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Volume 12 • Issue 9 PUBLISHER James R. Baker
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EDITOR Andy Walgamott THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Dave Anderson, Jason Brooks, John Gierach, Scott Haugen, MD Johnson, Randy King, Buzz Ramsey, Dave Workman, Mike Wright, Mark Yuasa EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Jim Klark, Mike Smith DESIGNER Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker OFFICE MANAGER Katie Aumann INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER Lois Sanborn
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 9
58
REDBANDS OF THE UPPER COLUMBIA
As the mighty Columbia crashes out of Canada, it provides a rich home for a unique strain of large rainbows. In a chapter excerpted from his new book, Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers, famed trout writer John Gierach details the hot night fishing for redbands he experienced with local guides.
(WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY)
ALSO INSIDE 75 85
IDAHO’S COCOLALLA SERVES UP SWEET FISHING Hidden among the northern Panhandle’s inland seas is a multifaceted gem of a lake, one that holds fat rainbows, browns and brookies, along with nice-sized bass and catfish. Warm up to Cocolalla Lake with Mike Wright’s story. BONNEVILLE A DAM PRODUCTIVE FISHING SPOT Not much is known about the shad that now call the Lower Columbia home, but their numbers and sport catches have absolutely exploded in recent years. Bonneville is ground zero for some of the best fishing and our best dam shad angler MD Johnson details how it’s done there.
105 CLOSE-TO-HOME SALMON CURES Covid-19 chewing up your summer salmon vacation plans? Set the hook on these Puget Sound coho and Chinook fisheries that get to it in June – resident silvers off Seattle, and springers and summer kings in North Sound rivers, plus some odds and ends. Mark Yuasa has the scoop! 113 HAVE A BEACHIN’ DAY FOR OCEAN KINGS When the Pacific opens for salmon off of Westport, there will be a lot of water to work, but sometimes the best action is right off the beach. Dave Anderson gives up his game plan for catching Chinook just outside the breakers.
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 $49.95 (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 $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2020 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.
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137
(SCOTT HAUGEN)
GUN DOG
Don’t Take Naming In Vain
Crazy names for newborns have been in the news of late – we’re looking at you, Elon Musk – but when mulling what to call your new four-legged hunting partner, you might want to stick with Scott’s KISS school of thought.
COLUMNS 97
NORTHWEST PURSUITS Plan Now For Summer Dungies, Red Rocks Crabbing is available along the Northwest Coast year-round, but summer has special significance for Puget Sound shellfishers. And this year, Marine Area 11 is back in play. Local crabber JasonB helps get your bait and gear ready to go for when season opens.
121 BUZZ RAMSEY How To Do The Not Twist And Shout Line twist is one of the most @&^@$#! frustrating things about fishing, but it doesn’t have to lead to shouting and cursing if you properly put new braid and mono on your reels in the first place. It’s safe to say Buzz has strung a few reels over the decades and he offers advice on how to do it right, plus shares some overlooked details for keeping twist out of your line while fishing. 129 ON TARGET For Grouse Hunters, It’s Time To ‘Give A Hoot’ No, Dave hasn’t lost his marbles or all track of time during the pandemic. Rather, the cagey old grouse hunter has pulled out a trick he learned ages ago from Alaska wingshooters: how to locate blues now for when season opens this fall. He also details two new shotguns that upland hunters might take a look at. 143 CHEF IN THE WILD A Devil Of A Bear Hunt Idaho’s Seven Devils region lived up to its hellish name during Chef Randy’s spring bear hunt, but he came back with fixin’s for Italian-style bruin shanks.
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(FLATOUTFISHING.NET)
THE BIG PIC:
Walleye Anglers Worry About Mid-Columbia Study DEPARTMENTS 23
THE EDITOR’S NOTE On Washington’s reopener
35 NEWS ‘QuickSilver Portfolio’ pitched for Puget Sound steelhead fishing, recovery
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41
PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD Spring turkeys, Chinook and more!
43
PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Coast Hunting, Fishing monthly prizes
45
THE DISHONOR ROLL 2 Oregon men charged with pronghorn poaching; Return of Grizzly Adams? Kudos; Jackass Of The Month
47
DERBY WATCH Derbies adapt to Covid-19; Upcoming events
49
OUTDOOR CALENDAR Upcoming openers, deadlines, free fishing days, events
nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
Northwest Sportsman 19
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THEEDITOR’SNOTE
T
he woods and waters of Washington reopened to hunting and fishing early last month, and it was good. From Pend Oreille County to Puget Sound, the shared Columbia to the Central Cascades, Tuesday, May 5, marked the first time in nearly six weeks that Evergreen State sportsmen were able to chase rainbows and spring kings, lings and largemouth, bruins and gobblers. Ah, yes, the Simultaneous Season Re/Opener of Nearly Everything. (The ocean and select saltwater species were closed at press time but some are likely to be open as you read this.) There has never been a day like it in the history of the state – and please dear lord, never let there be another. But it was glorious and something to be part of because it Meant More.
AS YOU KNOW (but I am contractually obligated to state for the record), fishing A shaggy Kiran Walgamott was more than and hunting were closed a little suspicious about his father’s fishy in late March by Governor feeling – “Probably coronavirus,” the Inslee to help slow the young’n said – before angling at a Seattlespread of Covid-19. Few area lake on Washington’s reopener, but it turned out to be true. He landed his nicest other places took as sharp a rainbow to date. (ANDY WALGAMOTT) step – Nova Scotia, France – and it contrasted with Oregon’s and Idaho’s measures. Many Washington anglers and hunters vowed to boycott the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the reputation of which took a heavy hit even as the agency’s hand was forced by the governor’s office. But as the reopener neared, license printers at Sportco, Outdoor Emporium and elsewhere got busy as pent-up demand finally met opportunity. “Just an FYI, we’ve sold just shy of $3M in licenses since Monday,” May 4, a WDFW spokeswoman told me three days later. Whether sales eventually match past years – $26 million on the fishing side, $18 million on the hunting – is a good question, as these remain highly uncertain economic times for all of us.
I WASN’T THINKING about that as I stepped away from my social media feeds and into the warm, disinfecting rays of May sunlight to fish the reopener with my youngest son. In fact, I wasn’t thinking rainbows either when Kiran hooked a big holdover on one of our all-star yellow perch setups, giving him quite a fight. It fulfilled his soliloquy’s wish “to go fishing again,” which I wrote about here last month. Like the state’s turkey woods that day, the lake was what I’d call popular for a midweek midday. Two fellow kayak anglers gave us a nice, wide, socially distanced berth as we sallied forth, while from one to four bank anglers spread out at the city park access to try their luck while we were on the water. And as the lad and I called it a day, a well-spaced train of float tube fly guys kicked their way out. When I proudly showed off Kiran’s beautiful ’bow to the first tuber, the crotchety old so-and-so muttered that it would only be fit for planting in the garden. In fact, it tasted pretty damned good, and paired perfectly with A Day Like No Other. –Andy Walgamott
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Walleye Anglers Worry A Mid-Columbia Study
The Columbia River above and below McNary Dam has developed into a world-class walleye fishery, with anglers flocking there from not only Western Washington but the Midwest in hopes of catching tasty keepers and possibly another 20-plus-pound state record. (FLATOUTFISHING.NET) 26 Northwest Sportsman
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y About
PICTURE By Andy Walgamott
W
ashington walleye anglers are concerned about a study on the mid-Columbia and what it might mean for what’s become a thriving destination fishery. Alarm bells began ringing in early spring with word that a state contractor was working the waters around Tri-Cities during the fishing shutdown. Extrapolating from the limited information that seeped out from Department of Fish and Wildlife officials, anglers worry about the future of the popular species in the stretch of the big river where the last two state records have been caught and which provides solid fishing for eater-sized fish. Word on the street was that the walleye were being electroshocked with the goal of figuring out where the fish are spawning, leading to fears this is the first step toward some sort of population control program. And walleye anglers were calling on their state lawmakers to halt it, as well as reinstate protective fishing regulations that have gone by the wayside in the salmon-centric Northwest. “This news about them killing the walleye off left me speechless,” said angler Tim Milward. “This sort of behavior by the WDFW isn’t right. They have not had discussions with the people of Washington state. This resource belongs to the people of Washington state.” Milward said he moved to the Northwest a dozen years ago and thought his walleye angling days were done, but he was pleasantly surprised to find a “vibrant fishery” here. “Walleye are a highly prized sport fish and the residents of Washington are thankful to have it. More and more people every year are learning about walleye fishing, trying it and actually enjoying it. I work with people who can attest to this. It is a fishery that produces recreational activity, business and revenues and the WDFW can benefit from that,” he said. While he doesn’t like some facets of
state management – the fact there aren’t catch or size limits on the species, that tournaments are held over spawners – in this particular case, he feels like the fish are being scapegoated. “This guise of saving the salmon and steelhead from extinction by killing off the walleye is pure and utter nonsense,” Milward said. “Plenty of science and bodies of water where this works out just fine are all over the East.”
GEOFF McMICHAEL IS another walleye angler who is paying close attention to the study. In fact, he’s the one doing it for the state of Washington. “I’m an avid fisherman. I’m an avid walleye fisherman and I’m very good at it. I’ve let hundreds of females over 10 pounds go,” he said. “What motivates me is the research questions.” He owns and operates Mainstem Fish Research, and with funding from the legislature as part of Governor Jay Inslee’s Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force recommendations, McMichael’s project is to catch 100 walleye and 50 smallmouth bass in the Columbia between McNary and Priest Rapids Dams, and another 10 of each species in the Snake up to Ice Harbor Dam, for a total of 170 fish. When we spoke April 22, he was off the water due to the governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, but he had collected 26 walleye and two smallmouth bass this year, and had 39 walleye on hand from unrelated efforts in recent years. He said his permit actually only allows him to use a hook and line to catch fish, and anyway, electroshocking wouldn’t work for walleye, which tend to hang out too deeply in the water column. “This study that folks are concerned about now, the object is to find out where smallmouth bass and walleye in this stretch originate,” McMichael stated. His goal is to catch fish from a range of different locations. “Where did they come from? Did they spawn locally? Are they coming down from the Snake or the (Columbia Basin) nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
Northwest Sportsman 27
PICTURE irrigation project?” McMichael said there is some data that shows fish movement throughout the study stretch, but it’s also possible there are just two big populations of predators. “Do they have any homing fidelity [to spawning locations], or do they just pull up and be done? That’s why I want to spread it out,” he said. So, I asked McMichael, is the ultimate goal here to suppress the source populations? “That’s way beyond what my study is. It’s up to the state; they’re the managers,” he told me.
Austin Han shows off his 2018 upriver bright, a kind of fall Chinook that spawns in the Hanford Reach upstream of McNary Dam and has been determined to be a very important stock for southern resident killer whales – not to mention sport, tribal and commercial fisheries. Austin’s dad Jerry has been on the cover of this magazine twice, once with a URB and once with a walleye. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
THE DAY BEFORE I had spoken to two WDFW staffers about what was going on. “What he’s doing is gathering information,” said district fisheries biologist Paul Hoffarth in Tri-Cities. “It’s been blown out of proportion.” He acknowledged McMichael probably “stuck out like a sore thumb” before getting shut down due to the governor’s order, but he said there are “no plans” to implement a northern pikeminnow sport rewardlike program for walleye and bass in the near future. WDFW is essentially managing the contract for the legislature, Hoffarth said, and he added that he contacted local anglers to help McMichael out. After McMichael collects his 170 fish, which could take as long as September, he will do a “microchemistry analysis” for “water signatures” that turn up in their otolith, or ear bone, Hoffarth said. That will help determine where the walleye and bass were born, whether that be the Snake, Walla Walla, Yakima, mainstem Columbia or elsewhere. Hoffarth pointed out that the state of Washington has done “very little” population work on species besides salmon and steelhead. “We just need new updated information on prey-predator relationships,” he said. Pressed on anglers’ concerns about what it might lead to, Hoffarth defends the need for more research. “Why wouldn’t we want it? We don’t 28 Northwest Sportsman
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have a lot of good data sets,” he said. It could also benefit anglers, Hoffarth added, providing WDFW with scientific information, “rather than us making arbitrary decisions.”
TO SPINYRAY FISHERMEN it always looks like the state of Washington has it out for bass, walleye and channel catfish as invasive species, and they certainly have been the subject of less and less restrictive regulations over the past decade. “The fact the WDFW sees them as an invasive species is absurd. You can argue everything may have been invasive at some point in time,” said Milward, the walleye fan. “If you really want to get down to that level, one could argue that the walleye fry provide food for the trout and salmon, as
the latter are more aggressive than the walleye on feeding,” he maintained. “The Skeena River in British Columbia is closed to steelhead and salmon, as well as many other tributaries. Is this because of the walleye in the Columbia? Not really.” Poor ocean conditions have led to low salmonid returns up and down the Pacific Northwest Coast. There can also be zero doubt that the Columbia’s native piscivores – northern pikeminnows and the various flocks of fish-eating birds – devour more than their share of outmigrating smolts in the highly altered hydropower system, while myriad marine mammals take theirs at sea and as the adult salmon return. To address that last one, the states of Washington, Idaho and Oregon and the
PICTURE
Geoff McMichael of Mainstem Fish Research said he pumped 40 juvenile Chinook out of the stomach of this walleye caught in the Hanford Reach 30 miles from the nearest dam. Research he did during a period of high young salmon abundance found walleye ate 2.5 of them a day on average and they represented 90 percent of the fish in their stomachs. (MAINSTEM FISH RESEARCH) Yakama, Nez Perce and other tribes have jointly applied for an expanded permit from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to remove California and Steller sea lions in the Columbia between I-205 and McNary Dam and in all salmonand steelhead-bearing tribs. It appears a decision is due in late summer. Prior to that and at the prodding of federal overseers worried about impacts on ESA-listed salmon and steelhead, in 2013 WDFW began to lift daily and size limits on walleye, bass and catfish in parts of Eastern Washington, then in 2016 extended that to the Columbia River shared with Oregon. Then, in March 2018, with starving orcas in the news, Gov. Inslee formed his Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force. Not long afterwards, a joint WDFW-NOAA forage review listed which stocks of Chinook were believed to be most important to orcas. Upriver brights – wild kings that primarily spawn in the free-flowing Hanford Reach below Priest Rapids Dam, but also in tributaries above there and in the Snake and Idaho rivers – were identified as tied for the third most crucial SRKW feedstock, topped only by fall Chinook that return to Puget Sound, Lower Columbia and Strait of Georgia rivers. URBs are eaten by resident orcas as they migrate from Southeast Alaska down the British Columbia and Washington coasts before turning left up the Columbia. 30 Northwest Sportsman
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An initial potential suggestion from the SRKW Task Force would have recategorized walleye – along with smallmouth bass and channel catfish – as “invasive.” (WDFW considers them to be game fish.) That did not come to pass, but the group’s final recommendation did include removing limits on the three species and launching a study to “evaluate predatory fish reduction options in McNary reservoir as the basis for further action to protect juvenile salmon.” Last year, House Bill 1579 was passed and required WDFW to “liberalize” limits on walleye, bass and channel catfish in anadromous waters, all of those beyond the Columbia system with sea-going salmon. The Fish and Wildlife Commission interpreted that to mean loosening but not eliminating daily bags. And the 2019 state operating budget included $1.36 million this year for various items meant to increase Chinook for orcas, including “reducing salmon predation by nonnative fish,” with a similar amount set aside for next year.
