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Coho Fishing The Egegik River
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$4,850per person Includes round trip charter from King Salmon. Call for more details.
Volume 16 • Issue 11
PUBLISHER
James R. Baker
EDITOR
Andy “I am out of the office” Walgamott
THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS
Dave Anderson, Jason Brooks, Scott Haugen, Jeff Holmes, David Johnson, Randy King, Buzz Ramsey, Bob Rees, Tom Schnell, Dave Workman, Mark Yuasa
GENERAL MANAGER
John Rusnak
SALES MANAGER
Paul Yarnold
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Janene Mukai, Tom St. Clair
DESIGNERS
Gabrielle Pangilinan, Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Emily Baker
OFFICE MANAGER/COPY EDITOR
Katie Aumann
INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER
Lois Sanborn
WEBMASTER/DIGITAL STRATEGIST
Jon Hines
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com
CORRESPONDENCE
Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to awalgamott@media-inc.com, or to the mailing address below.
ON THE COVER
Trey Carskadon, public relations director for the O’Loughlin Trade Shows and president of the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, smiles over a Buoy 10 hatchery fall Chinook he caught last August while fishing with guide Bill Monroe Jr. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
DEPARTMENT
114 HUNTING HIGH-COUNTRY BRUINS
Black bears roam from sea level to the ridgetops across the Northwest, and it is in the heights that many hunters prefer to pursue the tasty omnivores as soon as season opens this month. Lace up your boots – Jason Brooks details how to make your play in huckleberry heaven for a shot at a big boar.
61 MORE TO OREGON AUGUST OPPORTUNITIES THAN BUOY 10
Bob Rees of The Guide’s Forecast takes a look at this month’s best Beaver State fishing ops, including tidewater Chinook, more marine options and the best river bets.
64 STRETCH SOCKEYE SEASON AT LAKE WENATCHEE
If you’re not ready to let this superb sockeye season come to an end, head to Lake Wenatchee, where a bumper run of salmon is arriving. Mark Yuasa offers up the ins and outs of this productive Washington Cascades fishery.
73 CONVERSATIONS WITH KOKANEE GUIDES
When Tom and Rhonna Schnell booked a trip and dinner with Northeast Oregon kokanee sharpies Kevin Anderson and Curtis Hyde, they not only loaded up the cooler, but came away with insights for koke angling across the region. Tom shares what they learned.
96 ADVANCED FLY STREAM TACTICS
Building on his advice to newcomers last issue, diehard flyrodder Jeff Holmes details 201-level tips and tricks for working late summer’s moving waters.
143 GET A JUMP ON WINGSHOOTING WITH COLLARED DOVES
Woe is the wingshooter when August rolls around – waterfowl season ended ages ago and it’s still another long, hot month till upland birds begin to open. But there is salvation – Eurasian collared doves, a widespread invasive species that has no season nor limits. David Johnson sets you up for success on a quarry that is every bit as tasty as mourning doves – and takes to wrapping in bacon just as readily!
(JASON BROOKS)
BUZZ RAMSEY Charting Buoy 10 Tides And Salmon 45
With about 40,000 fall Chinook and 29,000 coho available for harvest at the mouth of the Columbia starting this month, Buzz has the book on how to play the tides, top tackle, safety considerations and more!
A trip to the far upper reaches of Lake Chelan produced extra-terrestrial encounters for Jason and son Ryan – fly fishing for trout with not one but two terrestrial bug imitations on the end of their leaders. Jason phones home with how it’s done.
123 ON TARGET The Bear Necessities – And More!
If you’re itching to start hunting right now, fall black bear season has your name written all over it, reminds Dave W., who also introduces a pair of new Marlin lever-actions in good bruin calibers.
131 BECOMING A HUNTER Accommodation Recommendations
True, there’s a lot to be said about roughing it while hunting big game in the Northwest, but Dave A. details why he has moved from wall tents to travel trailers to vacation rentals for some of his hunts.
137 CHEF IN THE WILD I Love (Juicy) Lucy
Chef Randy was on the ropes after an all-day August elk scouting session when he stumbled upon a new love at a roadside diner, a cheese-stuffed two-patty burger with a mildly lascivious name. It not only perked him right up, but inspired his recipe for a wild game hamburger that isn’t all dried out from a lack of fat.
149 GUN DOG Always Heed Seeds
Now is a critical time to pay attention to dangerous grass seeds, which could potentially interrupt your gun dog’s fall hunting season – or worse. Scott shares horror stories and what to watch out for while afield.
(BUZZ RAMSEY)
There are legends in their own mind, and then there are true Northwest sportfishing legends – the editor hopped aboard a Buoy 10 boat with six of the latter last August and shares highlights.
(ANDY WALGAMOTT)
TForest Service faller
Andrew Breckenridge captured this image of the Pioneer Fire racing up a mountainside above Lake Chelan in early
he warm afterglow of an extended family summer vacation had yet to fade when a growing red blob on the fire map snapped me out of my reverie. Just days after igniting last month, a blaze was suddenly bearing down on the area I aim to hunt deer this fall in Eastern Oregon, as other wildfires also erupted or blew up across Northwest critter country following thunderstorms.
My wife Amy’s uncle Alex, who rebuilt a cabin in this particular area after a fire several decades ago burned his old one to the ground, was already tracking things when I texted, and he grimly forecast this latest fire would be there in three days. It was within 2 miles of his cabin just two days later – and at the fence on the third.
IT’S BECOME AN all too familiar summer ritual for we Northwest sportsmen, tracking wildfires has. I’d hoped 2024 would be a quieter season, and it seemed to be leaning that way, but the record 100-plus-degree heat that greeted our return from Germany (where Amy has friends and family) early last month had other ideas. It was particularly heartbreaking when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s 4-O Ranch Unit of its Chief Joseph Wildlife Area on the Grande Ronde upstream of Boggan’s Oasis caught fire. You may recall reading about that magnificently managed wonderland in a 2016 article I wrote after attending its dedication as a wildlife area, a trip that literally took me back to where my whole career in this business essentially started. Acquiring those 10,464 acres from a willing seller was one of the best all-around deals I’ve seen in my time at this post. Make no mistake, fire is a critical part of the ecology of the West, clearing out stale browse and overthick forests. The Kalapuya Tribe here in the Willamette Valley used fire as a management tool to make the region more productive for their hunting and foraging. And I know that the 2006 and 2014 wildfires in the immediate vicinity of my beloved Okanogan deer camp were good things because of how relatively lightly they burned right there. But they do call them wildfires for a reason, as countless torched homes, barns and outbuildings and charred forests and rangelands across the Northwest in recent decades attest.
I don’t know what this month and September will hold, but I hope our shared landscapes and wildlife come out of it for the better, and Alex’s cabin is still standing. –Andy Walgamott
summer. (INCIWEB)
A Day At Buoy 10
Trolling for fall Chinook at the mouth of the Columbia with six absolute legends of the Northwest sportfishing world.
Story and captions by Andy Walgamott
There were six legends, one lunkhead and a pooch aboard guide Bill Monroe Jr.’s boat as Buzz Ramsey piloted us out of the West Mooring Basin in Astoria early last August for a day of battling fall Chinook at Buoy 10. I had somehow lucked into a seat among the likes of industry gurus Trey Carskadon and Randy Woolsey and longtime outdoor communicators Bill Monroe and Tony Amato, and all together that hexad represented hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of years’ worth of Northwest salmon-fishing know-how. With a couple decades of middling to so-so
success under my own belt, I hoped some of their expertise would soak into me as we trolled the waters of the Lower Columbia.
I can’t begin to tell you how many freelancer articles and other stories on this famed fishery I’ve edited in my career here and at the long defunct Washington and Oregon editions of Fishing & Hunting News, but it’s always great to be on the scene for a first-hand glimpse of things. Sure, I’ve fished Buoy 10 before with Buzz, Bob Rees and others, but words absolutely don’t do its magnificence justice.
My day there also allowed me to practice one of my other great passions in life: photography. I took precisely 219 shots
Buoy 10 is, of course, the channel marker at the mouth of the big river, but it also refers to a truly vast salmon management zone that in recent years has grown even more – and not just in terms of angler participation. It now stretches 38 miles from the actual buoy to the western tip of Puget Island (prior to recent years, the Rocky Point-Tongue Point line just east of Astoria was the upstream boundary). Look to the west below the AstoriaMegler Bridge and you can almost swear the boats are about to go off the edge of the world, while sometimes to the east early-morning showers and glancing sunlight make for dramatic skies above the fleet. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
As Bill Monroe Jr. nets a Chinook for his dad Bill Monroe, the retired Oregonian outdoors columnist, Tony Amato of Salmon Trout Steelheader, retired fishing tackle rep and current Columbia sportfishing advisor Randy Woolsey, salmon and steelhead expert Buzz Ramsey, and Trey Carskadon, who does PR for The Sports Shows and is a former guide himself, all look on. (Fortunately, I didn’t fall in getting this wide-angle shot.) The North Channel is one of the best places to troll after the incoming tide pushes fresh fish deep into the estuary. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
Carskadon landed our first keeper of the day, this hatchery Chinook, which bit after we had to release a pair of unmarked kings. What made the moment all the more memorable was that another fish was on the rod Monroe was holding in the background, but the guide struggled to tear us away from taking pics of Trey and his salmon! Retention will again be limited to adipose-fin-clipped Chinook nearly through the end of August. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
Eel grass and more clogs up a setup, a reminder to check your gear often. This is a trolling fishery and schmutz on the line will result in far fewer bites. See Ramsey’s column on page 45 for good terminal gear to run. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
“That’s an angry fish,” Monroe noted about this bent treble after an early-afternoon flurry of big wild fish. Anglers can run back to back trebles, but they must be barbless.
(ANDY WALGAMOTT)
Ramsey doles out some of his venison pepperoni. Between the tasty sticks, wife Maggie’s cookies and his legion of fishing and industry tales – the great Muskegon, Michigan, riot when the J-Plugs sold out; putting a hook straight onto a diver and catching a Kenai king – Buzz is just about the best company to be with at Buoy 10 or anywhere.
(ANDY WALGAMOTT)
between dawn and 3:30 p.m., when we arrived back at the dock with three keepers, and I thought I would share some of my favorite pics from the day. (These images also serve as a bookend to my August 2022 The Big Pic, which featured a composite satellite image of the Buoy 10 fleet working the North Channel, the Astoria-Megler Bridge cutting across Desdemona Sands, and boats returning to south-side docks.) Hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking it all in on the water that day! NS
Great thing about being a guide’s boat dog? You’re gonna get lots of pets. Drew the golden retriever enjoys a little attention during a brief break in the action well below the bridge. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
If 2024’s fishery plays out at all like 2023’s, a lot of unmarked Chinook – and more than a few stout ones like this king we had to let go – will be caught and released during the hatchery-only period this month. It’s meant to “help manage fishery impacts to ESAlisted stocks and to increase the stability of the planned season structure,” in the words of Oregon managers. Our final score that day was along the lines of 17 salmon hooked, 12 Chinook landed and three kings kept. While that tally is both a great testament to Monroe’s skills as a guide and really reassuring that the wild segment of the run is doing so well, weeding through all those fish did give us some pause. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
Last summer, my wife Amy was a little burnt out on my usual broiled salmon filet treatment, so she made blackened fish tacos out of the Buoy 10 Chinook I brought home that day. Pretty damn tasty – think I’ll go try to catch another one this month! (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
Steve Quinlan shows off a spring gobbler he bagged after buddy Brandon Jewett called it in. While they got five birds between them, it took some work. “For something with such a small brain, they sure outsmart a lot of us,” notes Jewett. (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
The Lower Columbia spring Chinook season was good for Dennis Schwartz and pals. He got this one and others while fishing on anchor.
PHOTO CONTEST MONTHLY Winner!
You never know what will bite your Rooster Tail – a tiger musky in Justin Sprengel’s case! He was fishing for rainbows using 10-pound test when this 47-incher bit. (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
Lake
There’s multitasking, and then there’s being on a 5 p.m. Zoom appointment call while walking into the woods for a quick turkey hunt and having a pair of longbeards in range by 5:30. Such was Grace Bolt’s spring season with dad Mike! (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
For your shot at winning great fishing and hunting knives from Coast and Kershaw in our Knife Photo Contest, 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, 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120, Renton, WA 98057. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications.
Waitts
outside Spokane continued to yield German brown and rainbow trout well into spring for Jessica Faris. (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
(KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
An early-morning wakeup produced Andrew Ewing’s first-ever salmon last month. He was fishing for sockeye below Wells Dam on the Upper Columbia with his great-grandfather Frank Urabeck, who reports they had their limits by 7:30 a.m (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
The trout fishing was slow at Curlew Lake over the Fourth of July holiday, but the largemouth bass and yellow perch more than cooperated for Austin Han and Tiffany Martin. What was for dinner? Super-fresh fish tacos! (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
A hoochie-northern pikeminnow chunk combo trolled at 1.3 miles per an hour right on the deck served up this memorable Priest Lake
CONTEST)
Mackinaw over Memorial Day for Bill Stanley. (KNIFE PHOTO
Hatchery Fish Poisoner Sentenced
The Oregon Coast man who poured bleach into a tank full of young Chinook –killing nearly 18,000 fish – while high was sentenced in late June to pay $15,000 in restitution and ordered to stay away from all hatcheries.
Joshua Heckathorn, 20, also was in jail for 30 days as a result of the April 21 poisoning, and received three-year fishing license suspension and probation periods after pleading guilty to burglary in the second degree, criminal mischief in the first degree, unlawful take of Chinook, wastage, making a toxic substance available to wildlife and one other charge.
The sentence didn’t exactly please Deborah Yates, president of the Gardiner Reedsport Winchester Bay Salmon Trout Enhancement Program hatchery on the lower Umpqua River, which Heckathorn broke into. “He caused harm to the fishing industry in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia,” she told Portland TV station KGW. “So, not only did it impact our hatchery, but it affected two countries.”
The STEP chapter stated on Facebook that Heckathorn’s actions “destroyed hundreds of man hours of work” at the volunteer-staffed hatchery and will result in 300 to 400 fewer adult Chinook harvested in Winchester Bay when the rest of the year-class of fish return from the North Pacific in three to four years.
The News-Review of Roseburg reported Heckathorn’s attorney said his client was “quite ashamed” of his actions and would learn from them. It was Heckathorn’s first run-in with the court system, KGW stated. He was also ordered to stay the hell away from marijuana and other intoxicants.
JACKASS OF THE MONTH
EBy Andy Walgamott
Snagged!
Fall salmon snaggers, beware, there’s a judge who likes to reef her hooks into you.
So might read billboards along the highways leading into Southwest Washington’s Pacific County, where over the past year District Court Judge Nancy McAllister has sentenced a trio to a combined 70 days in jail for the illegal fishing activity.
