your chance of getting skunked is minimal. It virtually guarantees a day on Coeur d’Alene will be a pleasant experience. NS

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 95

Built for Adventure!

North River, Boulton, Starcraft, & Starweld Boats

Need a new motor for your current boat?

Best prices around on Repowers!

With our factory-trained technicians for Yamaha, Suzuki, Mercury, Tohatsu and Honda motors, we can handle any project from electronic installs to complete boat and motor overhauls.

MAXXUM MARINE 1700 Hwy 99 N, Eugene, OR

NEW LARGER LOCATION!

Toll Free 877-4-Maxxum (877-462-9986) Local 541-686-3572

21 CABINS • CAMP & RV SITES • FULL RESTAURANT & BAR RENTAL FLEET PADDLE BOARDS • FISHING BOATS • BIKES • CANOES • KAYAKS AND MORE

OREGON’S BEST LAKESIDE RESORT! RESERVE YOUR CABIN TODAY.

541.433.2505 • WWW.CRESENTLAKERESORT.COM 96 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING

North Idaho Giant Roars Back To Life

It’s a new day at Lake Pend Oreille. Nearly deserted by some accounts in the early 2000s due to the collapse of its kokanee because of overlarge numbers of predator stocks, federal, state and power utility efforts to rebalance the waters have brought the salmon back and big Gerrard rainbow trout are benefitting too. (ROLAND TAYLOR, DOI)

Its kokanee restored and Mackinaw suppressed, Lake Pend Oreille is once again a world-class fishery – and its best days may be yet to come.

By Mark Bove and Jeff Holmes

I

n 11 years of teaching 2,500 or so students, I had a lot of young anglers come through my classes, but never one so passionate as Mark Bove. Even at 16, Bove was swinging up steelhead on dry flies while in my fall English 101 course 10 years ago.

He and I reconnected over Facebook not too long ago, and I learned that he is one of the most dedicated,

mature and successful young anglers and hunters out there. Like me, he appreciates an all-tactics, allspecies approach to angling. But he’s a way better pure fisherman. In particular, his success on Lake Pend Oreille drew my attention and led us to plan a couple of trips to the wilds of North Idaho late this past winter. After several days on the water with Bove, I finally landed a 21.5-pound Gerrard-strain rainbow,

along with several others from 8 to 16. Throughout the spring season, he caught several over 25, with his best wild rainbow from the Pend Oreille system topping 30 pounds!

Sound unbelievable? It’s not, nor are these fish to be confused with lard-ass triploids. Gerrards evolved to the north in Kootenay Lake and were introduced in Pend Oreille to feed on kokanee, which are their primary prey.

Today, Lake Pend Oreille is arguably the finest lake fishery – period – in North America. It is also arguably the greatest open-water trout angling.

Even westslope cutthroats reach 2 nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 97

FISHING

feet here, brown trout and bull trout 20 or more pounds, lake trout 30 or more pounds, and Gerrards stretch to the mid-30s. Couple fantastic trout angling with excellent opportunities for a wide variety of warmwater species, and you have what is surely the continent’s least-heralded lake at this time. Smallmouth reaching 7 pounds, walleye topping 10, big crappie and perch, and even large pike now swim in Pend Oreille’s shallow-water environments.

Bove and his family have fished the 148-square-mile, 1,150-footdeep lake since he was a little boy, and he has made it an obsession to dial in the fisheries, especially on the lake’s 98 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Mark Bove holds a fine example of the Pend Oreille system’s monster Gerrard rainbows, this 21½-pounder caught by author Jeff Holmes while taking measurements and pectoral-ray samples for a state study on the species. Bove sampled scores of Gerrards this winter and spring, and trout this size feed largely on kokanee (JEFF HOLMES)

ultra-productive north end. Here, Bove and I – mostly he – overview the fisheries management landscape and the lake’s fisheries themselves.

Without a doubt, Lake Pend Oreille is worth any angler’s attention. An ultra-fat, ultra-deep-bodied Gerrard could flat tow around a chrome winter steelhead. After a couple days of fishing with Bove, who is not and will likely never guide, we nicknamed Gerrards “steelnookers.” This trophy rainbow fishery, as well as most of the lake’s large trout, depend on a robust kokanee population, and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Avista and the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club

(LPOIC) have gone to great lengths to bolster the lifeblood of the lake.

COLLAPSE AND REBOUND Today, the lake’s kokanee population has rebounded to historical levels. The 10-plus years of active management to restore kokanee have brought these miniature sockeye salmon back from the brink of collapse. Each year 10 million kokanee smolts are stocked in the lake, and the bulk of those fish originate from the Granite Creek hatchery facility. A little-understood collapse of mysis shrimp in the lake also has contributed to the kokanee’s recovery. Mysis shrimp compete for the same food that juvenile kokanee

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 99

FISHING need to survive. With the decreased competition, kokanee are reaching maturity at a much higher rate.

Big lake ecosystems like Pend Oreille and Kootenay that have kokanee as the primary forage base have a delicate predator-prey balance. In the not-so-distant past, LPO had a lake trout population that was exploding, and the unintended consequence of this new fishery was a collapsing kokanee population that couldn’t keep up with feeding the tens of thousands of hungry nonnative Mackinaw. Fisheries managers knew that if something was not done quickly to get the rapidly expanding lake trout population under control, the onceloved kokanee and Gerrard rainbow fishery would collapse, leaving Pend Oreille to the same fate as its neighbor to the north, Priest Lake, a fishery dominated by stunted lake trout with a marginal population of kokanee.

In 2006, managers implemented a plan to save the lake’s kokanee in hopes of saving perhaps the best trophy rainbow trout fishery on the planet. This predator management plan included a $15 bounty on LPO’s lake trout and Gerrards, and a program that involved gillnetting the lakers. The suppression effort was very successful in rapidly knocking down the population of lake trout – since 2006, 98,000 have been removed by nets, 79,000 by anglers – largely by better understanding their life history and the use of “Judas” fish. Judas fish is a term used to describe radio-telemetry tagged fish that are tagged then tracked to spawning site aggregations.

Once these concentrations were given up, it became much easier to capture large amounts of fish with much less effort. This strategy is also being used on Yellowstone Lake with the same team and boats that were used to sharply reduce lake trout numbers in Lake Pend Oreille.

TODAY, PEND OREILLE is full of kokanee that reach maturity at 8 to 11 inches.

Not only are these fish great for the 100 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Around 100,000 spawning kokanee returned to Granite Creek last fall (this image was taken in 2012), ensuring that there will be plenty of landlocked sockeye for anglers as well as Gerrards to eat for generations to come. (IDFG)

dinner table and provide a fantastic opportunity to harvest easy limits of 15 fish, they are also the perfect forage for the Gerrards. Originally stocked in the late 1930s, a 37-pounder was landed by an angler in 1943 and today most local anglers don’t get too excited about a fish unless it is over 20 pounds. A 15-pound fish won’t raise so much as an eyebrow. LPO is a rare place where an angler can reasonably expect to have a chance to hook a 20-pound trout on any given outing.

In a study of the lake’s Gerrards from 2011 to 2014, the fish had a remarkable increase in growth rates, thanks to the increased forage base.

In a recent conversation with Andy Dux, a regional biologist with IDFG, we discussed the stocking plans for more Gerrards. What I learned was fascinating. During the height of the bounty years, Pend Oreille had a harvest rate of less than 25 percent of the overall population of rainbow trout. To get a rainbow population to collapse or decline would take a harvest rate of more than 50 percent.

With angler effort and harvest at the highest it has ever been and with the monetary incentive to harvest fish, anglers simply could not catch enough fish to put a damper on the lake’s self-sustaining population of rainbow trout.

At the request of LPOIC, IDFG stocked fin-clipped Gerrard

rainbows in a handful of tributaries the past two years. In 2016 there will not be any further stocking of rainbows because of the possibility that smolts could carry the infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, and because there was not enough room in the hatchery with all the kokanee smolts being raised to stock the lake.

IHN has been rumored to be the cause of the recent collapse in the kokanee population on Kootenay Lake. If IHN ever took hold in LPO, it would completely undo all the great work that was done to bring the fishery back from virtual collapse. The good news is that there’s 100 percent consensus from British Columbia biologists that IHN is not present in Kootenay. Similar to Pend Oreille when there were simply too many predators in the lake – namely, lake trout – there were too many also in Kootenay, and a world-class fishery simply ate itself alive no thanks to mismanagement. It still remains to be seen whether IDFG is satisfied with the conclusions of provincial biologists or whether they’ll resume stocking Gerrards.

IN AN EFFORT to protect the rainbows and provide opportunity, IDFG has made all tributaries, except the Clark Fork River, no bait and catch-andrelease only. Fisheries managers voiced that with the new regs on the

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 101

102 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 103

FISHING years of age, its diet is completely dependent on kokes. Without a strong population of kokanee, a strong population of Gerrards cannot exist.

The new trophy management regulations on rainbows and the increased forage lead me to believe that the good old days of LPO have yet to come.

tribs providing C&R opportunity and conscious anglers minimizing impact to spawning fish, the population of Gerrards should steadily increase and not require any further stocking to supplement the population.

Additionally, Lake Pend Oreille’s ESA-listed bull trout are also doing very well. IDFG fisheries biologist Nick Wahl informed me that the department believes they are not so far off from having a retention fishery.

Currently there is no harvest allowed on these beautiful fish, and if you find one on the end of your line, do everything you can to gently unhook and release it unharmed.

Fish managers have accomplished what they set out to do over 10 years ago. They removed the majority of lake trout from the system, and created a kokanee management plan that allows the salmon population to grow each year. According to recent studies, once a Gerrard hits two Co

nta

HOW TO CATCH GERRARDS

Finding fish on a 43-mile-long body of water can be a daunting task. Pend Oreille is not a place to aimlessly cast a line in hopes that lightning will strike and a huge rainbow will find itself attached to the end of your line.

ct f

or

ear

Now Booking Salmon & Tuna • Fishing both freshwater and saltwater • Neah Bay to Ilwaco to Cowlitz River • Licensed-bonded-insured

104 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Among Pend Oreille’s other fisheries, smallmouth move to the lake’s shallows to spawn beginning in March. Along with all the usual bass tactics, they will also respond to stickbaits run behind planer boards trolled over flats, which is how this one was caught by Mark Bove’s wife Brianne. (MARK BOVE)

ly s

eas

on

spe

cia

ls..

.

Fishing here requires a plan, and a good deal of understanding of the habits of the lake’s trophy trout.

Water temperature and food are very important to successfully catching the

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 105

FISHING lake’s large predators. Pend Oreille is a thermal sanctuary for salmonids.

The lake will always have cold, clear water, given the fact that it has depths of over 1,000 feet. With miles of shoreline and immense depths, the lake provides a lot of places for big Gerrards – or as the locals call them, Kams, after Kamloops – to hide. I have caught them from 6 inches under the surface to 275 feet down on a downrigger.

My trolling mantra on LPO is to follow the baitfish. Gerrards are the apex predator here, and predators can usually be found shadowing their prey. During the early dawn and evening hours from May through September, kokanee can be found feeding on plankton in the top 12 to 15 feet of the water column. On a glass-calm morning, somewhat of a rarity on the lake, kokanee can be seen jumping and splashing around the surface. It is during these brief

106 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

windows that Gerrards can be taken on the surface during the late spring and summer. I must add that anytime I am targeting Gerrards on the surface, a wind chop helps a great deal, and rough conditions are ideal. A word of warning: Pend Oreille is no place for a small vessel that cannot handle wind chop as big as 6 or 7 feet.

FISHING THE SURFACE, one must decide between planer boards or inline side planers. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I have seen one outfish the other from time to time, so I have both in my boat. One side is devoted to planer boards, the other for side planers. I have found that during extremely rough conditions, side planers are a safer alternative to planer boards. The large wood planer boards, in rough water, can dive and cause a potentially life-threatening situation if the line wraps up in the kicker motor. My preferred planer boards are made by Frisky Jenny

and are built from wood. They tend to track well, stay in the upright and floating position, and have put me in the prize money on the LPOIC derbies in years past. As for side planers, I prefer Off Shore Tackle’s large ones with the red offshore clip instead of a swivel on the back end of the board. This keeps the board fixed at the position on the line instead of sliding down toward the fish. I am still haunted by a memory of a 20-pluspound rainbow that broke off due to a flailing side planer during an aerial display just out of netting distance.

A number of surface lures work well. Probably the most popular is a bucktail fly, and on boats seasoned in the art of capturing rainbows on the lake, you will see virtually every color in the spectrum in their boxes or neatly arranged on a foam strip on the ceiling of the cabin. There is actually a reason for these obsessed anglers to have every color known to man. Why? Local guide Capt.

Go with Experience….Go with Mark Grant & Blaine Bickelhaupt 509-382-2020 | www.bluemountainrealtors.com

MAXXON OUTFITTERS

Maxxon Outfitters’ “VERSA” 2-in-1 Pack Rod has the unique ability to be fished as BOTH a Fly and Spinning rod with a simple flip of the grip section. Extremely compact and lightweight, this 7’6”, 3.7-ounce, 4/5WT fly rod or 2-8 lb. spinning rod has the perfect action for most pan fish and Kokanee. With the largest section measuring in at a mere 21.5” long, it is small enough to travel and stow in discreet locations like small backpacks, RV drawers, saddle bags and more! The VERSA features an intermediate carbon graphite blank, superb mediumlight action, unique 2-in-1 design, compact five-piece configuration, stainless steel guide eyes, reinforced AAgrade cork handle and dual aluminum locking reel seat rings. Maxxon Outfitters’ fly fishing essentials can be found at a dealer nearest you, or connect with us at MaxxonOutfitters.com for more information.

MAXXONOUTFITTERS.COM 888-727-0166 & 253-373-0166

HOG HEAVEN RANCH Tucked away in a quiet location just minutes from Downtown Dayton this property includes 2 homes under one roofline. These 754.95 +/- acres (76.11 tillable & 313.81 pasture PER ASSESSOR and 294.75 tillable & 70.28 pasture PER FSA records) are made up of 284.70 acres currently enrolled in government CRP program that expires in September 2016 with annual income of $18,578.

Outbuildings include a detached double car garage, 768 square foot shop attached to 2400 square foot machine shed and a 1920 square foot Quonset building. Remaining acreage is rangeland. This property can be easily set up for livestock. Nearby recreation includes both snow and water sports, and is located just a few miles from Walla Walla Wine Country. An abundance of wildlife graze in the grassland and add to the tranquility of this rare opportunity.

PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS: Price: $1,400,000 Acres: 754.95 County: Columbia Closest City: Dayton

N

EE IO FR ISS M AD

Modoc Outdoor Recreation & Tourism Presents:

5th Annual 2016 Modoc Sportsman’s & Outdoor Expo.

