CABIN FEVER BEATERS: COLUMBIA BASIN TROUT, WALLEYE

After a long, often fogbound Columbia Basin winter, March represents a great chance to sample a range of fisheries across the region, including the big rainbow trout of remote Coffeepot Lake, which are partial to flashy flies and trolled lures. (RICH LANDERS)

Cabin Fever Beaters: Basin Trout, Walleye

As spring sneaks into the 509, its many rainbow lakes and the plentiful walleye in the Columbia make for great fishing season kickoffs.

By Jeff Holmes

Here in the Columbia Basin in mid-February, at least in my yard near the banks of the Columbia River, spring has reared its head. Grass is greening. Daffodils and crocuses are blooming. Waters are warming, and fishing is heating up on the Columbia River for walleye and in lakes across the region for rainbow trout. Eastern Washington fishing opportunities will widen further as waters warm in March and into spring. But for anyone looking right now to get away for a few days of lucrative fishing amidst a warming and greening landscape, March is prime time for walleye in the Tri-Cities area and for rainbow trout in many of the region’s lakes.

The general opening of fishing season won’t occur until the fourth Saturday in April, as always, but there’s no reason to wait if you have cabin fever. Lake Roosevelt, Coffeepot Lake, Fourth of July Lake, Rock Lake and the lakes along the Tucannon River in the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area are some of the excellent March trout fishing opportunities available east of the Cascades. Anglers with and without boats have lots of opportunities for

March trout getaways.

Meanwhile, the big, storied waters of the Columbia will offer some similarly excellent walleye fishing this March for those more interested in the firm, white meat of these tasty invasives. Head to Tri-Cities for a walleye weekend and either hire a guide like Tyler Miller, or bring your own boat and follow the advice he offers about March walleye action in and around Tri-Cities.

AS WE REPORTED in January, rainbow trout fishing on Lake Roosevelt is ridiculous this year, and friends and I have been leaving the boat at home and hitting the beaches. On the next trip in early March, we’ll bring the boat to hit new beaches and find even better fishing. But good fishing can be had doing things as simple as plunking Power Bait and worms and marshmallows deep water and nearby escape, and you have likely found a place that rainbow trout cruise by with regularity.

Any standard trout plunking rig and any standard bait will work. Just realize there are a lot of fish 20 inches and larger this year and plan accordingly. And by that I don’t mean upsizing gear; instead, ready your smokers and grills.

From the Spokane Arm to Spring Canyon, boaters and bank fishers have done extremely well so far in 2022, and the fishing is certain to get much better for limits of fish averaging at least 18 inches. As a function of the larger size at which they are now stocked, Roosevelt rainbows are slightly larger than ever before, and they are fat and stacked with the best rainbow trout flesh in the Northwest. Persisting almost exclusively on daphnia, an openwater crustacean, these fish are meat torpedos with slab fillets. A limit of five rainbows yields 7 to 8 pounds of boneless, trimmed fillets that you could trick even experienced anglers into believing are our little Columbia River sockeye at first glance.

Fort Spokane, Seven Bays, Lincoln, Keller Ferry and Spring Canyon all offer excellent access to beaches, and Seven Bays and Spring Canyon remain viable

Two bell ringers in a row this February on a Lake Roosevelt beach resulted in these beautiful trout for Kennewick’s Molly von der Mehden and her daughter, Mila. Flat calm sunny conditions and the need to cast slightly further to reach the dropoff were limiting factors, but we still landed five fish and kept four. Those four translated to 6 full pounds of boneless trimmed fillets. The fifth was almost 2 feet long and was a wild redband rainbow with an intact adipose and a beautiful spawning stripe. Bring rubber boots or a net to avoid dragging these wild beauties up into the sand and mud, as they must be released on nearly all of the reservoir. Fishing from beaches and boats will be excellent all of March and throughout the spring until summer temperatures send them deeper. (JEFF HOLMES)

within feet of boat launches.

As dam operators continue to drop water in anticipation of accommodating melting snow loads in the US and Canada, more beaches will be exposed, concentrating the fish along shorelines even more. Almost any beach can produce really well, but using something like the Navionics app on your phone is really smart in order to assure you are fishing on a good dropoff where fish feel safe and where they cruise and feed.

This approach of knowing where you are lobbing your bait is smarter than blindly casting out onto a shallow flat that may only hold fish under cover of dark or protection of wave action. Roosevelt trout and kokanee all feed shallow in winter and early spring – like the top 10 feet of the water column – but they like to feel safe and in close proximity to escape when they are near the shoreline. Find 10- to 20-foot-

I quickly turned those two bell ringers into highquality consumable products to put back in the hands of the girls who caught them. Helping anglers to enjoy their catch and feel ownership is a great way to encourage them as lifelong anglers. Get out there this March and get your crew seasoned up and ready for all of the amazing trout opportunities in our state this spring and into summer. (JEFF HOLMES)

For Tri-Cities and other Southcentral and Southeast Washington anglers, the easiest and most lucrative early trout fishing opportunities exist in several small lakes in the Wooten Wildlife Area along the Tucannon River. These popular lakes get plenty of attention but receive extremely heavy stockings of catchable-sized, triploid and broodstock rainbows. The drive from Dayton up Patit Road to Hartsock Grade Road and over to the Tucannon is one of my favorite springtime drives. Keep your eyes open for winter-range wildlife and sometimes the predators that hunt them. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

boat launches later in spring when the pool is drawn down significantly.

COFFEEPOT IS THE biggest and best in a productive chain of lakes along tiny Lake Creek in the Channeled Scablands north of Odessa and Harrington in Lincoln County. The lake is packed full of big specimens of several fish species, including largemouth bass, yellow perch and crappie. Even the pumpkinseed sunfish grow to large sizes in this fertile, coffee-pot-shaped lake with a Bureau of Land Management-owned launch and rustic campground. But on the March 1 opener and throughout March and April, the lake’s very fat rainbows will be on display.

