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Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

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Northwest Sportsman 9

CONTENTS

143

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 6 (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

8 GREAT INLAND TROUT WATERS Well before April and its trout come to town, March serves up great fishing in the lakes and rivers of far Eastern Washington, North Idaho and Western Montana, including Lake Roosevelt where Frank Whitney Sr. picked up this beautiful ’bow a few winters back. Here’s how to fish these eight great waters this month!

FEATURES 31

‘HANG ON!’ Idaho’s SJX makes jet boats that are “a totally different animal.” Ride along with our Ralph Bartholdt on a trip to the Orofino factory, and then up the river! PLAN B FOR B-RUNS – MAPPED! Tucked back in the hills between Kooskia and Elk City, and featuring great access, the Clearwater River’s South Fork produces good fishing for nice steelies this time of year. 2016 SPRINGER FORECASTS How many spring Chinook are headed back to your river? Jason Brooks has all the figures for the Columbia system! TRIED-AND-TRUE COLUMBIA KING TACTICS With more normal river conditions in play this season, it will pay to stick with known techniques for spring salmon above and below Portland and Vancouver. THE GURUS: JACK GLASS Our series on some of the best all-around Northwest salmon and steelhead anglers continues with the man from the Sandy.

106 WHERE THE FISHIN’S FINE With favorable exchange rates, Vancouver Island’s fish-rich west coast looks great. Jeff Holmes overviews the best ops. 125 BASIN’S BEST WALLEYE – MAPPED! Guide Keith Jensen shares how to fish Potholes Reservoir and Banks Lake for early-season walleye.

DEPARTMENTS 17

The Editor’s Note

Correspondence

The Big Pic: Taking It Easier On Wild Steelhead

Derby Watch: Roche Harbor Classic; Upcoming derbies

Outdoor Calendar; Sportsmen’s Shows; Record Fish

Dishonor Roll: Karma’s Revenge; Jackass Of The Month

Photo Contest Winners

Rig of the Month: Columbia Springer Herring Set-up

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

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Northwest Sportsman 11

CONTENTS

COLUMNS 40

BUZZ RAMSEY With steelies and springers both in play, here’s Buzz’s game plan for fishing this month.

SOUTH COAST As Rogue and Coquille steelheading peaks in March, Randy has how to fish ’em, and takes a look back at this winter’s rain-soaked fisheries in Southern Oregon.

WESTSIDER Make a little room, 503ers – Terry’s arming 206ers, 253ers and 425ers with Willamette springer advice from three top guides.

165 CHEF IN THE WILD “Loathsome,” not worth cooking – that’s what folks say about jackrabbits, but they’re a nimble meat when canned, Randy preaches. 171 ON TARGET Dave reports back from SHOT Show on a couple .22 rifles and over-and-under shotguns that caught his eye.

97 THE KAYAK GUYS Using tips from the power boaters, former shore plunker Mark Veary shares his journey to catching Willamette spring Chinook from a kayak.

119 CENTRAL OREGON In his farewell column, Scott shares his favorite fisheries east of Oregon’s Cascades, and they should be great in 2016! 137 BASIN BEACON March 1 marks the opening of the Quincy Lakes for trout fishing, and Don’s details a couple secrets for fishing them! 157 NORTH SOUND From cutts in lowland lakes to snowshoe hares up high to the only steelheading opportunity in all of Pugetropolis, Doug’s got March’s options covered. (JARROD RIVERA)

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Northwest Sportsman 13

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

or a slow time of year, winter produced a lot of news of note. From the continuing illegal occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to the future of sturgeon fishing in the Lower Columbia to the latest attacks on hatcheries throughout that basin and in Pugetropolis, there’s a lot to pay attention to.

WE’LL START WITH Sound steelies. If statements Washington fishery managers made to lawmakers in Olympia in January come to pass, around half a million or so early-timed winter-run smolts will be released into five Puget Sound river systems this spring, rejuvenating hatchery programs that are on the brink of collapse on some waters. The Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Kelly Cunningham assured state legislators that in discussions with the National Marine Fisheries Service, “They indicate we will have the requisite (ESA) coverage and we will be able to release fish this spring.” However, federal overseers still have to complete their reviews in time – and some are suggesting they’re purposefully dragging their feet and/or not providing enough time to deal with last-minute legal challenges. That would be disappointing, because during another hearing with the state House’s fish and wildlife committee, WDFW’s Jim Scott said, “Are they high risk (to ESA-listed wild fish)? I would answer that emphatically no.”

INDEED, THESE AIN’T your gramp’s hatcheries, but that seems to matter little to the Wild Fish Conservancy. The overly litigious gang turned their attention from the Sound to the Columbia and its überimportant Mitchell Act-funded hatcheries, and announced it would sue the feds for not reviewing plans for salmon and steelhead facilities. WFC’s move may really be more related to trying to block approvals in one place by shifting the workload of overburdened NMFS reviewers elsewhere than any real concern over Endangered Species Act-listed fish, but for their part Washington managers were confident their updated plans would pass muster. If ISP addresses from the Washington, DC, area reading my blogs on the situation were any indication, the importance of Mitchell facilities is understood in the country’s halls of power, but some anglers were taking no chances and asked their Congressmen to put federal agencies’ feet to the fire and OK the documents asap.

AS FOR STURGEON, in response to alarming stock indicators, Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to start talking with Oregon about banning all angling for the species on the Lower Columbia. However, Beaver State bios were more cautious: “It seems very hard for me to believe the population in excess of half a million could not handle catch-and-release fishing,” ODFW’s Tucker Jones told OPB. “They’re not as strong as we’d like them to be, but it’s not looking like they’re in dire straits.” SPEAKING OF DIRE straits, the folks who want our public land for nothing are still active. In mid-January I attended a rally in support of national lands and the federal staffers who manage it for us, and I will continue to oppose attempts to wrest that ground away from we the people. I encourage you to do the same. –Andy Walgamott

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CORRESPONDENCE NEZ PERCE KNOW-HOW Word that Nez Perce Tribe eﬀorts to restore fall Chinook yielded a record number of redds (9,345 vs. 6,714 in 2014) in the Snake River buoyed readers of our Facebook page. “And it wasn’t because there were no hatchery ﬁsh around,” noted Scott Nichols, while Sam Eason wants to “put the tribe (to work) on our springers.”

‘MORE HABITAT THAN THERE’S EVER BEEN’ – SAY WHAT?!?! A mid-January update on fish and wildlife issues during a Washington state Senate hearing sparked some unexpected debate over habitat when Sen. Brian Dansel (R-Republic) questioned WDFW Director Jim Unsworth’s contention that “habitat loss” was one of the state agency’s biggest future challenges. Reflecting on recent years’ land acquisitions, Dansel told Unsworth that he’d wager “everything I’m worth” that today “there’s more habitat than there’s ever been.” That didn’t sit well with Gary L. Johnson: “I have been in Washington for 58 years and I have seen the development that is destroying why we live here. More buildings, houses, developments, orchards, alfalfa fields, marinas, etc. If wildlife could speak, would it say more?? Wildlife is living on smaller tracts every year with more negative human encounters.” In 2001, WDFW estimated 70,000 acres is annually converted to uses that “(eliminate) or seriously (degrade) the lands’ use for fish and wildlife habitat.”

A COUNTER TO THAT ‘COUNTERINTUITIVE’ WSU RESEARCH Wolfies treated a 2014 Washington State University Large Carnivore Lab study that produced the “counterintuitive” finding that removing wolves that kill sheep and cattle leads to an increased chance of depredations the following year as The Final Word on the subject, but earlier this winter, researchers at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks came out with their own “counterintuitive” findings – that that approach may actually lead to more removals down the road than just eliminating the pack in the first place. Responded biologist Bart George, “This one is much less counterintuitive.”

MOST LIKED PIC WE HUNG UP ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE DURING THIS ISSUE’S PRODUCTION CYCLE A little nibble on some eggs led to a very large catch for Drew LaBar – this 43-pound Oregon North Coast fall Chinook that also drew a lotta love on social media. LaBar was ﬁshing with a friend and his friend’s father in September. “I’m glad these guys were there to share the experience with,” he writes. We’re glad you shared it with us, as well! (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

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Washington ﬁshery overseers recently passed strong new rules to protect most of the state’s last best stocks of wild steelhead, but author Matt Clabaugh says there are even more ways to reduce our angling impacts on the iconic species we Northwest sportsmen can’t get enough of. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

Going Lighter On Wild Fish How to reduce our angling impacts on native steelhead. By Matt Clabaugh

t was a beautiful April day on the coast as my good friend and steelheading partner Kelvin “Pesky” McDonald and I rowed our way to the takeout after a good day of fishing. There were some fish hooked, some fish landed and a good time had been had on one of the most beautiful rivers in Washington. But what happened in the next 20 minutes would entirely shift the good vibes to feelings of sadness and guilt. As our float neared its end, we noticed a slot on the right side of the bank.