June 18th & 19th, 2016 Veteran’s Memorial Park, Alturas, CA • Sat 9:30am-4:30pm • Sun 11am-3pm

3-D Archery Shoot • Youth Duck Calling Contest • Modoc Big Buck Display • Children’s Trout Fishing Pond & Much More

For More Information: Reese Soriano 530-640-0125 • Dan Ryan 530-640-3848 destinationmodoc@gmail.com • modocoutdoorrecreationandtourism.org nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 107

FISHING Ed Dickson of Diamond Charters (diamondcharters.com) built a giant fish out of compact discs. The silver CDs reflect light in different colors, and during certain light conditions the discs appear red, pink, blue or other shades in the color spectrum.

Dickson’s reflective fish is not unlike the kokanee, which possess silver, round scales. Under certain light, kokanee look pink, blue, red or other shades to Gerrards. So what color works when? Use this as a general rule of thumb: Dark day, dark fly; bright day, bright fly. If you are just getting started, I would suggest picking up a handful of Frisky Jenny Flies. Some of my personal favorite color patterns are Chiefs, swamprat, natural, Raider, ugly sister and comet.

IN SPRING I’VE had a lot of success trolling Original Floating Rapalas, Jointed Rapalas, Storm ThunderSticks and Rebel Minnows

108 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

in size 4 and 5. Colors that have been successful include black and white, blue and white, perch, and orange.

I’ve found these lures fish better than flies when the water is glassycalm. These stickbaits are also very effective for targeting other species in the shallower waters around the lake. I have enjoyed many a day trolling stickbaits for a mixed bag of spinyrays and trout.

As the morning sun begins to warm the lake, kokanee descend, the Gerrards follow and anglers’ approaches must change. When the kokanee are deep, I focus my efforts below the thermocline. In summer I’ve found I can expect to find fish from 50 to 100 feet down. A number of presentations work for trout on downriggers, but I prefer two for the task. I have caught many large lake trout and Kams on Lymans and Apexes, and have a handful of these “swimmers” that are riddled with tooth marks. If I was limited to two

colors of Lyman, I would pick the Ace of Spades and blue-and-glow models.

My favorite Apexes are 5.5-inch black and glow, blue and glow, and Wonder Bread and glow. These lures seem to like a trolling speed in the neighborhood of 2.2 to 2.7 mph. Just as I use boards on the surface to get my line away from the boat, I often run my lure 100 feet or more behind my downrigger ball for a much more stealthy presentation.

The regulations allow anglers to fish an unlimited number of rods, and many of the most successful charter anglers run 10 or more while trolling the lake. If you run a spread of rods, check your gear at least every half an hour if not getting bit. The last thing you want to do is drag around a small trout, kokanee or weeds all day when you could’ve caught that fish of a lifetime.

As summer turns to fall, the fish become more and more active.

The early spawning kokanee turn

Go with Experience‌.Go with Mark Grant & Blaine Bickelhaupt 509-382-2020 | www.bluemountainrealtors.com

STARBUCK RANCH This Columbia County property consists of dryland and fenced pasture land.

Most of the pasture land is cross fenced and fenced off from the farmland. There are 2 wells for stock watering.

One is located on top the property and is 1175 feet deep and the other is on the lower land pasture. The property has approximately 20 miles of underground piping for the watering system.

PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS: Price: $4,800,000 Acres: 7708.09 County: Columbia Closest City: Starbuck

AUTHORIZED DEALER PARTS - SALES - SERVICE (800) 223-5284

4300 11TH AVE NW SEATTLE, WA 98107 WWW.COASTALMARINEENGINE.COM

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 109

FISHING vibrant red, leaves change and rains pour as the temperatures drop. The rainbows spend most of their time on the surface, and with water temperatures there in the 50-degree range, the trophy fishery is at its finest. It’s not uncommon to catch multiple fish over 10 pounds a day trolling bucktail streamers just under the surface. I run 2.0 to 3.2 mph, adjusting my speed to elicit a bite response from a hungry Kam. Either listen to radio chatter on the VHF to chase a bite or troll till you find yourself a “screamer,” as the locals describe a fish that hits with such force that the clicker screams line from the reel.

THE LAKE’S OTHER FISHERIES Just a few decades ago, Lake Pend Oreille was entirely a coldwater fishery with thriving populations of westslope cutthroat, bull trout, Gerrard rainbows, lakers, brown

110 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Walleye numbers are increasing in the lake, and though still at a much lower density than other Northwest reservoirs, a December 2014 IDFG survey found that 5- and 6-pounders were “relatively common” among the fish biologists netted. Target Pend Oreille’s outlet end for the tasty though unwanted species. (MARK BOVE)

trout, kokanee, and Lake Superior and Rocky Mountain whitefish.

Today, it still holds strong populations of all the aforementioned fish, with the exception of Mackinaw.

As recently as the early 1990s, the

thought of a thriving bass fishery on the lake would have been met with disbelief. But today, Pend Oreille hosts a strong population of smallmouth and pockets of trophysized largemouth. They’re scattered

Go with Experience‌.Go with Mark Grant & Blaine Bickelhaupt 509-382-2020 | www.bluemountainrealtors.com

TUCANNON RIVER RETREAT This property includes a home that was custom built in 2008 that is more than 4,000 square feet.

There is an outdoor kitchen next to the swimming pool, waterfall and pond. Outbuildings include a shop and machine shed.

The Tucannon River flows through the property and there is nearly a mile of river frontage.

PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS: Price: $2,995,000 Acres: 891 County: Columbia Closest City: Starbuck Property Type: Ranch

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 111

FISHING throughout the lake, but the best habitat is from the Clark Fork delta through the northern portion of the lake. Denton Slough and numerous shallow bays and points are all hot spots to target these scrappy fish.

The bass fishery starts to gain steam in March when schools of large prespawn smallmouth patrol the sandy flats and rocky structures in search of food. On a recent trip, I experimented by trolling side planers and Floating Rapalas over the lake’s shallow flats to find concentrations of fish, and we managed to land over a dozen smallmouth in a few short hours, with five of them being over 4 pounds. In addition to the bass, my wife landed a respectable brown trout, released a bull trout and longdistance released a Gerrard that put on a spectacular aerial display.

When the lake levels rise, bass begin to move into the shallows near the numerous docks and aquatic

112 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

vegetation. During this time, the fish are more patternable and most of the standard bass tactics will work well.

I like a watermelon split-tail grub on a football-style jig head. When summer arrives, you can catch large numbers of these fish by finesse fishing the abundant structure along the lake’s shorelines.

Yellow perch and crappie can also be found in Lake Pend Oreille and they inhabit the same shallow bays as the bass. I focus my crappie efforts on summer evenings over weedbeds in the 6- to 15-foot range, and I use a basic drop-shot rig with 2.5-inch Berkley Gulp! minnows to catch these suspended fish. Crappies are minnow eaters, and by switching away from worms and insect imitations, my catch rate went up significantly. Perch also bite this same rig, but I have found they’re suckers for a small jig tipped with a nightcrawler.

TWO NEW INVASIVES are being caught

with increased abundance in Lake Pend Oreille in recent years. Last year a pike well over 20 pounds was hooked in Denton Slough, and it seems that they are becoming more and more abundant with each passing year. Walleye have been present for at least the past ten years, and a recent assessment showed the population has doubled since 2011, though it appears that the fish are more dispersed throughout the lake.

IDFG biologist Andy Dux says it’s unclear whether pike and walleye are coming down the Clark Fork from Montana’s Noxon Reservoir, which has both species, or if the fish are being “Johnny Appleseeded” around by bucket biologists. Idaho has a policy to not manage a fish species that is in the system because of illegal introduction, so there’s no limit on walleye. It is also unclear if these new predatory fish will have an impact on the kokanee population, so IDFG is keeping an eye on them.

The

EXP

Like Us On Facebook!

Port

AND

ED

LIN

of E dmo nds INV ENT

E O F

ORY

!

Huge Savings!

SEE US FOR ADDED SAVINGS ON INSTOCK BOATS

206.789.7474 | 345 Admiral Way | Edmonds, WA 98020 | jacobsensmarine.com nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 113

FISHING Pend Oreille’s walleye seem to be more abundant on the northern portion of the lake. I would suggest slow trolling Slow Death Rigs in 20 to 40 feet of water anywhere from the Clark Fork Delta to the areas near Sandpoint. A popular walleye spot is by the long bridge leading into Sandpoint. I have also had success fishing bottom walkers with a 4-inch Original Floating Rapala in perch pattern. Trout also tend to bite this rig when fished properly.

As with most of the lake’s species, fish are scattered, so cover as much water as possible to locate schools, mark a waypoint, then spend time finesse fishing the concentrations by gridding off an area by trolling.

LOCAL KNOW HOW If this story has you interested in fishing Lake Pend Oreille, I highly suggest hiring a guide, as it is a very specialized big-water fishery.

114 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

A DIAMOND IN ROUGH COUNTRY Although Lake Pend Oreille is huge, most of the best fishing exists on its north end, which is home to Sandpoint, Hope and the town of Clark Fork. Sandpoint is a fine place to stay, and an even better place to gather groceries and licenses.

My lodging preference, and Mark Bove’s, is one of the coolest ranch-style lodges I’ve stayed at in the West, the Diamond T Guest Ranch (diamondtranch.com).

Located along the Clark Fork River just several miles from the lake and the town of Clark Fork, the ranch is home

to a resident herd of several hundred elk, trophy whitetails, two trout ponds and a view of North Idaho’s tallest peak, Scotchman, which is home to mountain goats and a famously steep and beautiful hike. The lodge’s cabins are nicer than my home, and I had a world-class-fun experience during a recent three-day stay. The ranch is not only open for business year-round, its 135 beautiful acres are for sale. Got $1.3 million? Buy this place and Bove will teach you how to fish nearby with excellence! –JH

The lake has a number of very skilled captains. I have fished with Ed Dickson of Diamond Charters, Chad Landrum of Go Fish! Charters (gofishcharters.org) and Kurt Artner of Pend Oreille Charters (pocharters. com) and highly recommend each.

Landrum is a multispecies angler who is the only walleye specialist on the lake. He also has a permit to

fish the Clark Fork River from his jet boat. I have learned more about fish and fishing from Dickson than any other man. He provides his clients a humorous and educational voyage in a big comfortable vessel.

As for local lodging and dining options and tourist information, see the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce website (sandpointchamber.org). NS

Your #1 Choice

FOR SHRIMPING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

acelinehauler.com Proudly made in Canada

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 115

116 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

COLUMN

Chelan’s Bass A Touchy Subject and the fish come to the eastern end to create and guard their beds. With how clear the water is, it is easy to catch a fish on a spawning bed, but what kind of a sport is that? Please leave the spawning females alone.

Don’t get me wrong! I love the sport of bass fishing. I just have a huge problem sticking a lure in front of a spawning fish that is guarding its nest. The fish represent the future of Chelan’s bass fishery – and also may help with the size of its kokanee.

Instead of working the beds, I suggest heading towards Rocky Point or any other dropoff and casting towards shore. The bass staged off these areas are not spawning. Lakeside Park, on the south shore about a mile and a half from the outlet, has some dropoffs that hold a bunch of fish, as do the “fingers” as you get closer to the Lady of the Lake dock. Closer to the town of Chelan at the dam is where the females are making their nests.

The Monument, site of a tragic 1945 school bus accident, holds a bunch of bass right next to the rocks. You need to sneak to catch them regularly.

I really don’t like seeing the guy with live nightcrawlers working this spot and Rocky Point from shore. It is OK to have an occasional meal of smallmouth, but not to take a stringer of large ones home every day and call yourself a You might not expect to catch bass in a lake carved by glaciers, but Chelan hosts its share of nice bass fisherman. I have seen so many stringers of smallies. When kokanee fishing was slow for them, Erik and Alan Shelton turned to bassin’ and smallies leave from these areas that it makes my pulled in this dandy 5-pounder while fishing with author Don Talbot a couple springs ago. They released it unharmed after the photo was taken. (DONSFISHINGGUIDESERVICE.COM) stomach sick out of respect for all bass fishermen.

For the record, the daily limit is 10, but only one 14 inches or larger. he word is out that Lake Chelan has As for a more sporting way to catch them, as the lake warms world-class smallmouth fishing. I used up, you can get out there at 4 a.m. and find a great topwater bite to go bass fishing here a decade ago for about an hour every day. You can drift your boat below Wapato and found many fish over 5 pounds all over Point and catch good numbers of fish in 10 feet of water all the the lower end of the lake. But those who eat way down the shore with Senkos, drop-shotting or just tossing smallies also heard the news and the average BASIN BEACON size has gone way down. You will be hard crankbaits. One of my favorite drop-shot presentations is the

By Don Talbot Berkley 4-inch Black Leech from the jar. Deep-diving cranks also pressed to catch a 4½-pound fish in any outing work well in 10 to 30 feet of water. out on the lake these days.

I sold this tackle to all the bass anglers who stopped by Hooked Still, May and June are spawning months for the lake’s bass,

T

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 117

COLUMN on Toys (hookedontoys.com) in Wenatchee for over a decade.

The sale of bass tackle is now declining as kokanee/salmon gear purchases have risen over the past 10 years. This doesn’t mean that Lake Chelan is no longer a world-class bass fishery. Now is the time to educate and have stronger rules on fishing regulations during the smallmouth spawn.

THE OTHER SIDE of the coin that bugs many Chelan kokanee and trout fishermen is that smallmouth were not introduced in the lake by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and this creates a whole new set of issues. Bass have been here for about 30 years. We used to have too many kokanee; the limit was 25 and the average size was 8 inches. What happened? We

now have kokanee averaging 15 inches or better during the summer, thanks to Chelan’s smallmouth and lake trout. Please do not complain about either species being in the lake if you are a kokanee fisherman. The kokanee are big because the predators trim down the population, reducing competition for feed. Be thankful for them the next time you score a limit of 15-plus-inch kokes.

Enjoy all the catch-and-release bass fishing you want in Lake Chelan, but please stay off the spawning beds in May and June and educate those fishermen who are taking home fish that should be left alone.

If you have any additional questions about this subject, please feel free to contact me at Don Talbot’s Fishing (509-679 8641; donsfishingguideservice.com). NS

PLENTY MOREL WHERE THEY CAME FROM Morel picking should be good this year, thanks (but no thanks) to last year’s big fire season in North-central Washington and elsewhere in the region.

I collected the mushrooms in the photo at right last year at the top of Tumwater Canyon, near the pull-off right above the bridge. It burned in 2014’s Chiwaukum Creek fire and should be a good area again, but not as good as those near Lake Chelan. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest posts maps of areas open for personal and commercial gathering at fs.usda.gov/okawen.

Last spring I was getting morels at the 2,000-foot elevation in mid-May, but during the two weeks at the end of the month we needed to hike up to the 2,500-foot level to find any numbers. Here are a few more tips for finding and hunting morel mushrooms: • Take an electronic topographical map for elevation and location; • Fill a small backpack with extra water bottles for a long hike; • Wear hiking boots and brush protection; • Don’t take expensive sunglasses!