The latest was Trystan Wallace, 24, of Longview, who was found guilty this past spring of one count of first-degree unlawful fishing during a jury trial. He received 15 days in jail.
Well known to state game wardens, Wallace was caught snagging last August while still on probation for a 2021 case, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police. He was also charged in 2020.
“Snagging salmon is a natural resource issue, especially when the fish are targeted during low flows and in warmer water conditions where they are easy prey and more susceptible to stress,” stated WDFW Police Sergeant Todd Dielman.
As we reported in this space this past January, Judge McAllister also sentenced David Gretzner, 66, of Long Beach to 50 days in jail, fined him $1,500 and suspended his fishing privileges for five years when his history of snagging violations caught up to him. Another scofflaw received five days.
After the resolution of the Wallace case, Dielman thanked both the judge and Pacific County Deputy Prosecutor Kraig Newman for their work on it.
“We hope that it will send a clear message that engaging in illegal fishing activities can land you in jail,” the sergeant said.
ver since an early 2000s campout in the Okanogan Highlands where I enjoyed their haunting calls, I’ve had an appreciation for loons, so I was pretty pissed to hear that a whole family of the unique and rare-in-Washington birds had been shot there in early summer.
A reward that’s topped $10,000 is on offer for info about who gunned down the two adults and at least one chick at Beaver Lake between Chesaw and Curlew the evening of Friday, June 21. A second dead chick was reported on the lake as well.
The species is state and federally protected and killing one is punishable by up to a year in jail, $500 fine and $2,000 penalty. Officials say there are just 12 breeding pairs in Northeast Washington this year.
I’m proud that hunting orgs, including the Washington Waterfowl Association and its Seattle and Southwest chapters, the First Hunt Foundation and the Eastern Washington Chapter of Delta Waterfowl, were among those quick to put up reward funds. Tipsters can call (877) 933-9847, email reportpoaching@dfw.wa.gov, text 847411 or file an anonymous report at wdfw.wa.gov/about/enforcement/report.
Chinook presmolts that died after being poisoned with bleach at the Gardiner Reedsport Winchester Bay Salmon Trout Enhancement Program hatchery on the lower Umpqua River in late April. (GRWB STEP)
CALENDAR OUTDOOR
AUGUST
1 Oregon and Washington fall bear openers; Columbia River from Buoy 10 to Highway 395 bridge in Pasco fall salmon opener (rules vary by location); Steelhead retention closes on the Columbia from Buoy 10 to The Dalles Dam 1-3, 15-17, 29-31 Oregon Central Coast summer all-depth halibut dates
10 ODFW Obser vation & Glassing Class (register, $25), EE Wilson Wildlife Area –info: myodfw.com/workshops-and-events
17 Oregon pronghorn season begins in many controlled units
30 Idaho deer and elk bowhunting seasons opener in many units
30-Sept. 3 Buoy 10 any-Chinook retention dates
31 Oregon archery deer and elk seasons opener in many units; CAST for Kids fishing event on Clear Lake (Cheney) – info: castforkids.org
SEPTEMBER
1 Washington bow deer and mourning dove openers; Eastern Washington fall turkey opener; Oregon ruffed and blue grouse and mourning dove openers; Fall turkey opener in Western Oregon and select Northeast Oregon units; Western Oregon quail opener; Steelhead closures begin on mainstem Columbia from The Dalles Dam to Highway 395 bridge
4 Buoy 10 season switches to hatchery coho only through end of the year
5-11 Hatchery Chinook- and hatchery coho-only retention dates for Lower Columbia between west Puget Island and Warrior Rock
7 Washington bow elk opener; CAST for Kids fishing event on Lake Washington – info above; Tentative Nehalem, Tillamook and Nestucca Basins wild coho openers (Wednesdays, Saturdays only; see regs for limits, open areas)
7-8 Fern Ridge Wildlife Area youth hunt weekend
7-11/15 Oregon September Canada goose season dates (varies by zone)
7-12/15 Washington September Canada goose season dates (varies by area)
9 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area; CAST For Kids event on Henry Hagg Lake – info above
12-14, 26-28 Oregon Central Coast summer all-depth halibut dates
12-15 Portland Fall RV & Van Show, Portland Expo Center – info: otshows.com
12-30 Salmon fishing closure dates on Lower Columbia between west Puget Island and Warrior Rock
14 Tentative Siletz, Yaquina, Big Elk, Alsea, Drift Creek, Siuslaw, Umpqua, Coos and Coquille Basins wild coho openers (see regs for limits, open areas, dates)
14-15 Oregon youth upland bird hunting weekend at Denman, Klamath, Ladd Marsh, Sauvie Island and White River Wildlife Areas, and Madras and John Day locations; Washington pheasant, quail and partridge youth hunting weekend
15 CAST for Kids fishing event on Banks Lake – info above; Washington statewide forest grouse opener
15-23 Oregon and Washington bandtail pigeon season dates
15-25 High Buck Hunt dates in select Washington Cascades and Olympics wilderness areas, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
16 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at Denman and Sauvie Island Wildlife Areas
16-20 Washington senior and disabled hunter pheasant hunting week
16-30 Salmon fishing closure dates on Lower Columbia between Warrior Rock and Washington-Oregon border east of McNary Dam
21 Western Washington youth waterfowl hunting day
28 53rd Annual National Hunting & Fishing Day – info: nhfday.org; Washington early muzzleloader deer opener; Eastern Washington youth duck and coot hunting day
28-29 Oregon youth waterfowl hunting weekend; Coquille Valley and EE Wilson Wildlife Areas youth upland bird hunting weekend
30 Last scheduled day of 2024 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program season – info: pikeminnow.org; Opening of fee pheasant hunting at EE Wilson Wildlife Area
By Andy Walgamott
UPCOMING AND ONGOING DERBIES
Now through Aug. 31: Baker Lake Sockeye Derby; ccawashington.org/bakerlake
Now through Sept. 15: Bandon Crab Derby, Coquille estuary; tonyscrabshack.com/crab-derby
Now through Oct. 1: 3rd Annual Small Mouth Bass Derby, Coquille River; Coquille River STEP Association (see Facebook)
Now through end of respective fishing seasons: Westport Charterboat Association Lingcod, Halibut, Chinook, Coho and Tuna Derbies; charterwestport.com/fishing.html
Now through Oct. 31: WDFW 2024 Trout Derby, select lakes across Washington; wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/trout-derby
Sept. 21-22: Everett Coho Derby, Areas 8-10 and open nearby rivers; everettcohoderby.com
Oct. 4-5: Alsea Bay Salmon Derby; facebook.com/ AlseaSportsmansAssn
Oct. 19: Big Fish Contest, Washington waters; psasnoking.org
October (TBD): King of the Reach Derby, Mid-Columbia’s Hanford Reach; ccawashington.org/kingofthereach
Charting Buoy 10 Tides And Salmon
The Lower Columbia management zone known as Buoy 10 extends in a north/south line from the red navigation buoy with the number 10 painted on it to the west end of Puget Island. This zone, which is the first place you can ambush salmon as they enter the big river, is expected to produce catches of 39,570 Chinook and 29,100 coho for sport anglers this season. These figures reflect the number of salmon that can be harvested from this area and includes fish lost due to mortality associated with the catching and releasing of fish bearing an intact adipose fin (all but a handful of days of this season’s fishery is hatchery directed).
The total number of salmon returning to the Columbia River is estimated to include 551,800 fall Chinook and 279,900 coho. This is the preseason estimate of how many fish will return to the region’s largest river system after ocean harvest.
The Buoy 10 sport fishing season for hatchery fin-clipped Chinook and coho is scheduled to run from August 1 through August 29, and from August 30 to September 3 for any Chinook and hatchery finclipped coho. The daily adult limit is two salmon, of which only one may be a Chinook. If you happen to catch a steelhead (it can and does happen while trolling Buoy 10), you must release it no matter if it’s clipped or not. Barbless hooks are required when fishing the Columbia, including the Buoy 10 management zone.
TO FIND SUCCESS while fishing the Buoy 10 area means having a basic understanding of how ocean tides influence the movement of these fish as they migrate into the Columbia.
BUZZ RAMSEY
Steve Manome shows off a fin-clipped fall Chinook he caught while trolling at Buoy 10 with author Buzz Ramsey. Anglers will be limited to hatchery kings through most of the month, but will be able to retain unmarked ones during a five-day period around Labor Day. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
COLUMN
You see, each incoming tide pushes a pulse of salmon into the river and it’s this concentration of fish you are trying to intercept.
Fish wanting to enter the estuary each day collect at the entrance of the river when the tide is outgoing, or ebbing. As the tide begins to swell, the salmon, not wanting to work any harder than necessary, allow the flooding ocean water – the incoming tide – to carry them into the estuary. Many anglers wait for this pulse of fish near the fishery’s western boundary at the beginning of the incoming tide. How many and how far upstream each wave of salmon will flood into the estuary just depends on how big the tide is.
Generally, the best fishing to be had near the Buoy 10 line is for coho. Normally what produces the most fish is a big tide exchange where the difference between low and high is 8 feet or more. And although anglers do catch Chinook near the actual navigation buoy at the mouth of the Columbia, it’s not known to produce big numbers, likely due to the fact continued on page 52
When it comes to attractors, both Pro-Troll 360 rotating flashers and Fish Flash spinning flashers draw in fish. Fish Flash have the edge when big tides and fast-moving currents can make getting the right trolling speed difficult. Softer tides can favor 360 flashers. When tides aren’t too erratic, many anglers will use a combination of both, with the easier-pulling
their front rods and the harder-pulling 360s trailing out the
Tide charts for Jetty A at the entrance to Ilwaco’s harbor and the port docks in Astoria, located exactly 10 miles upstream to the southwest, illustrate how high and low tide timing, as well as height, do vary throughout the estuary. (TIDES)
Fish Flash rigged on
back of the boat. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
COLUMN
Buzz, continued from page 46
that most salmon run deeper in the water column and quickly move past this area with the flooding water.
Still, if your intention is to target coho, your best bet will likely be to troll near the western boundary during the first half of a big tide exchange before picking up your gear and running upriver to then target the Chinook that whizzed past you as they allowed the deep, fast-moving currents to carry them eastward.
KNOWING WHEN TIDE swings occur and how big they are is all important in find-
Small 3 5 spinners are popular when fished in combination with Pro-Troll 360 flashers in many places, including at Buoy 10. Leader length, from flasher to small spinner, is usually in the 30-inch range. Given the barbless hook rule on the Columbia, some anglers rig their 3.5s with two treble hooks snelled in tandem. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
A Buoy 10 angler takes a pic as fishing guide Bill Monroe checks to see if this Chinook has the necessary clipped adipose fin during last August’s fishery. It didn’t and was released. Given how easily barbless hooks fall out, especially when your fish nears the boat, it’s common practice for anglers to corral Chinook in a landing net but leave the fish in the water during the fin check. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
2024 BUOY 10 REGS AT A GLANCE
The rules for the fishery that extends from the red navigation marker with the number 10 stamped on it – Buoy 10 – eastward 38 river miles to the west end of Puget Island, located east of Tongue Point, are as follows: Only one of your two-salmon limit can be a Chinook, barbless hooks are required and all kept coho must be of hatchery origin and identified by a missing adipose fin. Chinook must also have a missing adipose fin to keep from August 1-29, but you are allowed to keep any Chinook – fin-clipped or not – as part of your two-salmon daily limit August 30-September 3. The Buoy 10 season for Chinook will close at the end of the day on September 3 and remain so through the end of the year. Beginning September 4 through year’s end the coho limit is two fin-clipped silvers per day. In case you don’t know, the adipose is the small fin located on the back of the fish between their dorsal and tail fins.
Keep in mind that fishing for salmon is not allowed in the Columbia River Control Zone that extends westward from the Buoy 10 line to Buoy 7 and Buoy 4 and as such separates the ocean from Buoy 10 river fishing zone. This means the first place you can ambush salmon as they enter the Columbia River is east of the number 10 buoy and an imaginary north/south line extending from it.
You should also be aware that there is a sport fishing closure within and in front of the entrance to Youngs Bay that extends north from the east end of Oregon’s Warrenton seawall to the green buoy line, including Buoys 29, 31, 33 and 35A all the way upriver/east to the Astoria-Megler Bridge abutment and then south following the bridge to the Oregon shore. See your Oregon or Washington sport fishing rule book for clarity. –BR
COLUMN
ing salmon success at Buoy 10. This information can tell you where you need to be and when the salmon will be biting best. While printed tide books are available, having a app on your smartphone is really the way to go.
Because big tides carry more fish further into the estuary, you will need to move upriver with the surge of salmon. Fishing at or upstream of the Astoria-Megler Bridge before and after a high tide is a popular strategy. Realize too that a small tidal exchange will cause fish to accumulate in the middle estuary, near Warrenton and Hammond on the Oregon side and along Baker Bay and the entrance
to the Chinook harbor on the Washington side, where they may linger until building tides move them to or above the bridge.
Tides is the smartphone app I’m currently using. To give you an idea of how the tides vary depending on your location within the Buoy 10 management zone, the high tide for August 2 occurs at 12:49 p.m. at Jetty A (located at the Ilwaco Harbor entrance) and doesn’t peak until 1:22 p.m. 10 miles upstream as the crow flies at the Astoria Port Docks.
Ocean tides change direction four times daily, with each 24-hour time frame having two high- and two low-water exchanges. These fluctuations are never the
SAFETY FIRST AT BUOY 10
While the weather and water
can be calm and easily navigated at Buoy 10, be aware that fog, rough water, fast-moving tides, wind and ship traffic can all up the odds of a mishap. For example, sea-going freighters move quicker than you might think and have the absolute right-of-way, so keep your eyes peeled and move out of the shipping channel well in advance of their arrival.
My fishfinder includes GPS mapping that displays my exact location on a builtin diagram of the area. It’s great for knowing my location at all times, especially if and when the fog rolls in. Of course, I also
have waypoints of all my favorite fishing spots and boat ramps marked on the unit. In addition, just to be safe, I carry a compass and portable GPS unit as a backup. After all, electronic devices can and do fail and the last thing I want is to be caught in a thick fog without knowing my location. Also keep in mind that although much of the water at the Columbia mouth is deep enough to easily navigate, there are areas where mostly underwater sand bars can spoil your day. And while Desdemona Sands can be crossed depending on the stage of the tide and how much water your boat drafts, you will need to know where it
same from year to year, let alone day to day. What some might refer to as “the wild card” is when a nighttime tide is bigger than the daytime one and therefore can move fish into and perhaps through the estuary under the cover of darkness.