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“This looks like it could hold a fish,” I casually mentioned to McDonald. He pitched his drift rig to the top of the slot and seconds later his rod doubled over. “Fish!” he screamed excitedly, “and it looks like a big one!” I quickly maneuvered the raft downstream and across to the other side of the river, which had a big gravel bar for McDonald to play the steelhead. The fight lasted only a few minutes before the fish slid to the bank. We were astonished by the size of the fish, yet disappointed in the battle. The large buck had brilliant spawning coloration and was on the

20-pound mark, yet the fight was on par with what one would expect from a measly 5-pound bass. After a quick photo, McDonald turned the fish upright and prepared him to swim back into the depths from which he had come. The only problem was that the fish wasn’t ready. “What’s the hold up?” I asked. “You need to get that fish ready and on his way or it’s going to be a dead steelhead.” “I’m trying, but he won’t move,” McDonald replied in a concerning tone. Something was definitely wrong. The steelhead lay on its side and its eyes

MIXED BAG looked lifeless and grim. I jumped in the water with McDonald and grabbed the fish and held it upright underneath the surface. Time began to move slowly: 30 seconds came and went, then one minute, and then five. The fish still wouldn’t move. After trying to revive it for over 20 minutes, we hesitantly came to the conclusion that the buck was almost dead. There was no longer any indication of life except for occasional gill movement as the fish gasped its final breaths. We decided that a dead fish would serve better as river nutrients than waste away in one of our freezers, so I reluctantly let go and watched the fish tumble downstream and go belly-up on the bottom. The drive home was silent and full of despair. This was the first time either of us had had an encounter with a wild steelhead that resulted in mortality, even with several hundred of them under our angling belts. We speculated about what had gone wrong. We use barbless hooks and stout gear, the fish stayed in the water the entire time, our handling was minimized and the photos we snapped took less than a few seconds. In the end, we determined the most probable contribution to the fish’s mortality was simply that it was later in the season, it was likely the fish had either recently spawned or was about to, and that other angler contact may have played a role since the stream had received a lot of recent pressure. It didn’t matter, though, as the fish was dead. But it did get me to thinking. In this day and age, wild steelhead need as much support and protection as they can get. With run escapements dwindling, more stocks being listed under the Endangered Species Act and seasons becoming shorter and shorter, we anglers must closely assess what we can do to limit our impacts on wild steelhead. We cannot rely solely on fisheries managers, tribal comanagers and outdated management practices based on obsolete harvest models to bear the burden of conservation when the status quo tends to favor harvest before conservation. We have a duty as anglers to fight for the fish and limit our own individual impacts, and there are

several ways that we can do this.

LIMITING OUR ENCOUNTERS This means intentionally not trying to catch as many steelhead as we can. Many young anglers and even guides feel compelled to hook as many as they can when they go fishing. This type of attitude does nothing but increase competitiveness in the sport, or maybe put you on a pro staff or two so you can show off your angling prowess. Instead of trying to hit double-digit days, try looking for the quality of the experience. For example, the last few years I picked up the spey rod and now do more fly fishing. These methods are the most challenging ways to catch steelhead, and because of that, you will not catch as many fish, which will lessen your impact. (Nothing has rekindled my passion for steelhead more than fly fishing, by the way.) But in my mind, it is without question the most rewarding way to catch a fish. Through trying to limit encounters with wild fish, this presents a good opportunity to try a new method and hone in on a different technique you have always wanted to try but do not feel confident with. Whether that be drift fishing, throwing hardware, bobbers and jigs, flies, etc., versatility with different techniques will help you feel more fulfilled and accomplished as a steelhead fisherman than any double-digit day will do. You can also cut back on trips targeting wild steelhead. I used to fish twice a week – and sometimes more – during the peak of the wild runs. I can count last season’s trips on one hand. Fewer trips to the river equates to less encounters with fish. Avoid popular catch-and-release fisheries, where fish are hooked and played repeatedly. Don’t fish later in the season during spawning time, and don’t fish on or near known spawning locations.

KEEP ’EM WET Steelhead are very resilient creatures, but that does not make them immune to harm. There is nothing worse than pulling one up onto the beach to flop around on the rocks, or netting and bringing it into a boat to thrash around. Fish need water to breath, and taking

them out of the river prevents them from doing just that. Avoid touching the fish as much as possible. It is tempting to hold them for glory shots, and if you must, wet your hands first before handling, and keep as much of the head underwater as possible. Ideally, as you land a fish, pull it into the shallows and grab the line above your hook or lure with one hand and remove the hook with the other hand, while keeping the fish in the water.

DON’T OVERPLAY FISH Battling your average-sized steelhead should never take longer than 10 minutes, tops, and unless you’ve hooked a fresh 30-pound behemoth hell bound for the Pacific, if your battles last longer, you should reconsider your gear. It is important to use stout rods and heavier line to quickly bring wild steelhead to hand. Allowing them to fight for long periods of time contributes to lactic acid buildup, which can be fatal. You should never use line lighter than 12to 15-pound test; use rods that are rated for these heavier lines to land fish quickly. RELEASE QUICKLY TOO Once a steelhead is brought to hand, if you must get measurements and photos, you should not take any longer than about 30 seconds before releasing the fish. There is a lot of science available that suggests keeping a fish out of the water for even as little as 10 seconds significantly increases the likelihood of mortality. Keep photos to a minimum, and only take measurements if the fish is a true trophy that you plan to get a replica made for. Does it really matter if the fish is 19 pounds or 20 pounds? It is still a nice fish.

SINGLE BARBLESS HOOKS This one is obvious, but isn’t always followed by some anglers. There is also a lot of scientific evidence out there proving the presence of a barb increases mortality on fish, especially smolts and other smaller fish. Using single barbless hooks also facilitates the release of the fish since the hook should slip out easily once you go to release it.

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MIXED BAG Earlier this winter, the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission voted to ban trebles and barbed hooks on Olympic Peninsula wild steelhead streams, a rule change that takes effect this July.

USE ARTIFICIALS ONLY You would be surprised how often I see anglers fishing with bait during wild steelhead season, as well as how many fish Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen completely swallow eggs, etc. Using artificial baits, lures or flies decreases the probability of having to perform unnecessary throat surgery on a wild steelhead that has swallowed your bait. The fish commission also voted to limit the use of bait to periods and river stretches when hatchery fish are returning. ADVOCATE AND EDUCATE Spread the word to others. Inform anglers of friendlier ways to fish for and handle wild steelhead. Join conservation groups that advocate for wild steelhead. Attend fish and wildlife

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meetings and write letters in support of additional measures and protection. If nobody talks about wild steelhead or gives a damn about them, nothing will ever improve and the problem will never be acknowledged. Without question, fishing is a blood sport. It always has been and always will be. This will never change. But following some simple guidelines can greatly assist in lessening our angling footprint on wild steelhead, while ensuring that we are doing everything short of giving up fishing completely in order to protect them. These steps can also be applied when fishing for other species as well, and are good rules of thumb to follow when you cannot keep or do not plan to retain a particular fish. The time is now to do what is needed for wild steelhead. This may be our last chance before the elusive grey ghosts tumble even further into the abyss and

The author releases a native. Starting next winter, no wild steelhead can be retained in state waters in Washington, a big step towards conserving the species. (MATT CLABAUGH) disappear for good. It is sad knowing there is now one less 20-pound steelhead swimming in Washington waters and likely more to follow, unless things change. But at least its death wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in vain. NS