• Get the proper pass for where you’ll be parking; • Walk at least a mile away from popular morel parking lots to start looking for mushrooms; • Do not go alone; • Take a breathable mesh bag to transport the morels; • If you are a rookie, only take morels – other mushrooms could kill you; • The north face of burned areas with pine needles works for me; • Find other morel hunters and ask general questions until you get a great tip!

Morel hunting is just like fishing: Ten percent of mushroom hunters get 90 percent of the morels (be aware there are daily gathering limits). The biggest mistake rookies make is walking about a mile from the car, turning around and calling the trip a big bust! The key is to find the steeper slopes away from the parking lot that are moist and covered with pine needles. I can generally clean up after a rookie goes through an area by taking a slightly different path and scanning way out in front for better results.

You will find lots of morel hunters out in 2016 if you are in the right location. Good luck. You’ll be hooked after you cook the first

118 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Last year’s conflagrations should produce at least one benefit: lots of tasty morel mushrooms. Don Talbot targets areas with copious downed pine needles to find his share. (DONSFISHINGGUIDESERVICE.COM) batch in melted butter – mmm, good!

Oh, and if you find some Under Armour sunglasses in the area just above Tumwater Canyon, then you know where I lost mine.

Very good $200 find! –DT

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 119

Sales & Services For: Mercruiser, Volvo Penta, OMC, Honda Outboards, Mercury Outboards, Force Outboards

206.762.0741 8500 Dallas Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98108

120 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING

GET CRANKY!

Potholes, Moses, Banks walleye respond well to trolled diving plugs in spring, summer.

Trolling spinner rigs behind bottom bouncers is a sure-fire tactic for Washington walleye, but come midspring into summer, dragging crankbaits can be dynamite, says author Keith Jensen. Tri-Cities’ Corbin Han shows off a nice Potholes Reservoir ‘eye. (BIGWALLYSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

By Keith Jensen

T

Great trolling crankbaits for Grant County walleye include Bass Pro Shops XPS Laser Eye Hardbaits, Berkley Flicker Shads and Rapala Jointed Shad Rap, according to the author. (BIGWALLYSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

he old saying, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, is also true for catching walleye.

In Washington, when someone talks about techniques and tactics for walleye fishing, bottom bouncers and spinner rigs normally dominate the conversation. Without a doubt, the bottom bouncer/spinner rig accounts for the vast majority of the fish caught at Potholes Reservoir, Moses Lake and Banks Lake. Spinner

rigs dominate in the Evergreen State for two reasons: 1) They catch walleye – combos such as the Mack’s Lure Smile Blade/Slow Death Hook put thousands upon thousands of fillets in frying pans annually; and 2) spinner rigs are the only technique many walleye anglers use all season.

But beginning in May and lasting through summer and fall, trolling crankbaits for walleye is a dynamite technique. The benefits are numerous; covering a lot of water in a short period of time and targeting nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 121

BEST OF GRANT COUNTY

BJ’S GUIDE SERVICE Fishing at its finest MAY - OCT: Walleye Trips on Potholes, Banks and Moses Lakes OCT - NOV: Steelhead Trips on Grande Ronde River Fish with the Northwest’s premier Walleye guide

Specializing in Salmon, Steelhead, & Walleye Fishing

NOW BOOKING TRIPS 2016-2017 FEATURING: • Custom Hyde Drift Boats • Lund Pro V Power Boat • Pro Staffer for both Lund and Hyde Boats

509-750-2131 • BJGUIDE.COM

HNG OUTDOORS “Specializing in fully guided walleye trips on Moses lake and Potholes Reservoir”

Nathan LaFrance 509-771-1647

Visit Us Online nwsportsmanmag.com Updates, Fishing Reports

& More

299,200 SPRINGERS INBOUND!

COLUMBIA, WILLAMETTE & MORE FORECASTS EXPERT ADVICE, BEST TACTICS, TOP SPOTS

NWSPORTSMANMAG.COM

2 MAPS!

SF CLEARWATER STEELHEAD BANKS LAKE WALLEYE

FISHING • HUNTING • NEWS NWSPORTSMANMAG.COM

SPRING KINGS!

5

Best Bets For April

COWLITZ RUN

MAPPED!

VANCOUVER ISLAND TRAVEL PLANNER

SOUTHERN OREGON Winter-runs JOHN DAY Smallies, Steelies POTHOLES RESERVOIR Walleye

u|xhCFCHEy24792tz]v+:.

TROUT TRIPS

Rowland, Sprague, Yak, North Sound, Mirror Lake, & More!

ALSO INSIDE

Coastal BOTTOMFISH RAZOR CLAMS Lake Chelan KOKANEE

ALSO INSIDE

HOW TO RIG HERRING-FLASHER COMBOS

14 GREAT

To Tons T ons of Toms!!

T Top Spots, S t Ti Tips & Recipes

Eastside MORELS

u|xhCFCHEy24792tz]v!:%

FISHING balls of perch fry in areas near Coulee City. I begin my morning on the east side of the lake inside Goose Island.

A large flat extends from the eastern shoreline in this area and uplake for a couple of miles. I find where the

the most aggressive walleye are two of the biggest.

Covering water with crankbaits first thing in the morning allows a walleye angler to locate concentrations of

BANKS LAKE WALLEYE

*

pass I quickly hit a waypoint on my Raymarine Electronics. Walleye are schooling fish, so by marking fish catches with waypoints I am marking areas that are holding walleye. Later in the morning, if the crankbait bite dies, I can then go back to those waypoints and fish slower with bottom bouncers and spinner rigs.

Boat Launch

*

Best Crankbait Trolling

*

WALLEYE ARE CALLED “marble

155 2

* * *

Goose Island

2

2 2

Coulee City Marina

COULEE CITY

eyes” and “bug eyes” for a reason. They have very large eyes, at least for a fish, and thus they are very sensitive to light. Walleye do the majority of their hunting in low-light conditions. Early morning, cloudy days, wind, rain and fog create the ideal situation for walleye to prowl the shallows looking for their next meal. These low-light conditions, in turn, are when crankbaits excel for walleye.

Beginning in May, I start every morning trolling crankbaits for walleye. This technique is pretty simple, but there are several key points to keep in mind.

Long-lining is the name of the game; it simply involves trolling your crankbait with no weight at all. I tie my mainline directly to the crankbait with no added swivel or weight. I want to allow my lure to run and dive freely to the depth it was intended.

Speed is critical when trolling crankbaits, but in this case, fast is the name of the game: 2.0 to 2.5 mph is the range I focus on. I also prefer to use my kicker rather than my electric trolling motor.

Traveling at speeds around 2.50 mph for several hours can take its toll on your batteries. I prefer to save the juice for if/when I need to switch over to bottom bouncers and spinner rigs.

Windy conditions are crankbait

MOSES LAKE WALLEYE * * Boat Launch

*

*

Best Crankbait Trolling

*

Cascade Valley

MOSES LAKE Crest Island

Blue Heron Park

90

*

fish. A great example of putting this technique to use occurs every summer at the south end of Banks Lake. In July and August, many of the reservoir’s walleye are chasing 124 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

90

flat begins to drop to 15 to 17 feet of water and start trolling crankbaits.

Staying in this depth, I troll the length of this area, roughly 2 miles. Each time we catch a fish on the initial

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 125

FISHING conditions. Wind activates everything in the lake. It pushes plankton to the shores and baitfish to the shallows, and where the baitfish go, so too go the walleye. Fishing the wind can make for a rough ride, however. To help combat these rougher conditions employ a downhill trolling method.

In other words, troll with the wind – downhill, per se. Doing so, your ride will be much smoother and your speed much truer. When fishing uphill, or into the wind, your speed is in a constant flux as your bow crashes into the waves, causing your crankbaits to not run at the desired speed.

POTHOLES RESERVOIR WALLEYE

* *

*

* Mouth of Crab Creek

*

Mouth of Winchester Wasteway

*

THERE ARE MANY excellent crankbaits on the market for walleye trolling.

Washington’s fish love Rapala Jointed Shad Raps, Berkley Flicker Shads and the Bass Pro Shops XPS Laser Eye Hardbaits. When it comes to picking one to put on your line, a critical point is to select a crankbait

Boat Launch 262

*

Best Crankbait Trolling

262

MarDon Resort

262

that will dive to the depth you want to target. If I am working 15 feet of water, I want a crankbait that will dive down to 15 feet. Likewise, if I’m trolling in 10 feet of water, I select a crankbait that dives 10 feet. Bottom contact while trolling crankbaits is critical. You want your crankbait to periodically hit the bottom and deflect off objects such as rocks.

Many times it is this deflection that triggers a walleye strike. Yes, you will get snagged on the bottom at times, but the rewards of walleye hitting the deck more frequently are worth the occasional snag.

As for colors, I prefer brighter, shinier ones. Purples, pinks, and red and brown crawdad patterns are my go-to colors. That said, there is something about purple that walleye love. When I look through my tackle box for a walleye crankbait, it is the first color I seek.

When it comes to trolling rods, look for 7½- or 8-foot medium-action rods.

The Bass Pro Shops Walleye Series 8-foot Trolling Rod was designed 126 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

LIGHTWEIGHT. The lightest 200-hp four stroke on the market

POWERFUL.

2.8L displacement and Variable Camshaft Timing give it the best power-to-weight ratio of any 200-hp four stroke

COMPACT.

Nearly 120 pounds lighter than our four-stroke V6 F200

THE ALL-NEW F200 IN-LINE FOUR.

FORWARD THINKING.

Show the water who’s boss with the new F200 In-Line Four. Incredibly light, responsive and fuel efficient, it serves up plenty of muscle to handily propel a variety of boats. On top of that, its 50-amp alternator offers the power to add a range of electronics, and its 26-inch mounting centers and compatibility with either mechanical or digital controls give you the flexibility to easily upgrade your outboard or rigging. Experience legendary Yamaha reliability and the freedom of forward thinking, with the all-new F200 In-Line Four.

ALASKA KETCHIKAN Alaska Outboard (907) 225-4980

MADRAS Madras Marine (541) 475-2476 www.madrasmarine.com

EDMONDS Jacobsen’s Marine (206) 789-7474 www.jacobsensmarine.com

PASCO Northwest Marine and Sport (509) 545-5586 www.nwmarineandsport.com

SHELTON Verle’s Sports Center (877) 426-0933 www.verles.com

OREGON COOS BAY Y Marina (541) 888-5501 www.ymarinaboats.com

PORTLAND Clemens Marina (503) 283-1712 www.clemensmarina.com

EVERETT Bayside Marine (425) 252-3088 www.baysidemarine.com

PORT ORCHARD Kitsap Marina (360) 895-2193 www.kitsapmarina.com

WALLA WALLA Nixon’s Marine Inc. (800) 355-5774 www.nixonsmarine.com

PORT TOWNSEND Westside Marine (360) 385-1488 www.westsidemarine.com

WENATCHEE Bob Feil Boats & Motors, Inc. (509) 884-3558 www.bobfeil.com

MOUNT VERNON Tom-n-Jerry’s (360) 466-9955 www.tomnjerrys.net

SEATTLE Ballard Inflatable Boats (206) 784-4014 2611 NW Market St. www.ballardinflatables.com

YAKIMA Valley Marine (509) 453-6302 www.yvmarine.com

OLYMPIA US Marine Sales & Service (800) 455-0818 www.usmarinesales.com

SPOKANE Spokane Valley Marine (509) 926-9513 www.spokanevalleymarine.com

EUGENE Clemens Marina (541) 688-5483 www.clemensmarina.com

SALEM CPS RV & Marine (503) 399-9483 www.cpsrvmarine.com

EUGENE Maxxum Marine (541) 686-3572 www.maxxummarine.com

WASHINGTON AUBURN Auburn Sports & Marine Inc. (253) 833-1440 www.auburnsportsmarineinc.com

GLADSTONE Clemens Marina (503) 665-0160 www.clemensmarina.com

CHINOOK Chinook Marine Repair, Inc. (800) 457-9459 www.chinookmarinerepair.com

YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine

MOUNT VERNON Master Marine (360) 336-2176 www.mastermarine.com

Follow Yamaha on Facebook® and Twitter™

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal intended to be an endorsement. © 2013 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 127

specifically for this technique. For reels, I prefer to use a linecounter such as the Shimano Tekota 3000. I run my crankbaits 120 to 130 feet behind the boat, so having a linecounter reel allows me to precisely place my lures at that distance.

BANKS, POTHOLES AND Moses all have many areas where I troll crankbaits with excellent results. But there are several key areas that really produce.

Above I described one at the south end of Banks. Beginning in May and lasting through all of June, Moses is a fantastic place to troll shallowrunning Jointed Shad Raps and Laser XPS cranks. One good sport is north of the Blue Heron Park boat launch.

Motor until you find the first island, which will be located on your left, or port, side. Beginning at the island, troll crankbaits in 8 to 15 feet of water all the way up to where Moses makes a large bend. This area holds a lot of rock and structure, which in turn holds a lot of feed for walleye.

On Potholes this month and next, target Crab Creek and Winchester Wasteway. Pick one side of the inlets or the other and troll a Shad Rap in size 4 or 5. Again, troll at 2.0 to 2.5 miles an hour right along the edge of the creek. On your way back out, target the other side. Doing so, you will be able to determine which side is holding walleye and, more specifically, which areas have the highest concentrations of fish These are by no means the only places to troll crankbaits for spring and summer walleye. Many other great areas exist on these three bodies of water. But if you are looking to expand your walleye fishing repertoire, pick one, target a given depth, look for those windy, cloudy, low light conditions and cover a lot of water trolling crankbaits. NS Editor’s note: Author Keith Jensen operates Big Wally’s Guide Service (bigwallysguideservice.com).

128 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Che’nai Charters “Go With The Gusto” in Seward, Alaska

• Halibut, Salmon, Ling Cod, Rockfish single species and combo daily charters • 2-3 day overnight excursions • Accommodations and fishing charter packages • Top Quality rods and reels • Bait and tackle provided • Free fish filleting provided by crew • High Quality service Call Fo

r Our Var iety Fishing C har ter Op Of tions!

CAPT. SUZY NEUMAN (907) 224-8766 or (907)-250-8766 suzypeg@earthlink.net P.O. Box 3516 Seward, AK 99664

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 129

BIGFISH CHARTERS KETCHIKAN, AK

Keep Any Size Halibut!

Big Fish Charters Can Provide You With The Opportunity To Keep Any Size Halibut You Catch! • Enclosed Heated Cabins • Fishing Packages Available With Lodging • Combination Trips ,QFOXGLQJ 5RFNÀ VK +DOLEXW & Salmon • LIMIT OF 6 SALMON PER PERSON PER DAY!

907-247-6650 • 907-254-0957 NHWFKLNDQELJÀ VK FRP ‡ LQIR#NHWFKLNDQELJÀ VK FRP

V E’ S F I S H I NG L ODGE CAPTAI N STENinilchik, Alaska

All Inclusive Lodge!