AUGUST 1, WHEN salmon season opens at Buoy 10, will see a low tide of -.8 feet occur at 6:15 a.m. The tide will flood in until 12:33 p.m. and top out at 6.2 feet. (The timing here is for the Astoria Port Docks.)
Seven feet of exchange is a pretty good push and should carry a surge of fish into the estuary. If you are plodding the middle estuary, you may see an early-morn-
is safe to do so in advance of just trying your luck. What many boaters do when wanting to head to the North Channel from the Oregon side of the river is to navigate around the western tip of Desdemona Sands rather than try a crossing. The western tip is marked by a three-pillar piling with a black and white checkerboard on top.
Most guides and anglers, including me, also insist that everyone on board wear an inflatable life jacket while navigating Buoy 10. As you might know, these inflatable jackets are comfortable to wear, even with a salmon on the end of your line, and can be quickly inflated should a mishap occur. –BR
Hugely popular with anglers but also at the mercy of weather, tides, currents and busy shipping lanes, it pays to be cautious while fishing Buoy 10. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
It might not be the good ol’ days of the mid-2010s, but with an estimated 551,800 fall Chinook and 279,900 coho expected to cross the bar and modeled sport catches of 39,570 kings and 29,100 silvers, Buoy 10 should deliver plenty of salmon for anglers this month and next. Fred Contaoi of Douglas Outdoors shows off a hatchery Chinook from last season. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
ing bite followed by midday action occurring during the last half of the flood and first half of the outgo. Often, the Chinook bite best in the estuary three hours before and three hours after each high tide.
The high tide carrying each surge of salmon into the estuary will move ahead about an hour each day through August 8, when it will occur at 4:44 p.m. This will likely mean that the most consistent action for Chinook will occur from the midestuary to and above the Astoria-Megler Bridge during the afternoon hours.
It’s on August 9 when the high tide will advance to 4:40 a.m. and as such should provide for a decent early-morning bite beginning at 5:07 a.m. sharp, when legal fishing starts. These morning high tides will advance roughly an hour each day through August 16 when the high tides will occur in the afternoon through August 23.
By Saturday, August 24, the high tide will again make for early-morning success with the flood peaking at 5:19 a.m., advancing about an hour each day through the end of the month.
And again, while peak Chinook action will likely occur in the middle to upper estuary three hours before and after the high tide each and every day, you should realize that the bathtub tides happening during the week of August 11 should cause fish numbers to build up/accumulate in the midestuary. Typically, slight tidal fluctuations cause the salmon to hold in the bay, and as such these fish can provide all-day action.
Also, during the week of August 18, as the tides become more extreme, the number of salmon entering the estuary will increase and add to the accumulation of fish already there. This should provide for some awesome fishing, especially at or above the bridge as the big tides push these fish upriver.
Realize, too, that while high afternoon tides can offer success near or above the bridge, the wind often comes up as the tide begins to ebb. This can make for tough trolling and/or a rough ride back to port, especially if you launched from Warrenton or Hammond and might have to buck the west wind as you return to port. One strategy, given that the bridge blocks a lot of west wind, at least in the North Channel, is to launch at the East Mooring Basin or John Day Ramp just around Tongue Point, which can make the ride back easier than having to face it head on. NS
Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey is regarded as a sport fishing authority, outdoor writer and proficient lure and fishing rod designer. As such, fishing rod manufacturer Douglas Outdoors has added Buzz to their pro staff.
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More To Oregon August Ops Than B10
By Bob Rees
August marks the start of the fall Chinook run on Oregon’s coastal estuaries and rivers, but salmon rarely have an opportunity to migrate upstream in this month’s traditionally low flows, building up instead in numbers for anglers versed in tidally influenced fisheries. It’s the start of something special, but it still requires skill, luck and a focus on safety to make for a successful outing.
The Lower Columbia becomes the standout fishery this month. Named Buoy 10 for the westerly boundary for estuary anglers, chances are ocean Chinook and coho will still be available for at least part of August, making for a dual opportunity based on the seaworthiness of your vessel and the skills of your captain.
Buoy 10 should be flooded with over 550,000 Chinook and nearly 280,000 coho this season, with Chinook arriving about the first week of August and coho more likely to show later in the month. The fishery is intensively managed, so check updated regulations before heading out.
Coinciding with peak Buoy 10 catches is summer-run Chinook fishing on the Nehalem to the south. Regs are dynamic here too, and they differ from 2023’s season, so read them carefully. As a general rule, on stronger tides, flasher and spinner trollers work the upper estuary around Wheeler and the town of
an occasional 30-pounder taken. Out on the Pacific, the select (finclipped-only) coho fishery south of Cape Falcon is slated to close
Author Bob Rees of The Guide’s Forecast shows off a nice Chinook caught last month in the Pacific off Oregon’s North Coast. (BOB REES)
Nehalem, while softer tides dictate a lower-bay effort for anglers versed in herring fishing, particularly around the jaws. These are quality fish, with
FISHING
on August 18, unless the quota is attained prior to that date, a feat rarely achieved. Chinook retention will remain open through October 31, with fall-run fish beginning to show near estuary entrances for anglers to take advantage of. The mouths of Tillamook, Nehalem, Nestucca, Siletz and the Alsea all produce viable opportunities later in August.
A GROSSLY UNDERUTILIZED fishery, trolling tidewater for sea-run cutthroat trout used to be more popular when hatchery plants were more prevalent. There’s good numbers of wild fish to still fuel this fishery, but few take advantage of it.
Halibut will remain a strong August option, and anglers are likely to continue to see liberal opportunity since quotas have largely gone unmet in recent years. Newport will remain the top port for halibut harvest, with most anglers taking advantage of the
all-depth option versus the nearshore one, a much more inconsistent fishery. All-depth fishing is open August 1-3 and then every other Thursday through Saturday afterwards.
Albacore will be in full swing, with Astoria being one of the top ports for landings this month. Of course, anglers will also have access to tuna out of Garibaldi, Newport and Depoe Bay, but boaters often have to run further west to find consistent catches. Live bait often becomes a better option by August, but that varies by year. Live bait can also be hard to find in most ports.
Razor clam digging is closed along the North Coast and ocean crab are largely still in a soft-shell state, making for poor table fare. Bay crabbing often produces lower catches, but a higher quality crustacean.
INLAND FISHERIES ARE often quiet in August, but the Deschutes River has
historically offered up some great summer steelhead fishing this time of year. Steelhead returns have been depressed for several seasons of late, but this year seems to be bucking that trend and should make for some good opportunities for anglers.
High lakes also start to suffer the summertime blues as temperatures rise, but still offer some of the better trout options across the state.
And finally, Rogue River fall Chinook returns have been robust in recent years and these south-turning fish should see a strong return again this year – state managers predict 46,000 adults, up from the estimated 30,000 that passed Huntley Park in 2023. August can produce some of the best catches for Chinook in the estuary; troll anchovies and spinners to entice strikes. NS
Editor’s note: For more information, visit TheGuidesForecast.com.
Stretch Sockeye Season At Wenatchee
Cascades lake seeing another big return of the tasty red salmon, and here’s how to catch them.
By Mark Yuasa
Istarted thinking about this month’s article waaaaay back in late winter when the Columbia River sockeye forecast of 401,700 was unveiled and then again when Washington’s 202425 salmon fishing seasons came to light in mid-April.
Even at those two early junctures, I was already looking ahead, as I do each month, to attempt to provide salmon anglers with as many fishing options as possible. I knew back then that this summer’s Upper Columbia sockeye return was going to be one of the greatest of all time.
That’s a rather bold statement but I felt confident enough that it would pan out, and sure enough it has come to fruition! I’ve fished all across Washington for nearly 60 years now, and this type of news drives me to go fishing, again and again.
All this excitement hit a high crescendo in late June, when the preseason forecast was updated to 568,000 by the US v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee, or TAC, which oversees all the salmon returns to the Columbia River.
Then came even more enthusiasm in mid-July when the in-season assessment by fishery managers soared to nearly 740,000 – the return was also adjusted to 757,000 – and waxed the previous modern-day record of 664,935 to the Columbia River mouth that was observed in 2022. Fish counting began at Bonneville Dam soon after the dam was constructed in 1938. Other seasons when large sockeye returns occurred were 2015, when it hit 515,673, and 2014 with 614,179.
I REALLY LIKE it when a sockeye that has journeyed hundreds of miles from the ocean still has the energy to jerk the fishing rod down hard into the water! This kind of action for sockeye has been on fire since the mainstem Upper Columbia opened on July 1, with anglers scoring easy limits all the way up to Brewster.
To further boost Central Washington sockeye options, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has also opened Lake Wenatchee in Chelan County to sockeye fishing through August 31.
This very popular and scenic fishery
Tucked away in Washington’s Cascades, Lake Wenatchee is a bit cooler than the Brewster Pool, but the sockeye fishing can be just as hot! Kaleb, Kara and Maya Shaw enjoyed a good trip last summer with local sharpie Don Talbot. Best fishing is typically early before the winds come up. (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
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with steep, forested mountains in the background is never a sure thing, and the decision by state fishery managers to hold a sport sockeye fishery in the lake is annually based on in-season fish counts at Tumwater Dam, located just outside of Leavenworth. This season’s return had easily surpassed the annual spawning escapement goal of 23,000 sockeye by July 11.
According to Lake Wenatchee sockeye escapement data that began in 1960, if the 2024 forecast of 97,000 actually pans out it, would be the third highest return on record. The highest sockeye returns to Lake Wenatchee are 110,693 in 2022, 99,898 in 2014 and 84,473 in 2023. All sockeye return to Lake Wenatchee and spawn in the Little Wenatchee and White Rivers.
Sockeye are referred to as “reds” because their bodies turn a brightred hue as they near the end of their spawning cycle. But those caught in the lake should still be in relatively good condition – they are known for
Local tacklemaker Mack’s Lures has a good array of sockeye-killing gear, but don’t overlook a simple setup such as this –bare red hooks, an 8-inch leader and a chrome dodger with a slight bend to it. (CHASE GUNNELL)
FISHING
their tasty, firm, bright-red flesh. The daily limit is four sockeye with a minimum size of 12 inches. Anglers are required to release all bull trout, steelhead and Chinook unharmed and without removing the fish from the water. Selective-gear rules are in effect and up to three single barbless
hooks per line are allowed. Bait and scent are not allowed, and knotless nets are required. Two-pole fishing per angler is allowed with a valid twopole endorsement. A night closure is in effect on the lake.
This fishery will be monitored closely and may close on short notice
depending upon angler participation and harvest rates.
KEEP IN MIND that unlike the Lower Columbia, success in catching a sockeye from the bank is nil in lakes. Also, the number of places to launch your boat at Wenatchee is tight unless you own or know someone with a dock there.
The main boat launch facility is located at Lake Wenatchee State Park – a Discover Pass is required – and vehicles with boats will start lining up at the launch well before 3 a.m., so be patient. During the sockeye fishery, Washington State Parks expands the park hours from 4 a.m. until dusk. Only registered campers are allowed in the park between dusk and 4 a.m. during the sockeye fishery.
Parking is very limited and is strictly enforced, with park staff closing the entrance gate into the day-use area once the lot is full. This can pose a problem for anglers who might plan to access the state park to fish in the late afternoon or evening hours. For more info, go to parks.wa.gov.
The second option is the cartopper boat launch at the upper lake’s Glacier View Campground – a Forest Service Recreation Pass is required to use the facility. There is also limited space to park at this day-use area, but it’s in close proximity to the main fishing grounds on the northwest end of the lake.
AS FOR CATCHING sockeye, time of day plays a key role, with early-morning hours being the best time to be on the water.
Use a downrigger to keep your presentation between 15 to 75 feet down, depending on the time of day and light conditions, and watch your fishfinder to track where sockeye are hunkered down. Sockeye tend to school, so once you catch one, stay in the area.
For fishing gear, most prefer a basic medium-weight salmon rod and reel attached to two bare red or pink hooks or a mini plastic squid
Preston and Aubree Pedeferri pose with a nice haul of Lake Wenatchee sockeye from a recent season. At press time, the daily limit is four and the fishery is open under selectivegear rules, meaning no bait or scent, though as this catch attests, they’re not really needed. (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
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with two red- or pink-colored hooks on a short, 8- to 14inch leader trailed behind a chrome 0/0 to 0 size dodger.
Mack’s Lure Company, based out of nearby Wenatchee, has developed a wide range of lures that are essential to keep in your tackle box when heading to the lake. They include the Mack’s Smile Blade Sockeye Pro, the Double Whammy Sockeye Pro, the Smile Blade Shrimp Rig and the Cha Cha Sockeye Squidder. Remember, whatever type of lure you choose, go with red and hot pink.
Before dropping your gear into the depths, make sure to look at your presentation alongside of the boat to confirm that your dodger is swinging gently and “whipping” back and forth. Keep your trolling speed way down in the 1.0to 1.5-mile-per-hour range.
Whether you’re catching fish or not, the awesome views of the surrounding rugged mountains and lush green forests are one of a kind at Lake Wenatchee.
Before heading out, check the 2024-25 WDFW regulations pamphlet, available now at statewide tackle shops and license vendors and at wdfw.wa.gov. For rule updates, go to the WDFW emergency fishing rules webpage at wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations. NS
Editor’s note: Mark Yuasa is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife communications manager and longtime local fishing and outdoor writer.
Conversations With Oregon Kokanee Guides
Picking the brains of Wallowa, Detroit sharpies Kevin Anderson and Curtis Hyde.
By Tom Schnell
As the alarm rudely awakened me from a deep sleep, I stumbled my way into the kitchenette to get the life blood of early morning started – coffee. I was going to need it too, as I had not slept much in anticipation of the day ahead.
My wife Rhonna and I had agreed to meet up with Kevin Anderson
to fish Northeast Oregon’s famed Wallowa Lake, where he guides for kokanee. This was the first time we had fished Wallowa, so our anticipation ran high as we prepared to join Anderson on what would turn out to be one of our most notable kokanee fishing trips of the year. No, we did not break the kokanee world record held by the lake, but we did come back with a lot of knowledge,
fish and new friendships.
I had met Anderson a few years earlier at a Kokanee Power of Oregon derby at Detroit Lake, where he also guides (Next Level Guide Service; 541-974-1135). He had talked about meeting up with a friend and fellow guide Curtis Hyde, of Hydeout Guide Service, to fish Detroit Lake together. One thing led to another, and our schedules just never lined up. As we
Kevin Anderson, a retired battalion chief for the Albany Fire Department and current Oregon kokanee guide, pilots his boat on Wallowa Lake during a trip that would change author Tom Schnell’s opinion on paying to fish with someone. (TOM SCHNELL)
FISHING
were once again trying to find a time to connect, Anderson mentioned his guiding at Detroit was winding down and he was headed for Wallowa. He typically guides at Detroit for five months and about a month at Wallowa. I glanced at my already overbooked calendar and saw that the weekend before Memorial Day was open. Offhandedly, I mentioned it to Anderson and he said, “Book it!” So another fishing adventure was about to begin.