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By Andy Walgamott

Quincy Derby ‘Real Exciting, Real Quick’ In Early March Finish At Roche Harbor Classic

entral Washington’s Quincy Valley Tourism is putting on its 6th Annual Trout Derby on March 5th at Burke Lake. This is a great opportunity to try out some of the proven techniques in my Basin Beacon column (p. 137) this issue, and I’ll be at the event to help anglers improve their odds too. The derby’s grand prize is a brandnew aluminum boat and trailer. All you need to do to qualify for the final drawing is to catch one of the five biggest fish of the day. For more, go to quincyvalleytourism .org or call Carri at (509) 787 2140. A food vendor will be present for breakfast and lunch. It’s an event you and your family don’t want to miss! –Don Talbot

t went to the wire at the 13th Annual Roche Harbor Salmon Classic. Held out of the San Juan Island port Jan. 21-22, it looked like Blake Stiller was going to take home the grand prize of $10,000, thanks to a 16.6-pounder the Anacortes angler caught early on the first day of the derby. Fishing was “pretty darn slow” for most, according to participant Kevin Klein, and some folks could’ve used a cup of coffee to stay awake between bites. But then, in the last 30 minutes, “things got real exciting, Duke Fisher took ﬁrst real quick,” he says. and $10,000 at the “With half an hour left to go in the tournament, we checked in a fish 13th Annual Roche with the head check boat, and they had some interesting news. ‘Got an Harbor Salmon Classic in the San Juans with update for ya’: Pete Nelsen, 17.2, new leader,’” Klein reported. this blackmouth of Nelsen’s name is famous in the San Juans, and with 30 derby wins 17¾ pounds. to his credit, organizers couldn’t have been blamed if they had started (KEVIN KLEIN) writing out the big check to the Shaw Islander right then. But then came word an angler with another big ’un was running desperately for the scales. Lucky for Duke Fisher, he got there in time to weigh a 17-pound, 12-ouncer and take the ten grand back to Burlington. “These derbies are so fun and exciting because of finishes like this, and it happens a lot,” says Klein. Nelsen and Stiller ended up with nice paydays, $5,000 and $3,000. Derek Floyd and crew claimed $2,000 for best boat haul, 48 pounds, 9 ounces. The event is part of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series. A total of July 8-10: Bellingham Salmon Derby, San Juan Islands; 100 boats and 345 anglers weighed in 92 salmon.

2016 NORTHWEST SALMON DERBY SERIES

bellinghampsa.com/wp/derby July 27-31: The Big One Salmon Derby, Lake Coeur d’Alene; lcaaidaho.com (note: awards ceremony Aug. 6) Aug. 6: South King County PSA Salmon Derby, Areas 10, 11, 13; pugetsoundanglers.net/skc-puget-sound-anglers-derby-page Aug. 12: Gig Harbor PSA Salmon Derby, Areas 11, 13; gigharborpsa.org Aug. 20: Columbia River Fall Salmon Derby, Lower Columbia; swwa.org Sept. 3: Willapa Bay Salmon Derby, Willapa Bay; dfdbones@aol.com Sept. 10: Edmonds Coho Derby, Areas 8, 9, 10; fisharc.com/ groups/2-PSA_Sno_King/derbies Sept. 24-25: Everett Coho Derby, Central Sound salt- and freshwaters; everettcohoderby.com Nov. 5-6: 25th Annual Bayside Marine Salmon Derby, Central Sound; baysidemarine.com Dec. 1-3: 2nd Annual Friday Harbor Salmon Classic, San Juan Islands; fridayharborsalmonclassic.com TBA 7th Annual Resurrection Derby, San Juan Islands; resurrectionderby.com

NEXT UP IN the series is the 10th Annual Everett Blackmouth Derby, held March 19 in Marine Areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9. Dale Helgesson won last year’s with a 16.12-pound immature Chinook, caught on the north side of Hat Island, and good for $3,000. Put on by the Everett Steelhead & Salmon Club, derby tickets ($100, with 125 available and good for up to four anglers per boat) are available at numerous local tackle stores. There’s also a seminar Weds., March 16, at Bayside Marine in Everett with expert angler John Martinis. For more info, go to everettblackmouthderby.com.

MORE UPCOMINGEVENTS Weekly through April 10: Frank Wilson Memorial

Blackmouth Derby; facebook.com/fhkingsmarine March 12 through the end of season: Westport Charterboat

Association Weekly Lingcod Derby; charterwestport.com April 9: 24th Annual Spring Fishing Classic; Columbia and

Willamette Rivers; nsiafishing.org More events: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/index.html. To have your derby or results listed here, email awalgamott@media-inc.com. nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

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OUTDOOR

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FEBRUARY 28 29

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MARCH 1 5 10

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FEBRUARY

26-28 Great Rockies Sport Show, Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds, Helena; greatrockiesshow.com

26-28 KDRV Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, Jackson County Expo, Medford; exposureshows.com

26-28 Wenatchee Valley Sportsmen Show, Town Toyota Center, Wenatchee; shuylerproductions.com

27-28 Saltwater Sportsmen’s Show, Oregon State Fairgrounds, Salem; saltwatersportsmensshow.com

MARCH 3-6

3-6 4-6 11-12 12-13 17-20 17-20

Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show, Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Redmond; otshows.com Idaho Sportsmen’s Show, Expo Idaho, Boise; idahosportsmanshow.com BC Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, and BC Hunting Show, TRADEX, Abbotsford; masterpromotions.ca Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo, Linn County Expo Center, Albany, Ore.; nwexpo.com Great Rockies Sport Show, Adams Center, Missoula, Mont.; greatrockiesshow.com Big Horn Outdoor Adventure Show, Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, Spokane; bighornshow.com Puget Sound Boat Show, Tacoma Dome; otshows.com

APRIL 1-3

Great Rockies Sport Show, Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman, Mont.; greatrockiesshow.com

TO BE DETERMINED Oregon Coast Sportsman’s Expo, Lincoln County;

oregoncoastsportsmansexpo.com

RECORD NORTHWEST GAME FISH CAUGHT THIS MONTH

(TACKLE TOM’S)

Date

Species

Pds. (-oz.)

Water

Angler

3-1-14 3-6-84 3-14-81 3-25-89 *Image

Yellow perch* Pacific cod Pile surfperch Bull trout

2-11.68 19.63 3.57 23-2

L. Cascade (ID) Ediz Hook (WA) Quartermaster Hbr. (WA) L. Billy Chinook (OR)

Tia Marie Wiese Ralph Bay Steve Urban Don Yow

nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

Northwest Sportsman 27

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MIXED BAG

Karma Strikes Buck Poachers

By Andy Walgamott

Washington wildlife ofﬁcers recovered this mule deer buck after it was thrown from a vehicle in a rollover accident well past the end of hunting season. (WDFW)

JACKASS OF THE MONTH

hanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest, but 2015’s was marred by wanton wastage in far Eastern Oregon. Five mule deer were illegally shot and wasted the week of the holiday in Baker County, and four of those were bucks killed apparently for their headgear alone. The case is still open, and in midwinter the state police asked for the public’s help in bringing the jackass(es) responsible to justice. According to OSP, the incident occurred oﬀ of the main Lookout Mountain road, in the Lookout Mountain Wildlife Management Unit. It also involved a wild turkey. A reward for information is being oﬀered. Anonymous tips can be phoned to (800) 452-7888, or you can call Senior Trooper Brad Duncan (541-519-7867) in Baker City.

all it karma, kismet or Ma Nature’s revenge – it struck when a truck carrying an allegedly poached mule deer buck rolled on a remote Eastern Washington road. According to WDFW’s Capt. Chris Anderson in Ephrata, on Dec. 30, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office responded to a one-vehicle rollover accident near the town of Marlin. Upon arrival, a deputy saw a large mule deer buck and then notified WDFW. When Officer Chris Busching arrived, the driver told him that the deer had been hit by a car. The carcass, however, suggested otherwise. Busching “found a fresh bullet hole in the chest cavity, and no evidence of any external trauma,” reports Anderson. The driver, who was also arrested for allegedly driving intoxicated, gave officers the name of a passenger who allegedly shot the buck but left the wreck before police arrived. Follow-up investigation with that individual led to an alleged confession. The rifle that officers say was used to shoot the deer was recovered from a home near Marlin, where it had been stashed. WDFW planned to submit the case file to the county prosecutor’s office for a charging decision.

More Tribal Members Accused Of Crab Poaching

wo more Tulalip Tribes members stand accused of poaching Dungeness crab in Puget Sound. In mid-January, WDFW officers arrested Robert Fryberg and Nicholas Edelman as they sold crab at a nail salon. “They stole a thousand crab in the six weeks we observed them,” Deputy Chief Mike Cenci told reporter Matt Markovich of KOMO News. The operation allegedly focused around the Tulalip Reservation in Marine Area 8-2. The arrest follows on last year’s investigation and the arrest of Joe Hatch Sr., former codirector of the Tulalip Tribes fish and wildlife agency. He and his son Joe Hatch Jr. were both charged by tribal authorities with 13 counts of fishing in closed waters.