• All Inclusive LODGE • All day guided multiple species FISHING TRIPS • Scenic freshwater guided FLYOUT TRIPS EXCELLENT FISH LIMITS! • 2 halibut /day: one ďŹ sh not over 28â€? and another ANY SIZE! • 2 lingcod/day 35Ë? minimum

We Proudly Use Cousins Tackle Rods

WE CAN KEEP THE BIG ONES! • 5 King Salmon annually • Up to 6 Silver Salmon/day • Up to 6 Sockeye Salmon/day

Book a trip! 1-800-567-1043

captainstevesďŹ shinglodge.com trophies@captainstevesďŹ shinglodge.com 130 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

COLUMN

Shad Easy To Catch With their huge numbers and spring’s good weather, shad represent a great way to get kids into fishing. Buzz’s son Wade smiles at one in the net. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Y

ou can thank one person for the nearly 200,000 shad caught by sport anglers out of the lower Willamette and Columbia Rivers each year, and for the many millions of 1- to 5-pound fish that will surely pass the fish ladders this month and next as they make their way upriver to BUZZ RAMSEY spawn.

Seth Green is the person who, in 1871, transplanted shad to the West Coast. He first captured 12,000 from the Hudson River and shipped them by rail, in milk cans, before liberating the fish into California’s Sacramento River. Over the next 12 years he released another 790,000 shad into the Golden State’s largest river system.

The fish prospered in the Sac and soon strayed north into other West Coast rivers, including the Rogue, Umpqua, Siuslaw, Columbia and Willamette. They’ve occasionally turned up as far north as Puget Sound, according to U.S. Geological Survey records, but don’t spawn there. Needless to say, to suggest that shad have adapted to the West Coast would be an understatement. Today, annual returns in the Columbia alone average 2 to 4 million feisty fish. They represent the largest anadromous run in the basin and perpetuate themselves without any help from humans.

What I like best about shad is that they are easy to catch and are terrific fighters, considering their size. These days it is not often

that you can plan a trip knowing in advance that you are going to come home with something. This makes shad a great fish for anglers of all ages. Since there is no limit, you can determine when you have had enough fishing fun.

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO find the fish ladders, migrating shad tend to stack up below the dams on the Columbia and at Willamette Falls at Oregon City. The most productive area on the Willamette stretches from the angling deadline below the falls downstream to the mouth of the Clackamas River. The first several miles west of Bonneville Dam is the most productive spot on the Lower Columbia.

Shad love to follow current edges, so those fishing from boats usually find the best success by anchoring out of the main current in 8 to 12 feet of water. Although shad will travel near bottom, they can and often do suspend a few feet or more off the river bed. Keep this in mind when considering the length of your weight-dropper line.

Rigging is easy, just connect your main line to a three-way swivel, or a small wire spreader, and attach a 24- to 36-inch weight dropper line to it. Your leader length can vary from as short as 12 inches all the way up to 36 inches. It’s all about trying different lengths until you hit on what works. It’s likely you will need from 2 to 6 ounces of weight to hold down in the river current.

A variety of small, thin-bladed spoons work for shad. Some of nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 131

COLUMN the popular ones include Triple Teasers, Needlefish and Dick Nite spoons. Some companies, like Hildebrandt, have lures such as the Shad King and Flicker Spinner that are designed just for these fish.

Both metal and painted finishes work, with metal finishes the best during sunny conditions and those with color often having the edge when the water is off-color or under overcast skies.

If you don’t have a boat, or are leery of anchoring in the swiftflowing Columbia near the dam, you can find success from shore.

Bank anglers catch shad by casting small 1/8- to ¼-ounce spinners, spoons, shad darts or crappie jigs. Since the river is mostly fast, an upstream cast, which will allow your lure time to sink, can be important for success.

With a fly rod, while nearly any size outfit will work, most anglers use a 6-weight fly rod and sinking line (needed to get down in the current). Any sparse, white-bodied fly with a red or yellow tail tied on a size 4 hook is what works for shad.

Shad begin to arrive all the way up at Bonneville in early May, but season typically doesn’t open until the 16th of the month or unless spring Chinook have been reopened on the big river. The run has peaked at the dam around June 11 over the past decade.

BONY FISH, SHAD are often used by anglers as garden fertilizer or frozen for later use as crab bait. However, when properly cared for and prepared, they can make decent table fare. Some anglers just keep the larger females and find their roe makes a tasty meal

132 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

when fried. What has worked for me is to smoke and can the meat in jars. Smoking adds yummy flavor, while canning dissolves their bones, which are impossible to avoid when filleting. Here is how I add smoke flavor and pressure cook shad for storage: If you intend to eat the shad rather than collect as crab bait, make sure to bleed them out promptly. Like any fish, shad will retain their eating quality best if placed on ice.

There is really no need to clean or scale your shad when processing. What I do is fillet each side off the backbone, leaving the belly bones attached.

Wash each fillet with cold water, pat dry with paper towels and then place on your smokehouse grills, skin side down.

Smoke for six hours, or until the fillet is just cooked through, using one of the fruit-flavored woods like apple or cherry for smoking.

Remove from the smoker; the skin should easily lift free from the meat, taking the scales with it. At this point you can remove, with your fingers, the dark meat (mud line) from each fillet, along with any large belly bones that might be found in bigger fish.

Stuff your smoke-flavored meat, including small bones, into pintsized canning jars and add ½ teaspoon salt. Pressure cook, making sure to carefully follow the canning booklet instructions for fish, usually 90 minutes at 15 pounds. Remember to leave at least threequarters of an inch of headspace at the top of your jars. NS Editor’s note: The author is a brand manager and part of the management team at Yakima Bait. Like Buzz on Facebook.

Bring your board. Bring your bike. Bring your skis. Bring your kayak.

Bring your canoe. Bring your love. Bring your passion. Bring your dreams.

Whether you’re camping, hunting, fishing, or tailgating,

let us help make your experience a great one.

Call: 866-245-7650

Book Your Charter Today!

• Custom Racks, Auto Accessories, Vehicle Wraps

• ORCA Coolers and Accessories

• Tepui Roof Top Tents and Accessories • Yakima and Thule Rack Systems facebook.com/OnTheGoRacks

www.OnTheGoRacks.com

503.209.0096 • INFO@ONTHEGORACKS.COM

WWW.ALASKANSUMMER.COM

There’s a Tohatsu outboard that fits your needs.

4 Strokes 2.5-250 HP • TLDI 40-115 HP • New 40/50 HP • Lighter Weight • More Efficient • Less Friction • 4 Trolling Speed • 21 Amp. 12 DC Alternator • Electronic Fuel Injection EVERETT, WA

Cascade Marine Service, LLC 425-303-0200 2925 W. Marine View Dr. tim@cascademarineservice.com www.cascademarineservice.com

www.tohatsu.com nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 133

8 ^ĞĂƩůĞ

5

4 Wenatchee

3

7 2

6 Kennewick

1 Portland

ADVENTURE IS WAITING JUST OFFSHORE Book now for 2016

GIVE US A CALL TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY!

Reservations@offshorenorthwest.com

www.offshorenorthwest.com • facebook.com/OffshoreNorthwest

1648923-01

1

COLUMBIA RIVER SPORTFISHING

5

Gig Harbor, WA (253) 380-9973

Washougal, WA (360) 600-8257 2 Spokane

BLUE MOON FISHING ADVENTURES

6

CHINOOK MARINE REPAIR

7

LYLE’S BOATS & MOTORS Cashmere, WA (509) 782-1844

VALLEY MARINE Yakima, WA (866) 888-1021

Chinook, WA (800) 457-9459 4

HURD’S GUIDE SERVICE Hanford Reach, WA (509) 679-1304

Woodland, WA (360) 521-0273 3

OFFSHORE NORTHWEST

8

HOWARD’S ON THE RIVER Pateros, WA (509) 923-2200

Blue Moon Fishing Adventures NOW BOOKING

CATCH & RELEASE

STURGEON

SUMMER

CHINOOK WILLAMETTE & TILLAMOOK

SPRING CHINOOK OFFSHORE TRIPS

STARTING SOON Like us on Facebook!

Guide, Marty Lyngheim • (360) 521-0273

^^^ IS\LTVVUÄZOPUNHK]LU[\YLZ JVT T

Salmon • Steelhead • Sturgeon Trout • Walleye • Bass

Mid-Columbia & Upper-Columbia Guides Tri-Cities, WA - Spring Chinook Brewster, WA - Sockeye Salmon & Summer Chinook Hanford Reach, WA - Fall Chinook

509-679-1304 www.hurdsguideservice.com

136 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING

Big River Smallies Columbia, Willamette bass overlooked but plentiful, hungry.

Lane Olson of Forest Grove caught this dandy big river smallie drop-shotting a Perk’s Custom Bait D-Shad in deep purple flash. The bass helped earn the young angler a win in his first tournament ever. (LANE OLSON)

By Randall Bonner

A

s the Willamette and Columbia Rivers warm up in spring, lots of fishy activity goes on beneath the surface that most Northwest anglers tend to overlook. But warmwater fisheries have a place on the local fishing map.

Bassmaster Magazine has repeatedly listed the Columbia Gorge as one of the 100 best bass fisheries in the country. The large area of the Bonneville Pool, its forage species, clean water and light fishing pressure are a world-class smallmouth fishery.

Ramps at The Dalles, Mayer State Park, Hood River, Cascade Locks, Wind River, Drano Lake and Bingen, among others, offer ample access to the sometimes windy reservoir.

The Willamette too has plenty of launches, and Clackamette Park in Oregon City at the mouth of the Clackamas has rock ledges, fallen timber, rocky points, boulders and shallow flats that all hold smallmouth. During summer, bass transition from spawning to feeding on baitfish, so if you find bait, you’ll find smallies by targeting ambush areas where they’re staging to feed.

Just above the falls, Willamette Park in West Linn and Rogers Landing in Newberg hold fish on ledges and steep drop-offs. Deepdiving crankbaits and drop-shot rigs dominate that deep water. The waters around the Cedaroak ramp, back down in West Linn, offer similar structure, while the Multnomah Channel and Columbia Slough are

excellent fisheries that are easily accessible from Cathedral Park.

SCULPIN, MINNOWS, SUCKERS, sand rollers, perch, sunfish and ESAlisted salmonid smolts, particularly Chinook in spring, are just a portion of the diet of the Northwest’s big river bass. But the most common is crawfish. They’re plentiful, easy prey and always in season. Most bass spawn during early spring, but as water temperatures continue to rise, so do numbers of their forage species.

As they bloom, a feast of fishes into the system, the early spawning bass begin recovering, and the late spawners become protective of their territory. As they transition from protecting their nests, bass begin seeking out food to replenish the energy they’ve expended during the spawn. Many of the forage species often spawn on abandoned beds, and sculpins raid the territory, sneaking off with whatever they can grab.

There are a number of small Northwest tackle makers that have

zeroed in on mimicking local food sources. Western Fishing Operations makes a soft plastic sculpin, and Willamette Weapon Custom Lures paints lures to match the specifics of native forage species. While there are a wide variety of crawfish, bluegill and perch patterns from numerous tackle manufacturers, keep in mind that many of these bass have already seen and possibly fallen for them.

Throwing something new and realistic in their path can often trigger strikes from reluctant feeders.

When female bass have dropped their eggs and moved off the bed to search for food, they’ll feed on anything they can fit in their mouths.

Slightly lethargic at first, they’ll mainly target crawfish, and then as they begin to gorge themselves and regain their energy, they’ll move on to other forage species as their metabolism rises. During the postspawn, fish will often hang near ledges, current breaks and cover – anything that provides them with a point to ambush their prey. nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 137

FISHING IN BIG RIVERS, bass behavior isn’t much different from salmon and steelhead.

Bass will hang in fairly shallow water as long as deep water is close by.

Deep, slow-moving channels are like highways, and bass will stage in some areas where food will come to them.

Bass gravitate to warmer water as much as cover, so fish anywhere something creates a shadow on the sunny side of the river. Cover like logs, boulders and rockpiles that are standing in or creating a seam in the current will often hold fish. Rock or gravel bottoms will always hold more bass, while sandy bottoms are often deserts of silt, void of life all together.

Having a depth finder will help locate schools of baitfish, rock piles, ledges and other structure that bass will gravitate towards. More importantly, having a variety of presentations to offer the fish will better prepare you for adapting to where they are in the water column, and match whatever

they are feeding on.

Bass anglers are notorious for bringing a plethora of rods and reels rigged and ready to go. There’s a good reason for this. Having a rod for soft plastics, spinnerbaits and crankbaits is one thing, but having three rods for crankbaits to fish at various depths depending on where the fish are in the water column is a game changer.

Having a squarebill that dives 2 to 4 feet, a middepth crankbait that dives 6 to 8 feet, as well as a deep crank that can hit the deep side of ledges can make a difference, especially if you’re not retying to adjust to where the bait is all day.

While topwater fishing is mostly reserved for tossing frogs on lily pads, don’t rule out injured baitfish imitations like Zara Spooks in open water. Fishing topwaters over flats with moving water that also sit above ledges with deep water can be very productive. As it gets later in the summer, smaller fish tend to get

There’s no doubt that Columbia and Willamette bass like snacking on salmonid smolts as they’re flushed downriver in spring, but crayfish are available yearround. Willamette Weapon Custom Lures’ Tualatin Craw, airbrushed by Bryan Chapman of Tualatin, aims to replicate the hugely important part of the species’ diet. (BRYAN CHAPMAN)

pushed out of that deeper water and onto the flats where the bass feed on them. Baitfish are also following bug hatches at the surface and the bass are simply following the food chain.

Having a rod rigged up and ready to go when there are fish feeding on the surface can put you on fish that are looking to the sky and neglecting those bottom-bouncing jig patterns. NS

YOUR BOATING PLEASURE IS OUR BUSINESS!

Hewescraft Boats • Lowe Boats • Trailers Accessories • Fuel At The Dock!

Factory Trained, Certified Technicians

MOORAGE • STORAGE • BOAT SALES WINTER HOURS (APRIL - SEPTEMBER)

M-F: 8am–5:30pm SAT: 8am–4pm

928 Front St. Klamath Falls, OR 888-882-5834 • 541-882-5834 rhahn@pelicanmarinaoregon.com www.pelicanmarinaoregon.com

All boats powered by Honda Marine engines.

Always wear a personal floatation device while boating and read your owner’s manual.

138 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

UP TO

700 OFF!

$

OR CHOOSE A STAINLESS PROP AND ENGINE COVER SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS*

The Honda Power Of Boating Celebration!

Quality, reliability, technology and fuel-efficiency have made Honda an automotive legend.

You’ll find those same strengths in every Honda Marine outboard. And now, get up to $700 Instant Savings or choose a stainless propeller and engine cover with the purchase of any new 40hp – 250hp Honda Marine outboard — through June 3, 2016!

Honda Marine Instant Savings!