Coffeepot is a selective fishery, meaning no bait and single barbless hooks are required. Most people who fish the lake fly fish with chironomids, leeches and a variety of streamers and stillwater patterns. Probably nothing outfishes trolled Crystal Flash Woolly Buggers in drab brown and drab olive during the month of March, and dragging them at .6 to 1.4 miles an hour on Rio Deep 7 or other similar fast full-sinking flylines is highly effective and simple.

Fly fishing is great, but thankfully the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife does not constrain anglers to fly gear. March hardware anglers mostly troll spoons, spinners and other popular single-hooked lures for the lake’s deep-bodied rainbows, which average 14 to 20 inches with a handful pushing 2 feet. Coffeepot ’bows are primed for battle in March – expect lots of jumps.

While much less acrobatic than the rainbows, the lake has a high density of big perch that receive little pressure because perch fishermen like to fish with bait. If you can forego the bait and instead use small curltail and other small jigs in crayfish colors, perch fishing can be excellent, and the lake also holds nice-sized crappies. Use your electronics to look for schools in 20 to 40 feet of water. Once you find them, you should be on them. Dropshotting would be another highly effective way to target panfish and to encounter incidental bass and trout in the process. Coffeepot’s largemouth population is large and composed of lots of healthy fish between 1 and 5 pounds, with some much larger. It typically turns on in April, although don’t rule out March. I have used pumpkinseed and motor oil Senkos and white and chartreuse spinnerbaits to good effect at Coffeepot.

OTHER PRIME OPTIONS include Fourth

of July Lake, open for the duration of March prior to its closure, and home to some very large rainbows, with some reaching 24 inches. The lake is easy to access 4 miles south of Sprague, and is home to a public access where float tubes, cartoppers and pontoons can be deployed. The entirety of the lake is public, and shore fishing opportunities abound. I recommend walking to the far end of the lake for the best fishing and a little spring exercise.

Power Bait and other standard baits work well here, and fly fishing is also popular and a good way to keep fishing by catching and releasing well beyond the five-fish limit.

The Tucannon Lakes in the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area offer a tremendous amount of trout opportunity in Southeastern and Southcentral Washington. Popular with Tri-Cities anglers as well as those from around the region, these several small impoundments along the Tucannon River are generously stocked with rainbows. Lots of free camping exists throughout the wildlife area, and there is a KOA at the small area/town of Marengo, which is also home to The Last Chance Resort and Store. Fishing from floating crafts is restricted, but most of the lakes feature lots of bank access and even room for backcasting a fly rod.

Rock Lake is Washington’s biggest, deepest natural lake east of the Cascade Mountains, and it is Whitman County’s only lake. It is also one of the most underrated and underfished trout lakes in the state. The lake is home to lots of chunky rainbows in

Andy and Elias Thome Of Kennewick went out in the afternoon with Tyler Miller to load up on eaters, followed by a night session where they landed a 14.3-pound female! March will be banging for both eaters and big females as they stage to spawn. Whether bringing your own boat or hiring a guide, Tri-Cities is an ideal base of operations for a March walleye trip on Mid-Columbia

waters. (FISHMILLERTIME.COM)

TIME FOR A TUTORIAL: MILLER ON BOTTOM WALKER-WORM HARNESS TROLLING

“T he full setup I run for pulling worm harnesses is an Okuma 7-foot-10 SST magnum taper casting rod in medium-fast action. The reel is an Okuma Coldwater linecounter reel spooled with 20-pound braid. From there I run a bottom walker fixed to my mainline, heavier for deeper water. From the bottom walker, I use a 40-inch worm harness leader. You can tie your own or purchase them at most sporting goods. Mack’s Lure has an awesome variety that will all catch fish. Mack’s Smile Blade and bead colors I like to stick with year-round are black, white, gold, chartreuse and blue.

“Once you have this setup on your rod, all you’ll need are live worms and you’ll be set. Thread one end of the worm onto your top hook of your worm harnesses and you’re ready to fish.

“The technique for fishing a bottom walker is pretty simple as well. The idea is to drop your walker to the bottom and troll it downstream just slightly faster than the current so that your blade spins. The key is keeping the bottom walker barely ticking across the bottom as you troll, and finding the right amount of weight to use for your bottom walker can vary from spot to spot.

“You’ll know you have the right size bottom bouncer when you can troll ticking bottom with a 45-degree line angle. This will allow the bottom walker to work properly. Adjust your troll speed and weight to get that 45-degree angle. The most used weight on my boat is 2 ounces when targeting 30 to 50 feet of water. It doesn’t take too long to be able to distinguish between bites and the bottom walker ticking bottom, but it can take some practice.” –Tyler Miller

Chris and Hannah Thompson of West Richland loaded up on eaters last March with guide Tyler Miller. That same age-class of fish is still extremely plentiful and significantly larger this spring. Fishing has been excellent in 2022 near Burbank, but especially between Umatilla and Boardman. (FISHMILLERTIME.COM)

the teens, with some reaching lengths beyond 20 inches. Along with robust stocking of rainbows by WDFW, there is also a strong population of holdover brown trout, some of which are as big as big steelhead. Having a stable craft is a major advantage at Rock, which is windy, long and deep. There is some viable shore access at the WDFW launch, but to fish Rock Lake and know its beauty and excellence at all, one must have a boat.

The lake is also home to bass and panfish, but it warms very slowly. Bass here do not spawn until June. Trout is the name of the game at Rock in March and April.