I WILL CONFESS that I have not been much on hiring a fishing guide, but that was about to change, as was my view about fishing guides.
As Rhonna and I headed to the boat dock at o’dark thirty that morning, the coffee barely kicking in and the white lines still blurry with my eyes wanting to go back to sleep, I kept asking myself, Why would anyone get up at 3 a.m. to be at the boat dock at 3:30 just to meet their clients an hour later to go fishing? Right then and there I convinced myself that either there was some type of mental illness or sadistic nature in guides, or maybe both.
We met Anderson promptly at 4:30 a.m. at the dock, and I say promptly because I usually try and be early, especially for fishing. All good intentions aside, we were plenty early, except I overshot the turnoff to the boat ramp. Like I said, the coffee had not yet kicked in and I was so intent on staying within the white lines that I just drove right past it.
Snuggled into a glacial moraine at the northern edge of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa is famed as the lake where the world-record kokanee came from, a 9-pound, 10.72-ounce fish caught by Ron Campbell in 2010. It’s a destination fishery for fans of the landlocked sockeye salmon. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
Rhonna Schnell, the author’s wife, is no slouch when it comes to kokanee and salmon fishing, but she and Tom both learned a lot from Anderson and a fellow guide about their quarry. (TOM SCHNELL)
HUNTING FISHING
kokanee, according to Anderson, as the key to success changes constantly. Best advice is to mix things up and fish where, well, the fish are. (TOM
My loving wife gently asked, “Wasn’t that the boat ramp?” I muttered something along the lines of, “Why yes, I just wanted to see what it looks like coming from the other direction.”
Yeah, Rhonna didn’t buy it either, but that’s my line and I am sticking to it.
So there we were, 4:30 in the morning, pitch-black out, cold, and my eyes and brain still not quite functioning, but we were there and we were going fishing! The fun was yet to come.
WITH THE BOAT motor going and dock lines released, off we went into the dark abyss. I remember asking Anderson, “Why in the world do you put yourself through this? Are counselors involved? Medication? I mean, you do this day after day and you call this fun? Have you thought about professional help?”
Anderson just laughed, something he did often at my questions, and said, “No. It is something I love to do. It is a passion of mine and I love fishing and helping others.”
And did it show for the rest of the trip. Needless to say, the day went by way too fast.
Anderson shared with us that as a young child his parents would frequently take him and his brothers fishing and camping. Growing up in Forest Grove, outside Portland, they had a lot of opportunities – Anderson’s first kokanee outing was at Green Peter Reservoir in the late 1980s – and later, Anderson learned a lot from his brother Darryl on how to fish. He talked about how both Darryl and their other brother Duane were very close to him. Darryl was his hunting and fishing buddy while Duane was his inspirational rock. He lost both of his brothers to cancer, Darryl in 2017 and Duane in 2019. Anderson attributed his grit and willingness to commit himself to being the ultimate guide for his clients as being directly related to his brothers’ influence. He went on to say that being a guide of integrity, honesty, passion and commitment is the separation point. When things get tough and he is being challenged, it is the memory of his brothers that keeps him on track. For him, there is no giving up or bad days. He told me that he named his boat after Darryl. Darryl caught his first fish as a child at Detroit
Reservoir and weeks before Darryl passed away, Anderson was able to net Darryl’s very last fish at the North Santiam River impoundment in the Cascades east of Salem. As such, the connection Anderson has with Detroit is very intense and emotional. It is one of the reasons he still guides there, in addition to Wallowa.
ANDERSON STARTED HIS career as a paramedic/firefighter and eventually became the battalion chief for the Albany Fire Department. After 32 years there, he retired in 2020. Anderson knew he still wanted to stay active after retiring, so he started his guiding business in 2017. He turned his love of the outdoors into guiding for kokanee in the spring and summer at Detroit and Wallowa, as well as big game hunting in the fall in Northeast Oregon. He especially likes guiding for kokanee because he can fish for them all year long.
He talked about how his time at the fire department had prepared him as a guide. For starters, he met Curtis Hyde while in Albany. While Anderson was working at the fire station, Hyde worked for the Albany Police
There’s no one magic formula for catching
SCHNELL)
FISHING
STEAK DINNER SERVES UP SECOND HELPING OF KOKE KNOW-HOW
After our day on Wallowa Lake with guide Kevin Anderson was done and our fish cleaned and put on ice, my wife Rhonna and I headed into Joseph to the Stubborn Mule Saloon & Steakhouse for what turned out to be another adventure. First off, the prime rib was amazing, as was the service. What really made the evening special, though, was that we were able to enjoy our dinner with Anderson and fellow guide Curtis Hyde, whom I had only met online. Hyde, as it turned out, was also a wealth of knowledge and super friendly. You could tell instantly that Anderson and Hyde were longtime friends and fellow guides who were both willing to share their knowledge.
Since I had Hyde as a captive audience, I took full advantage of it, firing questions away as he tried to enjoy his prime rib dinner. There was not a fishing-related question he was not willing to answer.
HE STARTED OFF our conversation about guiding with a very simple answer. “Find a guide you connect with.” That’s it. And then we delved into kokanee fishing further.
Hyde, too, likes short leaders, 8 to 12 inches. He also estimates leader lengths and is not exact with his measurements.
His focus is primarily on the dodger. He wants a dodger that emits a lot of action. It’s all about the kick. He feels that the dodger is one of the most important parts of kokanee fishing because it is what gets their attention initially. It does this by the vibration it sends out in the water. That vibration is what brings the fish in before they finally see the dodger. Once they are there, then they hone in on the lure and the action it provides and finally on the corn or bait.
Hyde feels that lure color is important, but you have to get the fish there first, and that starts with having the right dodger action. Then the action and color of the lure come into play, then the right bait and scent. Too often people get that reversed and focus on the scent, bait and lure and not the dodger.
Hyde, like Anderson, believes in being a minimalist – small presentations with minimal scent. He is a fan of the smallest Spin-N-Glos and using a couple of small beads as bearings in front of a set of hooks. He also uses micro spinners. Most of his kokanee lures are very small presentations.
As for bait and scent, Hyde is even more of a minimalist than Anderson, using just white shoepeg corn with tuna. He does not believe in loading up with
a lot of scents, and sometimes all he will use is plain white shoepeg corn. The takeaway? Keep it simple.
AS WE PARTED that evening, I asked Anderson and Hyde if they had any last thoughts or “secrets” they could share. They both agreed that there are no secrets, just time on the water learning how to fish. They both are still constantly learning themselves.
From our time with two of the most recognized Wallowa Lake fishing guides, my wife and I ended the day knowing we had just taken our kokanee fishing to the next level.
We made plans to go fish with Anderson again this year. Even though we now know how to fish Wallowa Lake, the friendship we made and the fun we had fishing with him, well, it changed how I view guides. I now realize that hiring a guide – the right guide – is worth its weight in gold. The wisdom, knowledge and professionalism that Anderson and Hyde showed us on our trip was amazing.
But even more important were the friendships we had made that day in Northeast Oregon – a bond made over a day of kokanee fishing and a prime rib dinner. We’d found the right guides. How much better can that be? –TS
The nearby town of Joseph was the setting for another lesson in kokology for the Schnells as they had dinner with Anderson and fellow guide Curtis Hyde. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)
HUNTING FISHING
Department. Their love of the outdoors cemented a long and lasting friendship. Anderson also spoke how his work as a firefighter taught him about planning and preparation. Everything has its little spot. Remember how Anderson showed up at the dock an hour before we did? He was prepping for that day’s trip. All of the fishing rods were rigged up and ready to fish, the corn doled out, and all we had to do was jump aboard and head out to where the fish were. He was completely prepared, ready to go and nothing was left undone. Everything was neat and tidy. I could tell he ran a tight ship, no pun intended. This was one of many takeaways I had from our time together. Plan ahead and be prepared.
While we were still motoring out to where we would begin fishing, I asked Anderson how he scouts a new lake, or in our case, how we should begin scouting a new body of water. His response was, “Get someone to talk to.” Talk to a local tackle shop or find a local who knows that body of water and is willing to share some information. Also look for where the boats are. His number one tip, though, is to hire the right guide, as it will dramatically shorten your learning curve. It takes time on a body of water to learn it, and most guides have made that investment.
Anderson had some more pointers on what to look for in a guide. Make sure they have a positive attitude and are committed to the experience. They should be willing to teach you what to look for and how to fish for what you are fishing for. They should also be focused on building relationships and friendships way before the journey. You are not guaranteed fish; however, you are more likely to catch fish with a guide and will often come away with a lot of knowledge and a newfound friendship. In our case, we did all of the above.
We talked about Anderson’s love of fishing and why he guides. He admitted that the days are long and by the end of the season he is tired. He guides about
60 to 70 days a year and puts in another 30 to 40 days of scouting. For him, it is a mix of passion and the opportunity to make some money on the side. He was quick to point out that you do not make a lot of money guiding, so a good guide does it for the passion of fishing, not the money. He will reschedule due to the weather, since he wants his clients to have a good experience and he wants to keep that passion alive. Anderson is able to take out people
from kids to 95-year-old anglers and all levels of experience in between. Some have never fished before. As he put it, everyone is molded differently, so with each trip he just lets things develop.
WE FINALLY GOT to our destination and legal fishing time arrived. Excited how the day would unfold, we began to deploy our rods and it didn’t take long for the action to begin. We had not even gotten all of our rods in the water
A critical element in kokanee fishing is action, which you achieve through boat speed, dodger, leader length and lure. You don’t have to be exact, but keep your leader short, roughly 9 inches or so, for best success. (TOM SCHNELL)
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HUNTING FISHING
before the first fish slammed one of our lures. It was a strike and a miss, but still, we’d had our first takedown.
In between bites and reeling in fish, I began my questioning – er, more like interrogation – of Anderson, the poor guy. At times I think I must have been the comic relief on the boat because he sure laughed at me a lot. Most of the time it was well deserved, but it was all in good nature and added to the fun of the trip. Here we were on a lake we had never fished before, with a well-known and seasoned guide – what an opportunity! So the questions just kept flowing. True, Rhonna and I are seasoned anglers, having started fishing for kokanee around the same time as Anderson
By the end of their day on the water, the Schnells not only had quite a haul, but had learned a ton from Anderson that they’ve since applied to other waters, making their guided outing even more valuable. (TOM SCHNELL)
to that and everything else doesn’t mean …” “That’s great, but what’s the one thing?” Mitch asks, to which Curly responds, “That’s what you have to figure out.” That applies with kokanee fishing as well. Here was my chance to ask Curly – aka Anderson – “What’s the one thing?” Anderson’s response? There is no “one thing,” as everything catches fish. It is up to each angler to figure out what the fish want at any given time. As the great Buzz Ramsey once said, “Give the fish what they want.”
BUT FOR STARTERS, Anderson rates location as an important factor. If you are not in the right spot, you are not going to catch fish. Yet if you are marking large schools of kokanee, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, “These are not the fish you are looking for.” For one, they tend to be smaller, most likely either first- or second-year fish. The larger third-year fish – a given year’s spawners, depending on the lake you are fishing – may not yet have started to school up for their final migration. Often, these fish will not even show up on the screen, and if they do, it is as one or two fish or small schools, not large ones. This is where good electronics come in.
had, yet I could tell that we had a lot to learn from someone who now makes his living taking people like the two of us out fishing.
Anderson mentioned that the classic kokanee angler wants a cookie-cutter method; color, speed, depth, setback, leader length, corn scent – the list goes on. But the reality is, the success formula changes constantly. His advice is to mix things up, as there is no method that always works. The most critical part is being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing.
It reminded me of the comedy City Slickers where Curly tells Billy Crystal’s character Mitch Robbins, “One thing, just one thing. You stick
When I began asking Anderson about the finer details of kokanee fishing, he mentioned that having the right dodger and lure action is one of his primary objectives. He uses short leaders to give the lure the right action – and it’s all about the action. He prefers ArrowFlash dodgers, as he feels they give him the action he is looking for with short leaders, although he will change it up depending on how the fish are responding. When pressed on how long of a leader, he gestured with his hand to show the distance between his outstretched thumb and pinky and said, “About that long.” My guess would be about 9 inches. He then admitted most of it is by sight; he does not measure everything exactly because, as he pointed out, the fish don’t have measuring tapes to make
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HUNTING FISHING
sure you are exact. They are going after the action, not the exact length. Close is good enough, but just be sure it is giving the action the fish want. Anderson also controls the action of the dodger and lure by speed. He will watch in the turns which rod goes off. If it’s an outside rod, he speeds it up, while an inside rod that goes off tells him the fish want it slower. Pay attention to speed, as this will often dictate the action of the dodger and lure that the fish want.
AS I ADMIRED his various setups and rebaited the rod I was using, I asked Anderson about corn, scents and everything that goes into it. His answer: “Simplicity.” People tend to overthink things. Anderson said he has tried everything and his “secret” corn recipe is simply white shoepeg corn with tuna and garlic added. On occasion he will try shrimp and anise with his corn. He also likes to use live
maggots when he can find them.
But that’s it – no frills, no “secret sauce,” just simple things. He feels that scents are often overused. He will sometimes “load up” his hooks with corn, but usually keeps it oneto-one, as in one kernel of corn to one hook. “I just do what works,” he said, and the results spoke for themselves. Before I could get my rod back out, we had another takedown and heard the sweet sound of “Fish on!”
With Rhonna battling the fish –and I mean it, as these Wallowa fish put up an amazing fight – I asked Anderson about the rods we were using. He fishes Santiam Fishing Rods and I noticed two were wrapped in pink. I inquired about that and he shared with me that they were in memory of his two brothers who had passed away from cancer.
Since we were on the subject of fishing rods, I asked him what he likes in one. He said he likes the Santiams
because they are a soft rod that is limber enough to put on his downriggers, yet they have the backbone to fight these larger Wallowa fish and even work as dropper rods.
The key, though, is to reel in very slowly. With how hard kokanee fight, they often will tear the hook out, so a soft, limber pole, along with a slow, gentle retrieve helps land more fish. Anderson even gives line to larger fish to settle them down. When they are doing their death roll and continue to roll, it is a bad combo –this is when they often tear the hook out and swim off. Giving them a little line – but not slack – will get them to stop rolling, and then you should start reeling again.
If they come to the surface and start jumping or thrashing on top of the water, put the tip down in the lake to get them off the surface. Anderson calls this “taming the kokanee.” He mentioned that many of his clients
lose fish right at the boat because that is often when the fish fight the most. Instead of loosening the drag and letting the fish have some line to get them to calm down, they try horsing the fish into the net, which usually ends badly for the angler.