BF225 & BF250 BF135 – BF200 BF60 – BF115 BF40 & BF50 OREGON BEND Central Lakes Marine

$

700 Savings 600 Savings $ 500 Savings $ 400 Savings $

SEATTLE Rick’s Master Marine, Inc. (206) 762-0741 www.ricksmastermarine.com

(541) 385-7791 www.clmarine.com

CHINOOK Chinook Marine Repair, Inc. (800) 457-9459 (360) 777-8361 www.chinookmarinerepair.com

CULVER Culver Marine (541) 546-3354 www.culvermarine.com

EVERETT Boat Country (800) 697-4252 www.boatcountry.com

PORTLAND Sportcraft Marina, Inc. (503) 656-6484 www.sportcraftmarina.com

MOUNT VERNON Tom-n-Jerry’s (360) 466-9955 www.tomnjerrys.net

TACOMA King Salmon Marine Sales and Service (253) 830-2962 www.kingsalmonsales.com

WASHINGTON AUBURN Auburn Sports & Marine Inc. (253) 833-1440 www.auburnsportsmarineinc.com

PASCO Northwest Marine and Sport (509) 545-5586 www.nwmarineandsport.com

TACOMA Tacoma Boat Sales & Service (253) 301-4013 www.tacomaboatsales.com

SPOKANE Spokane Valley Marine (509) 926-9513 www.spokanevalleymarine.com

marine.honda.com

*At participating dealers only. Receipt of propeller and cover upon retail delivery of boat package from a dealer. Promotion subject to change at any time without prior notice. © 2016 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual. All Honda outboards meet EPA and CARB emission levels. *At participating dealers only. Receipt of propeller and cover upon retail delivery of boat package from a dealer. Promotion subject to change at any time without prior notice. © 2016 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual. All Honda outboards meet EPA and CARB emission levels.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 139

Guided Fishing & Outdoor Adventure • Brand New 25’ Willie • 21 Years Angling in OR & WA Raptor Sled • A Teaching & Patient, Fun, •100-ton U.S.C.G. Master Friendly Atmosphere Mariner Captain’s License • Highest Quality Fishing Gear • OR & WA Licensed • Deadicated to Earning Charter Boat/Fishing Guide Your Loyalty • Certified EMT, CPR, and First Aid • Fully Insured & Bonded Available: Late Spring & Summer Columbia/ Willamette Chinook seasons, Ocean/Columbia July, Astoria August & Coos Bay Sept.

billmonroeoutdoors@gmail.com • (503) 702-4028 facebook.com/billmonroeoutdoors

GUI D E S ERV ICE with Captain Keith Jensen

GUIDED WALLEYE FISHING ON BAN KS L AKE, POTHOLES RESERVOIR, MOSES L AKE, & RUFUS WOODS RESERVO I R

509-770-8318 www.bigwallysguideservice.com keith.jensen81@yahoo.com

140 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING

Springer Season’s Not Over Yet! Guide Bill Monroe’s advice for May kings at Drano, Wind, Cowlitz, Willamette, Tillamook.

Not ready for spring Chinook season to end yet? Drano Lake and its Toilet Bowl and open-water trolls is among six fisheries that produce salmon into May and beyond. (SPEROS DOULOS, USFWS; POSTPROCESSING BY SAM MORSTAN)

By Jeff Holmes

L

ast spring I had the eyeopening opportunity to spend the day anchored on the Lower Columbia near County Line Park for spring Chinook, fishing next to an unnamed young guide with a reputation for being the most insecure and annoying voice on all of social media’s many fishing venues.

Not only is this guide openly reviled online, but solid dudes throughout the industry seem to dislike him with unusual intensity. Granted, he hasn’t been busted for slicing off adipose fins from wild coho, nor has he had his boat seized for guiding

over endangered tributary Chinook out of season, but when it comes to making people want to slap box him, he’s up there. Of course, the offending young guide thinks it’s because he “slays so much chrome,” but it’s actually because his behavior is absurd. That day, when he wasn’t verbally abusing clients or getting zero takedowns all day for four rods, he sat in the front of his anchored sled texting for long periods of time.

When he wasn’t doing that, he was hollering veiled insults at the boat I was in. We kept quiet.

In an age of largely unregulated guiding, social-media heroes and lots of big talk from some guides,

I appreciate the polite, smiling, no-brag dudes getting it done oldschool – the ones who treat clients and the resource with respect. The true “chrome gangsters” keep their mouths shut and their boats filled with repeat clients and dead salmon.

The list of awesome guides on the Lower Columbia – most places in the Northwest – is long and multi-aged.

It’s possible to have a lifetime fishing experience with an enthusiastic 22-year-old or a seasoned veteran in his 60s; the key is researching your guide before you ever start to make calls or send emails looking for a trip.

For the last five years I’ve done my homework and have featured a nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 141

FISHING broad array of guides from across the region, fishing for everything from tuna to walleye. My favorite species in the Northwest – and my favorite species to fish with a guide – is spring Chinook, however. Other fish may be more fun to pursue, but like many, I have a sick obsession with killing springers that carries well into May. That doesn’t mean I kill a ton of them, but the obsession and struggle are real. If you’re looking for a trip this May with a spring Chinook specialist who learned the ropes from Bob Toman, Buzz Ramsey and many more, try one of the very best, Bill Monroe Jr. (facebook .com/billmonroeoutdoors). He is a funny-but-focused family man and is one of the very best springer anglers out there. In the text that follows, Monroe will up your odds for success, whether fishing on your own or if you spend a day on the water with him or another guide. He breaks down a few key points of advice for his favorite May fisheries within an hour and a half of Portland and Vancouver:

etc.) to the middle of the bait leader to raise your terminal offering just ever so slightly off the bottom. That should put it smack dab in front of a fish’s eye when he’s swimming upriver through faster, shallower water. He will be forced to bite.

As water temps rise from April to May, start to change up your bait – from herring to maybe eggs and/or shrimp, prawns or hardware. Don’t be afraid to flat-line Yakima Bait’s Mag Lips; the now ever-trusty, die-hard 4.5s and the newer 3.5s and 3.0s are very effective, if used right. Consider

COWLITZ, TRIBS WITH SHALLOW WATER Don’t be afraid to fish shallow water. For example, on the Cowlitz, anchor up if you can in a travel lane in 3 to 5 feet of water with plugs, prawns or eggs, or even herring or Brad’s Super Baits. The Willamette has shallow water like this around the Oregon City area, and eggs and shrimp are keys to getting it done there too.

For back-trolling, you want to have a diver that keeps your bait down at the eye level of the fish.

Long diver lines can lead to fish seeing the diver, and/or making the bait rise ineffectively up off the bottom, so go with a short, 6to 10-inch diver line. If you try to run shorter diver lines and aren’t comfy with it, add some flotation (a Spin-N-Glo, couple Corkies, 142 Northwest Sportsman

Trolling bait behind a flasher is a standby at windy Wind River, but flatlining plugs also works well at this terminal fishery in the Columbia Gorge.

(BILL MONROE OUTDOORS)

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

wrapping a properly small and smelly red coon shrimp around the bottom of a 3.5 or 3.0 – it’s good stuff in a small, faster-moving water system.

WIND RIVER, DRANO LAKE The old trusty Fish Flash and herring or prawn spinner set-ups work well at the Wind River. It’s a snaggy bottom there, but bouncing ever so slightly works well to make sure you’re down there in the zone where the biters are.

The Wind isn’t known for suspended style fishing at all, but flat-lining a plug with 100 or so feet out does get it down close to bottom, and I’ve had success with a 4.5 Mag Lip out behind the rest of my set-ups. I’ve seen it done with Mag Warts and Fat Fish too.

Drano Lake is more known for suspended style fishing, however. Folks here love to troll with Pro-Troll Dodgers, Fish Flash flashers, or just plain leader and Super Baits or herring.

Both cutplugs and traditional Super Baits have worked well in combo with rotating flashers.

The part of the lake near the entrance called The Toilet Bowl is always very crowded with boats and bank anglers, as it provides a great opportunity for the shore-limited anglers to find salmon. It’s common for there to be good doses of yelling, fights and tangles. I personally stay as far away from there as possible, unless the bite is strictly right there and nowhere else. The suspended guys in Drano like 25 on the linecounter with 6 to 8 and even 10 ounces of lead. Like the Wind, it is a snaggy son of a gun, so be careful.

Wind and Drano can be highly productive this time of year. They both don’t start fishing very well until there are at least 2,000 or more springers going over Bonneville Dam for five days in a row or more.

WHEN WE DEMANDED PERFORMANCE OUR ENGINEERS SAID, “LIGHTEN UP” 200 HORSEPOWER AMPLE 4-STROKE POWER FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF BOATS FROM OFFSHORE AND BAY BOATS TO PONTOONS, NEW BOATS OR REPOWERS

“BIG BLOCK” POWER ALL NEW INLINE 4-CYLINDER DOHC POWERHEAD WITH 175 CU.IN. “BIG BLOCK” DISPLACEMENT

COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT ALL THE POWER AND PERFORMANCE YOU’D EXPECT – AT JUST 498 LBS

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VARIABLE VALVE TIMING AND DIRECT AIR INTAKE FOR CRISP THROTTLE RESPONSE AND ACCELERATION

ADVANCED SENSORS

KNOCK, O2 AND H20 SENSORS IMPROVE PERFORMANCE, EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY

IMPRESSIVE ECONOMY UP TO 19% LESS FUEL USED COMPARED TO OUR ORIGINAL V6 200

EXCLUSIVE SUZUKI FEATURES DF200AP HAS SUZUKI PRECISION CONTROL AND SELECTIVE ROTATION

TRANSOM-FRIENDLY LIKE ALL SUZUKI OUTBOARDS, THE DF200A/AP USES STANDARD BOLT PATTERN AND FITS 26-INCH ON CENTER

New 200 Horsepower Inline 4-Cylinder Suzuki DF200A/AP Delivers V6-Like Performance In A Compact, Lightweight Outboard If you’re looking for a new outboard that delivers power, performance – and impressive fuel economy, you’ll like what you see in our new DF200A and DF200AP. Our new inline 4-cylinder 200 is compact and lightweight, yet it’s packed with innovative new technology. The new cowling channels cool fresh air to the intake system for improved performance. New engine sensors monitor key operating paramaters to keep the engine running smoothly, and our Lean Burn Technology delivers up to 19% less fuel used when compared to our original V6 200. DF200AP also features electronic throttle and shift and Suzuki Selective Rotation.

Suzuki is shining a bright light on 4-stroke outboard engine innovation. For details, see your Suzuki Marine dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com.

OREGON EUGENE Maxxum Marine (541) 686-3572 www.maxxummarine.com PORTLAND Power Sports Marine (503) 206-7490 www.psunlimitednw.com PORTLAND Sigler’s Marine (503) 492-7400 www.siglersmarine.com PORTLAND Sportcraft Marina (503) 656-6484 www.sportcraftmarina.com WASHINGTON BELLINGHAM Rasmussen’s Marine Electric (360) 671-2992 www.rasmarineelectric.com ISSAQUAH I-90 Marine Center (425) 392-2748 www.i-90marinecenter.com EVERETT Performance Marine (425) 258-9292 www.perform-marine.com PORT ANGELES Port Angeles Power Equipment (360) 452-4652 www.papowerequipment.com PORT ORCHARD Kitsap Marina (360) 895-2193 www.kitsapmarina.com MOUNT VERNON Master Marine Services (360) 336-2176 www.mastermarine.com OLYMPIA Puget Marina (360) 491-7388 www.pugetmarina.com SHELTON Verle’s Marine Center (360) 426-0933 www.verles.com SPOKANE Spokane Valley Marine (509) 926-9513 www.spokanevalleymarine.com

© 2015 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. Suzuki, Suzuki “S” and product names are ® or trademarked. Don’t drink and drive.

Always wear a USCG-Approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 143

FISHING Wherever you head for spring Chinook this month, pay attention to the tips that guide Bill Monroe (background) shares in this article for salmon success. (BILL MONROE OUTDOORS)

SHARP RODS Although Bill Monroe Jr. is sponsored

by Yakima Bait, Willie Boats and Frabill nets, it’s perhaps his affiliation with Portland-based Wraptor Rods I find most interesting. Wraptor started in the home of its owner and chief rod builder, Jay Johnstone, and has grown rapidly, mostly by word of mouth. Lots of premier anglers – including some of the cast of Wicked Tuna – own custom Wraptors, which feature top materials and trademark inlaid feathers. Now Monroe is on board, along with a small and carefully vetted pro staff of guides, which also includes my friends from Reel Women of Fishing Northwest, Sara Dodd and Kristin Bishop.

Wraptor is known for exceeding quality at a very cool price. Want a local rod made by good people?

Check them out. Or try them on Monroe’s boat. –JH

Celebrating Our 11th Year!

That usually happens in April, but the best catching in both fisheries is often in May.

We’ve Gone Neon!!

MULTNOMAH CHANNEL, WILLAMETTE RIVER

Check Out Our Updated Website

FFISH ISH W WITH ITH G GARY ARY

KOKANEE — TROUT LANDLOCKED SALMON

• A rac ng dodgers in three unique sizes and ac ons producing excellent movement and a rac on to your matching lure.

• Lures: Beaded Spinners, Super Squids (hoochies) & GVF Bugs • Intense contrast colors for highest visibility at depth, using only non-fading fluorescent (“UV”) colors and superior extended glow.

• Only top quality components are used, assembled personally by Gary, one at a me. Use discount code FWG2016 for 5% discount on your order.

FISH WITH GARY TACKLE CO. La Pine, Oregon

www.fishwithgary.com 541.536.1002

Home of Kokanee University

144 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

The Multnomah Channel is a bottom-based fishery, and produces well if you run the tried-and-true flasher-and-herring set-ups down low in the face of salmon. Bouncing bottom in the channel can be tricky, however, and losing gear does occur if one is not careful.

Make sure you set your speed right, then get your bearing on where bottom is. Once you find it and are tapping right along – the rod tip will tell you – reel up two full cranks. That should keep you in the zone and above bottom where the occasional stump can become your worst enemy real quick. Well, not sea-lion-enemy status, but pretty close if you lose your gear.

One other important thing to remember when fishing the channel in May is to watch your speed. Yes, I’ve done it – gotten too close to the

GUIDED DRIFT BOAT STEELHEAD FISHING ON IDAHO'S FAMOUS CLEARWATER RIVER & GUIDED JET BOAT SALMON, STEELHEAD, & STURGEON FISHING ON THE SNAKE RIVER & COLUMBIA RIVER Where the “Best of the Best” go fishing!

BOTTOMFISH • LINGCOD • SALMON • HALIBUT Charter Boat, Rental Boat, Boat Moorage, Launch Ramp, Tackle Shop, Bait, Deli, Rain Gear, Boots, General Merchandise, Ice, Marine Fuel,Freezer cen ense s s, R.U.P., Grab -NN Go Foods, Storage, Cooler Storage, Fishing Licenses, Drinks and so much more. facebook.com/1joeylawrence

ASK ABOUT OUR

MULTI-DAY SPECIALS!