SWITCHING TO WALLEYE, Tyler Miller

of his namesake MillerTime Fishing (fishmillertime.com) is one of the best guides for the species in the southern Columbia Basin. It’s safe to say he’s on the water more than most guides, and at all hours of the day and night. Experienced for his age, Miller is known for his character and passion for fishing. When he’s not serving the public or heroically saving his family from burning to death in a house fire, Miller is on the fish. I asked him to offer some advice for prospective travelers to Tri-Cities seeking March walleye. His same advice here about water in the Tri-Cities can be applied to other walleye hotspots this March, such as the famed stretch between Buoys 64 and 36, roughly Irrigon to Crow Butte. That stretch is fishing even better but is a further haul from Tri-Cities, which is still the best place to stay when fishing any of these waters. If you come here this spring, applying Miller’s advice can definitely reduce the learning curve, and it can help anywhere these toothy fish swim in the Columbia.

“March is typically a very rewarding month for walleye fishermen right in Tri-Cities,” says Miller. “With weather and water warming up, walleye begin to move into spawning mode, which can make them easier to target. If you’re coming to Tri-Cities chasing walleye in March, you’ll want to target the mouth of the Snake River. The stretch of water from the mouth of the Snake to Casey’s Pond downriver about 5 miles holds a good number of walleye in March, including some huge specimens.”

“For seasoned walleye anglers, especially people who fish this stretch, you should always plan to bring multiple fishing techniques with you,” says Miller. “Some days you have to cover all the bases to land on fish. The main three techniques we use to target walleye are pulling plugs like Bandits and Reef Runners upstream; trolling bottom walkers and worm harnesses downstream; as well as vertically snapping jigs and blade baits.”

“However, when headed out to target spawning and postspawn walleye in March, the most productive way to locate and catch them is trolling bottom walkers and worm harnesses downstream,” says Miller. “This will allow you to cover ground and find where the fish are at. Start off targeting 30 to 40 feet of water on the dropoffs of islands, or soft shallow water adjacent to the mainstem flow. Troll your bottom walker and worm harness just faster than the current. An electric trolling motor is vital in walleye fishing. If you don’t have one already, I’d highly suggest looking into it before your visit. Once trolling, cover different parts of the water column as well, as these fish are always moving this time of year. If you catch a fish, mark where you caught it. There’s likely others with it. If you start catching fish in certain areas, you can also try vertically jigging blade baits and jigs to entice a bite. Don’t be afraid to fish deeper water as well because we’ve caught them as deep as 65 feet in March some years.”

For more bottom walker and worm harness tips, see the sidebar on page 110. NS

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No need to wait for April’s big trout releases when there are fish available this month – hungry holdovers and recently stocked rainbows. (JASON BROOKS)

Catch More Early Spring Trout

Brave the season’s still-cool temperatures to kickstart your fishing season.

By Jason Brooks

March is one of those months that can be tricky for trout anglers. Things start out cold and it is still technically winter, but we can see spring coming. While it is hard to wait until April for the primary trout season to begin, March can produce some very good fishing. Finding early spring trout all comes down to water conditions.

Water temperature is key for this month’s opportunities for rainbows, cutthroat and browns. For those living in colder parts of the region, the month often begins with ice still on the lakes. This is the time to get the gear ready but not to venture out on the ice. With daytime temperatures above freezing but plummeting back down to below the freezing mark at night, this often creates rotten ice. This is when the water on the ice refreezes in any crack, which then creates more cracks and thaws during the day. It weakens the ice even if it is several inches thick. It is kind of like when you get a crack in the car windshield and it rains, then freezes

(JASON BROOKS)

STATS CHECK, STAT!

After checking the regulations to make sure the lake you’re interested in fishing is open, your next step should be to check out the stocking stats.

State managers make this easy by posting their plans and recent releases online.

For Oregon waters, go to myodfw.com/ fishing/species/trout/stocking-schedule for the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s plans, which are broken out by region and sortable by date.

For Idaho, check out idfg.idaho.gov/ fish/stocking.

And for Washington, head over to wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking, where you can drill down for recent releases or download the 2022 statewide stocking plan. –NWS

at night and you wake up to a larger crack across the glass. With ice on a lake, what might seem like a small crack might be a spiderweb of cracks and any extra weight could cause it to open. What is even worse is trying to climb back out of the hole, only to have the ice keep breaking. Simply put, ice fishing in the Northwest is not a March activity. Wait until there is open water to fish the lake.

When a lake starts to open up, water temperatures will be inverted. Normally they are warmer near the surface and colder the deeper you go, but in springtime it is often just the opposite. Ice and cold air – especially overnight, which can make early morning fishing tough – keeps the water at the surface cold. The warmer water will be near the bottom of shallow lakes or it could be suspended or a layer in the middle of the water column. You often hear the term “the lake has turned over” in the springtime and this is when the air temperatures finally warm up enough to heat the top layer of the water near the surface, as well as heat the bottom of the lake from sunlight penetrating and warming up the mud. The cold water sinks, and the warm water rises, “turning over” the lake. This often occurs in late March and into April, depending on the weather and lake conditions.

Until the lake turns over, fishing can be very frustrating. If you have a sonar unit that can determine the thermocline, which is where there is a significant water temperature difference, you will likely find the trout. If you plan on anchoring to fish, you can drop a thermometer on a line either using a linecounter reel or a rope that has markings on it for length. Drop it down and wait a minute or two and then quickly pull it up to see what the water temperature was for that depth. There are some thermometers on the market that record the temperatures at various depths so you can simply drop it down to get a reading through the water column. Another good option is a digital version that allows you to drop it down and it sends the temperature and depth to a reading unit that you hold in your hand.

Fly anglers use thermometers all the time on rivers and lakes, as it can help tell them what kind of hatch may be going on. All trout anglers should learn how to use a thermometer and how water temperature affects the fish. Since trout prefer cold and cool water, the springtime can be some really good fishing.