In late January, an anonymous tip led Oregon wildlife troopers to cite Jaden Simpson, 19, of Burns for illegally possessing the skulls of four trophy mule deer skulls. Under state law, it’s illegal to possess the skulls of game animals without tags for them. However, shed hunters are allowed to collect antlers they ﬁnd. According to the state police, charges against Simpson were going to be sent to the Harney County District Attorney’s Ofﬁce for potential prosecution. (OSP)

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MIXED BAG Steve Stajkowski, owner of SJX Jet Boats, at his company’s shop along the banks of the Clearwater River in Oroﬁno, Idaho. A 2170 model is trailered up and ready to go behind him. (RALPH BARTHOLDT)

‘Hang On!’ Idaho’s SJX makes jet boats that are ‘a totally different animal.’ By Ralph Bartholdt

teve Stajkowski makes aluminum scream. But it’s not just that. He makes it dance, stop on a dime, raise its tail and jump backwards, and then buck forward and slip snakelike through rapids. He makes 21 feet of hull and free board, paint-coated, textured, bow, stern and gunwales kick, zip, rear up, dig down, swerve and snort. If he were a cowboy, Stajkowski would cash in at cutting horse championships, but he does all of this on moving water, in the boats he designs for customers from Fiji to Fairbanks to Orofino. “I was giving a demonstration in the Philippines,” Stajkowski recently recalled. “I had the authorities with me. We went up these jungle rivers that none of them had ever been on before.” That’s because they had not seen a boat that could skip effortlessly over debris, skate over rapids, through narrow, shallow channels where water spit and trickled more suitable to wading than accommodating a roaring Mercury inboard jet engine blowing speed through a tunnel hull. Especially not one wrapped in the glowering face of something akin to a World War II Warhawk, or in digital camo, or one emblazoned with brown bears and an orange sunset. Stajkowski’s SJX boats have many looks, but they all have one thing in common. “These don’t look like your typical jet boat and they don’t run like your typical jet boat,” Stajkowski says. “They’re a totally different animal.”

THE BOATBUILDER GREW up in a place made famous by animals.

The land surrounding Idaho’s Clearwater and Snake Rivers once had one of the nation’s largest elk herds, it still boasts 16 herds of bighorn sheep, and offers hunting and fishing opportunities that aren’t easy to surpass. As a kid in Lewiston, Stajkowski spent most of his free time hunting and fishing in places where the lines on the map were close together, sometimes rubbing. These were the canyons of the Clearwater and Snake, where the land drops suddenly in elevation like a chukar flushed and floating from magma outcrops to a river bottom in a few fleeting seconds. The terrible touching of contour lines as the country drops like a free-fall underfoot is nowhere more pronounced than Hells Canyon – a destination place for people who keep bucket lists, but home to Stajkowski who grew up and still lives on the canyon’s liquid front steps. Because of its proximity to some of the nation’s finest white water, the Lewis and Clark Valley became home to a growing jet boat industry starting in the 1960s. The valley was dubbed the nation’s Jet Boat Capital of the World and it employs a substantial cadre of river runners, some of them drawn to boat work as teenagers with a compulsion for high-powered watercraft. Stajkowski began working in a boat shop while attending high school and spent most of his evenings heading upriver. “I was up the Snake all the time, every day after work,” Stajkowski says. “I’d haul to Heller Bar, put the boat in the water, fish until dark and then come home.” He worked for Norm Riddle, the founder of Weldcraft, as an apprentice guide and eventually a boatbuilder. And what he learned on the ground, and what he knew from his own experiences on the water - like river channels joining the main

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Northwest Sportsman 31

MIXED BAG stem - eventually became SJX (sjxjetboats.com). The initials of the company he founded are a sort of double entendre with the X standing firm, designating “extreme,” such as extreme sports, and in this case extreme jet boating. Stajkowski’s middle name is James, but packaged differently, SJ could stand for “super jet.” You decide.

With their wide bottom, SJX Boats make a stable platform for bowﬁshing for carp, a popular activity in the Inland Northwest. (SJXJETBOATS.COM)

THE SMALL SIGN on a hill in Orofino, 40 miles upriver from the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater, tells of Stajkowski’s commitment to a special kind of watercraft. The sign is shaped like one of his boats. It has a low profile and angles, airborne, toward

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the sky. Today, the sky overhead looks like rain. Snow, a foot deep last week, is mostly gone, lingering in the low hills around town that slink, wooded toward the river. A few steelheaders watch bobbers on the banks of the Clearwater, which cuts through Orofino like a broadsword. Inside the steel building, behind one of the glass doors brushed with the boatbuilder’s name in small red letters, a dozen or more employees weld, mold, emboss and otherwise busy themselves crafting broad panels of aluminum into what will become an SJX river-running tunnel hull capable of taking its passengers swiftly to places once relegated to the patient and long-winded paddlers of Zen. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt and ball cap, Stajkowski, a man of medium age and built like a football halfback, is answering emails at a desk in an office adjacent to the shop. “I get emails from all over the globe wanting quotes,” he says. Today he is weathering a pinched nerve in his neck that has shot pain to his shoulder since Thanksgiving. It hasn’t kept him off the water. When customers come visit, like the one who is on his way from the Midwest to touch and feel one of the boats – the popular 2170 (“21 feet long with a 70-inch bottom”) – Stajkowski does what he is wont to do: run and gun on the river that you could hit from the front of the shop with a rock, if you had a good arm.

nwsportsmanmag.com nwsp nw n nws wsp ssp ports ort o or rts rrt tsma manm man manm aan nm nmag.c nma aag g.c g .com .c om | MARC M MARCH ARC ARCH A R RCH RC CH C H 20 201 2 2016 01 0 16

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MIXED BAG SJX BOATS HAVE a Zen of their own that starts slowly and builds Stajkowski couldn’t do it today: “It feels like my shoulder is with the forward pressure of the throttle. Fat alligator tears well in being pulled off,” he winces. the eyes of forward-leaning It won’t stop him from passengers as river air, still putting one of the newly a moment earlier, now made boats in the water, gussets into their face like a waiting for his next touchhitchhiker on the interstate and-feel customer. bracing for what’s left of a “They travel from all passing semi. over the world to do that,” And then Stajkowski Stajkowski says. has leaned on the throttle He had a man fly in and the boat is on step and from Estonia unannounced breaking into a channel as for a touch-and-feel, and wide as a Fruehauf tractor gave him a boat ride. The trailer but moving gray and man wrote a check before Like many Northwest-based boatbuilding outfits, SJX has reached into markets beyond leaving the water. anglers and hunters – New York fish and wildlife officers shoot through skinny water in one sullenly with a rock shelf up When Stajkowski talks, of the company’s craft. (SJXJETBOATS.COM) ahead, its lip a good place his enthusiasm for his work for staging anadromous fish. and its product is masked by the quiet confidence of someone “Hang on!” Stajkowski yelps into the wind. who has recognized gold, and is waiting for you to catch on too. The multicolored SJX airs over the shelf and around a bend, On the wall in his office, a world map is pinned with the places his and just before the rock-solid chin of land can catch the bow, boats have been shipped. “My daughter hasn’t kept up on that,” he Stajkowski jams the engine into reverse and the 21-foot boat that says. Colored pins crisscross every continent. weighs 1,750 pounds empty, but a bit more loaded, gulps its bow

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Northwest Sportsman 35

MIXED BAG

The question for Northwest sportsmen will be, But can you catch salmon and steelhead out of an SJX boat? The answer would appear to be, Yep, you betcha, if these Clearwater ﬁsh are any indication. (SJXJETBOATS.COM) into the river, then dances backwards like a newly hooked redside rainbow shaking its head. “Hang on” becomes the new catch phrase. The current sucks the boat downstream and Stajkowski slams the throttle forward again and, rock outcrop easily averted, the SJX leans hard starboard, folds around a bend into open water and the throttle tilts as the 2170 tail skips upstream. We’ve seen this before. It is reminiscent of a meat-eating rainbow trout at the end of a line. Landlocked or sea run, it

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emanates strength and a kind of whacked-out resilience that the word “wild” best describes. Stajkowski does this with all his boats. When they come freshly wrapped out of the shop, he trailers them, rolls them to the river and makes them dance. It’s part of the prerelease process. He is making sure the boat performs like its new owner expects. “It’s just like a big jet ski,” he says. “I take a lot of people for boat rides and the most common thing I hear when we’re done is, ‘I had no idea.’” Stajkowski’s boats dance so well because of the tunnel hull that he designed decades ago to fit an inboard motor. The jet intake sits higher in the hull, preventing it from sucking up dirt and debris, and the hull attracts air, which provides lift, making the boat ride higher. Then there are the amenities, including a Teflon-like UHMW coating melded to the hull that acts as a 3/8-inch-thick insurance policy. At close to 40 grand a pop, the boats fill a niche for enthusiasts who want toughness, flexibility, acrobatics and craftsmanship. “There’s no other jet boat that can do what these boats do,” Stajkowski believes. After more than 30 years in the boating industry his homing instinct, like his passion, has remained intact. “Where else can you get all this recreation in every direction, from the rivers to the lakes and mountains?” Stajkowski asks. NS

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Northwest Sportsman 37

38 Northwest Sportsman

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS!