WWW.SWIFTWATERTRIP.COM • (208) 476-0968

Youth Salmon Derby JULY 4TH WEEKEND

1-866-787-1900 866 78 87 1900 BOOK NOW!ww www.BigSalmonResort.net

MASTER MARINE SERVICES 360.336.2176

2015

Thunder Jet 21’ Luxor ½ hardtop with Suzuki DF140 and EZ Loader tandem axle trailer with spare tire

Includes: Two suspension seats,

washdown system, rear facing LED light and two bench seats.

PRICE $47,495 333 E. Blackburn Rd. Suite C • Mt. Vernon, WA

(1-5 Exit 225)

www.mastermarine.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 145

Greenwater Guide Service

O NOW BO

KING!

R SUMMEA D E H L E E T S

Robin Nelson, Owner

425-681-2074 • greenwaterguide.com USCG Certified • WDFW Licensed • CPR & First Aid Certified • Insured

The Place to Buy a Boat!

The Best Boat Brands For Over 60 Years

SALES • SERVICE • REPAIR Campion 682 Explorer

many docks, houseboats and small marinas in there and didn’t think or realize what my wake was doing.

It’s a hotly contested issue right now: homeowners and dock/marina owners tired of the damage wakes are doing to their property are trying to restrict the speed limit to 5 mph throughout much of the channel.

Whether damage is occurring or not, we anglers need to do our part to stay 200 feet away from any dock, home or property in the channel, and if you can’t swing further out than the required 200 feet, simply slow down to 5 mph.

A very good deep-water ďŹ shery on the Willy in May is called the Harbor.

From the tip of the channel (Fred’s Marina) in the Kelly Point Park area, up to Swan Island and the shipyards, to downtown Portland at Hawthorne Bridge, and even up to Sellwood and through Milwaukie, salmon like to mill around all depths of the water column, and suspended ďŹ shing with herring or prawns is key through May. Fish standard herring and prawn and asher set-ups, with 6 to 10 ounces of dropper weight and linecounters set to 15, 30 and 45 feet. Covering those depths is the key to this, and the new two-pole endorsement will allow even solo anglers to cover multiple depths with their spread.

Trolling speed is basically around 3.0 mph on the GPS, and you can ďŹ sh along just about any edge or zigzag your way through these areas, watching for ship/tug trafďŹ c, with this set-up and ďŹ nd success.

$OXPDZHOG $PHULFDQ $QJOHU &DPSLRQ &XVWRP :HOG .LQJĂ€VKHU 0DUORQ 6PRNHUFUDIW NEW 2016 Custom Weld Boats Have Arrived!!

BOATS & 509-884-3558 www.bobfeil.com *All prices plus tax, license & doc. fees.

146 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

202 Phantom Offshore

Includes: 150hp Yamaha, Tandem Axle Trailer

2015 201 2 0 015 m model ode d l yea del y year ear cl ear clearance lear ea anc ance e priced pr pri p rriiced ced ce ed at at $37,995*

MOTORS, INC. 2131 Sunset Hwy. East Wenatchee Monday–Fri. - 8:30–5:30 • Sat. - 9–5

TILLAMOOK BAY The last good spring Chinook spot to start ďŹ shing well around here will be the Tillamook Bay area. It ďŹ shes pretty much as it does in fall, with the usual herring-asher setups ďŹ nding ďŹ sh in the usual Ghost Hole, Bay City, West Channel and upper bay areas. There may be fewer Chinook here than other ďŹ sheries, but they usually are a bit bigger in size, so ďŹ nding one (or two) is quite the prize. NS

GET THE POWER OF THE PROS BEHIND YOU. Professional anglers know the right rig is key to tournament success, whether it’s getting to a hot spot before anyone else, or presenting a lure at just the right speed.

A Mercury Verado® Pro FourStroke® outboard combined with a 9.9hp ProKicker trolling engine is the perfect multi-species angling package. Both outboards are packed with exclusive features from Mercury to help you take your fishing to the next level. Go with the Pros. Mercury behind you, the world before you.

©Mercury Marine

WASHINGTON Aqua Tech Marine Services 4911-B State Hwy 303 NE Bremerton, WA 98311 (360) 792-BOAT (2628) www.aquatechboats.com

Northwest Marine and Sport 2250 Commercial Ave Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 545-5586 www.nwmarineandsport.com

Rick’s Master Marine, Inc. 8500 Dallas Ave S Seattle, WA 98108 (206) 762-0741 www.ricksmastermarine.com

Valley Marine 1904 Fruitvale Blvd Yakima, WA 98902 (509) 453-6302 www.yvmarine.com

Bob Feil Boats & Motors, Inc. 2131 Sunset Hwy N East Wenatchee, WA 98802 (509) 884-3558 www.bobfeil.com

Performance Marine 930 W Marine View Dr Everett, WA 98201 (425) 258-9292 www.perform-marine.com

U.S. Marine Sales & Service 3525 Pacific Ave SE Olympia, WA 98501 (360) 455-0788 www.usmarinesales.com

Verle’s Sports Center 741 West Golden Pheasant Rd Shelton, WA 98584 (877) 426-0933 www.verles.com

Nixon’s Marine Inc. 2919 E. Isaacs Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362 (800) 355-5774 www.nixonsmarine.com nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 147

TROPHY OREGON LINGCOD!

Los Barriles B.C.S., Mexico

Fishing packages available Call for details!

Brookings Fishing Charters

^^^ IYVVRPUNZÄZOPUN JVT (541)813-1082 • Capt. Andy Martin

148 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

RESERVATIONS CALLTOLL FREE

1-888-567-8552 OR LOG ONTO

www.martinverdugo.com

Brought To You By:

KNOW WHERE TO CAST™

COLUMN

Upper Rogue Should Be Good For Springers E

ach May, anglers in Southern Oregon rig up for big spring salmon, and there’s nothing like a hard fight from a Rogue Chinook on the upper river.

My family has a long history with the river and these fish, which might explain why I’m SOUTH COAST so addicted to fishing and named my first saltwater boat Rogue. My family settled near

By Randy Wells the upper Rogue in 1890, and in the 1950s my grandfather built wooden drift boats to battle the mighty river. My father, Darrell Wells, has been fishing the Rogue his entire life and was a guide on the upper river in the ’70s and ’80s. While I was growing up, he owned a small tackle shop in the ’80s and ’90s.

Some of you may remember our shop, Wells Gun and Tackle, on Highway 62 next to the old Road Runner Coffee Shop.

The upper Rogue above the site of the former Gold Ray Dam has been the most productive stretch of the South Oregon river for spring Chinook in most recent years. It’s good for boaters running divers and eggs or backing plugs downriver, as well as for bankees like Erik Draper drifting beads. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

I ASKED MY dad for some springer pointers and he was quick to get into it. He says his go-to bait on the upper Rogue is a Spin-NGlo with a small female sand shrimp atop dark red eggs. My dad remembers when Phil Pirone first walked into the family store in the ’80s and asked him to try his Pro-Cure egg cure, and ever since then he has been a huge Pro-Cure fan and cures all his eggs with it.

Another tip from Dad is, “When the sun hits the river and the heat is high, back-bounce small baits with a 12-pound leader and small red hooks.”

Now at 40 years old, I still remember landing my first Rogue springer in 1982. My dad and I were using sand shrimp and eggs behind a Jet Diver. My dad and family friend Rick Larson were fishing the White Pipe Hole below what used to be Gold Ray Dam. Even though the dam was taken out in 2010, the hole still produces fish. If you want to find it, go to Fishers Ferry boat ramp, look upstream and across the river; there you’ll see the white pipe going into the river, hence the name.

Over the last 10 years I have focused on the Chetco River in the fall and Seward during the spring and summer, so I contacted guide Jon Geyer (jongeyerfishing.com) for more on upper Rogue springers. Geyer starts fishing Chinook between May 1 and 15, depending on water conditions and fish counts.

You can get fish counts from the Cole M. Rivers Hatchery and flows and water temperatures out of Lost Creek Lake by calling the Army Corps of Engineers’ hotline at (800) 472-2434.

Geyer says that the peak season starts in mid-June and runs through the end of July. For gear, he runs 65-pound braid as his main line and 20-pound leader. He launches his boat early and states that the best fishing is between first legal fishing time and 10

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 149

COLUMN a.m. He starts the day by back-bouncing dark red eggs with a chartreuse Spin-NGlo in traveling water and by 8:30 moves to plug water. Geyer finds that springers keg up when the sun hits the water and a plug can cause that anger strike needed to fill a fish box. Geyer and I agree that the go-to plugs are Yakima Bait’s MagLip 4.5 and 5.0. He says to wrap your plugs with sardines. We both recommend curing your sardines the night before with ProCure Slam-Ola powder or Pro-Cure BrineN-Bite. These products will firm up your wrap and add the Pro-Cure bite stimulant.

Springers love sulfite, so powder your eggs with sulfite and then hold on.

These are hard-fighting fish, so rig up a rod that can handle the pressure. I use the Lamiglas Certified Pro 934, which works as both a plug rod and a back-bouncing rod.

Of course, if you can have two rods, pick up the Lamiglas Pro Bouncer as well.

SO HOW’S 2016’s springer run to the upper Rogue going to be? I contacted

Pete Samarin at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s White City office for this year’s forecast. He told me that when the Gold Ray Dam existed, ODFW had the ability to count every fish as it passed through the fish ladder and the agency could therefore give an accurate forecast.

However, since the dam was removed to help the Rogue River get back to These waters hold a special place in author Randy Wells’ memory banks. its natural state, ODFW His family settled on the upper Rogue in the late 1800s, his grandpa made wooden drift boats here in the 1950s, his father guided the river doesn’t have the ability and in 1982 a young Randy caught his first springer. (WELLS FAMILY) to count every fish.

Instead, they currently targeting 26 miles of the upper Rogue from rely on fish-carcass surveys for forecasting. the hatchery to the old Gold Ray Dam site.

Samarin explained that of the carcasses Counting begins in September and runs found, 15 percent equal the number of every week through Oct. 9. I asked him fish that spawn, and therefore they can about the cutoff date and Samarin replied, estimate the number that returned. He says “We must stop counting by Oct. 9 so we it’s very difficult to find all carcasses, as he can be sure we are only counting spring has a three-person team, including himself, salmon and not fall salmon.”

Because Chinook are a four- and fiveyear return fish, ODFW looks at data collected in 2012 to get an estimate for 2016. In 2012, they estimated the spring salmon return was 14,400; of that return, ODFW collected 2,160 carcasses, 1,000 of which were female. Since each hen produces 3,000 to 3,500 eggs, we can calculate that just over 3 million eggs were spawned above the Gold Ray Dam site. Samarin stated that although he wasn’t finished with the spring Chinook forecast for 2016, he did feel confident that it would be a good run this season.

With spring weather in the air, and good predictions for fish returns, I highly recommend contacting guide Jon Geyer and booking an upper Rogue salmon trip.

Although I am in Alaska during this time and catching plenty of fish, I sure do miss those warm summer mornings fighting springers at first light. NS Editor’s note: Randy Wells is a full-time fishing guide in Oregon and Alaska. His websites are oregonfishingadventure.com and fishsewardalaska.com. He can also be reached at (541) 500-7885.

150 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

MARKETPLACE

NOW BOOKING FOR

SALMON & STEELHEAD FISHING THE COLUMBIA RIVER, COWLITZ RIVER, CHEHALIS RIVER, WIND RIVER AND DRANO LAKE (425) 422-9616 riverotterguideservice.com facebook.com/riverotterguideservice

MENTION THIS AD FOR

$25 OFF

Per Person!

MARKETPLACE DECEPTION PASS MARINA MOORAGE: Call for availability FUEL DOCK: Non Ethanol (90) octane) gasoline & Diesel

STORE: Groceries, bait, tackle, charts, beer & wine Picnic areas and hiking trails in the area 200 West Cornet Bay Rd Oak Harbor, WA 98277

ULTIMATE FISHING ROD TIES Available in over 700 stores 10 Year Anniversary

360.675.5411

Quick Relea se

Adjustable Locking Floats

Fishing Butlers Available at these Northwest Locations: Yeager’s (Bellingham, WA) Valley Sports (Burlington, WA) Work-Sport & Outdoors (Enumclaw, WA) Rod’s Custom Rods (Desert Aire, WA) Dakota Creek Guns & Outfitting (Ferndale, WA) Sportco (Fife, WA) Forks Outfitters (Forks, WA) Greg’s Custom Fishing Rods (Lk. Stevens, WA) Dave’s Sport Shop (Lynden, WA) Bob’s Sporting Goods (Longview, WA) Master Marine (Mt. Vernon, WA) Puget Sound Anglers (Olympia, WA) Griggs Dpt. Store (Pasco, WA) Swain’s Gen. Store (Pt. Angeles, WA) fishingbutler.com for more locations or call 1-866-239-2228

Waters West (Port Angeles, WA) Ace Hardware (Richland, WA) Outdoor Emporium (Seattle, WA) The General Store (Spokane, WA) Darver Tackle (Starbuck, WA) Hooked On Toys (Wenatchee, WA) Angler West TV (Woodland, WA) The Bite’s On! (Coos Bay, OR) Watershed Fly Shop (Corvallis, OR) Caddis Fly Angling Shop (Eugene, OR) Jo/Mar Custom Tackle (Hillsboro, OR) Teeter Tackle (Reedsport, OR) Fish - Field Inc. (Tigard, OR) Snake River Sports (Burley, ID) Kokanee Tackle (Meridian, ID) Howard’s Tackle Shoppe (Nampa, ID)

• Year-round Boat Storage • Parts and Service • Boat, Jet Ski, and Consignment Sales • Detail Services 503.656.4276 | www.oregoncitymarina.com service@oregoncitymarina.com | 18649 Highway 99E Oregon City, OR 97045

Good Used Boats Repair Parts Quality Service Knowlegeable Staff

)S\L 4VVU -PZOPUN (K]LU[\YLZ NOW BOOKING

NEW ENGINES ON SALE!

CATCH & RELEASE

STURGEON

SUMMER

CHINOOK WILLAMETTE & TILLAMOOK

SPRING CHINOOK OFFSHORE TRIPS

STARTING SOON Like us on Facebook!

^^^ IS\LTVVUÄZOPUNHK]LU[\YLZ JVT

No Sales tax in Oregon!

SALES •SERVICE•ENGINES Check out our online selection of new and used boats for sale!

www.cascademarinecenter.com

503-255-8487

14900 SE Stark St. • Portland, OR 97233 Hours: M-F 8am-6pm Sat 9am-3pm

MARKETPLACE

(509) 722-5901 • rainbowrez@ctecorp.org

18 N Twin Lakes Rd • Inchelium, WA

LOCATED ON 1300FT OF BOGACHIEL RIVERFRONT √ RV HOOK-UPS √ CABIN RENTAL √ RIVERSIDE CAMPING √ RV & BOAT STORAGE √ FISHING INFO & RIVER REPORT √ FISH CLEANING STATION

√ ICE AND BAIT √ TACKLE √ WI-FI √ 31 -ACRE RIVERFRONT √ LAUNDRY/SHOWER

33 MORA ROAD FORKS, WA 98331 360-640-4819 | 360-640-4820 | 360-374-3398 For more information, visit www.ForksRiverViewRV.com

MARKETPLACE

Welcome to

Ephrata!