BACK TO THE fly anglers and their knowledge of the food base. If you find the bottom of the lake, especially in muddy flats, is warming up throughout the day, then expect the bite to come on. This is because a lot of aquatic insects will emerge from the mud and be in their larval stage, and that in turn attracts predators. When a trout gets hungry and there is food to be had, this is where they will be. Downsize your offerings and even try some natural baits such as mealworms, waxworms and blood worms. Or break out your chironomid

fly patterns, which mimic a lot of the larvae that are floating along at the mercy of the lake, and fish those, albeit with a very slow retrieve.

You don’t have to be a fly angler to fish flies. A simple sliding bobber setup will work and you can add some weight to it for casting and balance. When it comes to float or bobber fishing, balancing the bobber means that any additional “pull” or bite will cause it to go under the surface. This is quite common in the salmon and steelhead angling world, where jigs and/or bait under a float are used. Sliding floats or slip bobbers are often rated by weight, which is the amount of weight they can suspend. By using a small slip float such as a ¼-ounce Beau Mac Torpedo float, you can add a ¼-ounce weight and then a leader with a chironomid pattern and cast it out to target feeding trout that are targeting emergers.

Another way to increase your catch rate with this setup is with the aid of a surgeon’s knot, which is used to connect two lines. Cut your leader in half and then use the surgeon’s knot to combine the two halves but use the tag end from the top line and tie on another chironomid. This way you have two flies out instead of just one. I learned this trick while fishing Central Washington’s Lake Lenore for Lahontan cutthroat back in the mid1990s. While most anglers were fly fishing with a strike indicator, which is basically a mini-bobber, and using one chironomid, when I broke off my tippet, instead of retying a new one I decided to just lengthen the broken one with a section of monofilament with the surgeon’s knot. It was then that I realized I could attach another fly and my hookup ratio went up.

AS MARCH WANES, water temperatures will rise. It will see fly patterns of choice transition from those imitating bugs emerging from the mud to faux subadult insects such as Woolly Buggers, Hare’s Ear nymphs, stoneflies and Carey Specials. These

Some lakes east of the Cascades might still have ice on them, but it’s generally best to stay off of what remains of winter’s frozen shelf, given early spring’s rising temperatures. Better bet is to fish open areas from shore, which also tend to be warmer, kickstarting the forage base, or go out in a boat. (JASON BROOKS)

are wet flies, ones to be fished underwater, which means they can be trolled at low speeds as well. Break out the kokanee rods, a few split shot and the flies.

If you really do not like the idea of trying to “match the hatch,” then use small spinners such as a 1/6-ounce Rooster Tail by Yakima Bait Company or a Promise Keeper by Mack’s Lure. Another great lure by Mack’s is the Smile Blade Fly. This is a lure that is the best of both worlds, as it is a Woolly Bugger-looking fly but with a small Mylar blade on the front just behind the eye of the hook. Trout really like this lure and it is a fantastic way to fish in the spring or just about anytime, as I have caught trout on this lure in all water conditions and during all times of the year.

The key in springtime is to troll really slow, from .5 up to 1 mile per hour. Small lures such as a Mag Lip 2.0 or Super Duper are good options. The Mag Lip dives as it is pulled through the water, so you don’t need to add any additional weight, and if you stop the boat, the plugs float back up to the surface, making them a great lure to use where you can run two poles. While fighting a fish, kick the boat into neutral and you won’t have to worry about your other rod sinking and hanging up. Look at a map of the lake bottom for large flats that are shallow. The flats will warm up and if there is a dropoff or edge nearby, try along here until you find the fish, as again water temperature is the key to finding trout.

FOR BAIT ANGLERS, early spring can be an exciting time, but scent will be key to increasing the bite. This is because trout are actively feeding as the water starts to warm up and by using a strong scent you will draw more fish to your location. Garlic is popular for this reason and so is anise.

Pro-Cure makes a Trophy Trout scent in their Super Gel and it is made from tui chub, a very oily and strongscented baitfish. Most bait anglers don’t think of chub when it comes to trout prey, but they are found in North America and common in certain places in Washington,

Wise anglers know not to limit themselves to just bait, spinners, spoons and plugs because fly patterns can be just as effective on early season trout. Included in this sample are four chironomids, which imitate midge larvae that emerge from lake bottoms this time of year. Woolly Buggers and Mack’s Lure Smile Blade Flies are also good. (JASON BROOKS)

Oregon, Idaho and California. Other scents to try include nightcrawler and crawfish, both of which are common food sources for trout, especially in the springtime. Another great scent by Pro-Cure is Rainbow Trout, formulated for these popular game fish, as well as Trout and Kokanee Magic Super-Gel.

Sitting on anchor can produce for the early season angler, but be sure to find those places where the fish will be. This means being willing to move around a bit. When I was young, we would row out to a spot, drop the anchor – which was a coffee can filled with cement and an eye bolt – and wait. Some days the fishing was good, while others it was not. But soon we found that certain spots in the lake held more fish. There was a sandy flat on the east end of Chelan’s Roses Lake, our favorite early springtime lake when I was growing up, as it had a December 1-March 31 winter season back then. This sandy flat was there because of a spring that pushed the sand up, and since the spring introduced fresh and clean water

Author Jason Brooks shows off what it’s all about, a chance to catch rainbows before the crowds descend on the lakes later this spring. (JASON BROOKS)

flowing from the mountainside and warmed by the springtime sunshine, the trout would congregate here. At the time we didn’t think about water temperature or the sandy bottom reflecting the sun, we just knew this was a “good spot.” Other places were off points, which extend underwater and would often act as heat collection areas, as well as provide cover for food such as crawfish. We just knew that this was, again, a “good spot” and would anchor near them and fish.