THAT’S WHERE McMICHAEL, the angler/ researcher, comes back into the story. There may not be a lot of state data on predator-prey relationships in the Columbia, but others are looking. McMichael said one study found only one out of three URB presmolts make it from Priest Rapids to McNary (other research
from 2014 found half wild smolts did). And a 2016 study he coauthored found walleye ate 2.5 of the small salmon per day, smallmouth 1.3; salmon also represented 90 percent of the fish in the guts of the former fish, 60 percent in the latter. But McMichael is also quick to point out that his 2016 data was just a “snapshot” in time and that it followed three years of staggeringly high fall salmon returns to the Hanford Reach, which would have flooded the system with copious fry. This is anecdotal, but walleye fishing surged afterwards, perhaps due to a large year-class or two overlapping with an abundance of prey. McMichael said modeling suggests that reducing causes of mortality between PRD and McNary by 50 percent would boost adult Chinook numbers by 100,000plus annually – fish that would not only be available for orcas, but recreational, tribal and commercial fleets as well. Meanwhile, he was waiting to get back on the water and catch the rest of his 170 fish for his latest study. “My expectation is, once the data is available, they will consider what to do to reduce predator loss,” he said, pointing back to the state of Washington. Then he noted, “If those fish spawn all over and are scattered, you can’t do much about it.” In fact, McMichael thought he had an inkling about where he could find a lot of very young walleye – the Yakima delta – and if that was the case, perhaps altering Columbia flows via the dams could draw the fish into the deeper, cooler river where they would perish. However, when he tested the theory, he didn’t catch any baby walleye in the delta’s warmer, protected waters, just prickly sculpins. That means the task force’s recommendation to fluctuate water levels to disrupt walleye and bass spawning success may not be a very viable idea. “It was a concept for several years to look into, but it flopped. I’ll be the first to admit it,” McMichael stated. He also admitted there’s “a lot of animosity” out there about what he’s doing. A photo of his truck and boat at a gas station was shared on Facebook. And he claimed that concerned anglers
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he talked to only “selectively heard” what he was saying, leading to frustration for him as that interpretation got around. “I’m not a fanged walleye eradicator,” he maintained. McMichael does not come across as one, but given the state’s history and the quality of the fishery, you can’t blame walleye anglers for baring their fangs either. A post on the Facebook group PNW Walleye Addicts encouraged fishermen to send to state legislators an email subjectlined “Under the radar effort to deregulate/ remove walleye from Columbia River.” “In the spirit of trust and transparency the WDFW should have informed the public that this was being considered and is now currently in the feasibility stage with walleye being killed,” the message concluded. “Since this did not occur these projects need to be immediately halted until the public has an opportunity to weigh in.”
IN MID-MAY, A subcommittee of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission began work on a policy for nonnative game fish and their fans. A “blue sheet,” which outlines a proposed year-and-a-half-long development schedule, acknowledges that walleye, bass and channel cats “provide popular fisheries. At the same time, they pose a threat to fragile native fish populations.” “While protection and recovery of native fishes is our highest priority for harvest and other fisheries management, it could be useful to more systematically apply available science to what is known about non-native species’ depredation on vulnerable native species and attempt to fashion fisheries that meet the needs and interests of warmwater and other nonnative game fish anglers where possible,” the policy proposal states. Given the fraught situation between the state, anglers and himself, McMichael wished he’d been able to give a scheduled talk before a walleye club in February. “I know a lot about walleye in that area and was willing to share,” he said. But at the last minute, a call came in that he wasn’t a fan of the species and so he got cancelled. “I’m guessing if I had done that, we wouldn’t be talking today,” he said. NS 32 Northwest Sportsman
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NEWS
‘QuickSilver Portfolio’ For Puget Sound Steelhead, Fisheries Proposed
The “QuickSilver Portfolio” would keep rivers like the Sauk and nearby Skagit as exclusive wild steelhead zones, while proposing others be considered for native broodstock programs and maintain and even expand hatchery production elsewhere. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
P
uget Sound steelhead managers and advisors rolled out their “QuickSilver Portfolio” proposal for local rivers in mid-May, a plan three years in the making that aims to eventually provide a diversity of angling opportunities while protecting and rebuilding struggling runs. It includes a mix of continued and new hatchery production, wild broodstockpowered conservation and potential fishery programs for a handful of streams, and increased catch-and-release fisheries on native runs elsewhere as returns allow. “I personally believe that without opportunities and without anglers on the water, steelhead will lose advocates and be headed toward a path of extinction,” Jonathan Stumpf of Trout Unlimited – and one of 13 members of the Puget Sound Steelhead Advisory Group, or PSSAG –
told the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission during last month’s meeting. On the one hand, it’s a portfolio of hope that one day we may be able to spread out again on myriad waters, not just the few that are open for limited amounts of time or most productive in crowded terminal stretches, as well as recover the state fish. And on the other, it comes with a briefcase full of caveats – various elements depend on reaching agreements with the various tribes, federal Endangered Species Act approvals would need to be secured due to the stock’s 2007 listing, and how does the Department of Fish and Wildlife pay for all the monitoring and research, not to mention writing plans?
THE COMPLEX PROPOSAL, reached after two years of consultation with steelhead
biologists and federal fisheries staffers, aims “to provide the opportunity to test alternative strategies in different watersheds.” It would continue the existing early winter steelhead programs on the Snohomish and North Fork Stillaguamish systems, enhancing the small release on the Dungeness by a couple thousand smolts and adding a new one on the Big Quilcene with 12,000 smolts. The plan also proposes to test wild broodstock conservation programs on several rivers “where habitat is relatively good but the steelhead run is depleted,” including the Nooksack – where the early winter hatchery program would end – and Cedar, plus the Skokomish, where one already exists. Existing broodstock programs on
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NEWS the Green and White Rivers could lead to fisheries, either catch and release or consumptive. And it would manage rivers with “relatively good” runs and habitat exclusively for wild stocks and catch-andrelease fishing. Openers like we’ve seen on the Skagit and Sauk in recent years would be expanded to the Samish in the near term, and ideally the Elwha, Nisqually, Nooksack and Skokomish down the road. The plan says the recently unshackled Elwha and increased water flows into the Skokomish “provide the greatest potential for future catch and release fisheries” in the Hood Canal/northeast Olympic Peninsula.
THE PORTFOLIO ARRIVES with steelhead runs and steelheading in Puget Sound a shadow of a shadow of its former self as long-term, all-encompassing habitat degradation has taken a heavy toll, ocean conditions have soured, hatchery releases have declined, and harbor seals and other piscivores snarf down more than their
share of outmigrating smolts. One idea it pitches is new harvestoriented programs on the Sammamish and Deschutes Rivers, where it’s unlikely wild populations would rebuild or ever existed in the first place, and proposes releases of 30,000 and 50,000 smolts, respectively. It also endorses the planned replacement of the Skykomish River’s Skamania summer-run program (see Big Pic, June 2019) with one based on natural-origin upper basin fish. “Providing a diversity of fishing opportunity is essential to ensure the support of the recreational fishing community. To the extent possible within conservation constraints, the portfolio provides for both catch & release and catch & keep fisheries,” PSSAG members Mark Spada of the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club and Gary Butrim of John’s Jigs write in the portfolio’s introduction. Other members include retired
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WDFW North Sound fisheries biologist Curt Kraemer, Rich Simms of the Wild Steelhead Coalition, Al Senyohl of the Steelhead Trout Club, Rob Masonis of Trout Unlimited, Andy Marks of the Coastal Conservation Association, Derek Day of the Native Fish Society and Jamie Glasgow of the Wild Fish Conservancy. As the plan was presented in May to the commission, Jim Scott, a special assistant to WDFW Director Kelly Susewind, was lauded for his work piloting the group over its three years, no small task given the disparate interests and fact that WFC sued the state agency over the Sky’s Skamania program last year. “You can only imagine some of the meetings,” Senyohl told the citizen panel. Commissioners were impressed with the work, had good questions about how it meshed with current Puget Sound steelhead policies and tribal comanagement, and they asked how to move the ball forward. Scott said that given interest in the portfolio from the director’s office but also new budget challenges, “a statement of support would be very helpful.” -Andy Walgamott
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38 Northwest Sportsman
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READER PHOTOS As the sun rose over Mt. Baker and the San Juans that early May weekend, the islands served up a smorgasbord of bottomfish for Jessie Thomson and crew, including this nice cabezon for the Twisp angler. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
The Evergreen State woods were on the busy side, what with geocachers and dirt bikers also eager to get out of quarantine, but Samantha Gaudette sat tight and bagged a pair of spring turkeys over an early May weekend. “After we called in a bird that came in behind her and I had to shoot, we worked this beauty in on the same ridge. It was a pictureperfect hunt,” reported hunting partner Brandon Jewett of Samantha’s first tom. (COAST HUNTING PHOTO CONTEST)
Molly Francis and hubby Kirby Cannon had an explosive April on the Willamette River and Multnomah Channel, bonking a good number of spring Chinook while trolling a flasher-andherring combo on one rod and 360 flasher-andspinner setup on the other. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
Rhonna and Tom Schnell are right back at it this spring, putting the hurt on Wickiup Reservoir kokanee. They put together this nice stringer early last month while running Paulina Peak Performer Dodgers with Super Micro Shrimp. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
Congrats to Hagen Johnson, 10, who bagged this very nice spring gobbler in Oregon’s Willamette Unit! He was on a mentored hunt with his older brother, Cody, and used a youth model 20-gauge pump to bag his bird. Friend Carl Lewallen forwarded the image. (COAST HUNTING PHOTO CONTEST) For your shot at winning great fishing and hunting products from Northwest Sportsman and Coast, respectively, send your full-resolution, original images with all the pertinent details – who’s in the pic; when and where they were; what they caught their fish on/weapon they used to bag the game; and any other details you’d like to reveal (the more, the merrier!) – to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave S, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
Northwest Sportsman 41
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JUNE 2020 | nwsportsmanmag.com
PHOTO
CONTEST
WINNERS!
Kirby Cannon is the winner of our monthly Fishing Photo Contest, thanks to this shot of wife Molly Francis and her Willamette springer. It wins him gear from various tackle manufacturers!
Laurie Gwerder is our monthly Coast Hunting Photo Contest winner, thanks to this pic of her father-in-law Loren James and her son Kaleb and their pair of Central Washington mule deer, taken on the same day last season. It wins her a knife and light from Coast!
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Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource
For your shot at winning a Coast knife and light, as well as fishing products from various manufacturers, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave S., Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
Northwest Sportsman 43
MIXED BAG
2 Charged With Poaching Antelope
O
ne alleged bad deed led to the discovery of more potential wrongdoing when a mid-April theft investigation search warrant served on the residence of a John Day man turned up the skull of a pronghorn buck. That drew the attention of Oregon State Police fish and wildlife troopers, who paid 18-year-old Austin Catron a visit later in the month. They found the skulls of six buck deer and one bull elk, seizing them, and identified another person of interest, 19-year-old Jonas Waite of Grant County. According to an investigation, Catron is alleged to have poached the antelope in the Murderers Creek Unit, shooting it from a vehicle with Waite. Only the head was taken, with the rest left to waste. Neither had a tag for pronghorn; it takes 10 years on average for hunters to draw one for the unit, the state police reported. “Further information revealed that Catron and Waite were also involved in the unlawful killing of multiple deer over the past two years, as well as Waite’s unlawful killing of a golden eagle,” troopers alleged. That could lead to more charges. For now Catron was charged with unlawfully taking a pronghorn and Waite with charges of aiding and wastage, and Waite also had his rifle, a .22-250, seized for evidence.
Grizzly Adams Returns?
G
ranted, the world was going to hell and meat-packing plants were closing, but the early May broad daylight shooting of a “town deer” near Grand Coulee Dam shocked locals. A widely shared Facebook post showing a dead deer on a Coulee Dam city sidewalk and a suspect in cuffs alleged the man had been “carrying it down the street like he was grizzly adams and sh*t.” The Grand Coulee Star reported that police responding to shots fired at the edge of town found tribal officers at the scene already with the man in custody. The newspaper wrote that he allegedly said “he’d shot the deer on government land outside the city limits.” The area is encompassed by the Colville Reservation. There were no deer hunting seasons open at the time, tribal or state.
JACKASS OF THE MONTH
P
oaching is bad enough, but it’s even more $%^&*#@ galling when poachers also kill unborn animals. Officers in two states were looking for whomever shot and killed a pregnant whitetail doe and a cow elk northeast of Spokane near Blanchard, Idaho, in mid-April. WDFW Police Capt. Dan Rahn called it an “egregious crime.” The deer and elk were illegally spotlighted and the meat mostly left to waste. They were shot in a field 3 miles west of Blanchard, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. the evening of April 17. Officers were asking for help identifying the owner of a dark, latemodel Toyota Tundra that could be linked to the case. The vehicle sports a ladder rack over the bed and possibly a running or step bar on the passenger side. Tipsters should call Idaho (800632-5999) or Washington (877-9339847) officers.
KUDOS Washington game wardens were busy with rescues in late spring, including an Anacortes fawn whose mother died not long after it was born. The little blacktail got a lift in Officer Andrew Stout’s rig to a local wildlife rehab center where hopefully it will be able to be reared for release back into the wild. Meanwhile, across the state on Lake Chelan, as Officers Eric Oswald and Blake Tucker began a shift policing Washington’s fishing and hunting reopener, they switched gears to tow a man in a disabled boat back to a dock – as well as share info on PFDs and discuss some “minor vessel safety issues.” (WDFW, BOTH)
nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
Northwest Sportsman 45
Derbies Adapt To The Times
By Andy Walgamott
MORE UPCOMING EVENTS* Now through Oct 31: WDFW 2020
Instead of the traditional weigh-in, dinner and awards, participants in late spring’s “pandemic style” Spring Fishing Classic only had to take a photo of a fish they caught and post it to the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association’s Facebook page for a chance to win cash and prizes. (BRIAN LULL)
W
ell-attended weigh-ins, award ceremonies and buffet dinners are right out during these Covid-19 times, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still hold a fishing derby, give away prizes and raise money for important work. That was the spirit behind the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association’s “pandemic style” Spring Fishing Classic fundraiser. At press time, it was set to feature very socially distanced angling for a wide variety of fish on May 30, and then a Facebook Live drawing on June 1 to give away $500 in cash and five “fun-filled” baskets of prizes and gifts. The plan was for participants to take pictures of legal fish they caught anywhere in Oregon and Washington and post them to NSIA’s Facebook page. The image and their paid $25 entry fee entered them in the next day’s drawings. Typically, the Spring Fishing Classic involves a day of spring Chinook angling on the Willamette, Columbia and/or other rivers, with teams competing to weigh in the largest and most salmon for cash and prizes awarded at a reception and dinner that evening. But with coronavirus, NSIA had to scramble to come up with another way to hold the important fundraiser, money from which helps the Portland-based
organization advocate for recreational fishing and fish stocks in the halls of power in the Northwest and nationally.