7URSK\ Ƃ VK VWUDS RI GXFNV WHFKQLFDO PRXQWDLQ ELNLQJ WR EDVDOW URFN FOLPE It’s all around Ephrata!

Visit ephratawachamber.com and start your adventure today!

253 W. HERMISTON AVE. HERMISTON, OR 97838 (541) 567-2011

• Old Fashion Jerky • Summer & Hunter Sausage • Pepperoni & Teriyaki Sticks • Complete Wild Game Processing • Boneless Cut, Double Wrapped & Specialty Products

www.EasternOregonMobileSlaughter.com

HUNTING

May’s Toms Tougher, But Huntable There’s plenty of season left to hone your gobbler skills.

By M.D. Johnson

A

decent turkey hunter can, sometimes, kill a gobbler the first week of the season. Even an inexperienced turkey hunter can find an acorn every now and again during those initial few days. But a good turkey hunter can kill a bird during the infamous midseason lull.

And a great turkey hunter? He’ll tag his tom clear up through late May’s final gong.

Why? Math plays a role. There are simply more live gobblers that first week; that is, none have been killed. Yet. Also, opening-week birds haven’t been hounded for 11 months. Are they stupid? No, merely unaccustomed to camo-clad humans running ’round the woods scratching out awful renditions of what they believe to be Mama Turkey sounds. So you have more birds. And more unpressured birds. And, if the seasonal timing is spot-on, you have more unpressured gobblers in desperate need of that Mama Turkey’s affections. It’s a recipe that swings the scales in even Rain Man’s favor, to say the least.

Got your attention now?

To be a great turkey hunter, you have to learn – as Clint Eastwood taught us in Heartbreak Ridge – to improvise, adapt and adjust. Why? Because the birds are doing the same thing. As the season progresses from the first two weeks to the second, the gobblers change. The hens change. The weather changes.

The environment, i.e. the foliage, changes. Hunting pressure changes.

Everything changes. And as the second segment gives way to the

Not all 2016’s plentiful crop of gobblers were killed last month; many toms are still wandering around Oregon, Washington and Idaho. But hunting the back end of the six-plus-week season is a different challenge, one that hunters must adjust and adapt their techniques to to be able to bag birds. (JULIA JOHNSON) nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 155

HUNTING final two weeks, these changes continue to happen. It’s the hunter, then, who can roll with the changes, make the adjustments, and adapt where and when necessary, who will be punching his tag closer to Memorial Day. Here’s a secret, folks. You don’t have to be as smart to kill a spring gobbler after opening day. You don’t have to be a professional caller. You don’t have to shoot like the late Tom Knapp. You don’t have to have light-bending camouflage, tactical footwear or binoculars capable of seeing through the planet. You don’t need to mortgage your home, skip meals, infuriate employers or totally neglect personal hygiene.

I’ve tried them all, individually and in various combinations, and while they’ve aided me psychologically, they haven’t done much in terms of putting turkey meat in the deep freeze. You don’t even need a lot

156 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

of turkeys, though more than one certainly can help. But here’s what you do need to kill gobblers during the mid- to late season. And most of it goes back to the basics.

Success in the late season, with its birds more likely to hang up, could come down to knowing what your shotgun is fully capable of. Author M.D. Johnson’s wife Julia has tagged turkeys to 53 yards. (JULIA JOHNSON)

HUNT WHERE THERE ARE TURKEYS Sounds silly, but a lot of hunters flat refuse to go elsewhere during the course of the season. And by that, I don’t mean driving 200 miles, although we’ll not discount that option. What I’m talking about is the tendency of humans to fixate on one particular parcel of ground for some reason – “I killed a bird there last year!” – and not relocate. Turkeys move during the season. The Rio Grande and Merriam’s subspecies in the Northwest are nomads, longdistance travelers that aren’t shy about walking multiple miles during a day. A week. A season. Here today, gone tomorrow, they are. Turkey scouting is an ongoing process, before as well as during the season. This one’s

simple: If you’re not hearing birds, go somewhere else. It doesn’t have to be far, just somewhere else. Get a map.

Punch in Google Earth. Walk. Drive.

Bike. Ride a horse. Stomping new dirt can make a difference, especially later in the season.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 157

HUNTING TURKEY OPEN THROUGH LATE MAY PRACTICE PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, SELF-DISCIPLINE Turkey hunters all have a schedule. A calendar. A time for this and a time for that. Turkeys, on the other hand, do not. They don’t know the words hurry or rush. And this is where the rules – patience, persistence and selfdiscipline – come into play. Simply put, this three-part strategy translates into the art of sitting for an additional hour after the first hour has passed.

Over the 26 years since my first bird, I’ve called gobblers into range from distances unimaginable and killed them. Is it because I’m a fantastic caller? No. It’s because: 1) those particular toms could hear me at 1,000 yards; 2) they wanted to come; and 3) I waited for them to get there.

Put yourself in a scrub oak flat with a hot gobbler at a half mile. He can hear you, but you can’t hear him.

He’s coming; he’s walking slowly and

As we reported last issue, wildlife biologists across the Northwest were largely reporting great numbers of turkeys available for this spring’s season. Particularly good prospects include the forests and mountains outside Colville, Dayton, Klickitat, Medford, Roseburg, La Grande and Orofino. General season hunting runs through May 25 in Idaho and May 31 in Oregon and Washington. –NWS

struts every time you call, which slows him down. But he’s coming. After 60 minutes, you pack up and leave.

Thirty minutes later, and he’s strutting 15 steps in front of your butt-print in the grass. Sorry. You’re not there.

You’re standing against an oak 300 yards away texting your buddy about the lack of birds in Area X. So sit down. Take your time.

Prop up a small portable Hunter’s Specialties-style lightweight blind.

Pack a lunch. Read a book. Catch 40 winks. Slip a cushion under your butt.

Get comfortable. Forget about your watch. Call sparingly. Use your ears as well as your eyes. Stay still. Put your time in. Leave the decoy in your vest,

and make him hunt you, especially if you’re hunting open ground. And don’t text. Texting is dumb.

PUT THE CALL DOWN Earlier I used the phrase “call sparingly,” and I’ll say it again here.

By mid-May, pressured gobblers have heard a lot from hunters. The birds, with some exceptions, are winding down. Getting quiet. The hens are quiet too – they’re laying eggs, housekeeping, sitting on a clutch, or getting a drink. Noisy hens attract unwanted attention – can you say coyote or bobcat? So call a bit. If he gobbles, he’s heard you; set the call down and let him hunt you.

ATTENTION OUTDOORSMEN

EXPLORE RAYONIERHUNTING.COM FOR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES IN 2016 Beginning January 1st, permits are required to access Rayonier land. For more information or to purchase a permit, go to Rayonierhunting.com. Watch the website for new enhanced area permits in 2016!

Visit rayonierhunting.com to find your own recreational lease or register to receive notification of the dates and times permits will go on sale.

Contact Rayonier Today!

855.729.4868 hunting@rayonier.com 158 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com nwsp wsp ws w s o sp orttsm orts manm an ag.c anm g om | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 159

Stop In For Local Information On Deer & Elk Hunting!

Benny’s

Colville Inn Welcome Hunters!

We know the Area Geographically knowledgeable Staff 106 Guest Rooms Wireless Internet Indoor Pool and Spa Breakfast at 5am Book Early during Whitetail Season

800-680-2517 509 684-2517

915 South Main Colville, Washington

www.colvilleinn.com

160 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Loud isn’t often necessary; soft clucks and purrs and short yelps will work just fine. Is it imperative you try something different? A revolutionary type of call the birds haven’t heard before? No. Mama Turkeys yelp. And cluck. And purr. And whine. And if you can do that – sparingly – on a turkey call, any kind of call, you’re in the midseason game.

KNOW WHAT YOUR SHOTGUN IS CAPABLE OF Honestly? Do you know how your turkey gun performs at, say, 53 yards? Several years ago, I watched my wife, Julia Carol, who truly is one of the best turkey killers with whom I’ve hunted, pound a bird at the aforementioned 53 yards.

In the woods. Dead. Between two other longbeards. How did she do it? She’s good, and she knows exactly what her Beretta 390 with a Winchester High Velocity No. 5 does at that distance. Late season might mean a little longer shot than you’d like. A bird hangs up. Hesitates. Gets a little hinky. Turns to leave at 50 yards. Poke ’n hope has no place in the turkey woods. Or the field. So practice at 40 yards.

And 50. And 55. And know your limitations. You owe the bird that respect.

AND FINALLY Most importantly, be careful out there. Turkey hunting isn’t inherently dangerous, but it, like any other outdoor activity, can be. Use your head. Someone has to. NS

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 161

162 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Brought To You By:

KICK-EEZ

®

COLUMN

Brennan Hart, then 8, shot up these gophers near Choteau, Mont., a few years ago. Between he and his dad, the Orting, Wash., duo helped rid farmers’ fields of around 200 of the pests. Brennan was shooting an open-sighted Cricket .22 and a .17-caliber HMR Savage. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

MAY MEANS VARMINT OPS, NRA CONVENTION

M

ay’s great for hauling out the varmint rifle and getting it zeroed. I know people who sit around all winter reloading ammunition so they have a couple of thousand rounds to haul along on trips to Central and Eastern Oregon, Montana, the ON TARGET Dakotas, eastern Wyoming or Colorado, and

By Dave Workman even out to places like Kansas and Nebraska to shoot prairie dogs in late May, through June and even into July, or until the prairie grasses grow too high. Farmers and ranchers despise these little rodents.

What are the best varmint cartridges? Here are what I consider the five best: • The .204 Ruger is simply awesome. I once predicted that the .204 would become the hot varmint cartridge of the 21st Century, and I stand by that statement. It shoots flat and far, and at warp speed. I have found loading data that will push a 32-grain bullet out of the muzzle at better than 4,000 feet per second.

Once on a prairie dog hunt in South Dakota with Ruger’s Ken Jorgensen, I used a Ruger No. 1 single-shot chambered for this cartridge to clobber the little devils at well beyond 350 yards.

Now, any round that enables a rifleman to pop a target that stands about 8 inches high and maybe 4 inches wide at most – at that distance – is one hell of a cartridge. And take this hint: If you can hit a prairie dog at that range, you can conk a coyote much easier.

• The .223 Remington is far and away the most popular prairie dog round, though it may not be the best. That’s a rather subjective opinion, so who is going to argue with someone who can sit on top of a hill overlooking a dog town and shoot hundreds of prairie pups, pausing only long enough to let the barrel cool?

Available loading data shows that it is possible to get better than 3,800 fps with some bullet and powder combinations. A dog within 400 yards of someone with a good rifle is in serious jeopardy.

• Some people never heard of the .222 Remington Magnum, and that’s their tough luck. This is one hellacious cartridge that has been overshadowed by some of the other varmint rounds. It

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 163

COLUMN

Brought To You By:

KICK-EEZ

uses slightly heavier bullets for better wind resistance, although the velocity will be lower.

Years ago I knew a guy who had a bolt-action rifle chambered for this cartridge, and whatever load he was using was so accurate that it was scary. On a calm day, it would not be surprising to see somebody with a rifle in this caliber capable of hitting prairie dogs at beyond 400 yards.

• The .22-250 Remington is the stuff legends, or tall stories, are made from, depending upon one’s perspective. This sizzler is capable of better than 4,000 fps velocity with the right bullet and propellant. A good rifle with a decent barrel and topped with a good long-range scope, fired with a bipod for support or off a good rest, can be devastating in a prairie dog town, or against any coyote that ever walked within 500 yards of somebody with a steady trigger finger.

One thing about the .22-250 is that you have got to curb your excitement. Some people have gone wrong by shooting so fast that they ruin a barrel due the heat. Pace your shots and a rifle of this caliber will rain terror on varmints. They’ll never hear the shot that gets ’em!

• Last and certainly not least is something of an old-timer, the venerable .220 Swift. Introduced back in 1935 or thereabouts, this round shoots so flat that it might surprise some people. I wish I’d had one on a ground squirrel excursion some 20 years

164 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

®

ago down in Eastern Oregon. I was up on a plateau overlooking a huge valley in which a crossing antelope first looked like some small critter until I put the binoculars on it.

Up from behind at about 200 yards a coyote came running out of nowhere. I tried The .223 Remington and .204 Ruger both rate pretty highly as varmint killers in author Dave to pop the sucker with Workman’s learned mind. (DAVE WORKMAN) a Colt Python, but the bullet missed. A .220 Swift would have been curtains for that ’yote.

Loading data is available that will scoot a 35-grain bullet out the muzzle at more than 4,300 fps and I found one suggested load in the Nosler manual that topped 4,400 fps! I dare a prairie dog, rockchuck or coyote to outmaneuver that. Buh-bye!

WHATEVER ONE THINKS about the National Rifle Association, there is one truth that applies to the 5-million-member organization: Come springtime, they gather in some city for what invariably turns into a monster-sized gun-and-gear exhibition, and a lively

Rimrock Meadows Douglas County, Washington

4300-Acre Recreational Development

Check out our website for the latest lot specials!

Hundreds of 1-acre lots available and we finance!

39 RV hookups • 8-acre campground swimming pool • club house

Within an hours drive of Columbia River, Banks Lake, Sun Lakes, Lake Roosevelt, Moses Lake, Jameson Lake & Lake Chelan (509) 632-9800 • rimrockmeadows@gmail.com • www.rimrockmeadows.com Owned by the Property Owner’s Association nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 165

COLUMN

Brought To You By:

KICK-EEZ

members meeting that sets the course for grassroots political activity for the coming year.

NRA members will descend on Louisville, Ky., May 19-22 for the organization’s 145th Annual Meetings & Exhibits at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Because this year’s presidential and congressional elections are so critical, according to leading Second Amendment activists, I anticipate a record turnout, and that could be somewhere in the 80,000-plus range.

I’ll be there, as will a lot of other Northwesterners. All of the big names in firearms and ammunition will be there, along with reloading equipment, clothing and other gear, including ATVs, camping equipment and more. Exhibit hall admission is free to all NRA members and their immediate families, plus uniformed military, law enforcement and youth groups.

There are seminars, outfitters, firearms collections and much more to see. This event has gotten so big in recent years that a weekend doesn’t seem long enough to see it all. For more on the shindig, see the May 2016 issue of Northwest Sportsman’s sister publication, American Shooting Journal.

The annual, official members’ meeting always commences at 10 a.m. on Saturday. That meeting is required by the bylaws, and is where we’ll hear NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre deliver his annual report, which traditionally is much more than that. LaPierre can fire up a crowd of gun owners like nobody else.