ANOTHER AREA WHERE Anderson said he sees a lot of fish lost is when anglers try taking the rod off the downrigger clip. They pop the line off the clip and give the fish too much slack, letting the fish spit the hook. He said there are two main reasons for this: too much setback off the downrigger clip, and once the line is off it, the angler simply doesn’t reel in the slack fast enough.
I asked Anderson about setbacks on downriggers and his answer surprised me: “Short.” I usually use the 100-foot rule, where the setback is approximately the sum of the depth of the downrigger ball in the water plus the setback, equaling 100 feet. Anderson likes a short setback when he is fishing his ’riggers, usually 30 to 40 feet. The exception to this is in shallow water, where he will run longer setbacks. He feels that the number of fish he might miss due to having a short setback, and thereby maybe spooking them from the boat, is more than made up for by the hook-to-land ratio. Rhonna and I have since employed shorter setbacks and noticed we catch as many fish as before and our hookup-to-landing ratio has improved as well.
Using Anderson’s methods of softer rods, short leaders, short setbacks and really slow reeling resulted in unheard-of fishing for Wallowa Lake kokanee. We had 100-percent landing rate, with over 20 fish in the boat. Not a bad way to end the day.
Tight lines and fish on! NS
Editor’s note: Tom Schnell is an avid outdoorsman who lives with his wife Rhonna in Central Oregon. He is a past board member of Kokanee Power of Oregon and a past local Ducks Unlimited and Oregon Hunters Association president.
Extra-terrestrial Encounters
NW PURSUITS
By Jason Brooks
The sun was now sitting high in the sky and beads of sweat were rolling down my neck.
The morning hatch of duns was over, as the adult mayflies that had made it to the surface and flew away
were gone with the afternoon breeze. Casting stonefly imitations wasn’t exciting any trout and my flowing perspiration was becoming annoying. Reaching up to wipe the sweat away, I felt a bug instead. It was a flying ant that had landed on my neck and stuck to it due to the combination of sweat and sunscreen.
It was then that it hit me: Though the dry
fly hatch was over, maybe trout would still surface if they were tempted to the top.
Looking through the fly box and finding a few Parachute Ant patterns, I knew it was time to try a terrestrial. A terrestrial is any bug that hatches and lives on land. Fly anglers often think of the grasshopper as the main terrestrial when it comes to trout fishing, but terrestrials represent about 70
A trip to the far upper reaches of Lake Chelan served up extra-terrestrial encounters for Jason and Ryan Brooks – fly fishing for trout with not one but two terrestrial bug imitations, a grasshopper pattern for an attractor and a flying ant as a dropper. (JASON BROOKS)
COLUMN
percent of the bug world, and that means millions of insects belong to this family of land dwellers.
Unfortunately, my tiny flying ant imitation was hard to see and I missed the first few strikes before finally hooking a fish – and only because it grabbed the fly as I was lifting to make another cast. Not really wanting to add a strike indicator on the line – mostly because I was being lazy in the heat of the day – I opted for an “extra” terrestrial instead. The large foam hopper
was easy to see and tying a dropper off the size 10 hook in the form of a 2-foot leader to a flying ant pattern was simple. Now I was casting double duty with two terrestrials, making it an extra-terrestrial encounter for any wild trout that was still hungry. My hookup-to-bite ratio dramatically increased with the two flies on the line. Most of the fish could not resist the foam grasshopper, but often they would approach only to miss their opportunity. But then came along my flying ant just under the surface. Maybe it was the
ant they were after all along; either way, it was a fun afternoon of fishing and soon I forgot all about the beads of sweat that led me to the discovery of terrestrial attractors.
SINCE THE TERRESTRIAL family of bugs is so large, fly anglers have learned to tie on patterns that mimic several of the insects, as well as some that don’t specifically imitate a bug but are just too good for a hungry fish to turn down. After all, it is not like a trout can learn every species of terrestrial insect, so using a large and enticing attractor makes sense.
Land bugs often hatch around midday or become active as the day warms up. Unlike aquatic larvae and other underwater insects whose temperature remains consistent compared to air temps, land-hatched bugs need the warmer air to get moving. This makes them a perfect midday pattern to fling out onto the water on a hot summer’s day.
Most attractors and the staple grasshopper pattern are large, giving off a shadow that is easily seen by trout trying to avoid bright sunlight by hiding behind boulders or staying in deep pools. Trout will often thrust quickly up at a terrestrial fly, coming up from the depths to leap up and grab it. This is what makes fishing the flies so much fun. Compared to the often subtle take of a nymph or chironomid pattern, the presentation of which takes patience and practice, not to mention a strike indicator in most situations, the take of a dry fly is what fly anglers live for. Throw in a warm summer’s day while cooling off in a mountain stream and it makes for memories of a lifetime.
WHEN I WAS young, my father would take my brother and me to the upper reaches of Lake Chelan, where streams and the Stehekin River empty into the deep, chilly fjord. This is where I learned to fly fish. We only fished dries, namely two patterns: the first being the Joe’s Hopper and the second the McGinty Bee. The hopper was because it was an attractor and looked like a variety of terrestrials, but the bee was because we noticed each night at dinnertime that wasps and bees would flock to our table. It made sense; since there were bees and wasps around, why not fish them?
Mid- to late summer is perfect for fishing with patterns imitating land-based bugs. While trout aren’t generally known to be overly picky or educated, it’s still important to match the fly with the habitat – hoppers along grassy areas, ants by dead wood, and beetles and other bugs under trees they might fall out of. (JASON BROOKS)
COLUMN
When and where to fish terrestrials is important to know. Anglers often think they should always work, but this is not the case. Beetles, for example, are best fished in areas with overhead limbs, brush or trees along the riverbank. This is because beetles are known to hang out
on foliage and often fall into the stream from above and are gobbled up by trout. Grasshoppers and cicadas are grass lovers and that means any streambank lined with tall grass or a creek that runs through an open field will be prime for these large dry flies. Of course, an attractor such as
a Madam X, which was first developed in the famed Bitterroot Valley of Western Montana, is one fly that can be flung anywhere, as it is not one specific insect but imitates a whole bunch of them.
The Chernobyl Ant is another attractor. Sure, it is called an ant, but if an ant is ever that big, then it is time to leave the river, as the world is about to be taken over by bugs like from one of those 1950s horror movies. Often larger than a grasshopper pattern, the Chernobyl Ant can represent a large beetle, a cicada or some other beastly bug, but more than likely it is the shape and shadow it gives off that causes the trout to rise.
THIS PAST JUNE, I took my son Ryan up to the far end of Lake Chelan, much like how my father took me up there in my youth. We were fishing creek mouths along the way and an afternoon thermal came up. Most of the time this means terrestrials will be pushed onto the water’s surface, but on this day, I did not see much bug activity.
Ryan was trying a foam hopper but not getting many bites, so I opted for a beadhead golden stonefly and cast the wet fly up into a creek mouth and let the water carry it downstream to the lake. Three casts and three fish later, Ryan decided to change up to a stonefly. It was then that I let him in on my secret, which was that we knew snow runoff was flushing bugs into the lake and trout would be gorging on them along the bottom. The breeze not only blew bugs onto the surface but also debris such as pine needles, cottonwood, fireweed seeds and such, which meant Ryan was competing with a lot of foreign debris while I simply tossed a known food source to the fish that were staying away from the surface.
Following up on our success, the next day was calm and clear. Ryan tied on his beloved foam hopper and the trout could not resist. Each stream we stopped at turned out a handful of catch-andrelease rainbows and westslope cutthroat. On days like this, a single fly is more than enough, but I could not resist and had tied on a dropper, adding an extra opportunity to catch a trout. Sometimes it takes an extra-terrestrial encounter to make for a momentous day of fishing. NS
Fishing terrestrials is often thought of as a streamside pursuit, but cruising the edges of lakes can pay off, especially around creek mouths. (JASON BROOKS)
Advanced Fly Stream Tactics
Building on his advice for beginners last issue, a diehard flyrodder details 201-level tips and tricks for working late summer’s moving waters.
By Jeff Holmes
In the July issue of Northwest Sportsman, I wrote about why fly fishing is awesome and how newcomers to the sport and longtime dabblers can have a fantastic time wading around in summer splendor fishing for trout in Washington and Oregon’s many cool-water mountain streams, especially in August. There are fly fishing opportunities yearround in moving and stillwaters throughout the Pacific Northwest and the adjoining Rocky Mountain states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. But in the dog days of summer, the best fishing and the best times will always be found in the mountains.
As we all know, trout are salmonids and are sensitive to warm water temperatures, especially when those warm air temperatures permeate their aquatic environment. At the time of this writing in mid-July, much of Northwest was baking in 100-plusdegree temps, particularly inland locations. Montana had closed some streams and had enacted “hoot owl” regs, restricting all fishing to before 2 p.m. daily. When these sorts of extreme temps occur, combined with long days
Tons of established hiking trails parallel great trout streams in the Northwest and in the western Rockies, offering some of the best and most rewarding fishing adventures there are to be had. This Blue Mountains stream was in top form on this beautiful August day. (JEFF HOLMES)
FISHING
In the skinny, slightly warmer water of August, you
find fish everywhere in a given stream.
and not-so-cool nights, all trout not wanting to die retreat to the depths of lakes, and trout in lowland streams seek springs and seeps to stay cool –and alive. Meanwhile, in the blessedly abundant mountains of the Northwest and the Rockies, water temperatures in early August are more conducive to good fishing. Streams emanating from high in the Cascades, Blue Mountains, Kettle Range, Selkirks, Bitterroots and other subranges of the western slopes of the Rockies remain cool and allow lucrative and responsible angling, and are ready for you to explore this August.
IN LAST MONTH’S article, I talked about how to get set up with a 4- to 6-weight rod, a fly reel outfitted with backing and a floating line with the same weight rating as your rod, a small collection of tackle (tapered leaders, tippet, nippers, hemostats, fly floatant, felt-soled wading boots with wool socks and gravel guards), and a small
collection of dry flies, nymphs and streamers. This article assumes you are set up with a small pack or vest or with pockets stuffed full of this minimal assortment of tackle and flies. And it assumes that you are outfitted with a rod-reel-floating line combo and that you have four-wheel drive for wading tied to your feet – felt-soled boots wrapped in gravel guards.
The article also assumes you have identified a favorite or soon-to-be favorite fishing area in the mountains where the water is cold and the trout are abundant. I won’t sell out sensitive little stream names here in heavily populated Washington and Oregon, especially since the internet and other resources abound with such information, but I’ll point out that wellknown North Idaho catch-and-release cutthroat streams are my favorite and that I discussed them in the July article. The upper Coeur d’Alene River, St. Joe River (my favorite), Kelly Creek, upper North Fork Clearwater River,
Little North Fork of the Clearwater River and the upper Lochsa River are excellent destinations for August camping and angling. Although the ideas in this article can be applied to any mountain stream with cold water and hungry trout, my mind will be focused on these Bitterroot streams in North Idaho, places I desperately wish I was right now and long to get back to soon, as always. These fisheries are mostly catch and release, restricted to a single barbless hook only, don’t allow bait and are thriving despite heavy pressure and lots of notoriety. You’ll find plenty of other excellent streams in the other mountains of the West, including opportunities to harvest a panful of trout – especially brookies – where management allows.
ASSUMING YOU’RE IN the mountains on a beautiful stream with wading boots or (worst-case scenario) sandals or old sneakers on your feet; a fly rod in your hands; and a small pack or vest with
won’t
Rather, look to the deeper, heavier, more oxygenated heads of pools, runs and riffles. One reason fish seek this comfort is to avoid attacks from above such as the one this osprey-wounded North Fork Clearwater River cuttbow suffered. (JEFF HOLMES)
FISHING
tackle, flies, beverages, snacks, bug spray, bear spray and other essentials you might need, here’s how to find fish, or at least how to begin to explore.
All streams have their unique characteristics and places fish favor, and all streams have places you will not find fish, especially in August. In the early summer, when flows are higher and waters are colder, fish
can be found scattered around rivers in shallow-water riffles, slow gliding pools, side channels, along banks and any place they find food and safety. By the time August rolls around, waters have warmed and have shrunk. Side channels are dewatered or stagnant, main channels are shallower and warmer with less oxygen, and overall fish real estate has shrunk.
Late-summer trout will generally not be found in water where you can easily see them. They seek the coldest, most oxygenated water and protection from aerial attacks by predators. As such, they are typically in heavier, faster-moving water at the head of pools and runs. They will move out of heavy water when there is a lucrative insect hatch or in the early morning or evening, but generally you’ll find more fish where they feel comfortable and safe. Similarly, depending on the size of the stream and characteristics, you may find fish in rapids if the water is deep enough and there are boulders and other structure to hide in.
A good rule of thumb is don’t be “that guy.” That guy is the guy who pulls over in the most heavily used turnout or campground and starts flailing away endlessly in fishless water. If the water is shallow, slow and so clear that you can perfectly see the bottom, there will likely be no fish to grab your fly, or, if there are fish, they will be juveniles forced out of the prime holding water by the grownups. Moving around on
For author Jeff Holmes, there’s scarcely anything better in the outdoors than watching a good-sized trout gulp down a perfectly presented dry fly floating down a mountain stream. There’s also something to be said for stripping streamers and watching fish bigger than you would think would live in such a small stream jet across a pool to attack a fly, such as this Blue Mountains bull trout that ate a conehead Woolly Bugger. (JEFF HOLMES)
Just over the Idaho border is Montana’s largest river, the Clark Fork. Known for its large rainbows,cutthroat, brown trout and bull trout, among other species, the Clark Fork shines in August in the Saint Regis area. The author caught and released this nice August rainbow on a Chernobyl hopper pattern. Clark Fork Trout is a fantastic outfit with an excellent fly shop in Saint Regis. Spend the day getting rowed down a beautiful river with little competition and you will want to come back and will know where the fish live. (JEFF HOLMES)
FISHING
foot in pursuit of less-pressured water and experimenting by fishing different water types is a great approach to find fish.
THERE ARE THREE main types of fishing approaches newcomers should focus on to catch fish: nymphing, streamer fishing and presenting dry flies with a drag-free presentation. Dry fly fishing is my favorite and most recommended approach for August and for those looking for the most exciting and visual approach to summertime fly fishing for trout.
Before a short description of these three approaches, it’s important to think about the food mountain trout eat. By the time August rolls around, the most abundant stream-bound insects are caddisflies and mayflies. The big stoneflies of spring and early summer are gone for the year and exist in larval form in streambeds, ready to emerge next year as adults. Caddis and
mayflies also live underwater in larval and nymph stages before emerging from the water as adults during hatches. While we see trout eating adults on the surface, they feed subsurface on nymphs for 80 to 90 percent of their diet. Fishing subsurface nymphs can be very, very effective and is sometimes the only game going. I recommend nymphing in August as an alternative when you can’t get fish to rise for dries.