Rich Richardson is this issue’s monthly Daiwa Photo Contest winner, thanks to his photo of daughter Samantha and her Irvine Lake, Calif., rainbow. It wins him a Daiwa hat, T-shirt and scissors for cutting braided line, and puts him in the running for the grand prize of a Daiwa rodand-reel combo!

Matt Bliss is our monthly Browning hunting photo contest winner, thanks to this pic of his Eastern Washington mule deer. It scores the Tacoma riﬂeman a Browning hat!

Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

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

Northwest Sportsman 39

Early in March, you’ll ﬁnd Buzz Ramsey working westside rivers in hopes of landing trophy-caliber late winter steelhead ... (BUZZ RAMSEY)

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COLUMN

WHICH WILL IT BE: STEELHEAD

SALMON?

D BUZZ RAMSEY

o I, and/or when should I, switch from chasing winter steelhead to spring salmon is the question avid anglers, especially those residing within easy driving distance of the Lower Columbia, may be now asking themselves and is what this month’s

column is about. If you don’t have a boat capable of maneuvering the big river and are enjoying plenty of late-season steelhead fun, it’s easy enough to answer. However, if you’ve already had plenty of fun chasing winter-runs and your stomach is yearning for a bite of yummy salmon flesh, you may be wondering if you should give the early-season spring Chinook fishery a try.

... And by late March, Buzz and his compadres Chris Sessions and John Weinheimer will be hammering the Columbia for spring Chinook. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

BECAUSE SEASONS OVERLAP, if you’re new to this sport you may be confused about what the status of each run is. Make no mistake, the opportunities for winter steelhead on many rivers is really good during March. In fact, on some streams the numbers and catch rates may be peaking during the nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

Northwest Sportsman 41

COLUMN While catch-and-release is how many anglers view steelhead this time of year, not so with scrumptious salmon. Hatchery springers are a treat to eat, and bite well on herring, prawn spinners and plugs, among other offerings. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

third month of the new year. On others, the run is past its peak and things are winding down. On still other river systems, especially

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those with broodstock hatchery programs, the fishing can be excellent during March and, given reasonable water conditions,

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Northwest Sportsman 43

COLUMN

UPGRADED RAMSEY AIR ROD OUT The all-new upgraded Berkley Buzz Ramsey Air Rod series graphite fishing rods are now better than ever. Noted angling professional Buzz Ramsey shared a lifetime of expertise to help Berkley rod engineers create the ultimate Buzz Ramsey Air rod series. With Buzz’s help these newly upgraded rods have the right components, actions and cosmetics to meet the demands of serious anglers everywhere. “The Air Rod Series now features Complex Matrix extend into early April. While I can’t list the run timing for all rivers here, generally speaking, those draining the Olympic Peninsula, Southwest Washington and Oregon tributaries draining into the Lower Columbia or Pacific are where you will likely find open seasons and bright winter steelhead still leaving the ocean to begin their upstream journey. It’s very different if you’re thinking of chasing steelhead in Idaho or the eastern Oregon or Washington; the fish you’re after are summer steelhead invigorated by warming water temps that have caused them to resume their upstream journey into tribs where they will spawn. As for springers, they’re just beginning to enter the Lower Columbia and Willamette during March, but the peak of the run

composite construction, which creates a stronger, lighter and more sensitive rod,” Ramsey says. “Along with the addition of several new actions (like 9-foot-6 and 10-foot-6 herring rods and the reintroduction of the onepiece 8-foot mag-taper plug rod), they also feature off-the-chart cosmetics, longer fore-grips, the addition of durable, rubberized shrink wrap handles on casting models to better hold up to rod holder abuse (cork handles will remain on spinning models), the addition of at least one rod guide on all models, and doublefooted SS304 rod guides featuring titanium nitride coated guide inserts that won’t groove, break or fall out of the guide frame,” Ramsey says. –NWS here doesn’t happen until April.

SO WHAT’S DRIVING all the coverage this issue, along with the chatter and early participation in the salmon fishery on the Lower Columbia? First, given the status of wild spring Chinook due to the hydro dams killing up to half the smolts before they reach the ocean, most anglers realize that if they’re going to participate in this popular fishery, they better get with it early, meaning March, before the early season closes, April 9. (The river is also closed two Tuesdays, March 29 and April 5, for potential commercial netting.) While the number of fish bound for the Upper Columbia and Snake River systems, 188,800, isn’t bad – in fact, it would be the

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10th best run of the past 36 years and is just 10 percent lower than the average over the past decade – the smaller run size means a continuation of the onehatchery-fish-only daily limit in the mainstem Columbia. Fortunately, the boat-fishing deadline is Beacon Rock. Because the run is building in March, the later in the month you go, the more fish are likely to be found. However, it’s also true that the biggest tides of the month, particularly later on this month, will push an increasing number of early fish into the Columbia. Another factor that might influence where you fish spring Chinook should be the large number of fish bound for the Cowlitz. According the biologists, the Cowlitz should have a run totaling 25,000 this season. (In case you missed it last year, the Southwest Washington river had an actual return totaling 23,800.) This year’s run will not only add to the number of hatchery fin-clippers entering the Columbia, but should provide decent early fishing in the lower Cowlitz itself. Likewise, the number of fish bound for the Willamette, at 70,100, will boost the number of fish finning the Lower Columbia this month too. According to my math, we should see a combined run of nearly 300,000 fat spring Chinook enter the Columbia this season – plenty enough to provide decent early-season catches. However, given that the upriver portion of the run is nearly 100,000 less than in 2015, this year we anglers are likely to see a somewhat shorter season than in the recent past on the Lower Columbia, which is all the more reason to gear up for the March fishery.

MY MARCH PLAN is to chase winter steelhead early in the month and switch to spring Chinook on the Lower Columbia during the latter portion. I’ll be watching the tides in advance of planning my trips in hopes of capturing one of those omega3-filled salmon. NS Editor’s note: The author is a brand manager and part of the management team at Yakima Bait. Like Buzz on Facebook. 46 Northwest Sportsman

MARCH 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Northwest Sportsman 47

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FISHING

PLAN B FOR B-RUNS Tucked back in the hills and featuring great access, the Clearwater’s South Fork produces good ﬁshing for nice steelies

The lure of large steelhead in small water attracts gear and ﬂy anglers to Idaho’s South Fork Clearwater River. (MIKE WRIGHT)

By Mike Wright

or a number of years my high school had a tradition of starting out the softball and baseball season with a twoday tournament in Orofino. It was always scheduled for mid-March, when snow covered the fields of North Idaho and far Eastern Washington. It also coincided with the latter part of the steelhead run on the Clearwater River and its tributaries. Since I helped with the coaching duties I would always make the trip, but unfortunately I never had the opportunity to do any steelheading. Then one year I decided to take a fly rod along and try my luck between games. The schedule would give me enough time for a couple hours of fishing between contests.