AS COVID-19 KNOCKED holes in the Northwest Fishing Derby Series’ spring and summer calendar, organizers of three events in Southern Oregon switched things up sharply. “In an effort to support social distancing we are going digital with remote weighin stations at the marinas where we host events,” Crissy Cooper told derby promoter Mark Yuasa. “This app (wideopenfishing .com) is a great platform to use and we’re hopeful it’ll really build into something strong in the future for our derbies.” Cooper, who owns West Coast Adventure in Brookings, expanded the dates for the Slam ’n Salmon Derby from July 10-12 to June 20-Aug. 7, postponed one of late March’s For The Love of Cod Derbies until somewhere in the September-October timeframe, and added a South Coast Oregon Sport Tuna Classic out of Charleston July 3-Sept. 7. She was planning on working with state and county officials on how to hold and manage them. It may be awhile before a return to normal, but derby organizers are trying to find ways to keep important events going and test different strategies for holding them.
Trout Derby, select lakes statewide; wdfw .wa.gov/fishing/contests/trout-derby# June 13: Lake Terrell (Whatcom Co.) Individual Open; pondjumperz.com June 19-21: East Wenatchee Rotary Pikeminnow Derby, Lake Entiat (Rocky Reach Pool); ewrotary.org June 20: 2020 Columbia River Walleye Anglers Association/Griggs 1-day Charity Tournament; acetricities.com/ tournaments June 26-28: Washington Governor’s Cup Walleye Tournament, Lake Roosevelt; lakerooseveltwalleyeclub.com July 11: Lake Stevens (Snohomish Co.) Individual Open; pondjumperz.com * Confirm events before attending; some derbies are being cancelled due to Covid-19 and social distancing requirements.
NORTHWEST FISHING DERBY SERIES EVENTS June 20-Aug 7: Slam’n Salmon Ocean Derby, Brookings July 10-12: Bellingham Salmon Derby July 29-Aug 2: The Big One Salmon Derby, Lake Couer d’Alene July 31-Aug 2: Brewster Salmon Derby Aug. 22-23: Vancouver, BC, Chinook Classic Sept. 12: Edmonds Coho Derby Sept. 19-20: Everett Coho Derby * Confirm events before attending. Some derbies are being cancelled due to Covid-19 and social distancing requirements. For more info, go to nwfishingderbyseries.com.
nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
Northwest Sportsman 47
O
C
Oregon’s Central Coast is scheduled to open for three all-depth halibut weekends in June and one in July. Roger Goodman caught this 49-incher out of Newport. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
OUTDOOR
CALENDAR* JUNE 1
North Fork Nooksack, upper Skagit and lower Cascade Rivers spring Chinook opener; Coho opener on Washington’s Marine Area 10 6 Howard Bowen Youth Fishing Derby, Sumas, Washington – info: wdfw. wa.gov/fishing/contests/youth 6-7 Free Fishing Weekend in Oregon, Washington 11-13 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut weekend; Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting – info: wdfw.wa.gov 12 Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting – info: dfw.state.or.us 13 Free Fishing Day in Idaho 18-20 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut fishing weekend 20 Date Oregon controlled hunt application results available no later than 20-28 Chinook retention opener on ocean waters from Cape Falcon, Oregon, north to Strait of Juan de Fuca entrance (daily limit one) 25-28 Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show, Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes – info: anacortesboatandyachtshow.com 29 Chinook and hatchery coho summer opener on ocean waters north of Cape Falcon (daily limit two but bag varies by marine area; Washington’s Area 2 open Sunday-Thursday only) 30 Last day of spring permit bear hunt in Washington (extended due to earlier Covid-19 closures)
JULY 1
9-11 15 16
Leftover big game tags go on sale in Oregon and start of youth “first time” hunt application period; New Washington fishing regs pamphlet takes effect; Areas 5, 6, 7 and 12 south of Ayock Point open for salmon Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut fishing weekend Deadline to purchase Washington raffle hunt tickets Areas 9-10 hatchery Chinook opener
* Check ahead. Some listings may not occur or be postponed due to Covid-19. nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
Northwest Sportsman 49
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‘Large, Dark, And Wulffish’
As a fishing boat powers upstream, the Columbia surges through a narrow stretch of the so-called American Reach just above Northport, Washington, in this composite image of two photos. These waters are home to some of the watershed’s largest redbands, unique rainbow trout that are the subject of a chapter in author John Gierach’s new book, Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers. (WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY) 58 Northwest Sportsman
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FISHING Redband rainbows of free-flowing Upper Columbia featured in chapter of John Gierach’s new fishing book. Editor’s note: Celebrated fishing author John Gierach’s latest book takes readers on a journey to legendary waters throughout the American West and beyond. Gierach, a Coloradoan, has published countless books about his experiences as a trout angler, and his latest work took him to what some call the “American Reach” of the Columbia, just below the Canadian border, to fish at night for the big river’s big redband rainbows. The following excerpt from Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers by John Gierach is printed with permission of the publisher, Simon and Schuster. The book comes out in early June and is available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other outlets.
By John Gierach
B
y mid-afternoon the temperature had reached 103 degrees and my writer friend Scott Sadil and I were holed up on the shady side of the Black Bear Lodge overlooking the Columbia River. We’d escaped the direct sun, but the heat was like a wool blanket that you couldn’t throw off and we sat there feeling unpleasantly sedated, with the ice in our drinks long since melted. There’d been some others out there with us earlier, including my fishing partner, Vince, but by then they’d all drifted away. People sometimes like to eavesdrop when writers sit down to talk – maybe hoping to learn something about the creative process – but after half an hour of whining about money and the character assassinations of editors, they tend to wander off.
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Northwest Sportsman 59
FISHING We were all just killing time until the fishing started. That wouldn’t happen until around six o’clock, but by a quarter to five Vince and I would be motoring upriver with our guide to get a jump on it and, not incidentally, for the cool breeze of the ride. We’d assembled here in early July to fish the nighttime Black Drake hatch and were now mimicking these mayflies’ behavior by waiting out the lethal heat of the days and stirring only when the sun went off the water. We knew that on the way upriver that evening we’d pass Scott and his friend Steve Bird at their usual spot on a long backwater. Steve is a guide, writer, blogger, and fly tier who’s known hereabouts as the local flyfishing guru – a “neo-classicist” by his own admission, with a weakness for soft-hackled wet flies, 1950s-vintage fiberglass rods, and nonmotorized fishing boats. This backwater was Gierach has had more than 20 books and anthologies published since 1977, including in recent years Still Life With Brook Trout (2005), No Shortage of Good Days (2011) and All Fishermen Are Liars (2014). (JOHN GIERACH)
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once known as Big Eddy because of its size, but has since been renamed Steve’s Eddy by the guides, who’ve declared it off-limits out of respect. This was the American stretch of the Columbia, so-called because it’s where the river enters the United States in the far northeastern corner of Washington State. The border with Canada here is marked by nothing more than a cable across the river that doesn’t seem to be fortified or even guarded, although I was told that if you ducked under that cable you’d quickly get a different impression. I’d seen the Columbia at its full size closer to Puget Sound, and although it’s somewhat smaller this far upriver, it’s already drained the entire Southern Rocky Mountain Trench in British Columbia – flowing north for a while, then doglegging south, collecting tributaries – so by the time it crosses the border the river’s
normal midsummer flow of 100,000 cubic feet of water per second already makes it seem vast and intimidating.
THIS BLACK DRAKE hatch was a new one on me. I’d chased plenty of other drake hatches and once, for several late nights running, the even larger Hexagenia mayflies in northern Wisconsin. The prevailing myth among fly-fishers is that the big mayflies drive trout insane, and although “insane” might be overstating it a little, it is true that these large bugs often bring the biggest trout to the surface, where you can fish for them with dry flies. There are too many variables to ever make it a sure thing, but over the years the possibility alone has cost me a fortune in gas money and plane tickets with no end in sight. On our first night out with our guide, C.J., Vince and I got the new clients’ orientation in the style of fishing known locally as “free-
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FISHING
“Among taxonomists,” writes Gierach, “there’s an innate tension between the lumpers and the splitters. A lumper would say that there’s only the one species called rainbow trout that exhibit some regional variations, while a splitter would say that virtually every watershed is home to its own separate race ... My sympathies lie with the splitters for the simple reason that if they’re right, then there are even more kinds of fish in the world than I thought.”(STEVEN BIRD, BOUNDARY FLY FISHING, SOFT HACKLE JOURNAL)
drifting.” C.J. said there’d be occasional scum-suckers sipping spent caddis in the quieter water along the banks, but that we’d ignore those in favor of the real action to Drakes out in midriver. Once the rise got started, C.J. would find a current line he liked the looks of, cock the boat sideways to the flow, and hold the angle steady with the oars as we drifted straight downstream at current speed, which always turned out to be faster than it looked. The current in midriver boiled up in response to the jumbled boulders on the bottom, the water rolling over on itself and wagging every which way like the tails of enormous wet dogs. As we drifted along we’d cast downstream to slicks that would form, swirl down with the current for a few yards, and then dissolve, only to be replaced by fresh ones. It was in the foamy leading edges of these slicks that the big duns would collect and the trout would rise. This wasn’t how Vince and I would 62 Northwest Sportsman
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have done it, and in fact it seemed overly aggressive and even wasteful to drift straight down to, and right over, multiple rising trout – one all-ornothing cast and the whole pod was blown – but telling your guide he’s doing it wrong on the first night out is the kind of advanced move that’s best left to experts. This was fast-paced fishing and the trick was to make short, accurate casts and drifts to avoid drag. You’d think trout in this maelstrom of moving water and failing light would forgive a fly that skated a little, but no such luck. The second your fly did the least little thing that wasn’t dictated entirely by the current, you might as well recast it to another slick because the jig was up.
WE WERE AFTER the big redband trout that are native to the Columbia drainage. It’s probably fair to think of these fish as a subspecies of rainbow, but many fisheries biologists consider them to be distinct, although in the
grand scheme of things that may boil down to an opinion. I once fished with a doctoral candidate in fisheries biology who explained that among taxonomists there’s an innate tension between the lumpers and the splitters. A lumper would say that there’s only the one species called rainbow trout that exhibit some regional variations, while a splitter would say that virtually every watershed is home to its own separate race of fish. My friend was a confirmed lumper himself and left the impression that he thought splitters tended toward hysteria. But my sympathies lie with the splitters for the simple reason that if they’re right, then there are even more kinds of fish in the world than I thought. To the scientifically untrained eye of a fisherman, a redband has a more profuse spotting pattern than a coastal rainbow and the lateral line stripe is less crimson and more the deep red color of wet brick. These are gorgeous fish; not the sickly, mass-
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Northwest Sportsman 63
FISHING produced versions of rainbow trout that have been raised in hatcheries and stocked all over the West for more than a century, but a strain of ancestral trout rightfully famous for their beauty, size, and fight. You don’t have to catch many of them before you start wondering how fish culturists managed to turn such fine wild trout into generic lunch meat. There must have been some small fish somewhere, but one reason to work the fast water is that that’s where the big boys go to feed. These were heavy, muscular trout between 18 and 24 inches long and sometimes much larger. It seemed like every night back at camp someone had a story about setting up on a fish that bored off unstoppably until the weight of the current against all that line and backing either broke off the fly or straightened the hook. Some couldn’t help guessing at the size of those trout, while others just shrugged. In each case it had seemed hopeless almost from the beginning, but no fisherman
A Parachute Black Drake was the hot pattern at night for the author. A drake is another word for a mayfly, and the “Wulffish” in Gierach’s chapter’s title is a reference to a famed fly tier’s imitations of the insect. (STEVEN BIRD, BOUNDARY FLY FISHING, SOFT HACKLE JOURNAL)
believes it’s ever completely hopeless, so they wondered if they’d screwed it up. You could see that in their faces: something akin to embarrassment at blowing the big chance, along with the knowledge that a big lost fish can haunt you until you redeem yourself on this or some future river by landing a pig against the odds.
NIGHT FISHING IS always a moving Steven Bird, a longtime local guide Gierach fished with during his trip, is partial to this tie, a Low Light Sedge, said to be good on “well-educated trout” in late evening. (STEVEN BIRD, BOUNDARY FLY FISHING, SOFT HACKLE JOURNAL)
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target. At first it’s just a pleasant early evening with the day’s heat finally beginning to lift and the sunlight going off the water, retreating up the east bank until just the crowns of the pines are lit like the flames at the tips of a forest of matches. That’s when the first Drake duns appeared in scattered ones and twos. As mayflies go, they were on the big side; about a hook size 8 or 10 with dark reddish-brown bodies and slate-colored wings, or “large, dark, and Wulffish,” as I’d once heard them described. The first few floated along until their wings dried and they could fly off without drawing any interest from the trout, but there was the sense that something was about to happen and we imagined that the nymphs migrating up from the riverbed were already getting picked off by large trout. By the time we spotted the first rises the surface of the river had already turned silver, but there was still enough light to see a low-floating Victory Drake as long as you didn’t take your eyes off it and lose it in the confusion of currents. It took time to play and land each fish we hooked because of their size and strength as well as the heavy current that gave them the mechanical advantage. We were fishing short casts, but most of our trout took us well into the backing before C.J. could row us into quieter water where we could play them to the net.