®

This year the NRA Wayne La Pierre.

(NRA) is going to be busy.

Whomever’s elected in November will likely appoint two or three new members to the U.S Supreme Court, and that is the real prize. Whichever direction the court takes will affect this country for the next generation.

That could have massive implications not just for hardcore gun owners, but also for hunters.

Anti-gunners are eager to see the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller and 2010 McDonald v. Chicago rulings, upholding the Second Amendment as protective of an individual civil right to keep and bear arms, reversed. Anyone who doesn’t think that’s important, and that it won’t have a major impact on your ability to hunt and shoot, or own guns for self-defense and home protection, just might be living in denial.

If you’re not registered to vote, get registered. Bone up on who is running for Congress this fall and find out how they feel about your right to own any kind of gun you want. Beware of anybody who says, “I support the Second Amendment … but …” NS

BR 600 - $499.95

3102 Simpson Ave., Hoquiam, WA 98550

360-532-4600 • 1-800-786-6463 166 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

OREGON DALLAS L & L Equipment 1145 SW Oakdale Ave (503) 623-5116 www.landlequipment.net

WASHINGTON BELLINGHAM Hardware Sales, Inc. 2034 James St. (360) 734-6140 www.hardwaresales.net

ISSAQUAH Issaquah Honda Kubota 1745 NW Mall St (425) 392-5182 www.issaquahhondakubota.com

MEDFORD Crater Chainsaw 1321 North Riverside (541) 772-7538 www.CraterChainSaw.net

COLVILLE Sun Rental Center 380 South Main (509) 684-1522 www.sunrentalsaws.com

PASCO Columbia Grain & Feed 2001WLewis St (509) 547-8818 www.columbiagrainandfeed.net

PORTLAND St Johns Ace Hardware 7825 N Lombard St (503) 206-8633 www.acehardware.com

GIG HARBOR United Rentals 3302 Hunt St (253) 858-1234 www.gigharborpowertools.com

PUYALLUP Sumner Lawn N Saw 9318 SR 162 E (253) 435-9284 www.sumnerlawn.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 167

168 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

COLUMN

Double Standards And Roadkill Deer

By Randy King

I

may have crossed the line with wild game. Nothing illegal, nothing immoral, but a socially questionable CHEF action, still.

By Randy King I cooked, ate and enjoyed roadkill.

Now, this is not the first time I have done this, but it is certainly the first time I have ever eaten roadkilled deer.

LET ME BACK up a little. I had gone for a 3-mile jog through the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge parking lot west of Boise. The run was proceeding well until my dog bolted ahead of me to sniff something in the burrow pit. It was two dead deer.

Normally, a single dead deer along the road is roadkill, open and closed. But two deer, lying next to each other, made me suspicious.

I stopped running, called Idaho Fish and Game’s poaching hotline and reported the dead deer.

Shortly afterwards, a conservation officer called back. He said it was actually a case of a “double tap” – a fawn was following its mom and they both got hit. He said that since it was not a case of poaching, if I wanted either of the deer, I was welcome to

them. The doe was clearly distended – her belly was a great deal larger than it should be. The fawn, however, looked fine.

It had been cold, 1° outside, so I figured the meat would be edible. With a little trepidation and a printed “road kill” form from Fish and Game, I went back and grabbed the fawn. It was about the size of my Labrador/ridgeback, roughly 100 pounds.

At home I tossed it up on the gambrel in the garage and skinned the hind legs. When I got to the stomach section, funky things started to happen. The smell of gut-shot game – that bitter stomach-acid smell – became very prevalent. Then the stomach lining under the skin started to turn green. I stopped skinning the animal, lurched a few times and feared I would lose my breakfast.

I reexamined the fawn. Now totally thawed, the front legs felt like mush, both shoulders were clearly broken and the poor thing’s head was caved in. It was a classic broadside roadkill. But wanting to quickly finish what I had started, I pulled off the backstraps and then removed the hindquarters from the carcass.

The smell of stomach acid having turned me off doing the whole project, the rest of the fawn went into a large trash sack.

I brought the rest of the meat, about 20 pounds’ worth, into the house and deboned it, but honestly could not shake the gut-shot smell from my nose. Each time I smelled the meat, it seemed to sour me anew.

My nose said it had turned; my brain knew otherwise.

IT WAS FLAT impossible that

Ten pounds of roadkilled mule deer fawn soak in a corning brine. (RANDY KING)

the meat had gone bad by the time I picked it up. The doe and fawn were hit the night of New Year’s Eve and I had found them at 9 a.m. the next day. That said, the smell still stuck in my nose.

The only thing I could think of to do with the meat was corn it. I can make leprous yak meat taste just fine with some pickling spice and salt. So I tossed the venison in brine for a solid week. The Insta Cure

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 169

COLUMN No. 1 turned it a nice pink color.

A week later I boiled the leg meat for a solid three hours. When it was done cooking, it was moist, tender and full of that nice corned-meat flavor. I rubbed the backstraps in black pepper and smoked them. They came out way too salty, but fixable. The boys and I enjoyed a dinner of corned venison and cabbage soup.

Though at the cost of a deer’s life on the highway, I now had several pounds of meat that was free to me. I felt good about having done an honorable thing, turning death into life for my family. Getting over the social norms was more difficult. Turns out that it’s not just Idaho rednecks who pick up and eat roadkill, but if the shoe fits… NS

CORNED ROADKILL VENISON EGG ROLLS This month’s recipe combines roadkilled venison (or other meat that you’ve either harvested or purchased) with an Asian touch, egg rolls.

Corned Meat 5-pound venison roast 2 quarts water 1 cup salt (I use kosher) ½ cup sugar 1 ounce Speed Cure (Prague Powder or Insta Cure No. 1 work the same) 3 tablespoons pickling spices Bring the salt, sugar, speed cure and pickling spices to a boil. The boiling of the spices will release the oils and flavors that might not otherwise fully develop.

The next step is to cool the brine to room temperature.

If meat is added to the hot liquid, it will start to cook and that can mess up the curing process. Next, place the meat in the room-temperature brine and place brine in the fridge, covered. For a venison roast, 5 pounds or so, it takes five to seven days to cure. By comparison, a goose breast, about 1 pound, only takes two days. All things equal, cure for a minimum of two days and then add one day per pound of meat. This is a rough estimate of time needed. Adjust to your taste.

When the meat is cured, rinse it off and let it air dry on a rack. Then add it to a vacuum bag with a little butter and seal it closed.

Next, place the vacuumpacked meat into a waterfilled crockpot on low for about 24 hours. The low temperature cooks the meat gently and the yield is typically higher than if the 170 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

meat is simply boiled. When the meat is cooked, it should be nice and tender. Cool it down in the bag. This will allow some of the juices to reabsorb into the meat. When cool, dice or slice the meat as you see fit.

Egg Rolls 1 teaspoon caraway seed 2 cups or more of canola oil 1 cup corned venison, thinly sliced, then cut into matchsticks 1 cup Thousand Island dressing, divided ½ cup sauerkraut (½ cup caramelized onions as substitute) Fresh-ground black pepper, to taste 12 egg roll wrappers, large In a small sauté pan, add the caraway seeds. Heat on medium, stirring constantly until fragrant. Remove from heat and remove seeds from pan. Reserve seeds.

In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees. Don’t use olive oil or an olive oil blend – it is

Corned roadkill venison egg rolls with Thousand Island dressing. (RANDY KING)

and Ammunition Pistol Bullets and

Zero Bullet Company, Inc.

ZERO

P.O. Box 1188 Cullman, AL 35056 Tel: 256-739-1606 Fax: 256-739-4683

Toll Free: 800-545-9376 www.zerobullets.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 171

COLUMN a waste of good oil. Use a neutral one like canola instead. (Quick tip: If you do not have a thermometer to judge the temperature of your oil, all you need is a wooden spoon. Place the spoon in the oil; when bubbles start to come off the wood, you know the oil is hot enough to fry in. See my video on chefrandyking.com for more on this cooking tip.)

While the oil is heating, combine the corned meat, half the dressing, caraway seed, black pepper and sauerkraut in a small mixing bowl. Next lay out one egg roll wrapper on a dry countertop. Position it to look like a diamond in front of you. Wet your fingers and trace the edges of the wrapper. Next, add one-

twelfth of the meat mixture to the bottom third of the wrapper closest to you. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the top half of the wrapper, covering the meat mixture. Then fold in the two “wings” of the wrapper into the center. Now snuggly roll the wrapper onto itself.

Next, gently add the egg rolls to the hot oil, one or two at a time. Cook them for two or three minutes until they are GB&D – golden brown and delicious. Remove them with a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Let them drain and serve hot with the remaining Thousand Island dressing.

For more recipes, see chefrandyking.com.

To make an egg roll, lay out a wrapper like a diamond and wet its edges. Add a bit of meat in its bottom third, folding the bottom of the diamond over the meat, and then the two “wings” at the sides of the diamond over that. Then roll it up. (RANDY KING)

LINE-X SPRAY-ON TRUCK BEDLINERS AND MORE! 1. Line-X Plus 3508 C St NE Auburn, WA 98002 (253) 735-1220 www.linexofauburn.com 2. Starbucks Midvalley Line-X 1635 Silverton Rd NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 540-0096 www.linexofsalemor.com

Olympia

Astoria

30

101 Cannon Beach

26

Vernonia

Portland Tillamook

Hood River

84

Wasc

The Dalles

Beaverton

26

101

Mt Hood Village

197

McMinnville

97

Woodburn

18

Maupin

Lincoln

26

Salem

Best of the Northwest

Shaniko

22

Newport

Idanha

Corvallis

97

LINE-X Dealers 172 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Honda. Built to Last.

U2000i • 2000 watts (16.7 A) of Honda Inverter 120V AC Power • Eco-Throttle – Runs up to 15 hrs on 1 gallon of fuel EU3000i Handi • 3000 watts (25 A) of Honda Inverter 120V AC Power • Eco-Throttle – Runs up to 7.7 hrs on 1.56 gallons of fuel EU3000is • 3000 watts (25 A) of Honda Inverter 120V AC Power • Eco-Throttle – Runs up to 20 hrs on 3.4 gallons of fuel IDAHO BOISE Carl’s Cycle Sales 5550 W State St (208) 853-5550 www.carlscycle.com

ISSAQUAH Issaquah Honda-Kubota 1745 NW Mall St (425) 392-5182 www.issaquahhondakubota.com

SPOKANE Spokane Power Tool 801 E Spokane Falls Blvd (509) 489-4202 www.spokanepowertool.com

WASHINGTON ARLINGTON Rex’s Rentals 525 N West Ave (360) 435-5553 www.rexsrentals.com

PUYALLUP Sumner Lawn N Saw 9318 SR 162 E (253) 435-9284 www.sumnerlawn.com

WENATCHEE Wenatchee Honda 3013 GS Center Rd (509) 663-0075 www.doghouse-motorsports.com

EU7000is • 7000 watts, 120/240V • Fuel efficient - runs up to 18 hours on 5.1 gal of fuel • Perfect for home back up power, RVs, outdoor events, and more

Please read the owner’s manual before operating your Honda Power Equipment and never use in a closed or partly enclosed area where you could be exposed to carbon monoxide. Connection of a generator to house power requires a transfer device to avoid possible injury to power company personnel. Consult a qualified electrician. © 2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 173

Back Page

TWO-PILLOW SLEEPERS

(RONALD REED)

By Dennis Dauble

T

here’s a country western song that goes like this: “I’m a two-pillow sleeper. One catches the teardrops that fall.

One right beside me to lie in your place.”

Those lyrics played in my head like a stuck record as I lay on a hard linoleum floor at the Westport Inn trying to get some sleep before a fishing trip the next day. Light from a lamp over the dock shone through a gap in the window shade. Cold air crept from a 2-inch crack under the front door. I would have been nestled like a mouse in a sock on a queen-size Beauty Rest, except that Leroy changed his mind about sleeping in his van.

“Your friend has already checked in,” the clerk said when Paul presented his confirmation sheet. Since Paul paid for the room in advance and a rollaway bed was not available, I was relegated to either sleeping on the floor or shelling out for a separate room.

I opted to put the 3-pound poly-fill, child-size sleeping bag that was stashed under the backseat of my truck to good use. Sometimes you cheap out and get away with it and other times “you get what you pay for,” as my friend Bill often stated. Anyway, I set up in the hallway with a headrest made of spare underwear balled up in a sweatshirt. When it came time to turn out the lights, I asked Leroy if I could have one of his bed pillows to cushion my body.

“No,” he replied. “I need them both.”

I knew that some people favored sleeping with more than one pillow, but was surprised when Leroy didn’t oblige. First of all, he’d stolen my bed. Second, he never used two pillows when we camped out on my boat. It was always that same ratty old pillow with a brown knit cover that resembled a sweater your grandma gave you when you were 8 years old, one you held on to like a snotstained stuffed animal until it fell apart. However, I also knew that once Leroy made up his mind, there was no use arguing, so I looked to Paul. Paul diverted his gaze and shook his head from side to side.

“I need both of mine also,“ he said, as if it was all too obvious.

What the heck? Dang pillow hogs! Whatever. Obviously,

[

174 Northwest Sportsman

MAY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

benevolence was not in the air. As a consequence, I spent a restless night on a cold hard floor and got stepped on when my pillow-hog companions visited the bathroom.

THE WESTPORT PILLOW incident was forgotten until Ken and I traveled to the Grande Ronde to fish for rainbows and smallies.

The interior of our modest prefab log cabin included twin beds pushed against the wall, separated by the width of the front door.

Due to close proximity, I noticed that Ken grabbed a second pillow from the closet when it came time to retire.

“Miss the spousal unit already?” I said.

“I need one over my head,” Ken replied.

“You mean to muffle your snoring?” I said, remembering the last traveling companion who snored. After listening to the guy saw logs for an hour, I whacked him over the head with my pillow.

“No. I’ve got earplugs for that,” he said. “It’s just the way I sleep.”

I snuck a look to see what made the second pillow so integral to Ken’s sleeping habits. After my eyes adjusted to the dark, a swami appeared. Ken lay on his side, with the pillow wrapped around his head like a turban.

I’ve since given two pillows a fair amount of thought, although after researching the topic I found no mention of head wraps. What I found was that stomach sleepers should place an extra pillow under their hips or ankles to take stress off the lower back. Side sleepers, or those who rest in a fetal position, might place a second pillow under their head and neck to ensure their spine remains straight. Placing a pillow between your knees helps open the hips.

Two pillows can help alleviate snoring for back sleepers if one is placed under the head and another under the knees. Yet another option is a body pillow, which provides an amicable “partner.”

However, none is reason to make a fishing buddy sleep on the cold hard floor while you dream the night away.

Obviously, benevolence was not in the air.

]

Editor’s note: This story is adapted from author Dennis Dauble’s forthcoming book One More Last Cast.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2016

Northwest Sportsman 175