Someone suggested the nearby North Fork of the Clearwater, which had a lot of fish in the river at the time. So I made my way down to the river, walked to the water’s edge and started to cast into a very clear, slow-moving section of the stream. To my delight, very quickly a nice 24- or 25-inch fish followed my fly – until he got close enough to inspect the offering and abruptly turned and swam away. As I continued to work this section the same thing happened three more times. Even though I changed flies, and tried different retrieves and speeds, the results were the same: no takes. I even switched to a sink-tip line, but all that did for me was a couple hook-ups on rocks and the loss of two flies. That evening I went into a grocery store to buy some snacks and drinks for the next day. While in the store I

ran into one of my former students, who was working for the U.S. Forest Service out of Orofino. I told him my tale of woe and he said I was really fishing in the wrong spot. He went on to tell me that the Clearwater’s South Fork was the preferred destination for most fly fishermen. He stated that it was a smaller river with well-defined holes and generally was much easier to wade. The next morning I left just after dawn to make the relatively long drive to Kooskia and the South Fork. Although we had a game at 11, I felt there was enough time for a couple hours of fishing. Unfortunately, just after I arrived at the river the heavens opened up. After only a few casts it was very apparent these were not the ideal conditions for steelhead fishing. Nor was it ideal for softball or baseball. The rest of the tournament nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

Northwest Sportsman 49

FISHING The South Fork features great access, thanks to Highways 13 and 14, which parallel it for all 65 miles between Kooskia and Elk City. (MIKE WRIGHT)

Kooskia

South Fork Clearwater Steelhead

Stites

Harpster

Smolt Release Locations Best Public Access

* * 14

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Elk City

14 14

was cancelled and I went home with nothing to show for my efforts.

SINCE THAT ILL-FATED journey to the South Fork I have fished it several times, learning a great deal more about and gaining much more respect for this outstanding fishery. The river forms at around 4,000 feet, just outside the old mining town of Elk City. Its upper reaches flow through a narrow, heavily timbered canyon on Forest Service land. Steep and full of rapids and pocket water, you might catch cutthroat, rainbow, brook trout, mountain whitefish and possibly bull trout here. The water in this section is cold and very clear, even though a number of mining operations have worked the area in the past. The swift current, higher elevation and shade trees help keep water temperatures cooler through the warmer summer months. Further downstream, the gradient becomes more level and the river bed widens. Water temps rise in this section, with a consequent negative impact on the fish, particularly cutthroat and bull trout. There is considerably less streamside vegetation and shade in this lower section. The river also flows through more private land the closer it gets to where it empties into the Middle Fork of the Clearwater. The main attraction in this part of the river is steelhead, which start showing up en masse this month and in April. For the most part, these are B-run fish, meaning they have spent an additional year in ocean and thus are older and bigger than their A-run counterparts. “Big fish in small water is the major allure for the South Fork,” notes Mike Beard of Northwest Outfitters (nwoutfitters.com) in Coeur d’Alene These steelies often run in the 12- to 20-pound range, with the As coming in at 6 to 10 pounds. Shallower, wadeable water punctuated with deeper holes help make this stream a destination fishery for flyrodders from all over the Northwest. But even though it can provide excellent steelhead fishing, the South Fork can also be rather fickle, requiring knowledge of the river and fish habits. Often the steelhead remain downstream in the Middle Fork until conditions are just right. The best time to fish is after a rain or melt-off has created a push of colder water, then stabilizing at around 350 to 500 cubic feet per second, as measured at the U.S. Geological Survey gauge at Elk City. Nymphing is a more effective method than the usual swing-fishing approach. An egg pattern or beads are probably the most productive during March and April. One of the most popular set-ups is to tie a pinkish color bead on the line an inch or two up from the eye of the hook and another on the hook itself. Since larger hook sizes are required (size 10 or perhaps larger), heating the bead may be required to slip it past the bend of the hook. Although other egg and nymph patterns are effective, this particular set-up has worked for me. Beard uses this same bead arrangement, but ties on a Kilowatt fly with nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

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the beads as a dropper. He feels the Kilowatt can be an attractor for the beads, but sometimes the steelhead will be more active and take the lead fly. The South Fork is excellent fly water, but other methods are effective on the river too. Bait is very popular and productive, and probably the most effective technique is a jig baited with a shrimp below a bobber. While bait fishing with a treble is popular in In addition to steelhead, the river also holds cutthroat, rainbow, many spots, it should be brookies and mountain whitefish, as well as bull trout. (MIKE WRIGHT) pairs had been collected by March 7. pointed out that only single-point It is probably too soon to tell what barbless hooks are allowed when affect this will have on the overall fishing for steelhead or salmon in the number of steelhead in the drainage, South Fork. but indications are encouraging. This time of year it may be Another program that has many advisable to linger longer in a anglers excited involves Chinook. particular hole, as the fish are often In 1927, the former Lewiston Dam rather lethargic. Considering the was constructed, effectively ending popularity of the South Fork in the migration of king salmon March and April, if you are fortunate into the Clearwater River and its enough to be fishing a suitable hole tributaries. The dam was removed and move, chances are someone will in the 1970s, but the recovery of fall take your spot and you may not be Chinook has been exceeding slow. able to find an empty hole. To help out, the Nez Perce Tribe is rearing and releasing smolts, and the IDAHO STEELHEAD MANAGERS recently number of returning adults has been instituted a new program to increasing throughout the system, help improve the number of fish including on the South Fork. If this returning to the South Fork for trend continues, it would be a great spawning. Enlisting the river’s addition to a river that also sees anglers, each are given a long plastic fisheries for spring/summer kings. tube of sufficient size to safely hold Indeed, although the South Fork very sizable steelhead. Starting in is best known for steelhead fishing, February, a tanker truck cruises the and justifiably so, the river provides highway along the river, collecting excellent fishing for a number of the tubes and steelhead. The fish are species. It might be considered a river then transported to the national fish for all seasons. hatchery in Orofino, where the eggs To reach it, simply follow the are fertilized and the hatchlings can Clearwater River out of Lewiston be reared for release. Releases back and turn onto Highway 13 south out into the South Fork are staggered in of Kooskia. The highway follows the order the better equalize the run. river all the way to Hapston Grade. According to Joe Dupont, Idaho There, stay to the left on Highway Fish & Game fisheries biologist for the 14, which goes all the way to Elk Clearwater Region, four years of work City. Daily limit is three fin-clipped and study have gone into the program steelhead, and the season runs and at this time it seems to be working through April 30. NS fairly well. Last year, all 225 needed 52 Northwest Sportsman

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KING!

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KNOW WHERE TO CAST™

COLUMN

Rogue, Coquille Peaking For Steelies U SOUTH COAST By Randy Wells

nlike our 2015 steelhead season, we’ve had an extremely wet winter in Southern Oregon, and too much water has been a problem. We’ve really had to watch river flows and fish the few days we’re given. Knowing and understanding water levels and color, techniques and applications is

week of December through Jan. 12. From then through February it felt like most of us spent our time studying the weather and trying to predict the next time our local rivers would fish. However, the Elk and the Coquille came into shape and produced good numbers of fish a few more days than the Sixes, Rogue and Chetco. Because of the size and rockybottomed nature of the former two rivers, they clear up fast and fish sooner than many others.

With a series of storms rolling into Southern Oregon through midwinter, the Elk provided a few more days of opportunity for local anglers than other streams. Brody Clemens holds up a winter-run from the Curry County river that was caught on eggs done up with Pro-Cure Natural cure. (OREGONFISHINGADVENTURE.COM)

crucial to successfully hooking up with winter steelhead. You can save links that will give you current and predicted river flows by visiting water.weather.gov. Click on your favorite river and look at the gauge for the section you want to fish. Some rivers like the Umpqua and Rogue have multiple gauges, while others like the Chetco only have one. Knowing and understanding these gauges is key to your success. Streams like the Chetco had green water from the last

WHAT’S WORKED THIS SEASON With high water from December through February I found that some techniques outfished others. For example, quarter-sized baits such as orange yarn balls and natural eggs worked well. However, 10mm and 12mm BnR soft beads and Yakima Bait’s Lil’ Corkies in the same sizes were also deadly. Pulling plugs with a quality plug rod like the Lamiglas XCC 802 is a necessity during high water. The right plug rod is key;

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you must be able to see the action and be confident the plug is working correctly. Run the lures along willow lines; the MagLip 3.5 with Pro-Cure Shrimp and/or Carp Spit Gel scent is my go-to for high water. Remember, Pro-Cure gels are for lures while the oils and water-soluble scents are for baits.