With today’s sonar technologies, along with most lakes having been mapped and easily downloadable to your phone, the modern angler has a big advantage over those of yesterday. Look at the regulations, check the weather and take a thermometer to a springtime lake this March and catch some trout. Keep in mind that afternoons might look good but winds often kick up, so be sure to be ready to get off the water, and remember to never go out on the ice in March. NS

COLUMN

In Praise Of Stockers (And How To Make ’Em Tastier)

Ispent a fair bit of time one summer working for a company based on Vashon Island in Puget By Randy King CHEF IN THE WILD Sound. Technically, I was working for my best friend’s father as a flooring installer, but honestly, I was doing it for the money and the fishing. You see, for some oddball reason the company had landed a contract to install floors at fish hatcheries and processing plants across the Northwest. My job that summer was to drive a wheelbarrow full of concrete from one section to another, sleep in a hotel and then fish. It was great.

The fishing was not sporting. You see, we were “allowed” to fish the outlet canal of the processing plants and hatcheries. Basically, we caught the escaped trout. These fish were about as smart as a box of hammers. My buddy Aaron and I would eventually target the largest of the school, releasing the smaller fish. We would drive to the next town or back to the Seattle area with coolers full of trout on ice. (Mind you, this was basically a private fishing pond, we were teenagers, these were not wild fish and this was 25 years ago.)

We had so many fish we resorted to giving away pounds of smoked trout to the neighbors. We ate trout stew, fried trout, baked trout, trout with mustard, trout with crab, trout with bacon. We ate trout every way a 16-year-old could think of. Even back then we knew the rules: You kill it, you eat it.

I grew sick of trout for a while. It took me several years of counseling and medication to eat trout again. I ended up pushing through my fear and landing

Cameron King, the author’s oldest son, tries his luck on a stocked stream near Boise. (RANDY KING)

Jalapeño, ham and spinachstuffed trout. (RANDY KING)

THE BASICS OF STUFFING A FISH

Let’s not sugarcoat it – fresh-fromthe-hatchery trout can be a little bland. They are the chicken of the river, the lake, the puddle – as well as a nice blank pallet to build flavors upon.

When deciding what to stuff a fish with, you need to consider the basic elements of flavor. Eloquently summed up in the title of her book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, chef Samin Nosrat helps a cook understand the layers that are needed for a good dish. These concepts can be applied to almost everything – from venison to the stocker trout.

Almost universally, fish needs salt, which makes the flavors pop out. Most fish need pepper as well. Beyond that, think about acid, usually in the form of citrus for trout. Vinegar can be used too in moderation. And trout really need fat; they are small and not a fatty fish, like their ocean-roaming salmon cousins. This issue’s recipe uses cream cheese and ham. Lastly, they need heat in some sort of way. I use jalapeños.

If you follow those basics, you can get all sorts of concoctions. Think crab, mayo, lemon zest and red chili flakes, and then baked. Think about breadcrumbs, butter, onions and a little Frank’s RedHot, then wrapped in foil and barbecued. Think lime, ginger, sesame oil and Sriracha, wrapped in leaves and then steamed. The variations are endless because the fish is such a blank slate.

One other key thing worth mentioning with trout is that they are easy to dry out. When making a stuffing, consider adding another item that is high in moisture content. Onion, spinach, ginger, crab, etc., have that, as well as a lot of flavor. They can really help keep the fish moist all the way through the cooking process. STUFFED STOCKER

Nonstick pan spray 1 tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup diced onion ½ seeded jalapeño, diced ½ cup diced ham ¼ cup cream cheese 1½ cups packed fresh spinach ½ cup breadcrumbs (I use the “Italian” ones) ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper 1 lemon, for squeezing 4 trout – 10 to 12 inches long, gutted

Have one oven rack in the middle of the oven and one on the lowest setting. Turn on the broiler to 500 degrees. Get a cookie sheet and line it with tinfoil, then spray the foil with a nonstick spray. Place the trout on the cookie sheet.

While the oven is heating, grab an 8-inch sauté pan and melt the butter on medium heat. When clear and starting to brown, add the garlic, onion and jalapeño to the pan and cook for three minutes. The onions should be just turning translucent.

Next add the ham to the pan and stir. Cook for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cream cheese and spinach to the hot onion/garlic/jalapeño mix. Stir until the spinach is lightly wilted and the cream cheese is incorporated. Add the breadcrumbs and the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Using about a quarter of a cup of mix at a time, stuff the body cavities of the trout. Pack as much mix as you can in each fish. If you have any mix remaining, place it on the tinfoil as a “base” for the fish to sit on.

Spray the “upside” of the fish (the side not touching the tinfoil) lightly with pan spray. Broil the fish for six minutes on the middle rack in the oven (time may vary depending on the size and temperature of your oven), and then, when the skin of the fish begins browning under the broiler heat, move the fish down to the lower rack for another three minutes.

Remove from the oven, squeeze a little lemon juice on the fish and enjoy!

For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK

Big catches of hatchery trout, like these Nathan Holder landed on a southern Puget Sound lake, present a great opportunity for home chefs, as the generally bland meat of recently released rainbows is pretty amenable to different flavor combinations.

(FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

in a good place. A place of acceptance. But I will never lie about the flavor of stocker pond trout. They are bland, even muddy, most times. They are small and bone-filled. But what they lack in culinary capacity, they make up for in ease of access. I am currently less than a half a mile from a hatcherystocked stream in my hometown of Nampa, near Boise.

THE NORTHWEST IS smattered with these hatcheries and we can thank them for good public-water trout fishing. A quick visit to the Idaho Fish and Game website (idfg.idaho.gov) will tell you just how many trout were stocked and in what areas. Quinn’s Pond gets 300 in April; Wilson Creek gets 250 every other month.

The sole reason for these fish is recreation. They are put in the waterways to be caught and eaten by anglers. That’s how a big little city like Boise can have a bag limit inside city limits. Stocker trout make memories.