FISHING Every time I looked back at the river after a fish was released I was surprised and a little panicked by how much darker it had gotten. A friend once said he prefers evening fishing because morning fishing peters out as time passes, while evening fishing only gets better. That’s true, but sooner than you’d like evening becomes night, your diurnal nature betrays you, and where only a few minutes ago you were a reasonably competent fly caster, you’re now fumbling for the light switch in a strange hotel room, defeated by darkness. As soon as I started losing sight of my Victory Drake on every other cast, I switched to one of the big parachute Wulffs I’d tied with oversize black calf tail wings that were easier to see. But even then I found myself squinting, squatting, and cocking my head left
and right to get my fly in whatever pewter-colored night shine was left on the surface. By then each fish we got had to be landed and unhooked by the light of our headlamps, and once we’d turn the lights off it would take valuable minutes for our eyes to readjust enough to start casting again. Eventually they didn’t readjust no matter how long we waited because it was just too damned dark. That’s when we reeled in our flies, C.J. rigged the legally required running lights (red for port, green for starboard), and we motored back toward camp. It was going on midnight; the shoreline was only a little blacker than the water and the sky was full of stars. Our big johnboat was fitted with a 60-horse outboard and we were flying downriver faster than I’d have gone in the dark. I could tell the Drakes
The sun begins to sink over the Upper Columbia, marking the start of prime time for big trout. Fly fishing at night in the heat of summer was how Gierach enjoyed these waters. (STEVEN BIRD, BOUNDARY FLY FISHING, SOFT HACKLE JOURNAL)
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were still hatching because they kept hitting me in the face, but by then it was impossible to see a dry fly and you couldn’t fish by sound because the river was too loud to hear the rises. It would still have been possible to swing a big wet fly downstream on a tight line so you could feel the takes, but it was late and Vince and I had been into our backing more times in the last five hours than in the whole previous season, so we were happy enough to call it a night and it was somehow comforting to know that this would all go on without us for a few more hours. By the third night I’d begun to learn the landmarks, so that on the trip back downriver I recognized the dark shapes of the forested island, the big midriver boulder, and the long, sweeping riffle known as Lower
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FISHING Magic. I was waiting for the scattered lights of the little town of Northport to appear on river left when I saw flashes in the sky above the water, followed after an interval by the dull thumps of distant fireworks, and remembered it was the Fourth of July. Northport is one of those remote western towns with less than three hundred souls who can’t afford to patch the potholes on Main Street, but who can still pony up thousands every year for Chinesemade patriotic ordnance. So we motored through town in a shower of hot multicolored sparks and after we passed under the hulking shape of the bridge C.J. handed out Roman candles with labels promising “sparkling balls with reports.” As he lit these up, he advised us to “point them away from the boat,” which contained, among other things, a five-gallon can of gasoline. And that’s how we pulled into camp: shooting off sparkling balls with reports to scattered applause
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from the porch of the lodge. That night I was the one with a story to tell. Dark as it had been, I was sure I’d seen my fly go down in a boil. But when I set up I felt nothing but dead weight moving at current speed and thought I’d snagged a drifting log – the kind of deadhead you hope the boat doesn’t hit when you’re flying along at top speed. But then it started moving across the current, slowly at first, then accelerating steadily toward the distant far bank while my line and backing bellied out downstream. I put a deep bend in the rod and got two fingers inside the reel spool to put the brakes on my departing backing, but the fish didn’t even slow down. It seemed hopeless almost from the beginning. I can’t say exactly when it happened, but I gradually came to realize that I was no longer attached to the fish – it had been lost not with a bang, but a whimper – and when
I reeled in the entire fly line and nearly a hundred yards of backing I found that my knot had held, but the hook was bent open. I’d had plenty of time to see this coming, but I still couldn’t believe it. The redbands here occasionally exceed 20 pounds, so when someone at the lodge asked how big I thought the fish was, I said, a little petulantly, that I didn’t know and didn’t even want to know.
STEVE BIRD HAD invited Vince and me to fish with him the next night, so we snagged a ride to his place in the afternoon and hung out there, waiting for evening to come on. It was still as hot as the doorknob to hell and we’d been dreading having to kill another hundred-plus-degree day at the lodge. It hadn’t been so bad at first, but after days of boredom, idleness, and discomfort, the veneer of carefree sport had begun to peel back at the edges and the normal chafing
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FISHING among the personnel was threatening to harden into grudges. The little airconditioning unit at the lodge ground away valiantly, but couldn’t put a dent in the heat, no one’s jokes were funny anymore, and I lost interest in the mystery novel I was reading when I stopped caring who the killer was. Vince and I weren’t exactly at the end of our rope, but we were feeling the need for new company and a fresh patch of shade to swelter in. Steve and his wife, Doris, live in a snug, efficient frame house on the edge of the pine woods, close to the river, but safely above the highwater line. There are two outhouses in back, a large vegetable garden behind a fence tall and sturdy enough to keep out deer and elk, and two big, lazy cats that lounged in the shade like hothouse orchids. Scott’s tent was back in the trees a discreet distance from the house, pitched over a natural mattress of pine duff.
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When the time came we launched Steve’s raft on the eddy, where we stayed in the soft water and cast out to the main current. Steve kept us more or less motionless with the occasional dip of an oar while Vince and I worked the moving windows of the slicks that passed by, getting decent drifts by casting down and across with steep upstream mends. Instead of making one all-or-nothing cast and then moving on as we’d been doing, we were able to work pods of big trout until we finally put them down by either catching one or dragging a cast, and then we’d quietly ease along to the next pod of risers. The eddy was nearly half a mile long, so when we reached the bottom we’d simply row back to the top, where the trout had been rested for almost an hour, and start again. Fished in this stealthy, unhurried way, that one small reach of river was all anyone could ask for and it seemed more like
recognizable fly-fishing, which I’ve always thought should be less like a mugging than a con game. I asked Steve why he thought the guides at the lodge fished so aggressively and needlessly burned up so much water. He said it was because that’s how the owner wanted it done and went on to characterize the way some people fish as if he were describing the plumage of an unfamiliar bird, adding something to the effect that it’s a free country and people can fish however they want. It was just about full dark when I got a hideous tangle of fly line around my rod tip with a disastrous cast. I’d just started trying to pick this mess apart by the light of my headlamp when Steve tapped me on the shoulder and handed me an old Heddon fiberglass rod fitted with a Pflueger Medalist reel, already strung up with a dark brown soft-hackled wet fly. And that’s what I used to catch my last redband of the
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night, a hefty, broad-shouldered fish that ran and cartwheeled somewhere out in the darkness. My first fly reel had been a Pflueger and I’d forgotten that these old American-made reels purr instead of scream when a fish takes line. The next night Vince and I asked C.J. if he’d be willing to fish the same way. Without a word – but possibly the hint of a sly smile – he rowed us into quiet water and positioned us so deftly that Vince said later, “I bet that’s how he fishes on his days off.”
WE WERE LEAVING the next morning and for once the timing seemed about right. We’d cleaned up on big trout and, now that we’d soon be flying back to the cooler high altitude of home in Colorado, waiting out those miserably hot, boring days began to look like a fair price of admission for epic night fishing, if not actually a noble sacrifice for sport. There’d be plenty of time to wonder if we’d ever want to do this again. All in all, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, so when we got back to the lodge that night I gave my last few parachute Black Drakes to a father and his teenage son who’d just arrived. There seemed to be a specific plan in the works with these two; probably just the usual attempt to engineer some good memories before life inevitably threw one or the other of them a curve. I resolved to just give them some flies that had worked without the usual territorial display that inevitably accompanies male success in sport, but when the moment came I couldn’t resist just enough grandstanding to make me feel smug at the time and a little foolish later. Vanity does loosen its grip on us over time, but I guess it never completely lets go. NS Editor’s note: For more on the books of author John Gierach, go to simonandschuster.com/authors/JohnGierach/1497721.
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FISHING Among its numerous species, North Idaho’s Cocolalla Lake hosts browns, a “sizable” number of which congregate in the south end in fall. Early summer fishing focuses on deeper waters for a mix of trout species, including triploided ones, plus bass, panfish and channel catfish. (MIKE WRIGHT)
Cocolalla Can Serve Up Sweet Fishing North Idaho lake a multifaceted hidden gem among region’s inland seas. By Mike Wright
I
daho’s northern Panhandle region is justifiably known as the state’s lake country. Three large scenic waters dominate the landscape and are the source of some truly outstanding fishing. Several staterecord fish have been surrendered by the cold, crystal-clear waters of Priest, Pend Oreille and Coeur d’Alene Lakes. And as might be expected, the trio receive the vast majority of
anglers’ adoration and attention. However, there is a wide variety of smaller lakes that contain good numbers of trout, bass and various spinyrays, which can reach very admirable size. Some of the trout may grow to exceed 26 inches in length, while some bass may weigh over 5 pounds. Although the big three lakes have specimens that surpass those sizes, most anglers would be more than pleased if they could catch something in those ranges.
ONE OF THE smaller waters that may be able to fulfill an angler’s desire for trophy-size fish is Cocolalla Lake. At 803 acres, it is one of the larger of the lesser lakes, and due to its size is most often fished by powerboats. There are, however, a number of anglers who employ pontoons and float tubes, generally closer to the docks at the northern end of the lake. A large portion of Cocolalla is surrounded by private property, so access is limited to the area around the Idaho nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
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FISHING Department of Fish and Game’s dock and launch area, or by hiking in over the railroad tracks on the eastern side of the lake. Recently, IDFG purchased land at the south end of the lake. Although primarily done to provide a wetland sanctuary for ducks and geese, this is especially welcome news for fishermen, considering that a sizable number of brown trout spawn in Cocolalla Creek, making this end a popular area for fly fishermen in the fall. Since it is a long row for pontoon boats and an extremely long kick for float tubers from the public launch area at the north end, not many of these crafts make it to the south end. Although fly fishing from boats and kayaks can be done, most flyrodders prefer the use of the other two platforms. Even though the land purchase may not be of great value to pontoon
boat anglers – the route from the parking lot to the lake can be rather difficult for them, depending on the weight of the craft – it is a much easier way to access the water for float tubers. At the present time, there are no plans for improving the trail, but if work is done in the future, pontoon boats may become a more familiar sight in this portion of the lake.
COCOLALLA LAKE IS situated in a broad valley, approximately 10 miles south of Sandpoint, just off Highway 95. The shoreline on the west side has a more gradual gradient into the deeper midsection of the lake, while the east side has somewhat faster dropoffs to depths of 40 to 50 feet of water. Much of the south end sits in a meadow-like terrain, characterized by shallower water and lush aquatic vegetation that supports a wide variety of insect life, including midges, caddis,
Cocolalla’s state launch and dock is on the northeast side of the lake, just off Highway 95 between Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint. There’s also a rough access at the south end, but it’s a bit of a walk to the water. (MIKE WRIGHT)
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damsels, dragonflies, leeches, water boatmen and several different types of mayflies. This heavy vegetation is present throughout Cocolalla’s waters, providing excellent hatches, as well as habitat, throughout the season, at least when open water is available. It should be pointed out that the lake is open year-round and is also a popular ice fishing destination during the winter. The amount of feed available to the fish is more than adequate for many of them to reach respectable size. This in turn makes the lake a popular spot for anglers to try their luck. Indeed, the quality of this body of water has not been lost on the fishing community in North Idaho. Many times, the parking lot is filled to overflowing with would-be fishermen desperately searching for a site to park their vehicles. Not exactly a stellar example of social distancing,
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FISHING Channel catfish have been stocked in the lake most years over the past two decades, and a 2011 state report expresses surprise that hoop net sets turned up 1,100 over a three-day soak. Bait works best for channels, but this one did bite a Rusty Slump Buster, a heavily weighted streamer not unlike a Woolly Bugger or Matuka and imitating a sculpin. (DILLON GIVEN, NORTH 40 OUTFITTERS)
but those were different times too. Despite the difficulties, most people are able to find a way to fish these very desirable waters. As mentioned above, the majority of the fishing on Cocolalla is done by boat; this is also true for the fly fisherman. The best strategy for fishing the north section of the lake is to employ a fast sink line, coupled with a slow troll, usually only 2 or 3 mph. Probably the most productive region during the early summer is along the dropoffs, usually 200 to 300 yards from shore. Later on in the season, as temperatures increase, the fish, at least the trout, migrate to the deeper water, necessitating the change to a faster sinking line. Various streamers, leeches or Woolly Buggers in black, brown, olive or white are very effective, especially if small nymphs, such as Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, Prince Nymphs, Soft 80 Northwest Sportsman
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Hackle Peacocks or caddis nymphs, are used as a dropper, which is attached with a foot or two of tippet at the hook bend of the lead fly. Anchoring or slow drifting with floating line, long leaders, a strike indicator and a black or red chironomid can also be highly productive. At the south end of the lake, the water depth forces changes in the overall strategy. The shallower water warrants a change to intermediate sinking or type 2 sink-tip lines to avoid becoming tangled up in the thick subsurface weeds. Small streamers, damsels, leeches and No. 12 to 16 nymphs are highly effective patterns, as are red or black chironomids. There is some decent dry fly activity in all parts of the lake, but it’s probably a little better at this end. It would be wise to have some Griffith’s Gnats, Purple Hazes, Adams patterns and Elk Hair Caddis on hand.
For the bait fisherman, garden hackle and PowerBait are the most popular and productive, but marshmallows and corn are also used at times. During the winter, maggots are probably the preferred bait. Lure fishermen most often use Panther Martins, Rooster Tails, Mepps, Rapalas, Needlefish and Colorado-bladed spinners.
THE LAKE CONTAINS a very diversified fish population, which in turn attracts an equally diverse group of users. Undoubtedly, trout is the primary target for most anglers, but there is also a sizable number of fish-seekers whose preference is either bass or catfish. Black crappie is also a popular goal. And then there are some who say they really don’t care what they catch, as long as it is a nice, warm day and the beer is cold. They just want to enjoy themselves and anything they
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FISHING
A buck swims Cocolalla Lake, the name of which is said to mean cold waters. (MIKE WRIGHT)
catch is just icing on the proverbial cake. In addition to the above fish, bullhead catfish, pumpkinseed sunfish and yellow perch are part of Cocolalla’s fish population. Rob Ryan, state fisheries biologist for the Panhandle region, says there is a little different philosophy between
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Idaho and Washington in regards to lake fish management. Washington has a rather large number of waters that are strictly managed for trout, with the necessity of poisoning and rehabilitating some of them periodically. Idaho, on the other hand, takes a more hands-off approach to
managing species in lower-elevation lakes. Although there were past efforts in North Idaho to poison and rehab two lakes in order to create quality regulated fisheries, for the most part IDFG has not used this technique in multispecies waters. The agency annually stocks trout in Cocolalla, as well as channel catfish. Browns, rainbows, cutthroat and brook trout have all been released in the past. However, since there has been a very stable population of brook trout, that stocking program was discontinued a number of years ago. The cutthroat strategy has also seen a change, since they were not doing well in the multispecies lake. “There will be a change in the cutthroat species released into Cocolalla,” says Ryan. “We are using triploid cutthroat instead of the standard westslope cutthroat.” The triploid strain does not go through the spawning process, so there is not the weight loss that occurs with normal fish. As Ryan explains, there have been some problems in the past, but there is a good deal of optimism concerning this changing approach. There are also approximately 6,600 catchable triploid rainbows that are stocked, and they have very good survival and growth rates. Despite the popularity of the lake, there is a considerable amount of carryover from year to year, with the average rainbow running 14 to 15 inches and the browns 15 to 17 inches. Brookies frequently exceed 12 inches. It may be expected that the cutthroat size will be similar when the 30,000 fingerlings have a little time to grow. Bass and catfish also show good carryover rates and are packing on the pounds. All indicators seem to point to a continued excellent fishery. Yes, North Idaho’s big three provide some outstanding fishing opportunities, but it is best to remember that the multitude of smaller lakes in the area can meet the needs and desires of the avid angler. In no small way, the northern Panhandle is a fisherman’s paradise. NS
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FISHING
A Dam Productive Fishing Spot You don’t need fancy gear to have a great day catching shad below Bonneville. By M.D. Johnson
A
sk anyone who knows me – even a bit – and they’ll agree: I’m a simple man. I like simple things. I drive a 1990 F-150 and a 1993 Chevrolet. I carry a Swiss Army knife with but half a dozen tools, let’s say – purchased in
1979 for me for Christmas by my brother Richard. I carry it every day. Hell, I even have an iPhone 4. Yeah, I said iPhone 4. So, now that it’s been established that I’m a simple man, my next statement should come as no surprise. And that is that I like shad fishing. Why? Uh-huh. Because it’s simple.