Of course, there are hatches all summer long where nymphs emerge from stream bottoms and rise to the surface or crawl to the banks to transition to the adult stage. As nymphs emerge into adults and expose their wings to take flight, trout gorge on these more or less “crippled,” midstage bugs. From nymph to adult stages, caddisflies and mayflies are on the menu in August.
Also on the menu are “terrestrials,” aka insects that live on land and jump or fall into the water. August is famous
for hopper fishing, which can draw big fish to the surface even in the heat of the day. Don’t overlook black ants and beetles, either. My favorite dry fly in the mountains is a small foam black ant with a white patch on top to make it easy to see.
Nymphs can be fished with or without a strike indicator (aka a tiny fly fishing bobber), and they are certainly easier to cast without one. That said, I usually prefer to fish an indicator and recommend one for a new angler because of the visual confirmation when they sink. In very small streams, they are unnecessary, and straightlining nymphs and feeling for the bites is preferable in small waters/creeks. Just as with fishing with a float for steelhead, salmon or trout, an angler immediately lifts the rod when an indicator sinks or a potential bite is felt in case it’s a fish eating the nymph. Pulling up will hook a fish or usually pull free of a snag.
Thousands of miles of cold, beautiful, fishable mountain streams await Northwest sportsmen this August. There are more streams to explore than one could reasonably visit in a lifetime, and North Idaho’s St. Joe River is perhaps the finest. (CHRISTINE GARDNER-VANCE, USFS)
As you present a nymph, visualize what a small, dislodged little nymph would look like floating along a stream bottom, and present your fly accordingly and naturally without drag. Another option for fishing a nymph is to use a large buoyant fly as an indicator, and August is a perfect month to use one of the most buoyant, easy-to-see and effective flies: the grasshopper pattern. The so-called hopper-and-dropper combo is lethal and a favored approach for seasoned anglers. To achieve a dropper off of a hopper, tie a short section of light tippet to the eye or shank of the hook on the hopper, followed by a small nymph that won’t sink the fly. Often fish will gobble the dry or the nymph, and sometimes you can hook a fish on both at the same time!
WHETHER FISHING A big hopper or a delicate little pale morning dun mayfly imitation, dry fly fishing is
TOP AUGUST FLY PATTERNS
As for which flies to pack this time of year, here are good patterns and sizes to go with:
Dries: Known hopper patterns in sizes 6 to 10 that are proven and excellent include Dave’s, Joe’s, Chernobyl and various foam hopper patterns with yellow, beige and orange abdomens, depending on the hoppers present along a stream; foam ants and beetles, preferably black with white indicators and in sizes 12 to 16; X-Caddis and Elk Hair Caddis in sizes 12 to 16; Comparadun and Sparkle Dun mayfly imitations in sizes 14 to 18; yellow and red Humpies and also small Stimulators with abdomens the same color in sizes 12 to 16.
Nymphs: Prince Nymphs in traditional and purple colors in sizes 12 to 18; Pheasant Tail nymphs in traditional and purple colors in sizes 12 to 18; both gray and olive Hare’s Ear nymphs in 12 to 18. Fish these with or without an indicator.
Streamers: Black, brown or olive conehead Woolly Buggers in sizes 8 to 14; olive and natural-colored Zonkers and Bunny Leeches in sizes 6 to 12; olive, brown, natural and purple String Leeches in sizes 6 to 12. Cast streamers (carefully to avoid hitting yourself) perpendicular to the current or slightly downstream in deeper slots, runs and pools and strip the fly back to you 6 to 12 inches at a time. –JH
most everyone’s favorite approach when conditions and the fish allow it. Summer is the most lucrative and forgiving time to fish dries, so that’s where I recommend starting. If the fish are not rising and, most importantly, not rising to your fly, go to nymphs. But only go to nymphs if you have to.
Watching fish snatch or gulp a dragfree dry fly is one of the great joys in the outdoors, which is probably the main reason why so many love and romanticize fly fishing. Even when you do not actively see a hatch or fish rising to the surface, fish dry flies with confidence until the fish tell you they
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FISHING
don’t want to rise to your offering. If you are not fishing your dry fly naturally and drag-free, however, fish that would be willing to rise and eat likely will not. A drag-free presentation is one that allows the fly to float naturally and unencumbered by natural human clumsiness. This requires some technique, one called mending. Mending line is one of the greatest victories in learning to fly fish in moving waters. It involves manipulating your fly line and leader by gently pulling it upstream of your fly such that you do not impact any action on your fly, allowing it to drift “drag-free” and naturally. In the past, I’ve watched friends catch three fish to my 30 when they could not mend, only to see them quadruple or better their previous catches on the first day they make the breakthrough to mending and achieving drag-free drifts. The longer and more consistent your drag-free drift, the more fish you
will catch dry fly and nymph fishing in streams. Practicing dry fly fishing can be frustrating, but gains are easy to make, and sticking with it is key.
Fishing streamers is another great way to get the biggest fish in a run to grab your fly. Streamers imitate minnows and are subsurface flies that can be stripped back to you several inches at a time, tempting trout to grab a big meal by chasing down a struggling little fish. Streamer fishing can be a good option for new anglers who want to practice with the equipment and catch fish before they are adept at presenting nymphs and dries in the drag-free natural manner that trout greatly prefer. Streamers are made to be moved and are forgiving flies in terms of drawing the interest of fish without the aid of a practiced, natural presentation by the angler – no line mending needed.
WHATEVER YOUR APPROACH – nymphs,
dries or streamers – fighting fish occurs in one of two ways: holding the rod with your dominant hand while using the other hand to pull (strip) line in to bring the fish to hand, or, in the case of larger fish, reeling them in once they fight and pull all of your slack line tight and enable you to reel them in. Once you bring a fish to hand or net – and soft catch-and-release nets are essential if you use one – quickly releasing them with minimal handling by popping your barbless fly out of their mouths with hemostats or your hand is the best way to get a fish on its way safely so you can get back to fishing.
On streams where you can legally retain trout and when you want to, indulge in your preferred method of dispatching the fish, rip its gills to bleed it and get it cool – fast. Trout degrade quickly in summer, and fish poached on stringers in shallow, sun-drenched waters don’t hold up well. NS
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High-country
Target ripening berry patches for fall bruins as season opens in Washington and Oregon this month.
By Jason Brooks
Looking at the forecast for the next week, it showed high temperatures nearing the century mark. Needing to beat the heat and get some much-deserved time away from work and the city, I decided it was time to do a little backpacking in the alpine. With nighttime lows still in the mid-40s in the heights and daytime highs 30 degrees cooler than at my house, it seemed perfect. And with the opener for Washington’s High Hunt about a month away, I figured this could also be a scouting trip to find some bucks in their summertime haunts.
As I was loading my gear, which I keep in totes stored on shelves in my garage, I came across my spotting scope and hunting knives. It was about then that I remembered bear season was also open. The heat in the lowlands had kept me from thinking much about hunting, but going through my gear was a reminder that fall bear hunting begins in August and the blueberry bushes in my backyard gave promise of a good crop, as they were loaded with the ripe fruit. My plan to escape August’s heat and do a little deer scouting quickly turned into an alpine bear hunting trip.
THE NEXT DAY I found myself at a trailhead. It was hot there, too, but not
HUNTING Bears
Chad Smith smiles over a black bear he bagged last season in the Cascades. For those who actively hunt bruins, August 1 marks the opener in both Washington and Oregon, an opportunity that can also serve as scouting for mountain bucks and fishing alpine lakes. (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
HUNTING HUNTING
near the temperature of the city. As I climbed up to the alpine and neared the ridgeline, some huckleberry bushes caught my attention. The small red-orange berries brightened the day. Picking the sugar-filled treats while using my hat as a makeshift berry pail, I was excited at the thought of having enough berries to keep me satisfied until I made it to my camp spot.
My hat was almost full when I finally looked up from the bushes and caught movement just inside the shade of the fir trees. I was not the only one who wanted the huckleberries. A small cinnamon-color-phased black bear was making his way to the meadow and we both saw each other at about the same time. The bear turned and ran back to the trees before I could take off my pack.
The North American black bear is found in about every state except Hawaii. It is known to be a nuisance for those who have decided to live in suburbs, knocking over garbage cans and stealing pet food. The smaller
cousin to the famed grizzly is also a revered big game animal, with most states allowing a hunting season. What makes these creatures so unique is that they are opportunistic feeders and can thrive in various climates and conditions. Generalists that will eat just about anything that is edible, bears are more omnivorous and even have herbivorous tendencies, with some exceptions. Springtime means elk calving and deer dropping fawns, and with it, black bears turn from eating green grasses to ravaging young ungulates. They also will seek out grouse, geese and other birds’ nests and waste no time eating the eggs.
Black bears eat; that is just what they do, which makes baiting one of the most productive ways to hunt the bruins. Unfortunately, voters in many states have taken to becoming “ballot box biologists” and have outlawed baiting and even hound hunting for black bears. This occurred in Washington way back in 1996 and since then bear numbers have
Bears roam from sea level to the ridgetops across the Northwest, and it is in the heights that many hunters prefer to pursue the tasty omnivores. (JASON BROOKS)
boomed. The state’s fall season starts August 1 and – for the time being, given the interest some members of the Fish and Wildlife Commission have in more restrictive rules – hunters can take up to two bears statewide.
MOST HUNTERS PICK and eat berries as they find them along the trail, not really giving it much attention. But if you take the time to learn about the wild-growing fruits, you will increase your odds of harvesting a fall bear. Years ago, when I was still in high school and bears were one of my favorite quarries, I started my studies in horticulture and the various berry plants of the Northwest. Thanks to the region’s geological makeup and volcanoes, the soil is acidic from the ash of recent eruptions, and that soil is exactly what huckleberries thrive in.
Low-elevation plants ripen first, using the early warmth of spring and the usually plentiful moisture to get a start on growing while the snow still lingers in the high country. Once they
HUNTING HUNTING
Just as mule deer follow spring’s green up to rich summer pastures, bears won’t be far from berries such as huckleberries, blackberries, chokecherries, blueberries and mountain ash as they ripen starting in the lowlands first and climbing into the alpine world. (JASON
become fully mature, the berries start to concentrate their sugars and ripen. Then as the high country thaws, the plants there grow quickly in their short summer and a few weeks before Labor Day the berries begin to ripen. Frost comes early in the mountains, helping to concentrate the sugars. Bears will feed all day long to put on winter fat. In higher elevations, the southfacing slopes ripen first, followed by avalanche chutes and north-facing slopes. Knowing all of this helps you become a better bear hunter.
ONE SUMMER, THE mountains had a severe drought. Climbing up to
a high point along the ridgeline in mid-August, I saw that the low-lying huckleberry plants were alive but stressed. A closer look found no berries on them. Where the previous fall the open slope had held not one but three bears vacuuming up berries as if they were four-legged Hoovers, now it was empty of both bears and berries.
It wasn’t until I made my way over to a north-facing slope that held more snow and water until later in the summer that I finally found some berries. After an hour of glassing, I spotted a black-phased bear thrashing about in an avalanche chute enjoying the shade and some
high-calorie foods. The bear was a thousand feet below me, but the open slopes of the alpine wilderness made it easy to descend quickly. Inching closer to where I’d last seen the bear feeding, I came upon a large rock outcropping that stood guard over the ravine. Looking down over the edge of it, I realized the 100-foot drop would keep the bear safe as it fed underneath. The only way into his dining room was from below, but the warm thermal winds rising in the afternoon sun meant I would have to try for this bear another day. With food sources like berry patches being the places where bears
BROOKS)
HUNTING HUNTING
Along with their ginormous piles of colorful poo, tracks and trails, another tell that bears frequent an area is
concentrate in the fall, it is common to find more than one animal working an open slope. Mature boars are solitary, but a sow will share the slope with other bears, especially young boars and other sows. If there are cubs in tow, the small family group will be nervous and keep to themselves. A spotting scope is necessary, not only to distinguish dark shadows from bears, but also to make sure that the bruin you want to pursue is a mature boar. When a bear is located, if another bear is in proximity, then they are likely sows or a young boar. Cub-bearing sows usually reveal themselves quickly, as the cubs do not venture too far.
I am not always looking for a large boar, especially when my tent is several miles from the trailhead. A smaller boar, from 3½ to 4½ years old, eats well and packs out much better than an older and larger one. Bears are habitual and will often use the same routes to and from the berry patches. If you find a trail, look
closely for tracks and other signs of bear use. Scat is often considered by hunters to be one of the signs of game. Though deer and elk hunters do not really learn much from the piles and droppings other than frequency of the animals’ presence, bear scat can teach you a lot about the bruin that left it behind. It can indicate when the bear was last in the area, depending on how fresh it is.
Once you find a pile, kick it over or use a stick and see what the bear has been feeding on. Mountain ash is a typical fruit of the high country, and the tell-tale sign of the pits are left in the bear’s waste. Blueberries and huckleberries turn it a blue or red color, and of course it is soft.
Finding one pile helps, but when you start to find multiple piles in a small area, then you know that this bear is visiting this berry patch on a frequent basis and is nearby. Also, trails are often worn through the ground cover, another confirmation the area is being frequented by bruins.
DURING AN EARLY high-country deer hunt one fall, I came across a large basin with a small pond and the headwaters to a creek full of huckleberry plants. Making our way down into the bowl, we saw that the low-lying pink heather had well-worn trails through it. This area was about a mile from the nearest maintained Forest Service trail and the paths intertwined. They were bear paths, worn over years of use by bruins that slept in the shaded hillsides and made their way back and forth to the clearing for food. It was as good as the bait barrels we used to put out when we could back in the 1990s – a natural dinner table with lots of bear activity.
On the second afternoon of watching this small basin, a single bear appeared, ambling along from the shadows of the noble firs on one of the trails to the huckleberry fields. The bear was a black-phased boar of average size. Knowing that bears were using these trails led me to finding the bear and filling my fall tag.
claw marks on trees. (JASON BROOKS)
HUNTING HUNTING
Unlike bears that are drawn to a bait pile or use beaches or waterways to find fish and other forage in places such as Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, huckleberry bears need a constant field of sweet fruit. Where each new tide can bring food to the same exact location, a hunter who uses bait knows they need to refresh it regularly. As huckleberry plants only grow one crop each season, once the berries are gone, so are the bears. This is why a hunter needs to locate the plants and make sure there is a sufficient berry crop still left to bring bruins in. North-facing slopes are the last areas to ripen and often hold the best concentration of berries. Once I see that an area has been worked over by a bear, I try to find another area close by. Most of the time this starts in lower elevations and then works its way upslope until reaching the alpine.