Memories like standing at the bridge above a diversion dam casting a Rapala lure and watching a 3-pound “stocker” hammer my line. The struggle and laughs of two teenage boys trying to figure out how to land this monster of a fish. The memories of a father taking the kids fishing on a busy weekend right next to a Panda Express because they only had an hour of time to get out that week.

Sure, stocker trout are not king salmon, but damn, do I still love them. NS

Oh Canada! Come Hunt Alberta

Ithink we can all agree that it’s been a crazy couple of years. By the looks of it, everyone is eager to get back to doing the things they love. Hunters, if you’re looking to book that next big trip, an unmatched assortment of nonresident opportunities, along with a host of friendly and professional outfitters and guides, await you in Alberta.

Unique in its geography and biodiversity, our midwest province is home to 10 different big game species and tremendous bird hunting as well. Whether you’re a bow or gun hunter looking for an antlered harvest, a predator hunter, or just looking to fill your freezer, consider making Alberta your next destination.

Accessible and affordable, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, Alberta is only a short trip north across the border. With three international airports, visiting hunters commonly fly into Edmonton (YEG), Calgary (YYC), or Fort McMurray (YMM). Each of these locations welcomes flights from coastal hubs like Portland and Seattle. Should you choose to drive instead, you’ll be rewarded with a great road trip and incredible scenery along the way.

No lottery or draw is required for visiting hunters using the services of a licensed outfitter – so permits are guaranteed.

ANTELOPE

A carefully managed big game species, Alberta is home to some of the biggest pronghorn antelope in North America. Over the years, many Alberta pronghorn antelope have ranked high in the Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young records. Our outfitters employ a range of hunt strategies, including spot-and-stalk, decoying, and waiting at water holes. On any given hunt, you will see a multitude of game and enjoy some of the finest prairie grassland scenery on the continent. With normally mild weather, Alberta’s relatively short antelope season occurs in September and October.

BLACK BEAR

Abundant in Alberta, black bears can be hunted during both the spring and fall seasons. Spring seasons vary with most hunts taking place in May, and the first half of June in some areas. Fall hunts are again variable with limited areas open in late August, and most hunts occurring in September and October. Emerging from their dens in April, their thick coats are usually in prime condition. Fall black bear hunting can be a great single- or multi-species add-on. Alberta’s professional outfitters provide a range of world-class baited and spot-and-stalk hunting opportunities.

You may get lucky and encounter a color-phase black bear with cinnamon, chocolate or blond pelage. Many areas have a two-bear policy, which means you can fill both tags with a single license. This is a great trip for an experienced or novice hunter. Bow hunters will be especially interested to know that many Alberta black bear hunts have 100 percent opportunity, making it a perfect hunt if you’re still new with your bow. As you research Alberta’s outfitters, be sure to inquire about the success rates – you’ll no doubt be impressed.

COUGAR

A cougar hunt in Alberta begins with the search for a track. Fresh snowfall can make for prime conditions. Once the guide sorts out the track activity, they release the hounds. The chase is on, and it eventually ends with a treed cougar.

• Unmatched non-resident hunting opportunities • No draws for non-resident alien hunters • Easy to get here from the Pacific Northwest • Professional, experienced, insured outfitters

Alberta is one of two Canadian provinces where a nonresident alien can hunt a mountain lion. Populations are strong and a number of giant cats are entered into both the Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young record books each year. Cougar hunts occur December through March.

COYOTE

There is no harvest limit on coyotes, and Alberta’s populations are high. Coyotes can be hunted on private land year-round, and many rural landowners are pleased to welcome hunters to help control numbers. On public lands, coyotes can be hunted October through February. These hunts often take place when most other seasons are closed for the year. In early to mid-winter, these predators have gorgeous pelts. Coyotes are evasive and your outfitter may employ a variety of calls and decoys to help draw them into range. Many hunters visit Alberta for the world-class coyote hunting alone; if you’ll be hunting another species, be sure to ask your outfitter if you can add on a coyote permit as well.

ELK

Spectacular terrain and scenery await the visiting elk hunter. Alberta’s outfitters operate on a range of both public and private lands. With a growing population of the Rocky Mountain elk subspecies, during the rut from late August through mid-October, bulls fight for dominance and are responsive to calling, putting hunters in a great position to fill their tag. The screaming bugle of a majestic bull and the chirping of a herd of cows is something every hunter simply must experience. If you’re headed out to the mountains, you might enjoy a longer hunt with backpack and horseback, but many shorterduration hunts in the prairies are also very desirable.

MOOSE

Alberta is also home to a thriving population of moose. The Boone and Crockett Club has three separate classes of moose, including Alaska-Yukon moose, Canada moose and Wyoming (or Shiras) moose. Alberta’s moose fall into the Canada moose subset. However, Safari Club International (SCI) also classifies the moose found in the southwest corner of Alberta as Shiras. The terrain, hunting method and size will depend on where in Alberta you hunt. Some outfitters offer fly-in only, while others will use ATVs and trucks. Moose are widely distributed throughout Alberta’s boreal forest, foothills and parkland zones. This variation means there are moose hunting opportunities for hunters who crave the wilderness, and for those who would prefer a more accessible prairie experience.

Hunting during the late September and early October rut can be especially exciting. Nothing compares to having a giant bull come in grunting, swaying back and forth, and displaying his dominance. Similarly, November late season hunts also provide many outstanding opportunities to take a bull.

MULE DEER

Mule deer thrive, and are high in number, throughout the province. Perhaps best known for its open grassland and coulee habitats, Alberta’s professional outfitters consistently put record book contenders in front of their hunters each and every year. In this terrain, hunters enjoy spot-and-stalk hunting that’s suitable for both experienced and novice hunters alike. Some also offer tree stand hunting opportunities as well. Early season archery hunts begin as early as late August in some zones, and run through September and October, offering amazing opportunities. Later in the season, rifle hunters can also enjoy rut hunts.