Oh, I’m sure some folks complicate it, what with fancy rigs and expensive gear and the latest this and that and that and this. The nice thing about shad fishing is there’s no need to muddy it up. Rod. Reel. Line. Handful of simple – there’s that word again – fish lures. Oh, and a 5-gallon bucket or cooler and you’re all set.
Roger Leonhard fights a shad just below Bonneville Dam, scene of the best bank fishing for the East Coast import. The 2018 run up the Columbia saw a record sport harvest of 250,000, with another 186,300 last year. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
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FISHING Not much is known about the shad that now call the Northwest home, but their numbers absolutely exploded in recent years, with nearly 7.5 million counted in the fish ladder at Bonneville last year and an untold number swimming through the locks. (CHASE GUNNELL)
Often, it’s been said that the most challenging factor in the shad fishing equation is finding somewhere to stand/fish that’s not in someone’s back pocket. That’ll be key this year.
WHICH BRINGS US to the where and when discussion of Columbia River shad fishing. I’ll go out on a limb here and say the most popular stretch of water would be immediately below Bonneville Dam. And what do I mean by popular? Some, I reckon, would consider it combat fishing and an annual shoulder-to-shoulder experience. And it can be that way, especially on the weekends and on both sides of the river. “It’s not for the antisocial,” a friend of mine once told me when I asked him to describe the fishery to me, then a shad virgin. He’s right; it does get crowded, and it’s not for the antisocial among us. We’ll see how that plays out in the era of coronavirus and social distancing, but if you go into it with a “There’s gonna 86 Northwest Sportsman
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be a lot of people there” mindset and prepare for that, it should help a lot. There is some room to spread out around the dam at several – though not all at press time – Army Corps of Engineers recreation sites, including North Shore, Fort Cascades, Hamilton Island, Tanner Creek, plus others upand downstream. Best advice is to check on access before going: nwp. usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation. And now for a little background on the fish. During my digging, I found it interesting that American shad aren’t even native to the Columbia system. I assumed, and incorrectly, that a species this populous had to be native. Well, it’s not. The fact is these shad that call the Columbia home are actually from the East Coast and were introduced into California’s Sacramento River in 1871. Apparently, shad are pretty quick little things, as fish from these original plants were discovered in the Columbia just four years later. After this, shad were purposely
stocked into the Snake and Willamette Rivers; there was even an operational shad hatchery at the falls on the Willamette from 1906 to 1920. Fast forward a century, and fish counters at Bonneville Dam will see four to five million American shad go past the window – last year a record 7.45 million did. And these are just part of the more than 10 million adult fish estimated to enter the Columbia from the Pacific each year. Bottom line? Any way you want to look at it, it’s a lot of fish.
IN A TYPICAL year, the annual run begins slowly in May, peaks in June and falls throughout July. As I’m writing this, it’s May 8 and the Bonneville Dam count (fpc.org) stands at roughly 2,500 shad for the year, with the largest one-day count being right around 1,300 individuals. Compare this to May 31, 2019, when more than 354,000 went over the dam in a single day! So when is best? If you were going
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FISHING
Shad darts – a painted, angle-faced lead jig – might be most popular, but Dick Nites, Triple Teazers and other spoons, as well as spinners and even tubes and simple beads work when cast, drifted and retrieved from the bank, or plunked from a boat anchored near shore. (JULIA JOHNSON)
to make a trip specifically to coincide with the peak of the shad run over Bonneville Dam, I’d hazard a guess you’d want to aim for the first week of June – give or take a couple days. I’d like to add a note here. Actually, I’d like to ask a question of the readership that I’ve often wondered: Why, if some 10 million shad cross the Columbia River Bar – with but four to six million of those being counted at Bonneville Dam – isn’t there better shad fishing around Woodland, Kalama, Longview and Cathlamet? I mean, why don’t we read about the great shad fishery off the mouth of the Elochoman? Or rather, why does Bonneville bogart the shad spotlight? Unfortunately, and due exclusively to the ongoing pandemic, I could not raise Laura Heironimus, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s go-to biologist when it comes to smelt, sturgeon, lamprey and, from what I’m told, shad. Truthfully, there’s not a whole lot known about shad, other than 88 Northwest Sportsman
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they seem to appear each year in abundance, and, when they do, they’re an absolute riot to catch.
SO, LET’S STICK with the simple concept here. I’m willing to bet that if you wander down to Bonneville Dam in June and take a quick look around, you’re going to see fishing rod/reel combinations ranging everywhere from Mighty Mutant Ninja Turtle spin-casting outfits to rigs costing hundreds of dollars. What works best? I’m going out on a limb here and say unequivocally that what you got will work best. Baitcaster. Spin-caster. Spinning reel. Six-six. Seven-foot. Eight-foot. Ninefoot. They’ll all work for shad. What works well? Well, below the dam, you’re dealing with current, plus a little water depth; not much – say, 10 to 20 feet, with 14 being ideal. And a 2- to 5-pound fish that’s no slouch when it comes to the fight. It all adds up, then, to some reasonably stout gear.
Me: I’ll pack the same gear to Bonneville I pack to the North Jetty – an 8-foot, 6-inch Lamiglas mediumheavy rod and Ambassadeur 5500 series reel, or one of Shakespeare’s Wild Series Salmon combos featuring, again, an 8-foot, 6-inch mediumheavy spinning rod and matching reel. Either outfit offers plenty of backbone for any shad that comes along. For line, I have over the years become a braid guy. The reels above will be spooled with Cabela’s Ripcord braid, either 20- or 30-pound, and green, though I’m not sure the color actually matters all that much when hunting shad. A 10-pound fluorocarbon leader rounds out the gear portion of the equation.
ASK 100 SHAD anglers to describe their setup for fishing below Bonneville, and I reckon you’ll get at least 75 different formulas. Weights will run the gamut: from slinkies to hollow core lead to egg sinkers to – yes, I’ve seen it – small engine spark
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FISHING Given social distancing guidelines due to coronavirus, this season not all normal accesses – this is Cascades Locks – may be available for shad anglers. At press time, the Army Corps of Engineers had reopened some recreation sites around Bonneville, but not all, including Bradford Island. (BILL REYNOLDS, FLICKR, CC 2.0)
The bounty of shad translates to good boat fishing further up the Columbia. Renee Mortimer caught this one below McNary Dam while running a silver Dick Nite on a 5-foot, 10-pound leader behind a size 30 Jet Diver run 70 feet behind the boat in 14 to 20 feet of water. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
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plugs, something like you’d use for a chainsaw. It just makes sense, really. The rocks below Bonneville are hungry, even ravenous on occasion, and losing a used spark plug doesn’t hurt nearly as much as does a formal lead weight you paid a good dollar for. Elemental. That’s the best way to describe my shad rig. First, a 1/2to 3/4-ounce egg sinker, the weight dependent upon the current. Then a 5mm bead to save the knot below, plus a good black snap swivel. Notice I made a point of saying “black” for the color swivel. Shad are sight-feeders and often the presentation doesn’t have to be all that flashy to be productive. It’s my thinking that a silver or brass snap swivel can be a distraction to eager fish. Rather, I want these shad hitting the hook/lure and not a hookless piece of terminal tackle. Does it really happen with these so-called swivel strikes? I have no actual visual or otherwise scientific proof; however,
why tempt fate? Use a black swivel. From the swivel, I’ll run a 36-inch fluorocarbon leader. It’s not all that precise a measurement, but in the ballpark of 36 inches. And then, the lure itself. This time, ask those same 100 shad anglers, and I’ll bet you get 96 different responses to the query: What’s the very best shad lure on the market? Some will say Dick Nite spoons. Some will say tiny Triple Teazer spoons. Or lead angle-faced shad darts. Or small inline spinners. Still others will say you need nothing more than a colored bead atop a red or gold No. 1 hook. Or the aforementioned brass swivel over the No. 1 hook. Or a bead and a swivel. The common denominator when it comes to shad and lure selection echoes, to me, crappie fishing: It’s all about color and experimentation. If red isn’t working – and it should – try green. Or brass. Or bronze. Or red/ white, yellow, chartreuse, blue or pink.
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FISHING Whether you plan to can or smoke your shad, or just use them for crab or sturgeon bait, take care of your catch, putting them on ice as quickly as possible. And remember to bring a big cooler, because you can fill it up. (CHASE GUNNELL)
How can you tell if an angler is a dedicated shad hunter? His or her tackle box, albeit small, will resemble a box of 64 Crayola crayons in terms of diversity of colors. While I don’t consider myself a shad expert, I do pack the above rainbow of colors when we head down Bonneville way. Better to have it and not need it than … well, you know the rest.
IF YOU’RE HOLDING your breath for some earth-shattering words of wisdom here, go ahead and relax. The standard shad fishing technique, be it below Bonneville or elsewhere from the rocks, consists of an upstream cast – one as far as the crowd permits – a downstream swing once the weight/ lure is near the bottom, and a slow but steady retrieve. Shad aren’t mackerel; they won’t chase a lure frantically, so you need to slow down while – it goes without saying – keeping your rigging out of the riprap. And there’s a definite art to
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that. So in summation. Cast. Swing. Retrieve. Repeat. Really nothing more than that. What’s a shad strike feel like? Not a smash. Nor a takedown. It’s more of a bump-and-pull followed by a currentenhanced throb through the rod. You’ll miss one or two – maybe three or four – before you get the hang of it. Oh, and bring a net. If you intend to take shad home for whatever reason, you’ll be thankful you brought along a net. A shad’s mouth is soft and the fight in the current often enlarges the hole where the hook sets, which means a lost fish right at the water’s edge is highly likely and painfully frequent. Get a net under them.
CRAB BAIT. STURGEON bait. Fertilizer. All good and very common uses for these fish. However, they can be excellent on the table. But a reminder if you plan on eating them is to bleed them. Immediately. And then get them on ice. You have a cooler with
ice, right? The problem with shad isn’t that they taste terrible, though I’m sure some would disagree. The problem lies in the bones. Shad are ridiculously bony; however, practice will let you create fillets that are damn near boneless. Key word is practice. Prepared correctly, shad can be fine eating. I’ve had it smoked and it was wonderful. I’ve had it canned and it was even better, in large part due to the canning process effectively dissolving the myriad bones that make shad so – well – undesirable to many. And canned is bested only by taking that same pressure-cooked fish and transforming it into a sort of dip or spread consisting of shad and finely diced pickles, onions, garlic, jalapeños – lots of jalapeños – salt, pepper, and a capful of liquid smoke. Or, as I’ve enjoyed, smoked shad spread. Learn to fillet them and they won’t be going into the garden or the crab pot much longer. NS
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COLUMN
Get Crabby! Plan Now For Summer Dungies, Red Rocks I
don’t know what it is about going crabbing. It is not like you cast a line in hopes of battling a deep-diving Chinook NW PURSUITS or pray the acrobatic By Jason Brooks skyward leap of a hungry coho doesn’t snap the line. Heck, crabs aren’t even fish, they are crustaceans, yet we go “fishing” for crab each summer with high anticipation. Indeed, it is one of the most popular
“fisheries” in Puget Sound and along the Pacific Coast. Maybe it’s because it’s a family affair, one where you hang out all day watching a red and white buoy bobbing up and down while waiting for the crab to climb inside the pot down below. Or more likely it’s run out, drop the pots and then go do something else for a few hours. Either way, it’s all about the anticipation as you pull on the leadcore line, hand over hand, fist over fist, until you see the shadow of the pot and hope
it is full of delectable crabs … only to find females and undersized males. Well, that is usually what happens to the pots I pull up, but then again, I crab in southern Puget Sound, where the past two years we couldn’t even try for them. But this summer even I’ll get a chance to catch a few near home. There is somewhat an “art” to it, and it all begins with bait.
DUNGENESS AND RED rock crabs, which are the two most common species we fish for in the Northwest, are scavengers of sorts.
Crabbing is available along the Northwest Coast year-round, but summer has special significance for Puget Sound shellfishers as numerous waters open. This summer will also see the author and his son Ryan Brooks back on the waters of Marine Area 11 in search of plentiful red rocks and bonus Dungeness. (JASON BROOKS)
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COLUMN Dungies are the most popular amongst crabbers, thanks to their sweet meat, but red rockies are a favorite of some for their big claws. Ryan cracks one with a handy cleaner-gauge device. (JASON BROOKS)
They will eat clams and other organisms, but mostly they crawl along and clean up the ocean’s seafloor. So you would think some stinky, rotten, maggot-infested bait would be best. It is not, yet that is where some crabbers go wrong. You need fresh bait to catch more crabs. This is because crabs can smell quite a way underwater as the currents bring particles from the bait to them. A fresh bait just smells and tastes better, and in reality, it is also more nutritious, and therefore crabs would rather eat fresh than rancid bait. Good bait is simple to come by, even if you don’t have some of the more popular items on the menu. A lot of crab is caught in pots baited with chicken and turkey drumsticks, which are both better than rancid salmon. However, if you have a fresh salmon carcass, especially the head and backbone, then you have one of the best crab baits you can ever find. Another good bait is clams – specifically fresh clams. Some beaches are open yearround for harvest, and they can also be purchased at grocery stores. The thing about clams is that they make a good additive to your main bait. Crushing up the clams and putting them in a container or mesh bag to disperse the scent will attract crabs. Then as they climb into the pot you need something to keep them there. A salmon head works great because crabs can’t pull it out of the pot, plus there is a lot to chew on. One thing about the bait is that you need to make sure there is enough in the pot to keep crabs inside and yet not so much that they have a hard time getting through the one-way swinging doors to get inside. Be sure to secure your main bait to the bottom of the pot, because otherwise the crabs will simply crawl on top and eat what they can through the wire squares.
SPEAKING OF THOSE pot doors, be sure to know the currents and tides. If there is a decent tide swing, you might want to add some small weights to the doors themselves, as well as weigh down the pot a bit to keep it from disappearing. There are plenty of videos online that show crabs climbing into a pot and you can see the 98 Northwest Sportsman
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doors being pushed open by the current. This allows crabs to climb back out as well. The best crabbing window is slack tide. Be sure to read the regulations for where you are crabbing and set the pots up correctly. If you are using a folding-style pot that is lightweight and collapses for storage, be sure to add some weight. A few landscaping bricks zip-tied in the pot help
a lot and if you can find rebar that is cut to the right length, zip-tie those in as well. Leadcore line or a weighted line is required for between pot and buoy. This is so the line won’t float on the surface and become a hazard to other boaters. One of the most common ways pots get lost is when crabbers let them soak through a strong tide change. Be sure to
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COLUMN check the tides before you go and if it is a big swing from high to low, or vice versa, either go another day or stay close to your pots and watch them. Anyway, it is hard to catch crabs on big tide swings because they mostly hunker down to wait it out.