WHAT’S WRAPPING UP River: Chetco Timeframe: Winter steelhead start showing up around Christmas and the run peaks from the end of January through early February. Season closes March 31. Ideal river flows: 2,000 to 3,500 cubic feet per second Shuttle info: Riverside Market (541-469-4496) Guide tip: The Chetco is my home river and I can tell you that orange yarn balls with water-soluble Pro-Cure Shrimp oil is going to get bit. Because I have an Upper Chetco River permit, I target steelhead in the upper river after mid-January. Visit my website, oregonfishingadventure.com, to learn more. River: Elk Timeframe: From the end of December through March you can hook up with winter steelhead. Ideal river flows: 4.5 feet Shuttle info: Elk and Sixes River Shuttle (541-253-7001). You can text the shuttle and ask to be added to the daily river flow and conditions list. You can also call the Elk River Hatchery (541-332-0405) for a recorded message. Guide Tip: Sean Clemens, a full-time guide (clemensfishing.com) on the Chetco and Elk, was fishing the latter river in late January while waiting for his home waters, the Chetco, to come into shape. He was putting up decent numbers of steelhead from the Elk, and has a few tips for anglers thinking of hitting it. The first thing to know is that the river’s a real leader eater. “When you launch your boat, you might as well toss two leaders in the trash before your first cast,” Clemens says, adding, “Be ready to re-tie all day!” He recommends launching below the hatchery and, no matter your experience level on the sticks, to be ready for trouble. The Elk can be an amazing steelhead river, Clemens says, but it changes after every storm that brings high water. Downed trees are common and extremely dangerous. If you have not fished the Elk for steelhead I highly recommend hooking up with a guide so you can learn it before hitting it on your own.

PEAKING THIS MONTH River: Middle and upper Rogue Timeframe: February through April Lower river: Full of winter steelhead during the beginning of January, boats pulling plugs near Gold Beach will fight fish all day. Middle river: By February, fish have moved into the middle section near the mouth of the Applegate in Grants Pass. Upper river: From March through late spring, winter steelhead are all over the upper river. Dime-sized baits are a must. Ideal river flows: 1,800 to 2,000 cfs Shuttle info: Sharron McCall (541-479-1042) Guide tip: Jon Geyer (jongeyerfishing.com) makes the middle and upper Rogue his home from February through April, and, as always, says to “feed ’em yarn!” The Rogue isn’t really known for large steelhead, more for numbers, especially of hatchery fish. Getting your limit of clipped steelhead is pretty common, says Geyer, and the average fish is 24 to 28 inches, with the occasional 30- to 33-incher. Side-drifting is the typical method, but you can catch these fish with pretty much anything in your arsenal – plugs, fly fishing, bobber and jig, etc. With the help of the dam at Lost Creek Lake, the Rogue will sometimes fish earlier than a lot of other rivers after a good rain. Side-drifting yarn balls with a Puff Ball and a bait button or pulling plugs like the MagLip 3.0 are the gotos for most anglers, depending on water temperature, clarity and height. There are all 56 Northwest Sportsman

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types of water on the upper and middle Rogue, from your normal slots and runs to long slow-water stretches and riffles. Those will usually determine where the fish hold each day. River: Coquille Timeframe: Has steelhead from the end of December through March. Ideal river flows: 2,000 cfs Shuttle info: Coquille Shuttle (541-2907192) Guide tip: Geyer and I were spending time on the Coquille during the last week of January and in February while most other rivers were blown. He had success side-drifting shrimp-pink yarn balls with Pro-Cure Sardine bait sauce, while I was hooking up on plugs. On the Coquille, quarter-sized and larger baits are sure to get hit. The river is all about flow, and fishes well at 2,400 cfs, but drops out fast, so watch that river gauge. Start early and fish late; there is a lot of boat traffic here, so I tend to do two trips a day. On the second float the boat traffic slows and the bite will turn back on. The second float is also the best time to pull plugs because fewer boats are side-drifting.

WHAT’S NEXT In an effort to bring my readers more informative articles I am asking you to email me your questions so I can try to address them in the following issue. Next month I will write about targeting lingcod and rockfish in Southern Oregon. I will focus on times, structure types, best tides, etc. The article will feature tips and hints from longtime guide and Brookings native Sean Clemens. Please email me at info@oregonfishingadventure.com with any questions you have on this topic, and I will try to address them in the next article. And don’t forget to check out Lunker Junkies TV, lunkerjunkies .com, to watch videos and learn more about targeting steelhead, lingcod and rockfish. NS Editor’s note: Author Randy Wells is a fulltime fishing guide on the Chetco River in Oregon and in Seward, Alaska. His website is oregonfishingadventure.com.

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FISHING

Spring Chinook Primer 2016 forecasts for the Columbia and its tribs, and how to catch ’em.

With nearly 300,000 spring Chinook expected back to the Columbia this season, there will be plenty of opportunity to catch salmon on the lower river and its tribs, as well as upstream at famed Drano Lake, where an angler attempts to net a battler. (JASON BROOKS)

By Jason Brooks

or spring Chinook anglers, March is like the warmup lap for the Daytona 500. Just as the Earnhardts, Kenseths and Harvicks weave around getting the tires all heated up and sticky in hopes of taking the checkered flag, those of us who chase chrome salmon start getting our gear ready and do a few practice runs on the Columbia and Willamette. Despite a lower forecast than 2015, there are still plenty of reasons to get tuned up for this year’s run. As many as 299,200 springers are expected to enter the mouth of the Columbia, and the fishery gets started low in the system where some say the older age class up to five years old and nearing the 30-pound mark enter freshwater first. In fact, the first catch of the year hit the barbecue a month ago, a king caught off Prescott Beach on herring Jan. 31.

AROUND TWO-THIRDS OF 2016’s overall run – some 188,100 springers – are bound for tributaries above Bonneville

Dam, and as their return builds this month, just about every sandy flat, trench, wing dam and island break below Beacon Rock will have its own flotilla of boats hoping to intercept springers. On the big river it’s a tidal game. During the incoming tide, most will troll at a moderate speed from 1.5 to 2.5 miles per hour. Attached to their stout 9- to 12-foot-long rods are half-foot to footlong lead lines with 6- to 12-ounce dropper weights, depending on the current and desired line angle from the boat. Behind that they’ll have an inline flasher of some sort; Yakima Bait’s Big Al’s Fish Flash is one of the more common ones, but don’t discount those from Kone Zone and Short Bus. Popular spring Chinook colors are chartreuse, red, green and blue, and most have some silver mixed in. A heavy leader of 30-pound monofilament that is 48 inches long with a four-bead chain swivel in the middle to tandem, needle-sharp barbless hooks pinned through a plug-cut green-label herring completes the set-up. A few will dye their herring with Pro-Cure’s Bad Azz bait dyes, with chartreuse, again, being the most popular. nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

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FISHING The long ﬂats of the Columbia, Willamette and Multnomah Channel invite trolling, but many anglers like to anchor up on the outgoing tide and run plugs into the faces of migrating salmon. Whichever tactic you use, remember the big boats have the right of way in the shipping lanes. (JASON BROOKS)

When the tide switches to the outgoing it is time to reel in the trolling gear, keeping the dropper set-up and adding a few ounces. Switch out the inline flasher to a long leader of 25- to 30-pound mono with a banana-type plug such as Brad’s Killer Fish, Luhr Jensen Kwikfish or a Yakima Bait FlatFish, all in the large 15 or 16 sizes. New this year is the Yakima Bait Mag Lip 5.0, just the right size for Columbia springers. Color of the plugs does make a difference – just ask anyone who fishes here and they will tell you – but you will also get so many different answers that you would need a shopping cart at Sportco if you bought each pattern mentioned. Instead, start with a variation of chartreuse, oranges and reds, with “double trouble” always at the top of the list. Wrap the plugs with a fillet of herring, sardine or tuna belly. Put the boat on anchor in one of the many hoglines or find a slight depression on a sandy flat and let out the rods until they are settled on the bottom. Kick back and wait for the fish to come to you. If they’re not biting, freshen your baits often with scents. Pro-Cure’s Super Gel in Bloody Tuna is my “go to,” especially in off-colored water like we might find on the Big C this year.

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Multnomah Channel. Anglers use pretty much the same techniques as they do on the Columbia, and as the calendar turns to April, ﬁshing in the shadows of Portland’s skyscrapers makes for a very unique experience. After the Columbia closes April 9, and on the two Tuesdays it’s shut down (March 29 and April 5), the Willy is a good option. Fishing goes deep into spring too, with catches peaking in April and May. Around 8,300 are forecast back to the Willamettte’s trib, the Clackamas, and ﬁshing in it peaks in May. As for the Sandy, a forecast wasn’t available at press time.