SHEEP

Alberta is home to the world-renowned Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, one of the four Grand Slam sheep species available in Canada. Most of Alberta’s licensed sheep outfitters are well established and many maintain high success rates. Outfitters will offer horseback and/or backpack hunts. Keep in mind, though, you’ll need to be physically fit for this hunt. You can be guaranteed that the scenery and adventure will be unforgettable.

WATERFOWL

Positioned ideally under the Central Flyway, Alberta is the destination of choice for a growing number of waterfowlers. Simply put, Alberta’s duck and goose hunting is world-class. With decoys set up in rural landscapes, visiting hunters typically shoot from layout or willow blinds and enjoy our province’s generous harvest limits. On any given day, you may shoot Canada geese, specklebelly geese, snow geese, Ross’s geese, pintails, mallards and more, including species that may be of interest to collectors. The basic limit adds up to 66 birds, plus there are other species on top of that as well. Snow geese are a special opportunity, and you can shoot up to 50 in a day. Some Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) members also offer upland game bird hunting, so be sure to ask, as this can be a great addition to a trip.

WHITETAIL

Abundant throughout the province, Alberta offers some of the finest whitetail hunting in the world. Well known as a whitetail mecca, hunters travel to our province for the very real chance to take a Boone and Crockett- or Pope and Young-class buck, with 150-plus a very achievable score for most hunters. Thousands of opportunities are available to non-residents each year, and the hunting is totally fence-free.

Variable habitat throughout Alberta makes hunting giant whitetails in our province a really enjoyable experience. From the grassland and river bottom habitats to the famous parkland areas, foothills, boreal forest and even mountains, big-bodied and heavy-racked whitetails are found just about everywhere in Alberta.

WOLF

Alberta’s wolf populations are high. An elusive predator, they can be challenging to hunt – but with a little patience, visiting hunters may get an opportunity to take one or more of these apex predators. Ranging in color from light gray to black, Alberta’s wolves typically weigh anywhere from 70 to 120 pounds. On occasion, larger specimens are taken as well. Our professional outfitters normally offer these hunts November through February. While most have their hunters sit near baits, some offer calling hunts as well.

Interested in Alberta, but not sure where to start? The Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) has two tools available on our website at apos.ab.ca. Using our interactive map under Find an Outfitter, you can narrow down your search by specifying your needs and preferences. Alternatively, you can submit a hunt inquiry through FollowTheLead, which will automatically circulate your customized inquiry to members who offer that species.

nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2022 Northwest Sportsman 133 WHY HUNT ALBERTA? An astounding 1,708 animals from Alberta have qualified for the Boone and Crockett Club’s (B&C) Record Book. The fact that 749 of these entries are animals taken since 2000 is a testament to the quality of wildlife available in our province. Alberta boasts an incredible variety of big game and bird game hunting opportunities. At 255,541 square miles, Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada, containing six major eco-regions: Canadian Shield, parkland, rocky mountains, foothills, grassland and boreal forest. The combination of Alberta’s expansive size and the diversity results in many top-notch hunting experiences. You can hunt in Alberta in the spring, fall and winter. Fall days are normally warm and sunny with cooler nights and, at higher altitudes, you may see some frost on the ground in the morning. Come November, many parts of the province will have snow, and below freezing temperatures become the norm, getting progressively colder later in the month. RUGGED EXPERIENCE LICENSED INSURED BOND PROTECTION DIVERSITY OF TERRAIN AND HABITAT ANTELOPE • BLACK BEAR • COUGAR • COYOTE • ELK • MOOSE • MULE DEER • SHEEP • WATERFOWL • WHITETAIL • WOLF • ANTELOPE • BLACK BEAR • COUGAR • COYOTE • ELK • MOOSE • MULE DEER • SHEEP • WATERFOWL • WHITETAIL • WOLF • ANTELOPE • BLACK BEAR • COUGAR • COYOTE • ELK • MOOSE • MULE DEER • SHEEP • WATERFOWL • WHITETAIL • WOLF • ANTELOPE • BLACK BEAR • COUGAR • COYOTE • ELK • MOOSE • MULE DEER • SHEEP • WATERFOWL • CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. You are only a short drive or plane ride away from some of the best hunting available. To find an outfitter, visit apos.ab.ca

Scout Now For April Gobblers

NW PURSUITS By Jason Brooks

For the turkey hunter, it is never too soon to start getting ready for the season. From practicing calls to patterning shotguns to finding birds, it seems turkey hunting could be a yearround activity. In some places it almost is, with fall season starting around the time deer season opens and going well into late winter. In fact, it was last November when my son Ryan and I began scouting for this spring’s hunt. WE WERE DEER hunting in Idaho, where fall turkey season was open with a very liberal either-sex six-bird limit. Tags are just $5 for designated special units (all in the upper Panhandle) and available over the counter, but we didn’t hunt birds on this trip for two primary reasons. The first was that we were concentrating on deer, but turkeys were definitely on our minds, which was the second reason why we chose not to hunt them: They are so much fun to call in and listen to. In the fall, the main way to hunt them is intercepting or ambushing birds. Very little calling is involved and it’s akin to ground hunting an overgrown grouse with fantastic eyesight and that hangs out in a big flock. We did, however, keep an eye out for turkeys and where they concentrated, mostly by looking for roost trees and learning new areas that would hold birds. Finding an old nest that crows had gotten to and pecked the eggs let us know where hens might be come April.