FINDING CRABS IS the second most
Not all Northwest shellfishers have a boat, but they still have options, from tossing pots, rings and snares off piers and docks, to wading the shore. The editor tried the latter last July and was able to capture a number of crabs that latched onto his poker,a bit of chicken wire stapled to a broom handle. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
A-11 REOPENING AFTER CLOSURE
T
he start of a tribal Dungeness fishery off Tacoma in late April was the first sign sport crabbers would get back on Marine Area 11 after it being closed for two summers. Washington’s Puget Sound shellfish manager Katelyn Bosley said that test fishing found enough of the crabs to support limited fisheries. Tribal and state quotas are 37,500 pounds apiece. It’s probable the recreational season will either be shorter than past ones or open for fewer days of the week. Sport and tribal crabbing in Area 11 as well as 13 to the south was closed beginning in 2018 due to low numbers of Dungeness, though red rock populations are more robust. –NWS
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important part of crabbing. Yes, you would think it is the first priority, but in reality they can be plentiful and found just about anywhere at times, but if you don’t have good bait, you can put your pot in the best spot and still not catch any. With their mild flavor, larger body size and easier-to-crack shell, it is easy to see why most crabbers prefer Dungeness over their crustacean cousin, the red rock crab. Dungies prefer sandy and even muddy bottoms with eel grass nearby. Often found in coves, bays and near estuaries, they can tolerate water with low salinity, while the grass offers safety and is where they spend their younger years growing to maturity. It takes a Dungeness about two years to make it to adulthood (and a couple more to reach keeper size in the Northwest) and it will molt several times, shedding the shell and growing a new one. No crab can be kept if it is in soft shell form, or just after molting. Dungies can be found from just below the tide line to moderate depths. You don’t have to drop pots to super-deep waters to find them early in the season. One reason why some think they need to fish deeper water is because the shallow crabs are often caught early in the season and the only legals left are in deep water. Dungeness are found from Alaska to California and a few even turn up near Baja, Mexico. Because of their popularity, catching them becomes more difficult as the season goes on. Finding a daily limit towards the end of summer can be more of a challenge than it’s worth, but it is still fun to get out on the water, and even one crab can complement a meal.
RED ROCKS ARE underrated crabs, in my opinion. They are plentiful and have huge claws that are full of meat. Plus, depending on regulations, you can keep either sex and since they don’t grow as large across
the back, the minimum size is a bit smaller. As you can imagine given their name, these crabs are often found in rocky areas, plus they are bright red in color with blacktipped claws. Again, they can be found just below the tide line but also in much deeper depths; it is not uncommon to find red rock over 200 feet down. But because they prefer rocky areas you must be careful when placing pots so they don’t get hung up. Yes, you can find both Dungeness and red rocks in the same place and often when you pull up the pot, both species will be inside. I consider any Dungies caught this way to be a bonus, but mostly because where I crab we tend to find more rockies. It’s the other way around when crabbing common Dungeness areas.
TO CATCH CRAB, you don’t need a boat or even a pot. A lot of people don’t realize that there are many ways to catch them for dinner. Take a hint from the Native American saying that when the tide’s out, the table’s set. The simplest and most exciting way to catch a crab is to wade along the surf and grab them. The exciting part comes when you reach down and try not to get pinched. A net helps to scoop them up, but if the crap grabs the net, simply flip it over to capture it in the basket. A few summers ago when we pulled up to a rough launch that I like to use, we saw two guys wading along, waist deep, staring into the water. Then one reached down and came up with a huge red rock. Turns out they had several crabs already and a fire going on the beach to boil water. A simple way to picnic, Pacific Northwest style. Another way to do this is to wade out with a stick and a piece of bait, such as a salmon head or chicken drumstick tied to it. Push it into the sandy bottom and sit back and let it soak. After a while go out and check and see if any crab have found the bait and then pick them up. Just remember to check on the tides before you go, as the water can rise swiftly. Other ways to catch a crab dinner include using a crab ring, snare or butterfly trap. Fishing piers, docks and jetties are popular places to use these devices. You can use a crab ring from shore using a
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COLUMN However you get after them, and whether you come home with Dungies or red rocks, or a mixed bag, there’s no doubt that the reward is at the dinner table. (JASON BROOKS)
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buoy and pulley system, but it can be a bit of a chore. They are best used off piers, docks and bridges where legal to do so. Simple to use, cost effective and fun, a crab ring is like a basket and when you pull up on the line, it traps the crabs inside if you keep a steady pull. After being cast out, the ring settles flat on the seafloor, allowing crabs to climb aboard and grab the bait. You need to check rings often or else crabs will eat the bait and move off, and you will miss them. The snare is a simple bait box with some heavy monofilament snares. When the crab climbs onto the bait box, it becomes entangled in the snares and can’t get away. Most people use them in conjunction with a heavy mainline and stout fishing rod. Cast it out and let it sit. It is a great way to crab from shore. When you want to check the snare, just “set the hook,” giving the line a quick jerk to help close the snare loops and entangle the crab. The drawback with snares is trying to get sublegal-sized crabs and females out without getting pinched. The butterfly trap is used the same way, but it is a clamshell-type device that lies flat when it is cast out with bait on it. As a crab climbs aboard, you jerk the clamshell, which closes it and you reel it in. Sometimes you can tell a crab is on it when the line moves, but most of the time you just check it every so often and play the chances that a crab is on it. You don’t need a boat, pot puller, expensive pots and a GPS to go crabbing. Though they do help and make it more enjoyable, Dungies can be found along our public beaches and piers. It is a fun way to spend a day together and get some good dinner. Don’t overlook red rocks as a bonus. There are plenty of ways to clean a crab; some people prefer to boil them whole then clean, while others clean and then boil or steam them. They can be made into crab cakes or used as a salad topping if you don’t catch enough for everyone to have a crab for dinner. Fresh crab is best, as freezing the meat tends to dry it out. Any leftovers should be eaten within a few days and by that time, it will be the weekend and time to go out and catch a few more. NS
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FISHING
Close-to-home Salmon Cures Puget Sound anglers can catch coho and Chinook in local waters. By Mark Yuasa
S
ummer is just a few weeks away – June 20, to be exact – and if the stars align, salmon fishing on Puget Sound and some local rivers should be very favorable. Many anglers are setting their sights on the Central Sound’s resident coho fishery, which in recent years has been nothing short of stellar, but others will be getting after Chinook elsewhere on the inland sea and in freshwater, including a new opportunity in the latter.
MARINE AREA 10 – located from the Apple Tree-Edmonds boundary south to the northern tip of Vashon Island – is open June 1 through Nov. 11 for coho, with hatchery Chinook becoming fair game from July 16 to Aug. 31, or until a quota of 4,159 is attained. During the coho-only part of the Area 10 season, don’t be surprised to hook and release an early-arriving king salmon. The vast majority of resident coho aren’t large in size – averaging 2 to 4 pounds – but they are excellent table fare, as their main diet is abundant schools of krill, microscopic shrimplike crustaceans that turn a salmon’s flesh to a bright red-orange hue and offer high amounts of protein, Omega-3s and vitamin D. The prime location for coho is in the shipping lanes from KingstonApple Tree Point south to Jefferson Head. Other areas include Richmond
While not a native species, crappie have also been in the Northwest for over 100 years and are a favorite among some anglers. Ken McNaughton caught this 15-incher at Spokane’s Newman Lake on a 1/8-ounce jig tipped with a Berkley Power Grub. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
Fishing for resident coho in Central Puget Sound is growing in popularity as a chance to chase salmon before ocean-returning silvers filter into the inland sea. They may not grow as big, but they are just as tasty. Tegan Yuasa shows off a pair caught last year in Marine Area 10 over deep water near Jefferson Head. (MARK YUASA)
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FISHING North Sound salmon anglers have more options for Chinook this season, with a June fishery on part of the Nooksack system joining those available on the upper Skagit, lower Cascade and lower Skykomish Rivers. Adam Perez landed this pair of kings drifting small clusters of eggs. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)
Beach, West Point south of Shilshole Bay and the entire eastern stretch of Bainbridge Island from Point Monroe south to Restoration Point. Trolling is the best way to catch these feisty coho. Set your downrigger at depths of 30 to 80 feet and motor along at 2.5 to 3.5 mph. For gear, attach a Gibbs Delta flasher in purple haze or moon jelly/green glow on a 106 Northwest Sportsman
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30-inch leader to a Silver Horde Gold Star white UV hoochie, or an Ace Hi Fly Needlefish UV glow or purple haze hoochie and a small herring strip on the bottom hook. Be sure to add a herring or anise scent Smelly Jelly to your presentation. While most anglers will troll, others prefer to drift or motor mooch with a whole or cut-plug herring.
This technique is simply attaching your herring to a 30-inch leader with tandem hook setup, along with a 3- to 6-ounce banana lead weight sinker.
JUST TO THE north of Everett is the Tulalip Bay Bubble Fishery that is now open each week from 12:01 a.m. Fridays through 11:59 a.m. Mondays only (closed on June 15 for a tribal ceremonial fishery). The bubble has been known to produce early summer kings in the 10- to 20-pound range. Fishing is closed to all angling east of the line from Mission Point to Hermosa Point. Southern Puget Sound’s Area 13, south of the Narrows Bridges, is open for salmon and has been a decent in early summer for hatchery Chinook at places like Point Fosdick and off Fox Island’s east side at Gibson Point, Toy Point and Fox Point. Unlike other marine areas, the Chinook minimum size limit in Area 13 is 20 inches. Salmon chasers can also find a fair chance to catch fish year-round from many Puget Sound piers. They include the Edmonds Marina, Fox Island, Seacrest in West Seattle, Waterman, Bremerton Boardwalk, Illahee State Park, Dash Point, Point Defiance Boathouse, Les Davis, Des Moines and Redondo Piers. ON THE FRESHWATER side, there are four rivers that are open this month for Chinook fishing. One of the more consistent salmon fisheries is the Skykomish River from the mouth to the Wallace River, which is open now through July 31 with a two adult hatchery Chinook daily limit and a minimum size of 12 inches. The total Chinook forecast is 9,732, compared to 10,248 in 2019. Water conditions play a factor in success on the Sky. The hope is that the snowpack runoff remains steady without a heatwave flushing all the snow downhill at one time. A consistent flow will bring a steady wave of kings in from the saltwater. Look for parts of the river with deep pools and slots or the edges and seams of fast and
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slow water, where the fish will slowhold before migrating upstream. If the water is low and clear, free drifting a small cluster of salmon eggs and Corkies in red, pink, bright green and chartreuse colors will get the most action, along with some fish being taken on dyed prawns. During normal flows or higher water conditions, do not be afraid to use a bigger cluster of eggs and a Corkie. Pulling plugs, if water conditions allow, is another effective way to catch kings when the fish stack up in deeper pools. The North Fork of the Nooksack from the Highway 9 Bridge to the marker at the Kendall Hatchery has a short window of opportunity to catch hatchery kings from June 1-30. It’s believed to be the first springer season in the tributary since at least 1954 and first in the Nooksack system since 1975. The minimum size limit is 12 inches with a night closure, and only one single-point hook is allowed. The Cascade from the mouth to the Rockport-Cascade Road Bridge is open June 1 through July 15 between Thursdays through Sundays only. The daily limit is four hatchery Chinook; only two may be adult fish, with a 12-inch minimum size limit. There is a night closure and antisnagging rule in effect. And the Skagit from the Highway 530 Bridge at Rockport to Cascade River Road is open June 1 through July 15. The daily limit is four hatchery Chinook, and again only two may be adult fish with a 12-inch minimum size limit. Like the Cascade, this includes a night closure and antisnagging rule in effect.
WHILE FREEDOM TO wet a line has been eased by state officials, anglers are still asked to play by the rules of social distancing guidelines. Before heading out the door, check out the advice that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking anglers to follow. It’s on the agency’s website, wdfw .wa.gov/fishing. NS
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FISHING Dialing in the best salmon action out of Westport starts with a good network of fishing friends, not to mention the right gear and tactics. Author Dave Anderson shows off a nice Washington Coast Chinook. (DAVE ANDERSON)
Have A Beachin’ Day For Kings
When ocean salmon fishing opens off Westport, there will be a lot of water to work, but sometimes the best action is right off the shore. By Dave Anderson
E
ach year we are given an opportunity to fish for salmon out of Westport. And the opener allows us to target Chinook that are making their way to Grays Harbor and the Columbia River.
There are several ways to target salmon out of Westport, but here are a few of my go-to methods that have been successful over the years.
MY NO. 1 TOOL for salmon fishing is my iPhone. Since this is a big ocean to fish, having a good network of
people you can contact is a huge plus. Not being afraid to branch out and network with many anglers can turn a mediocre day on the water into a successful one. If you are new to the fishery, I highly recommend getting to know other anglers. One of the best ways to do this nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020
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FISHING 65-pound braid, which is overkill but the heavier braid prevents the line from burying in the spool and snapping your leader if a fish hits hard enough. Okuma also makes a great diver rod in model SST-C-1062H, which is a 10foot, 6-inch heavy-action rod. This is a great option that will last for years without breaking the bank. 4) Reel choice: Shimano Tekota 500LC linecounter reel. Linecounter reels will make fishing the beach easier.
BRINING HERRING IS a simple task and
A brined whole green label herring behind a diver is Anderson’s favorite setup, but if he’s forced to switch over to downriggers – a trick, considering all the crab pots – he goes with hoochies or spoons. (DAVE ANDERSON)
is through the Puget Sound Anglers Ocean Chapter out of Westport. They hold monthly meetings and members are experienced ocean anglers who are not afraid to go out of their way to help one another. We all have a lot invested in our trips to the coast, so the more we help one another, the better it is for all of us. We all had to start somewhere and usually that included learning from family, friends and research. It is rewarding to help someone and see him or her be successful, so most anglers have no problem helping teach others who are willing to learn. For the opening day of salmon season, we all branch out to different spots and communicate with one another. Some of us will fish the South Beach to the Windmills; others will run north and fish the North Beach to the casino and beyond. There is also a group of anglers who will fish deeper 114 Northwest Sportsman
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in 100 to 300 feet of water. Methods vary depending on where you fish, e.g., beach versus deep water. Here I will focus on what I do when targeting king salmon along the shore.
MY GO-TO SETUP for fishing the beach consists of the following: 1) Delta Diver with a 5-foot leader, and 5/0 front hook and 4/0 rear hook. I prefer a Delta Diver since there is no chance for false releases that you will sometimes get with a Deep Six. Delta Divers are also simple to use. 2) Bait: Rig a brined whole herring and run it anywhere from 11 to 21 feet on a linecounter reel. I prefer to use green label herring. I usually have a couple cases of them in the freezer at the beginning of the season. (I will discuss my brining method below.) 3) Rod choice: G.Loomis 12662C, which is a 10-foot, 6-inch EX heavy rod. I string my diver rods with
should be done the night before you go fishing. I throw three flats of herring in a one-gallon Ziploc bag. Once the herring is in the bag, I will pour in a bottle of the clear color of Mike’s Brite and Tight herring brine. Each bottle will brine up to threedozen herring. This is my go-to brine and 90 percent of the time I will use the clear color, but sometimes I will have blueor chartreuse-colored herring just to have a different option, if necessary. Make sure to pack the brined herring on ice to keep it nice and cold. You do not want it to sit out and get warm and mushy. The size of the boat and number of anglers aboard will determine how many rods you can set out. The most rods I will ever set out is six. The setup consists of two rods straight out the back, with the deepest anywhere from 19 to 21 feet on the linecounter. Two rods are placed off the sides at 15 on the linecounter and the last two are off the bow at 11 feet. Do not be surprised if you are able to see your herring spinning from the helm as you are trolling along. Most of the areas you will troll along the beaches will be thick with crab pots. Therefore, you will want to be sure to keep an eye on where you are trolling and your gear at all times. Making sure your drag is loose enough for a fish to run but stiff enough to set the hook will be important. These kings tend to hit hard. Once they do hit, they have nowhere to go but out or away from
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FISHING you in shallow water. They will peel line fast and make long runs, ripping line out, so you must be ready and prepared. If your drag is too tight, the king will most likely break off.