Any hunter who has hiked along an open face above tree line has heard the whistle of a marmot. Black bears, being opportunistic feeders, will be out munching on berries, pulling down mountain ash trees and using ravines filled with thimbleberries. Most bears are spotted because of movement, either the animal itself or the bushes it is pulling on and thrashing while trying to gather as many berries as possible with each mouthful. This is where the marmot helps. Their whistle is very distinct, and if a bear is not presenting a shot opportunity, try whistling like the shrill of the small rodent. Black bears have terrible eyesight but decent hearing, and often this commotion will help in drawing their attention and curiosity. The idea is to pull the bear into the open for a better look at it and potentially a shot. There are hunters who have been successful in calling bears with predator calls, but I have found bruins in good berry patches are typically reluctant to leave them. Still, they will look around to see what is making the shrilling noise, holding still long enough for a clean shot.
HUCKLEBERRY-PATCH BEARS ARE fine
eating. Heavy with fat marbleized in the meat, these bruins make for great meals. I have the hams cured and smoked and some of the harder-totenderize cuts made into a sausage, but the steaks off a bear that has been doing its fall feeding on huckleberries is a mild and tender piece of meat. As for the hides, in the early part of the season, they are usually thin and
often not worth packing out. But a mid-September bear hide after the first frost is thick and lush.
With numerous bears often spotted in a single day, hunting high-country bruins in berry patches is one of the best fall hunts you can have in the Northwest. Learn how to read berry bushes and know where they are located, and you will be a successful bear hunter. NS
Along with turning bear meat into delicious sausages, steaks and hams, some hunters also like to make rugs out of their bear hides, preserving the memory of their highland animal and the hunt in perpetuity and giving it an honored place in their home. (JASON BROOKS)
The Bear Necessities –And More!
ON TARGET
By Dave Workman
Fall black bear hunting opens in the middle of summer – go figure – on August 1 in Washington and Oregon, and this is the time to be looking around all of those high-country huckleberry fields as they ripen, as well as anywhere one might find other bruin diet staples.
Black bears eat salmonberries, wild blackberries and lots of other berries, certainly apples in abandoned orchards –which seem to surprise me now and then by being in places I’ve stumbled upon over the years – along with insects, larvae, grasses, bees and honey, and if there’s a
carcass of a dead elk, deer or somebody’s stray cow, you might find a bear nearby.
Black bears are omnivores, so they eat all kinds of stuff, and this time of year they will be feeding to build up a layer of fat for the long winter ahead. From morning to evening, bears are looking for food, and hunters should take advantage of that.
While most of the Northwest is open for black bears, note that there are some restrictions. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Game Management Units 157, 490 and 522 are closed to fall bear hunting and hunters planning to hunt in areas identified as grizzly bear recovery zones must take a test an annual WDFW online bear identification test. These units are GMUs 101, 105, 108,
111, 113, 117, 203, 204, 209, 215, 418 and 426, and they are located in Northeast Washington, northern Okanogan County and the North Cascades. Note that there have been reports of grizzly activity up in Stevens County around Addy and north of there, so be alert.
About the quickest way to separate a grizzly from a black bear is to look for that telltale hump on the grizzly’s shoulder. I have seen one griz in the wild, from a distance several years ago in North Idaho, and I knew right away what I was looking at.
NEW LEVER GUNS
As an underscore to the looming bear season, some weeks ago, Marlin announced two new versions of its lever-
If you’re itching to start hunting big game right now, fall black bear season has your name written all over it. Brandon Jewett bagged this beaut of a boar last August after months of patterning it. (KNIFE PHOTO CONTEST)
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Just in time for bear season come Marlin’s new .44 Magnum Trapper and Model 1895 Trapper in .45-70, both good calibers for bruins. (MARLIN)
action Trapper series, the Model 1895 in .45-70 Govt., and the Model 1894 in .44 Magnum. Both calibers are good for black bears, and the .45-70 can be devastating.
The Model 1895 features a Magpul ELG stock and forend. It’s got a 16.17-inch coldhammer-forged threaded barrel cut with
a 1:20-inch rifling twist. The stock has an interior compartment that holds six extra cartridges. According to Marlin, the rifle ships with a length-of-pull spacer kit that, once installed, can increase the length of pull up to 1½ inches in ½-inch increments, and there is also a cheek riser kit.
The Model 1894 Trapper in .44 Magnum has a 16.1-inch cold-hammerforged threaded barrel featuring Skinner sights. The bore of this gun is also cut with 1:20-inch rifling with six lands and grooves on a right-hand twist.
Let’s talk ballistics. The .45-70 is an
If you don’t hunt black bears in August, use the days to tune up your shooting. This month typically finds Workman at the range checking the zero in his hunting rifles. (DAVE WORKMAN)
awesome cartridge, and depending upon the load (propellant and bullet weight), it can deliver up to more than 3,000 footpounds of energy with a muzzle velocity of 2,275 feet per second. There isn’t a bear on the landscape that won’t be clobbered by such a load.
Handloaders love the .45-70, whether used in a lever-action repeater or a singleshot rifle. I’ve known some people who brew up some nasty bear loads in it that have also anchored elk and even moose.
The .44 Magnum is no slouch when it comes to stopping big game. Out of a 16inch rifle barrel, a 240-grain bullet could be traveling at better than 1,400 fps with more than 1,100 foot-pounds of energy. On a trip to Alaska way back in the past century, my host carried a .44 Magnum Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 7½-inch barrel, stoked with 240-grain softpoints because he had a vacation cabin in an area known for bear activity. Heavier bullets are available for the .44 Magnum, and they also pack a punch.
Of course there are many other great bear-stopping cartridges on tap, from the .30-30 Winchester on up, including the .308 Winchester, .30-06, .270 Winchester, .350 Remington Magnum, and so on. I
once knew a fellow who hunted them with a .338 Winchester Magnum!
For handgunners, popular calibers range upward from the .41 Magnum to such high-energy stoppers as the .460 and .500 Smith & Wesson, the .480 Ruger, and .454 Casull, .475 Linebaugh and .500 Linebaugh. We’re talking about hellacious stopping power.
Black bear season continues well into November, but during the coming weeks, bruin hunters can also be on the lookout for grouse broods for next month. By the time grouse season rolls around in September, my guess is that they will have a pretty good idea where to be on the opener.
USE SUMMER FOR PRACTICE
For those who aren’t hunting black bears in August and early September, use the time to your advantage by heading to the range and making sure your big game rifle for deer and elk is properly zeroed.
I have long counseled big game hunters to enjoy those long, warm evenings and earlier daylight hours of August – although they are getting shorter – to spend the time at the shooting bench.
By the time you read this, I’ll have spent some quality time at my local gun
range just checking zero on several rifles, including a .30-06, .308, .300 Savage and .257 Roberts. (Don’t forget your rimfire rifle and/or pistol either, given small game and grouse opportunities!)
From one year to the next, I’ve found that my rifles do not change zero dramatically. I use the same loads year after year because they’ve been successful. My philosophy about this is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I may adjust my crosshairs a bit, but usually if that is required, it’s a small adjustment.
Once you’ve confirmed your rifle(s) will deliver on opening day or whenever you get the chance to press the trigger, clean them, and wait until a few days before the opener, return to the range, fire a couple of fouling shots and head for camp.
This is also a good month for wingshooters to practice up. Mourning dove season opens September 1, and there is no better time to tune up your wingshooting reflexes. Look for preseason shotgun shell sales and stock up. Get a case of clay targets and get busy shooting.
August might also make for a good opportunity to take a long drive through the Yakima Valley or the greater Columbia Basin to check on dove numbers and locations. NS
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Accommodation Recommendations
BECOMING A HUNTER
By Dave Anderson
In most Western states, the drawings for special tags and permits have all been completed and posted online. There may still be some second-chance drawings, but the bulk of permit and special hunt allocations has come and gone. You should be able to see online what you drew if you applied for any tags or have been notified via email or mail. This will give you solid ideas of what your fall hunting schedule should look like. Based off the results of the draws, I have a clear idea of what my fall plans will
be. Therefore, my preparation and scheduling is well underway.
If you are planning to hunt out of state or a long way from home, you are going to need to plan and prepare well in advance of the upcoming season. Unless you are familiar with the area you will be hunting, you are going to need to find a spot to camp or stay and scout the area/land you will be hunting. In this article I am going to point out a few different things that I have already planned out for this season. I have found that planning certain things ahead of time helps make these hunting trips more convenient, comfortable and – at least for me – more rewarding.
THE WAY I plan for my upcoming hunting seasons has changed over the years. When I started, I was big on camping with wall tents and bringing all my gear in a truck, especially when I was hunting on my own. When I was younger, I had a lot less gear than what I do now, and I was still successful. But after spending years doing the wall tent camping thing, I slowly moved up to a couple of large travel trailers that were homes away from home. It was very nice to have a mobile camp with all the comforts of home. I was mobile and could stay relatively close to wherever I was hunting.
However, this also had its own set of challenges, namely that the cost of an RV is
True, there’s a lot to be said about roughing it while hunting big game in the Northwest, but author Dave Anderson has moved from wall tents to travel trailers to vacation rentals for some of his hunts, especially those held during colder portions of the season. (DAVE ANDERSON)
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not cheap, nor is the truck to tow the trailer. Sure, there are cost-effective RVs and trucks, or you can purchase something used that may not be as nice as a brandnew trailer or truck. But for me, I have always liked having new or close-to-new vehicles because I know how they have been taken care of and in most cases, they come with a limited or extended warranty, giving me peace of mind knowing that I am covered in the event of a breakdown. In my opinion, these warranties are necessary, especially with all the slideouts and other mechanical things that can break.
Not only is cost a factor, but Mother Nature and temperatures can also pose a challenge. I’ve experienced extremely cold temperatures during multiple hunting trips where I could not use my water or toilet in the trailer. There was also the added stress in having to tow over mountain passes when the weather
was far from desirable for being on the road. Overall, there will always be pros and cons to using an RV for hunting. I also found that I spent more time storing my RV and having it winterized than I did using it, so I ended up selling it and shifted to a different way of lodging during my planned hunts.
THE PAST FEW years, I started renting Vrbo homes during my hunting trips. Sure, I love a good wall tent camp and being back in the woods. But anymore, I thoroughly enjoy the modern conveniences of a house. I appreciate having a nice warm place to stay, coffee makers, daily showers and full kitchens to cook up some amazing meals. Furthermore, the reduction in gear I need to take on the road makes it much easier to travel, which is a huge bonus. For the most part, I only need my hunting clothes, range box, rifles or bows, coolers and food. Speaking of food, I usually bring along my MiniMax Big Green Egg to cook some great steaks and burgers on.
When I go on a trip, I usually am not on my own. We will have up to six people who will split the cost of the house. The most per person that we have spent so far for up to a week has been under $300, making it very cost-effective to have a nice property to stay at and save us the hassle of bringing a ton of extra tents, wood stoves, cots, sleeping bags, cooking stoves and more.
For this upcoming season, I have one planned out-of-state cow elk hunt with an outfitter and five other friends of mine. Planning for this hunt started at the end of last year and once we found out that we drew the tag, I was able to book a rental close to where we will be hunting and finish all the initial plans. This hunt will take place in the first week of January, a time when the weather is unpredictable. There is a high probability the weather will be absolute garbage, with poor winter road conditions the majority of the way. Our outfitter, Wood River Big Game Outfitters (woodriverbiggameoutfitters.com), provides transportation to and from the hunting area, picking us up in the morning with a pair of heated
It still requires a lot of planning, but being able to pare down the gear needed for a traditional hunting camp is a relief for Anderson, making for a more relaxing and enjoyable time afield. (DAVE ANDERSON)
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side-by-sides. They provide an affordable three-day hunt without lodging. I believe the cost for our Vrbo is $280 per person.
Our hunt is in Meeteetse, Wyoming, just south of Cody, and will be a great option since we do not have to travel to an area towing our own personal side-by-
sides or four-wheelers. It’s close to 1,000 miles one way for some of the folks in our group and 600 miles for me. Towing an ATV/UTV in icy, snowy, windy conditions is not my idea of fun. For $1,500 per person, it is well worth it to go along with someone who has all the necessary equipment
and knows the area. The outfitter lives there, so they know how the elk migrate, where they move from and move to.
PLANNING AND BOOKING (if needed) lodging ahead of time should be at the top of your list when it comes to preparing for your hunting season. Whether it is finding somewhere to camp, if that is the route you are taking, or trying the convenience of staying in a Vrbo, you should consider looking at your options as soon as possible. I have found that rentals book out quickly, especially during general hunting seasons, so planning where you will stay should be at the top of your list.
The older I get, it seems like the less time I have and the more I prefer a bit of comfort and convenience over roughing it. I also do not enjoy pushing myself to get somewhere, so I have found that planning and preparing for my hunts well in advance is necessary. In the end, when I am not stressed out about getting everything put together and planned out, I have a much better time and am more relaxed afield. NS
While his checklist might be a lot shorter these days, one thing Anderson makes sure to bring is his MiniMax Big Green Egg to grill steaks and burgers when the hunting day is done. (DAVE ANDERSON)
I Love (Juicy) Lucy
CHEF IN THE WILD
By Randy King
Coming off the hill, I was exhausted. What seemed like a good idea about seven hours before had turned into a heat stroke in the making. It was high summer in Southwest Idaho and the August sun was upon us.
The temperature was supposed to be in the mid-90s – not too bad, but hot enough to be dangerous – but unfortunately, the clouds that were forecast never showed up.
I had missed the trail I was hoping to connect to and got “lost” looking for a mountain valley I wanted to scout. I was
hoping to find a wallow or two for the elk season that was only a few weeks away. Instead, I ended up walking on the wrong side of a small group of hills, never finding a wallow.
At the end of the day I was low on water and sunburned, and by the time I got back to my truck I was starving.
I stopped at a little restaurant in a village named Montour and ate the biggest burger on the menu – the “Juicy Lucy.” It was two 1/3-pound patties smashed together with cheese in the middle. Then I added bacon for fun.
I had a milkshake too. And a Coke. And a big glass of water.
Then I passed out in my booth for about half an hour. I woke to a waitress
poking me and asking me if I was OK. Startled awake, I replied, “I am now!” then quickly paid and left on the two-hour drive home.
The burger had transformed me. I was no longer spent – I was refueled. Literally.