As we drove past a field full of deer, we noticed that a hay farmer who kept a

Spring turkey season will be here before you know it – in fact, Washington’s new weeklong youth hunt begins on April 1 – making right now a good time to get out there and scout for birds. (JASON BROOKS)

few cows was standing on his front porch. Even with our out-of-state plates we figured it was worth a try, so we stopped to chat with him. He was a nice guy who politely turned down our request to hunt the deer, but as I turned to walk away I briefly mentioned turkeys. It was then that the farmer stopped us and said, “You can kill all those damn birds you want!” I asked him about next spring, as again we really didn’t care to shoot birds on this trip, and he reassured us that if we returned in April, we could hunt the birds in his alfalfa fields. He explained how the turkeys poop all over his hay bales and tear them apart, making them useless for his cows, as well as scratch up his hay fields. Who would have thought we could get access to a prime turkey spot for April way back in

Along with using coyote and other calls during predawn hours to get turkeys to reveal their roost location, tracks in leftover snow banks and the flocks’ poop can tell you which way birds are traveling and help determine where to set up during next month’s seasons. (JASON BROOKS)

Where some Northwest game species are struggling or holding steady, turkey populations are doing pretty well – too well in some areas, where landowners experience crop and other depredations. Checking with farmers or local biologists for access can boost your odds of spring (or fall) success. (JASON BROOKS)

November, but that’s why now is the time to start scouting for your gobbler.

FOR HUNTERS LOOKING to find access

on private lands, seek out local game biologists to learn which landowners are complaining about turkeys. In winter, the birds flock together in large groups, some even up to 100 birds or more. This means they can do a lot of damage and you would be surprised at which landowners will give access. A parcel of land as small as 5 acres or less can yield a good turkey hunt. Hobby farms and those with livestock are likely to give access and getting permission for turkey hunting is not as hard as it is with other species.

If you don’t want to knock on doors and prefer to hunt public lands, then scouting now is just as important as it is for those looking for a private parcel. Understanding that weather conditions will change between early and even late March and the general Northwest opener of April 15, you can figure out where you need to be on that first day. Turkeys won’t shy away from snow but they prefer fresh grass shoots.

Last year we were hunting an area that had snow patches and a lot of runoff. The south-facing slopes were bright green with grass shoots and mushrooms were starting to pop out from under the duff. Bugs came out during midday and though

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All three Northwest states offer youth hunting opportunities, which the author’s son Ryan Brooks took advantage of with this fine agland interface gobbler. (JASON BROOKS)

the morning was cold, the daytime was warm. It is springtime, so you need to keep some of this in mind. When scouting in the early season, look at south-facing slopes, especially ones that have some trees and cover. Turkeys like cover and towering trees, so if you locate ponderosa pines, know that you should come back when the season opens.

Logging roads, especially ones that are gated off or decommissioned, are prime. Not only can you easily walk them, but they make for suitable places to intercept birds and call them in. Hike these roads out before the season opens and learn the terrain. A road that is near the top of a ridge that has larger or old-growth trees will be a prime area. A bend in the road offers a wonderful place to sneak in and set up decoys without being seen.

On opening day this past season we started down a logging road that ended at a section line of state forest land. Coming down a slope that fed into a draw with a creek and unharvested timber, we gave out a yelp and had an immediate reply from two gobblers. Young birds, known as jakes, couldn’t resist the yelp locator and we hustled down to the end of the road and a wide spot put in there to accommodate a timber harvest years ago. It was also a perfect place to set out the decoys and do some calling.

With each purr, yelp and cluck, we got a response from the two jakes. Soon we could see the bobbing white and blue heads peeking through the brush at 45 yards. The birds didn’t like the jake decoy I had set out with three hens and they shied away, never to be seen by us again. But we learned the area and if we had done some preseason scouting, we would have known that the other end of the turnaround had an access road that led into the draw the turkeys had come from, a natural ambush point that would have been a much better place to set up and intercept the birds.

Early-season scouting isn’t all about finding birds – though if you do, it is a bonus. It’s more of a chance to learn the land and know where to set up decoys when it comes time to hunt. Find roosting trees that the birds use year to year, and often rotate when feeding along and

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finding green grass to eat. Tracks will also give away locations, as will the birds’ poop. Droplets of poop are left by hens, while males leave J- shaped poops.

WHEN MARCH COMES to an end, it will just about be time to hunt. New this year, Washington’s youth season is now a week long instead of just a weekend. It opens April 1 and runs through April 7, followed by Idaho’s April 8-14 youth turkey hunting week. Oregon’s youth weekend is April 9-10.

The predawn hours are prime for locating birds, as they become vocal while still in the roosting trees. This is where a coyote howl, owl hoot or a crow call can really help. Turkeys are prey and for some reason respond with shock gobbles and clucks when threatened. In the early morning hours try a predator sound, but do not overuse it. A crow is more of a menace until the hens start to lay eggs, so it is a safer call to use. Owl hoots are natural and common but will scare birds, so don’t use them too much, and the same goes with the coyote howl. The idea is to locate birds, which means just find out if some are in the area. Once you get a response, don’t use the call again. Instead try a gobble or yelps.

Spring scouting is just that, a chance to get out and scout. Don’t set up decoys and call in the birds, as you will only educate them, and in some states harassing wildlife is a crime. Most importantly, stop scouting once the youth season starts. My sons are now too old for Washington’s youth seasons, but Ryan can still hunt Idaho’s, which allows kids up to 17 years old to hunt. Each year that Ryan and I took to Washington’s turkey woods for the youth season, we had adults out “playing” with the birds, ruining a setup or two where we were actively working a bird. This is rude, and really defeats the purpose of youth seasons. There are plenty of turkeys and there is plenty of time during the regular season to call birds.

When scouting, use your time to look for turkeys, places to set up, and feeding and roosting areas. Also use it to find access, either private or new public lands. Knock on a few doors and you might just find a new place to hunt, but waiting until the season starts might result in a hard no if they already have other people hunting their lands. Just another reason to start scouting now. NS