I WILL SOMETIMES run downriggers when fishing the beach, but again, you want to be extra careful since these areas are covered with crab gear and pots. The potential to lose gear or get tangled in a pot is extremely high if you are not paying close attention 100 percent of the time. You basically always need to keep your head on a swivel. I prefer the Scotty High Speed Model 2106 downriggers and a 20-pound ball. You will not have nearly as much blowback and it is easier to target schools of fish and bait on your sonar with a heavier ball. My downrigger setup for fishing the beach consists of the following: 1) G.Loomis 1263-2C medium rod.
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OCEAN SEASONS
A
t press time, fishing off the Washington Coast was still closed due to local concerns about coronavirus, but under seasons adopted earlier this year, Marine Areas 1-4, including Westport, are scheduled to open June 20-28 for Chinook, with a daily limit of one. Starting June 29, the bag increases to two salmon a day, but only one Chinook off Westport and Ilwaco (hatchery coho only in all areas). Westport is also only scheduled to be open Sundays through Thursdays. The overall quota for waters between Oregon’s Cape Falcon and the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula, is 26,360 Chinook and 26,500 hatchery coho. Those break out thusly: Columbia zone (Ilwaco, Hammond, Warrenton): 7,000 Chinook, 13,250 coho; Westport: 12,460 Chinook, 9,800 coho; La Push: 1,300 Chinook, 690 coho; Neah Bay: 5,600 Chinook, 2,760 coho. – NWS
2) Shimano Tekota 600LC with 25-pound monofilament. Mono is more forgiving and has some stretch, while braid has zero give. 3) Pro-Troll lighted flashers in morning mist, light green hornet, lite moon racer, or fluorescent ultraviolet plaid purple and a hoochie. This is my initial setup, and if I don’t hook up
within 20 minutes, I will switch out to Silver Horde spoons in either cop car, cookies and cream, Irish cream, army truck or other colors to find something they are willing to bite. If all the above does not work, I will run a 5-foot leader behind a flasher with a whole herring. And it is always a good time to touch base
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FISHING with friends to update one another on tactics that are working and depths where you are finding fish. It is an awesome feeling when you can reach out to fellow anglers to let them Straight out, or north or south off the beach? That’s the question Westport salmon anglers wonder, and sometimes it pays off to fish close to shore. (SALTPATROL.COM)
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know what works and see them have a successful day on the water as well.
OCEAN KINGS ARE probably one of my favorite species to fish for. The fishery
out of Westport is a lot of fun and easy to be successful on if you put in the time and effort. I wish you all a good season and hope you can fill your coolers with delicious king salmon. NS
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COLUMN Line twist is one of the most frustrating things about fishing, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you properly put new braid and monofilament on your reels. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
How To Do The Not Twist And Shout A
c a l m , stress-free outdoor experience filled with the sights and sounds of the natural world, BUZZ along with the RAMSEY tug of a fish – especially a big one – is what motivates participation in the sport called fishing. Thoughtful tackle prep and knowing
how to successfully deal with line twist can ensure such a stress-free outing. Here, discover some tackle “know how” meant to ensure your next fishing adventure is an enjoyable one.
LINE TWIST CAN get unruly for anglers not schooled on how to keep it under control. It all starts when you first spool fresh line onto your reel. Each type of fishing line reacts to twist differently. For example, while some tightly woven super braids resist twist in varying degrees, they all
(eventually) absorb line twist. Monofilament lines resist twist, which can steadily build up in your line; fluorocarbon lines resist twist even more than monofilament. The good news is there are ways to manage, reduce or eliminate line twist with all line types. When filling a spinning reel with new line, it’s important to spool it onto your reel with no twist. One way to ensure that you’re twist-free is to take your spinning reel to a fishing tackle store with a linewinding machine. To ensure there is no
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COLUMN This image shows the correct way to load a spinning reel to eliminate twist, with the new spool on its side while fingers on one hand keep tension on the line as the other hand cranks. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
twist when filling, they will take the spool off your spinning reel so it can be filled spool to spool – similar to how one fills a baitcasting reel with fresh line. If you are filling a spinning reel at home, where the reel is mounted on your rod and line threaded through the rod guides, you can ensure no twist by spooling the line correctly. If refilling with new line, you will first need to remove some amount of the old line and splice the new line to the end; a uni-to-uni knot works great for splicing. Search Berkley’s YouTube channel for the company’s Uni To Uni Knot video. Place the new spool of line on its side – the floor is a good place – and begin spooling the line with your rod tip held above the spool. You will want to reel the fresh line tightly on your spinning reel by holding it firmly between your fingers a few feet above the reel. After about 20 turns of the reel handle, check for twist by giving the line between your rod tip and new line spool slack to see if the line coils. 122 Northwest Sportsman
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If the line coils due to twist, flip the spool over and try filling from the other side. The idea is to fill your reel from the correct, no-twist side of the new line roll. This procedure is the same for all line types. In addition, it’s important to not overfill your spinning reel. Try leaving 1/16 to 1/8 inch of the spool rim showing when filling the reel. The procedure is different if you are filling a baitcasting reel. The method here is to fill your levelwind reel spool to spool. One way to do this is to have a family member or friend hold the new line spool with a pencil threaded through the hole in the spool. By facing each other, you can spool the line spool to spool. Replacing old with new line this way ensures that there is no twist being placed in the line.
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT new fishing line is spooled tightly on your reel. And while it’s key with both reel types, it’s especially true when filling baitcasters with super braid,
since if not tightly spooled the line could knife into itself. This is something that can and does happen, especially when hooking into a big fish with too tight a drag. If knifing does occur, it can bind up the line on the reel spool so tight you will have no drag, in which case you may lose your fish. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get the line, especially super braid, wrapped on a baitcaster tight enough when first filling with new line. To get it spooled so tightly that there is no possibility of knifing, I attach the end of the line from a freshly filled reel to a stationary object and walk 80 or more yards away, and then reel myself back while holding tension on the line with the rod as I go. Only after doing this am I ready to tackle a big fish with a freshly filled reel.
ANOTHER FACTOR TO consider when spooling with super line – and paramount if you are filling a new reel with braid – is to
COLUMN If you have a lot of reels, do many kinds of fishing or for some reason your local tackle store doesn’t mount line, investing in a winder might be a good idea. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
tape the line to the reel arbor after attaching; electrical tape works good for this. As odd as it might sound, super braids are so slick that the entire spool of line can turn on the reel spool if not first taped down. Another way to ensure there is no slippage is to partially fill your reel with monofilament and top it off with super braid. When selecting super braid, it’s important to step up a pound-test category or two from the monofilament you might have otherwise used. The reason for upping the poundage with braid is that most monofilaments break several pounds – sometimes 30 percent higher – than what’s stated on the label. Stretch is another characteristic of 124 Northwest Sportsman
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monofilament, in that it stretches about 10 percent when dry and 20 to 30 percent when wet. You see, it’s not only the bend of the rod that helps anglers land big fish, but also the stretchiness of their monofilament fishing line. As a comparison, super braids have little or no forgiving stretch and the majority of manufacturers label braided lines at their true break strength, which means you cannot compare them with monofilament based on pound test alone. Even by stepping up a couple categories of pound test, braided line will still be thinner than the monofilament you might have otherwise used. In addition, the higher test braid will be much stronger,
last longer and be more sensitive, meaning you can better feel what’s going on at the end than other line types due to super braid having nearly zero stretch. Although fluorocarbon lines look the same as monofilament, what you may not know is they are mostly invisible to fish due to their refractive index being nearly the same as water. Fluorocarbons are different in other ways too, in that they don’t absorb water, which means they maintain their somewhat low stretch at about 10 percent. They don’t dissipate heat very well, making it important to lubricate knots (saliva works) when cinching, and they resist twist much more than monofilament. Given these attributes, fluorocarbon lines work well when spooled on baitcasters, where line twist is usually minimal or nonexistent, in lighter tests on spinning reels, and as leader material. Line twist can be a constant concern when fluorocarbon is used in combination with a spinning reel, especially in tests of 12 or more pounds. Because fluorocarbon is nearly invisible in the water and due to its resistance to twisting, which forces swivels to work, it makes great, if not the best, leader material.
AS MENTIONED ABOVE, line twist isn’t much of an issue with baitcasting reels, as they impart no twist to your line. Lures that spin can cause twisting but this can normally be dealt with effectively by employing quality swivels. To reduce or eliminate leader twist, try positioning a swivel halfway down your leader; this can be a game-changer when trolling a spinner or spinning bait on a fluorocarbon leader. It’s different with spinning reels, where line twist is much more of a factor since your line will make a 90-degree turn and be “coiled” around the spool via the reel bail as you retrieve line. There is just no way of getting around this besides occasionally letting the line untwist. The longer you allow twist to go unchecked, the farther up your main line it will travel. Removing line twist is easy: Just stop reeling when your line is 6 to 10 feet (more is better) from your rod tip; hold your rod tip and lure above the water and give this section of line 30 seconds or so to unwind. I usually do this every 10 casts or so. If a great amount of twist has built up in
COLUMN
While his leader material varies by fishing technique, species and water conditions, Ramsey always uses braid on his float rods (top) and trolling and backtrolling setups (middle), and monofilament mainline primarily for trout (bottom). (BUZZ RAMSEY) your line, you can remove it by allowing the last 10 feet of line to unwind on successive casts. You will soon realize that the same force (resistance to twisting) that caused twist to work its way up your line can be used to remove it. We’ve all had this happen: You look at your spinning reel and see a single coil of line extending from the front of your reel; it was somehow trapped deep in the spool after your last cast. While line twist was the ultimate culprit, that loop of line was formed when you snapped your reel bail closed and trapped it when you quickly reeled. Here is how to make it never happen again: After each cast, catch the line at the reel with your index finger and close the bail of your spinning reel by hand. In an effort to reduce line twist when casting a spinner, some anglers will connect a snap swivel directly to their lure. This really isn’t the best option, since adding a snap swivel to your spinner can upset spinner 126 Northwest Sportsman
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balance, which gives your lure an unnatural look and reduces the amount of sonic vibration it produces. What many anglers and I do to keep line twist at bay when casting and retrieving a spinner is to rig a barrel swivel – ball-bearing swivels are best – 20 to 30 inches up the line.
ALL THREE LINE types – monofilament, fluorocarbon and super braid – have desirable traits, depending on the application. I’ve pretty much settled on the following: I mostly use monofilament when chasing trout. However, and as you might guess, I always employ fluorocarbon as leader material and sometimes as main line when targeting spooky fish in ginclear water. When it comes to super braid, due to its low stretch and the fact that it floats (especially when treated with fly-line dressing), I always use super braid on my bobber/float rods. I’m about evenly split between
monofilament and super braid for steelhead, bass and walleye, but I always employ super braid on my drift, jig and bobber outfits and when using a downrigger; nearly all line release mechanisms were designed around the use of mono. The exception here is Pro Release (bigctackle.com), which works with mono or super braid equally well. When trolling or back-trolling plugs, my reels are filled with hi-vis mono spliced to a fluorocarbon leader. As for salmon and other big fish, I’ve got super braid spooled on all my outfits and employ mostly mono leaders but switch to a fluoro if the water is extra clear. For more “know how,” visit yakimabait.com. NS Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey is brand manager for Yakima Bait Company and a member of the management team. For more, go to yakimabait.com. Find Buzz on Facebook/Instagram.
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COLUMN
For Upland Grouse Hunters, It’s Time To ‘Give A Hoot’ P
resumably, by the time Northwest u p l a n d wingshooters read this, we will all be recovering nicely from ON TARGET shutdown boredom By Dave Workman due to what I’ve been calling the “pandemic panic,” and now we’ll be able to get back out in the wilds. Do the smart thing and take a longneck soda or beer bottle along for the ride, because – whether you care to believe this or not – you can actually call blue grouse.
RIGHT, YOU’RE PROBABLY thinking Workman has finally lost his marbles, but about 30 years ago, when I was writing and editing the now-defunct Alaska edition of a wellknown regional outdoors publication, several different sources in the Panhandle, from Wrangell to Skagway, tipped me off to a strategy that at first report sounded like a gag. In those parts, they call blue grouse “hooters,” and some of these ingenious folks discovered that by blowing across the top of an empty longneck, they could approximate the hoot of a male grouse closely enough to fool the buggers into replying. A few of those guys allegedly got so good at doing this, they could keep the birds foolishly hooting until they got close enough to pop them with a .22 rifle or pistol. (Southeast Alaska’s grouse season runs from Aug. 1 into mid-May.) So, I tried this a few times here in the Northwest and it does seem to work. To be clear, you’re not doing this now to hunt birds, but locate them and find those little
Author Dave Workman put the conk on this grouse about 20 minutes into the 2019 season opener because he knew where to look. You can do likewise with a little creative scouting starting this month. (DAVE WORKMAN)
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COLUMN
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KICK-EEZ® But if you want to find them in the fall, find them where they are now because they seem to stick to the same areas year after year. At least that has worked for me. Where I find grouse in the summer through Central Washington’s Cascades, I’ll find them in September and October. The stupid ones die first, and then the hunting gets more challenging. Right now, collect a few longneck bottles and start practicing the hoot.
In spring, blue grouse – now known as sooties west of the Cascades and duskies east of the crest – hoot in search of mates, and blowing across the top of a long-necked bottle can replicate the sound and trick the males into calling back, revealing their approximate location. (DAVE WORKMAN)
payload areas where grouse should be hanging around into September. My purpose in mentioning this now is that grouse might respond to fake hoots through mid-July, according to a little research I did, so there is plenty of time to get out and try locating birds. By mid-June through the rest of the summer, you should start seeing broods, and if a female loses her clutch, according to a website called Animal Diversity, she may breed again if she can find a cooperative male. The very first time I heard hooters in earnest was on a spring hike up Mount Si, about 30 miles east of Seattle. It sounded just like someone blowing across a pop bottle. I’ve chatted with some other folks who are devoted to grouse hunting, and last season found some folks doing rather well, others only so-so and a few folks getting skunked. 130 Northwest Sportsman
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I’m considering hunting in northern Chelan and southwest Okanogan Counties, along a high ridge area that produced rather well for me several years ago. Apparently, this place doesn’t get a lot of pressure, and don’t be surprised to run into me up there looking to fill the cooler.
ANOTHER METHOD I’VE found for scouting grouse ahead of the season is to keep an eye on the huckleberry fields and hit them a little later in the summer, during early mornings and late evenings when you could easily find fool hens working along the gravel road edges. Grouse don’t stray far from food and on many occasions over the years when I’ve plugged blues or higher-elevation ruffed grouse, a check of their innards has revealed a diet of berries and leaves, though they eat insects, seeds and grains, and in the winter they are needle-eaters.