I love that strenuous activities determine dietary desires. As hunters, fishermen and hikers, we crave hamburgers because they fill a need our body has after a hard workout. Quick carbs for energy – the bun. Fat and protein – the cheese and meat – for longer burn and sustained energy. Just like the cravings of expectant mothers, athletes desire to eat what their body tells them they are missing. And a burger does just the trick for a hungry elk hunter. NS
A cheese-stuffed two-patty burger named the “Juicy Lucy” revived author Randy King after a long, hot day of scouting for elk and inspired this issue’s recipe. (RANDY KING)
HOW TO MAKE A NONSUCKY VENISON BURGER
OK, look, I do not name things. I want that to be very clear at this moment. I did not come up with the name “Juicy Lucy” for an Americancheese-stuffed hamburger. Honestly, I hate the name. It sounds lewd in the same way that Richard Nixon’s nickname of Tricky Dick does. But I can no more rename Caesar salad to “anchovy and parmesan cheese dressing served on romaine” than I can rename the Juicy Lucy hamburger. Let’s rewind for a second and examine how the stuffed burger got this horribly conceived name. According to legend, two bars in Minneapolis (the only town that I have ever been mugged in, by the way) came up with the burger in the late 1950s. Matt’s Bar and 5-8 Club both claim provenance on the sandwich, so named
when a customer is said to have exclaimed, “This is one juicy lucy!” while consuming the burger. Like most things in the food world, the true inventor is lost to time, but the recipe lives forever.
Aside from the just-about-NSFW name, the burger is quite good. It does take a little more prep time than a regular cheeseburger, but I think it is worth it.
WHY WILD GAME HAMBURGERS USUALLY SUCK
When overcooked, all hamburgers tend to be dry. It’s the same with all meat, honestly, but it happens a lot more frequently with wild game because the meat naturally lacks fat most of the time.
It is this lack of fat that leaves most wild game chefs recommending 10 to 20
percent of the “burger” you grind be pig fat. This will help the meat stay moister longer in the cooking process. And then if you stuff the center of a burger with cheese –especially American cheese – you get a lot of fat!
American cheese is created out of normal cheeses like cheddar or Colby, but other things are added while it is pasteurized, sometimes to the point where it is no longer able to be classified as just “cheese” by the USDA. A “pasteurized process American cheese” has to be made out of cheese except for the emulsifying agent, salt, coloring, acids and dairy fat sources. This all can amount to less than, but no more than, 5 percent of the total weight. However, a lot of places use “pasteurized process American cheese food.” This label is used if it is 51 percent cheese or more. The remainder can be all sorts of other dairy- or oil-based products (usually cheaper than cheese, and added to stretch the product).
The Juicy Lucy burger is stuffed with cheese. This means the cheese is adding a ton of fat right in the middle of the burger. This helps keep it moist and the cheese adds a ton of flavor.
JUICY LUCY BURGER
2 pounds ground venison (preferably mixed with 10 to 20 percent pork fat)
4 slices American cheese
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns (dealer’s choice)
Traditional hamburger accompaniments including but not limited to:
Iceberg lettuce
Tomatoes
Mayo
Mustard
Ketchup
Pickles
Grilled onions
Sliced red onions
Etc.
Separate the ground meat into eight equalsized balls (photo 1), then use something to flatten them; I use two plates (photo 2). (RANDY
KING)
COLUMN
Make sure to line whatever you are using with plastic wrap to ease the process.
Next place a slice of cheese into the center of one of the patties (photo 3). Place another patty on top. Lightly press the edges of the meat patties together (photo 4). You want to press enough to get the meat to recombine but not so hard as to destroy the patties. It is a delicate operation, but after one or two of them
you will get the idea.
Carefully remove the patty to a tray and refrigerate until use, or at least one hour. This allows the meat to get sticky and hold together better than immediately cooking it.
I cook Juicy Lucys in a pan or on a flat surface (photo 5). I find that grilling them is an invitation to disaster – the cheese will melt, fall out and catch fire. Trust me on this one and save yourself the experience.
After seasoning it, cook the burger until you see blood starting to come up along the edges of the patties (photo 6), then carefully flip them. Never press a cooking burger – pressing drives moisture out of the meat, and that makes burgers dry. When both sides are brown and cooked, place the stuffed burger on a bun of your choice and garnish as you wish. Enjoy the fuel! –RK
(RANDY KING)
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you
Get A Jump On Wingshooting With Collared Doves
Invasive Eurasian species
now widespread across Northwest, and there are no limits nor closed season.
By David Johnson
It’s safe to say that August is not a favorite month of bird hunters.
Though upland seasons tend to be generous in the Northwest, the classic fall targets for hunters – quail, grouse, pheasant, chukar and mourning doves – do not start until September or October, with the main waterfowl seasons even later. There are almost no birds legal to hunt this time of year.
“Almost” is the key word for bird hunters facing the August version of cabin fever, because there is one legal opportunity for wingshooters: Eurasian collared doves. Collared doves are an invasive species that gained a foothold in Florida in the mid-1980s and have since rapidly spread across the United States.
As an invasive species, they compete for resources used by native mourning doves. Washington, Oregon and Idaho all recognize collared doves as invasive and have imposed no limits and no closed season on them. The birds are widespread and common in dove habitats across all three states.
Collared doves are also good on the grill, in taste and texture essentially the same as mourning doves, and like mourning dove meat, collared
Author David Johnson bagged this Eurasian collared dove on an Eastern Oregon ranch. An invasive species, collared doves are similar to native mourning doves in that they like to feed on the edges of pastures where cattle are fed hay. East of the Cascades, find them where gravel roads, irrigation ditches and other breaks line fields. (ROSE ALBRECHT)
HUNTING
dove breasts have an affinity for being wrapped in bacon just before they hit the grill.
Success in hunting collared doves is not unlike what all bird hunting depends on: You have to find the birds somewhere you have permission to hunt; you have to observe how the birds move through and use their habitat; and then you have to set up to be in gun range of them at the right time of day.
FINDING COLLARED DOVES
Collared doves are widespread, but I have yet to find them in concentrations of hundreds or thousands of birds working a single set of agricultural fields, as sometimes happens in classic mourning dove hunting.
Once you begin to keep an eye out for doves, however, you will notice places where several collared
The characteristic black feathers on the back of the neck help identify Eurasian collared doves, and in flight their larger body size and pale color help hunters further distinguish them from mourning doves. While Idaho, Oregon and Washington do require a hunting license (though only on public lands in Oregon) to pursue them, there are no limits and season is open year-round, with a couple exceptions. See your state’s regs. (TOM KOERNER, USFWS)
doves are present. They are good at exploiting a variety of habitats. In Oregon, for example, I’ve taken them in sight of the Pacific Ocean along the South Coast and on farm fields in the extreme opposite corner of the state in Northeast Oregon.
They can be present anywhere there are roosting trees, food sources (like mourning doves, they eat grain and weed seeds) and, in late summer, a water source. They are also not shy about living around people, and will often be found near farms or in semirural areas near fields or forest edges.
They are also prone to exploiting grain fields and places where livestock have been fed grain or grain hay.
I’ve taken a number of collared doves in places near widely spaced houses, and in those cases the collared doves’ crops were often full of what looked like the sort of bird seed people
put out for native songbirds. These particular collared doves had a kind of daily “milk run” during which they left their roosting trees in the morning, hitting the offerings of bird feeders (where their size allows them to cut in front of songbirds), drinking from bird fountains, and resting in trees again.
Step one, then, is to develop the habit of keeping your eyes out for doves around places you can hunt. But in the case of collared dove hunting in August, an even more critical part of your scouting needs to be the ability to distinguish between collared doves and mourning doves. The native mourning doves are a federally regulated migratory bird that is not legal to shoot in August. As in any kind of hunting, you are responsible for accurately identifying what you are shooting at.
Collared doves get their name from a collar-like band of black feathers on the back of their necks. Mourning doves do not have this black band. The band does not extend all the way around the throat of the bird, however, so it is not usually a reliable method of identifying the birds in flight.
If you are new to collared dove hunting or new to an area, it’s a good idea to spend some time observing the doves you notice before you hunt them. Their collar is easy to see when the bird is resting on a tree limb or feeding or watering on the ground.
Especially if there are also mourning doves around, you will soon notice other differences between the two species. Collared doves are slightly larger and bulkier-looking than mourning doves – a characteristic you can learn to see when the birds are in flight. Collared doves are also noticeably more pale than mourning doves and this is another way you can, with practice, identify them in flight. Collared doves also tend to fly more slowly than mourning doves.
For this kind of scouting, a good pair of binoculars will help you get used to identifying the birds. Identify collared doves on the ground by their black collars, then observe them in flight, contrasting what you see with
HUNTING
mourning doves in flight. After some practice, it’s as easy to tell them apart as it is a whitetail from a mule deer.
SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS
Because collared doves are widespread but often do not congregate in huge numbers in any one place, they are for me a target of opportunity. I notice their presence through the summer, and when I find somewhere I can hunt, I spend an hour or two setting up for a few shots.
The birds fall into patterns in late summer. They go from roost to food source to water to resting trees (often within sight of water or the food source they are using). They trade back and forth between resting on tree limbs and feeding for much of the day. Often, in hot weather, they will
visit a water source at day end before returning to roost for the night.
As long as food and water last, they’ll do the same thing every day until fall weather forces a change. Though quite capable of flying long distances, they’re perfectly happy roosting as close as possible to their food. It’s a lazy life, which for collared doves means a good life.
The stability of their habits gives any hunter who has noticed them a big advantage. They are also much less wary of humans than mourning doves are, which means you can usually set up close to their water or food sources.
I prefer setting up near the food, because collared doves visit food more often than water, and since their food is on the ground, they have to fly in low to land, presenting easy shots. If
several doves are in the area, they are likely to come in sporadically, affording more than one shot opportunity.
Especially in the arid areas of Eastern Washington and Oregon, dove concentrations may be influenced by the presence of standing drinking water in August. Doves seem to prefer drinking at stillwater sources rather than streams, creeks and rivers. If you find the water hole they are using and there is a little cover around it to break your outline, you could have a good place to sit late in the day.
For hunters who like wingshooting, collared doves in August are not going to turn into your favorite bird to hunt. But they are a fun opportunity, and an excellent warmup for fall. Keep an eye out for them and give them a try this month. NS
Illustrative of the widespread range of collared doves, this one was taken along the Oregon Coast, where the edges of shore pine stands gave way to weedy dirt road edges, standing freshwater and distant neighborhoods with bird feeders. (SEAN BURKE)
Always Heed Seeds
By Scott Haugen
Spring and early summer may seem like the most dangerous time for grass seeds and dogs, but the next few months are every bit as critical. Now is when grass seeds have baked in the summer heat and turned hard as a rock, and worse yet, they’re laying on the ground.
Earlier in the summer, concerns focus around gun dogs inhaling seeds as they run through tall grass, or getting them lodged under an eyelid or in an ear. Valid concerns, no doubt, but now is the time
when many gun dogs suffer from barbed seeds that get burrowed into their feet, and it can bring their hunting season to a halt – or worse.
Foxtail seeds, often called awns, are the most dangerous in our region. This noxious grass produces a cluster of seeds at the top that resembles a fluffy fox tail. When the seeds drop off the stalk, their backwardfacing barbs are designed so the seed can “dig” into the ground in coming months. If a dog steps on them, these barbed seeds can become embedded in the toes or webbing between the digits and keep working their way into the dog’s muscles, even body cavities.
LAST FALL, A buddy’s dog got a foxtail in its foot. It traveled up the front leg. He took the dog in for surgery and though they split the leg all the way up, the seed couldn’t be found. After a $5,000 vet bill and no seed, they put the dog on antibiotics. Today it’s doing fine.
That was one of the lucky dogs. These nasty seeds have been known to travel all the way to the spine and cause nerve damage, even death by infection when abscessing in parts of the body. My vet told me last summer that on average he saw one dog a day with a foxtail in the foot; in years prior, the average was one a week. Both of my pudelpointers got foxtails
GUN DOG
Now is a critical time to pay attention to dangerous grass seeds, which could potentially interrupt your gun dog’s hunting season – or worse. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
COLUMN
in their feet last year. Neither dog showed any sign of discomfort. They kept running, worked hard on every hunt and training session, and never licked, limped or whined. In both dogs I noticed inflamed pink spots between their toes when drying their feet after a hunt.
Kona’s spot was red and inflamed. After a couple days it festered and I tried popping out the seed. It didn’t happen, so the next day I took Kona to the vet. They sedated him and fished around the entry wound with long forceps, hoping to latch onto the seed. They couldn’t find it. I had a decision to make: leave it and hope it festered and popped out, or have surgery? Surgery would mean a long recovery time
and a lost hunting season. Because the festered area seemed localized around a knuckle and not migrating up the leg, my vet and I concluded I’d just keep an eye on it. Five days later, the seed worked its way out – half an inch from where the vet tried digging it out.
TWO MONTHS LATER, Echo picked up a foxtail in the webbing of her toes. It entered more from the bottom. A visit with my vet left us hoping the seed would continue traveling in a straight path and pop out the top of the foot.
“If it doesn’t pop out in a few days, bring her in,” he told me. It didn’t.
“The seed doesn’t seem to be moving, and rather than dig around, let’s just see what happens,” the vet next advised.
The redness and swelling hadn’t progressed, and the wound was sealed. Echo was going full speed, even duck hunting a few times a week. My thinking was the more active she was, the greater the likelihood of the seed working its way out. The vet put her on antibiotics. Twentythree days after I noticed it, the seed festered and I pulled it out. The barbs were sharp and the seed hard.
I was under the assumption these seeds eventually dissolved. My vet told me otherwise. Echo only missed a few days of hunting. Because Kona’s wound was open, he missed two weeks of hunting.
I’VE ALWAYS TRIMMED the hair on the feet and between the toes of my dogs in order to prevent grass seeds from getting caught. Then a trainer told me he leaves the hair between the pads long so that it captures the seed rather than having it directly puncture the skin and immediately start burrowing in. He did emphasize that if I kept the hair long, to check it regularly – multiple times a day, in fact – because spiked seeds are more easily trapped in the hair and need to be removed fast.
There are other spiked weed seeds to watch for as fall progresses. Some of these seeds drop early and some stay on the vine until heavy rains knock them off. These seeds aren’t as life-threatening as foxtails, but they can cause serious eye and ear damage, even infection, if they go unnoticed.
The best grass seed prevention is continual inspection. Look for seeds, feel for them in longer hair and brush any areas of concern. Don’t count on a working gun dog to let you know there’s an issue, as their drive overrides any pain or irritation they might be experiencing. By being aware and prepared to deal with dangerous seeds, not only can you save your dog’s hunting season, but possibly its life. NS
Editor’s note: Watch author Scott Haugen’s basic puppy training videos and learn more about his many books at scotthaugen.com. Follow his adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
After probing into Kona’s foot with long forceps for a barbed seed without success, author Scott Haugen and his vet decided to leave the wound open to drain. Antibiotics prevented infection and luckily, the seed eventually festered and popped out atop the knuckle. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