GROUSE HUNTING TALK frequently gets the juices flowing, and my thoughts turn naturally to shotguns. The good folks at Browning have a new incarnation of the Citori called the 725 Field, available in 12-, 20- and 28-gauge and .410. I’ve already got a couple of 20-gauge smoothbores and a sweet little .410 bore, but if I were shopping for a new over-and-under, I’d be doing a bit of drooling over this Citori, and maybe in 28-gauge. Here’s why. According to Browning, the Citori 725 Field in 28-gauge is chambered for 2¾inch shells. It hits the scale at 7 pounds with 26-inch barrels. This model has a gloss-oil-finished grade II/III black walnut stock with a 14¼inch length-of-pull and 20 LPI checkering. The receiver has a silver nitride finish that stands off handsomely from the deep blue finish on the barrels. It comes with full, modified and improved cylinder chokes. For whatever reason, over the past couple of years I’ve encountered an increasing number of wingshooters with 28-gauge shotguns. I prefer a 20-gauge for grouse with No. 6 or 7 shot, and later in the season I might switch over to my vintage side-by-side 12-gauge and No. 6 shells. But the 28-gauge fascinates me because people who use it need to be pretty decent shots to compensate for the smaller payload. FOR FOLKS WHO aren’t attracted to the O/U platform, Winchester this year offers a dandy pump gun, the SPX Upland Field. Available in 12- or 20-gauge versions, the SPX has an aluminum alloy receiver with a matte nickel finish and engraving
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Brought To You By:
KICK-EEZ® The new Citori 725 Field over-and-under shotgun is available in 12-, 20- and 28-gauge and .410. (BROWNING)
Winchester’s SPX Upland Field pump-action shotgun features an engraved aluminum alloy receiver and is chambered for 3-inch shells. It’s available in 12- and 20-gauge models. (WINCHESTER) depicting an upland game scene. The vent rib barrel and chamber are chrome-plated and both 12- and 20-gauge models have 3-inch chambers. The gun comes with three InvectorPlus choke tubes and the barrel is topped with Truglo fiber optic front sight. I’ve killed lots of grouse with pump shotguns, and a few with semiautos. The pump is a very reliable platform, and I’ve never heard anybody seriously complaining about a Winchester, as far back as when the Model 12 was pretty much the bar against which others
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were compared. The SPX has a grade II/III Turkish walnut stock with a satin varnish finish. It wears an Inflex I recoil pad. Each gun is supplied with full, modified and improved cylinder Invector Plus choke tubes. A choke wrench is included. The 20-gauge model weighs 6¾ pounds and has a 14-inch length-of-pull.
AS I’VE BEEN putting up my winter firewood supply, when I haven’t been keeping an eye peeled for thunder chickens, I’ve kept track of road damage and reporting it to
the U.S. Forest Service. This past winter appears to have been pretty rough on some regions, and I found one spot a few weeks ago where a stream evidently has been diverted by a slide somewhere up the mountain from where the road crossed. The creek bed was dry, while several hundred yards away, there had been a slide and signs of a major stream change. Report such damage to the nearest ranger district (fs.usda.gov/r6), and with some luck, there could be repairs by the time hunting seasons arrive in the fall. NS
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Don’t Take Naming In Vain
When calling your dog, it should elicit an immediate response. This starts with a strong name your dog will recognize its whole life. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
A
s a new gun dog puppy owner, one of the most important decisions you can make is what to name your dog. What you decide to call your pup should GUN DOGGIN’ 101 be based on one thing, By Scott Haugen and that’s getting a quick response from your dog when you call his or her name. To achieve a quick reaction from your dog when calling it, pick a hard-hitting, one- or two-syllable name. Good examples include Jake, Sage, Cassie, Bella, and so forth, because of the hard consonant
sounds each has. When raising, training and, eventually, hunting with your dog, you want instantaneous responses when you call its name. Not only is this necessary for obedience, but also for safety purposes. Having a dog that immediately responds to your call will help keep it from running in front of a car, getting tangled up with other dogs, and even keep it from pursuing snakes, big game animals and other critters you don’t want it messing with. Their name should be so ingrained in them that when you sternly call or shout it, they should instantly respond. Don’t want your dog to pee on a certain spot, eat food off the counter or jump on strangers to lick their face as they
approach? A hard-sounding name can be the ticket to thwarting such behavior.
NOT LONG AGO I was at a dog-testing event. One gentleman had a great-looking dog, but it was very disobedient. To top it off, it didn’t know its own name, which was clearly evident in its lack of response when the man tried communicating with it. “I let my little daughter name it; she liked Felicity,” the man shared. That’s a cute story, but it wasn’t the best of choices for a hunting dog name. Don’t let children name your dog, unless that name rocks a hard resonance. We chose Echo and Kona for our gun dogs’ names. It took the family a few days
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COLUMN A dog’s name is really a command and careful thought should be given to picking a name that is hard-hitting and only has one or two syllables. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
of getting to know Echo’s personality before we finally agreed on a name that fit her. Kona was a different story, as his name was chosen before he even came home. My dogs, as with all well-trained canines with solid names, instantly respond when I sternly say or shout their names. They also quickly react when they’re leisurely called to, as when coming in from going potty or roaming and playing in the yard. Calling in a dog from leisure time is much different from sternly, loudly calling them in order to get an instantaneous reaction.
THE KEY IN picking a dog’s name is to understand the name is actually a command. When you call the dog or demand its immediate attention by calling its name, you’re actually saying – in one word – “Hey, dog: stop doing what you’re doing right now and start making your way in my direction, immediately.” Of course, a dog would not grasp that sentence, but it will respond to its name, fast. Be sure to pick a name that does not rhyme with a training command. Kit is not
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COLUMN If you have more than one dog or know you’ll be hunting with friends who have dogs, make sure the names don’t sound similar. Also, avoid picking names that rhyme with training commands. Here, author Scott Haugen shares a fun upland hunt with his dogs Echo and Kona. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
a good name because it rhymes with “sit.” Joe isn’t a good name either, as it rhymes with “whoa.” People names make great names for dogs, or you can name them after an object or their actions. Echo, for instance, we named because of the way her cute little bark echoed through the house. Kona, with his black shiny coat, was named after our favorite black sand beach in Kona, Hawaii.
AVOID GETTING CAUGHT up in long, fluffy names or names with multiple soft syllables for your dog. This isn’t like naming your child these days. You need to decide on a name a dog will respond to, no matter the situation in which you’re calling it. Naming your dog isn’t a popularity contest; rather it’s a deliberate, wellthought-out decision. After all, when it comes to a dog’s name, you want one it will recognize and respond to its entire life. NS Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.
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COLUMN
A Devil Of A Bear Hunt F
or spring bear hunting, I try to follow one general rule: go to places where access CHEF IN THE WILD opportunities are By Randy King limited. Earlier this spring, my case in point was a box canyon in the Seven Devils area of Idaho and a trail there that gains several thousand feet of
elevation in just over a mile. You kind of must be crazy to hunt it. So anyway, there I was, headed up a path that winds toward the snow line, then levels out at about 5,200 feet of elevation for many miles. The trail ducks into alderfilled ravines and rolling hillsides. It has all that a bear needs in spring in terms of food, and it offers ample glassing opportunities. I am not the best bear hunter in the
world. I frequently use bear hunting as an excuse to backpack camp in the spring while carrying a gun. Over the last few years, I have seen some success. How? By glassing my ass off. I find a good location and put an hour behind the glass. Then I will move to a new location. This is really, really hard for me. I must set a timer on my phone to keep myself honest. My natural inclination is to keep pounding sand with
It wasn’t the biggest bruin on the mountain – and thank goodness for that, author Randy King might have been thinking after tagging out on a bright-coated black bear earlier this spring while hunting solo in rugged country between Boise and Lewiston. (RANDY KING)
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ITALIANSTYLE BRUIN SHANKS
O
ssobuco is a traditional Italian dish made with the cut shanks (think front forearm) off veal. And it is delicious. That said, wild game does not happen to have much in the way of milkfed veal. So I substitute in other items, such as bear. This recipe will also work on deer, goose legs, turkey drumsticks – you name a cut that is tough, and it will be useful. 1 tablespoon canola oil ½ cup flour 2 each bear shanks (depending on the size, of course) 1 medium onion, cut into quarters 1 carrot, large chunks 1 rib celery, large chunks 2 bay leaves 5 cloves of garlic 1 cup white wine (optional) Beef stock (premade is fine) Dash of salt Turn Crock-Pot onto high. In a large sauté pan, heat oil on medium for three or four minutes. Roll the thawed shanks in flour, dust off the excess flour and brown them in the sauté pan on all sides. This will take five minutes or so. Next add the contents of the pan to the Crock-Pot. Scrape the bottom with a spatula for all the little bits of brown goodness. Then add the remaining ingredients. For the beef stock, fill the pot until the meat is just covered with liquid. This can vary from pot to pot, bear shank to bear shank. Let this mess cook on high until the contents are at a steady simmer, about three hours. Then turn to low and cook for an additional five hours. You want this to be falling-off-the-bone tender. When done, remove the ceramic interior of the Crock-Pot from the cooking unit. Then let cool for one hour on the counter with the lid off. Replace lid and
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Ossobuco-style bear shanks with polenta and sage sauce. (RANDY KING) cool in the fridge for 24 hours. (This is not critical, but it makes for a better result. You can cook and eat the dish on the same day, but result and flavor are better if given time to cool.) To reheat the shanks, place them in a microwave-safe dish with half a cup of stock from the Crock-Pot and cover tightly with cling film. Heat for four minutes in the microwave. (Note that microwaves are all different, and wattage levels and newness might affect cooking time. The goal is to get the shank hot; mine took four minutes.) Let rest after microwaving for two minutes before serving.
POLENTA For this recipe I use the stock that was created in the Crock-Pot to make the starch that goes with the dish. It helps the flavors match and gives the whole dish a great richness. ½ cup cream 2 cups bear stock (Crock-Pot juice) 1 clove garlic 1/3 cup fine cornmeal Salt and pepper
Bring the cream, stock and crushed garlic clove to a boil in a two-quart sauce pot. Stir in the cornmeal and whisk it together. The mix will start to thicken in about one minute. Cover and turn the heat to “low” and let cook for 15 minutes. If thicker than desired, thin with either a little more cream or stock out of the pot.
BROWN BUTTER SAGE SAUCE 1 tablespoon butter, per shank 5-6 sage leaves ½ lime, per shank In a 10-inch sauté pan, add the butter and turn pan to medium-high heat. Heat the butter until it melts, then turns clear and then the solid chunks in the pan start to turn golden brown. At this point, toss in the sage and remove the pan from the heat. The sage will “pop” a little, so be careful. Use the sage and brown butter as a garnish/sauce for the shank and polenta. When the shank, polenta and sauce are all assembled, squeeze a little lime juice on top. For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK
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Idaho’s Seven Devils region would live up to its hellish name as King glassed for bears and shot one, only to have it disappear, necessitating a long search through steep country choked with alder draws and unstable talus slopes. (RANDY KING)
my boots. Keep walking and eventually I am bound to see something. Wrong; binoculars are your friend on a spring bear hunt.
WHILE GLASSING THE hills outside my box canyon, I spotted many critters. Whitetail deer along the creek, mule deer on the open hills, elk in the shade and turkeys right in the damn trail. All the mammals had that shabby look of late spring – patches of winter coat still clinging to them, the grey not yet replaced by summer brown. They reminded me of disheveled college professors at finals time. While behind the glass, I caught a brief glimpse of something. It looked like a sunset 146 Northwest Sportsman
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elk in the fall, the colors vibrant and bright yellow. But it was 7:30 am and this was May. The glimpse was only fleeting, so I waited. I tried convincing myself that it was an elk. So I glassed up some elk – the two did not match. I wasn’t sure that it was a bear, but the color didn’t match an elk. My brain was spinning. What type of critter was that? So I glassed and glassed and glassed. I set a timer for 30 minutes on my phone. If I didn’t see the shiny elk in that amount of time, I was going to pound sand into the next drain. From my perch, I watched a flock of turkeys disappear into a thicket. I watched a herd of elk wind me, stand and walk off.
And I watched a herd of deer refuse to go into a willow cut, as if something was in the area that they wanted to avoid. Eventually, near the area that deer would not enter, I caught sight of the blond bear. His head was the color of caramel sauce and his back valley girl blond, one of the best bear colorings I have ever seen. He was a unique specimen for sure, by far the brightest bruin I’ve spotted. Unfortunately, that color stood out like an MMA champ in a bar fight against the green background of the ravine he was in. His brightness is what got him shot.
AFTER A FEW moments of consideration, I decided I would take the bear. I knew
COLUMN he was little, but I was here to hunt bear and here was a bear. Glassing the hill for reference (nothing ever looks the same from the ground as it does from a ridge), I made two distinct waypoint areas – a dead tree and a rock outcropping. Then I looked at my map to compare. I dropped a pin on the location of the feeding bear, then another on the rocks. If I made it to the rocks, the bear would be at 127 yards. A perfect shot range. I dropped off my ridge, losing all the elevation it had taken me since dark to gain, and then went through an alderchoked hell hole and back up the other side. I found my dead tree and the rock outcropping. When I peered over the rocks, the bear was eating in plain view, directly behind an elderberry bush. So, no shot. I waited for what seemed like eons. (It was two minutes and 30 seconds – I took a video of this hunt …) Then Boo Boo came out, sat like a dog and gave me a broadside shot. Bang. Down
he went, flopping for over 80 yards down the grassy hillside. It was a sight to watch a bear bounce down a hill, but then he got up and, using three legs, shambled off. I was crushed. I so wanted the bear to just be dead. No follow-ups, no blood trails. Apparently, my shot was not quite good enough. I quickly packed my things and went to the location I shot him. I could trace his slide down the hill by the crushed arrowleaf balsamroot and miner’s lettuce left in his wake. Then I found where he got up and crawled off. I started looking for blood. None. Not a drop. I knew he was hit, but he was not bleeding. This is my nightmare.
EVENTUALLY I ZIGZAGGED the hill long enough to find the bear. When I did locate him, he stood up, a hole in his lower ribs and his arm hanging limply. It had been a fatal shot, just not yet. The sight of a standing bear was not at all intimidating. Rather, it was immensely
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sad. I felt guilty for having shot him. But I had pulled the trigger. Now I had to end it. I pulled up and shot again. The bear clambored over some deadfall and into a bush. Then I heard, for the first time in my life, the death moan of a bruin. The dull and longing “rrraaaahhhh” coming out of the bear was enough to make my soul hurt. At least it was over. Then came the gutting and gilling. I shouldered the bear meat, wobbled to my feet and was even a little thankful he was small. This pack out would have really sucked had he been a giant boar. Luck was with me and I made it to my truck in a few hours relatively unscathed, despite the efforts of shale rockslides and wrong turns. Small or not, I will celebrate this bear meat. I will make the most of him I possibly can. He will feed my family, my friends and my soul. While I have remorse for the shot, I am happily going to eat him. NS
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