BACK IN WASHINGTON and downstream a bit are the everpopular Cowlitz, Lewis and Kalama Rivers. The main focus has always been on the Cowlitz, and with an expected return of 25,100 ﬁsh – one of the largest forecasts since 1980 (and only bested by 1981’s actual return of 27,291 adults) – the “Cow” will once again be the place to go for Pugetropolis springer anglers. The lower river just below the I-5 bridge launch is a herring back-trolling mecca. Each deep slot or run should be well covered with a bait diver and tight-spinning plugcut. A large gob of eggs trailing behind a Spin-N-Glo with a diver a few feet in front is the second best option for this

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FISHING stretch of the river. Further upstream it’s all about side-drifting and “boondogging” egg clusters slightly larger than the steelhead baits normally used here. Indeed, the waters from Blue Creek to Barrier Dam represent a great place to double up on springers and winter-runs. The deadline fishery at the dam is where bobber and egg anglers rule the roost, so it’s best to not try other tactics here. However, putting a chunk of herring or a piece of tuna belly with your eggs can generate a “hot bite” while others around you only use eggs. Springers can sneak into the Cowlitz’s salmon hatchery pretty early, but April and May are its best months. The Lewis is the bad news of the bunch, as only 1,000 spring Chinook are predicted to return. Unfortunately, this is normal for the river, but the main fishery is near the mouth with strays coming in and milling around, especially if the Columbia is off color. Trolling a Wiggle Wart or Mag Lip 4.5 flat-lined behind the boat is productive and popular, especially during flood tide. Between the Cowlitz and the Lewis is the Kalama, and an anticipated 4,900 chrome fish are forecast to return to it, pretty good for this little river. A drift boat can get you access to the deep holes in the middle stretch of the Kalama. Here you will find a bit more solitude, and eggs under a float is one of the primary techniques, but don’t

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forget to throw in the plug-pulling rods and even try tossing spinners like Blue Fox Vibraxes in sizes 4 through 6. April can be good, but by catch May is typically better.

MOVING ON UPRIVER, the Wind will get back an estimated 6,500 (last year it had 7,100 return). It can be a difficult fishery; as its name suggests, things can get a bit breezy here. You are actually fishing in the Bonneville Pool, and while a small craft can be used, it is not recommended. Instead, boats that are 16 feet to 24 feet will provide a bit more comfort while trolling Mag Warts and Mag Lip 4.5s. Flat-lining them worked years ago, but with this fishery becoming more popular, it’s best to put a dropper on the mainline and keep them close to the boat. Bank anglers can stand on the large rock outcropping right at the mouth and pitch plugs and reel them back in, or they can head up into the Wind River gorge with eggs. Just be careful, as the canyon’s rock walls are steep and slippery in the spring rains. Early May is the peak of the fishery at the mouth, while that month and June are good in the river proper.

A FEW MILES east on Highway 14 is Drano Lake. Its predicted return of 9,800 ﬁsh is strong, though not near as good as the 17,600 that showed up in 2015. The main part of the lake is often trolled with plugs like Mag Warts and Mag Lip 4.5s, and orange has always

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produced in Drano. If you dare to fish near the mouth, otherwise known as the “toilet bowl,” then prawn rigs on dropper weights and trolled as slow as you can without causing a traffic jam is one of the top-producing techniques. Other options include a Mag Lip 4.5 with a herring or tuna belly wrap and lead dropper to keep it very close to the boat and around 2 feet off of bottom, or a plug-cut herring with a large blade and beads, mostly in green and chartreuse or orange and white. Drano holds a special place for me as it is where I caught my very first spring Chinook. It was mid-March 1996 and we were one of only three boats on the water. A handful of fish had been counted over Bonneville Dam, so we decided to give it a try. That first fish of mine was 28 pounds and nailed a Mag Wart. I returned several times again in March and found that the lake was pretty desolate of anglers, but we seemed to pick up a fish more times than not. Drano gets pretty crazy by April and into May, but in March it can be a great place to relax and take home a springer. The lake opens on the 16th this month.

NEXT MONTH AND in May, the springer ﬁshery moves east of the Cascades. The Columbia between the Tower Island powerlines to the Washington-Oregon border east of McNary Dam is open through May 6, and around 1,000 hatchery springers are available in those waters. While the Umatilla opens in mid-April, seasons on the Klickitat (1,600), Yakima (4,600), Icicle and Wenatchee (Upper Columbia: 27,600), Snake (124,800), Grande Ronde and other inland streams had yet to be determined For the moment, though, pretend you’re at Daytona and do some warm-up laps low in the system in preparation for when the green ﬂag drops in late March, April and May. Anglers, start your sleds, it’s springer time! NS

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FISHING

Tried-and-true Springer Tactics With a midsized run forecast, it will pay to stick with techniques that work for Columbia spring salmon. By Andy Schneider

o matter how tight he pulled his drawstrings, the cold rain seeped past his collar and down the neck of the shivering spring Chinook angler. The rain didn’t fall straight down that cold March morning; no, it was driven sideways by a relentless 20-mile-anhour east wind. Every time he lifted his head slightly to reassure himself that there were still other ﬁshermen

enduring the same punishment, a new trickle of frigid water found its way through his rain gear and down his back. Then, after a quick crank of the reel handle to bring his lead cannonball just off bottom, the rain transitioned from liquid form to a hard, but somehow still wet, solid. Could the weather get much worse? As the bottom of the boat turned from gray diamond plate to a uniform white, an almost imperceptible

twitch of the fisherman’s rod caught his eye. Adrenaline surged through his veins, bringing tingling warmth to his nearly frozen fingers. Scooting to the edge of his damp chair, trying to keep the boat on the same exact path, making only the smallest of adjustments to the trolling motor’s RPMs and silently chanting for the “twitch” of the rod to return, the angler finally let out his breath. Had it just been his imagination? Was

Mother Nature doesn’t yield her tastiest salmon easily – she’ll throw some of her nastiest weather at spring Chinook anglers as they work the Columbia this month and in early April. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

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FISHING it a trick of the bottom? Just when the doubts started becoming reality, the ﬁsherman’s silent prayers were answered: The rod tip plunged into the water and he battled his ﬁrst spring Chinook of the season.

THIS SEASON PROMISES to deliver just that kind of action for Northwest sportsmen pursuing Columbia springers. Snowpacks are good, the forecasts are decent and ﬁshermen should be able to transition from a fantastic steelhead season right into good salmon angling on the big river. After the long, wet winter, many of us are chomping at the bit to get out and pursue something just a little bigger than winterruns. And while spring Chinook will be caught throughout March, waiting till just a little later in the

Many anglers will troll herring for their Columbia springers, but pinch points such as below pile dikes are good places to set up an ambuscade with plugs. Mike Fung caught this one last year on the lower river. (ANDY SCHNEIDER) 70 Northwest Sportsman

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month may produce better results. Dam counts, flow amounts, water temperatures, turbidity levels and weather forecasts should all be taken into consideration before making your maiden voyage. The rain won’t be as cold later either. Once the count at Bonneville reaches 1,000 and water temps climb above 40 degrees, start pinching barbs and brining bait. Normal water flows out of the dam, a steady barometer and low turbidity levels should make angling a little easier and more productive. But if you wait for all these cards to align, you may miss out on the entire season. So when your weekend nears and fishing conditions look to be even remotely tolerable, sometimes it’s best to just take what

you can get and hope for the best.

LAST FALL’S CHINOOK fishing on the Columbia was epic and definitely reset the standard for “The Good Old Days.” Following on such good fishing, this year’s spring Chinook fishery may leave many anglers wanting more. To make sure you get the most opportunities possible this season, stick with techniques that have proven themselves in the past. Herring is going to be one of the most effective baits day in and day out to catch springers. It doesn’t need to be fancy either – a whole herring straight from the package is going to catch fish. But putting a little more care into your presentation is going to make it slightly more effective and should yield more consistent results throughout the season.

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FISHING Plug cutting and brining your herring are easy ways to ensure your baits are fishing properly and will hold up to heavy river flows. There are multiple herring brines and dyes available on the market today, and all work well. Finding one that works for you is as simple as knowing how much effort you want to put into bait preparation. If you find yourself short on preparation time, an “all in one” brine will probably work best. If you like to add your own secret ingredients, or construct your own brine, then you will have even more choices. Brines can be as simple as adding one cup of rock salt to a quart of distilled water in a gallonsized zipper-lock bag to cure herring overnight. Some anglers like to tinker with their brines, adding anything from MSG to sodium sulfates, but be wary of adding too many specialized ingredients. Not only is it difficult to remember exactly what and how

much of it you put in, you may be end up “burning” your bait, creating one that might be more offensive to spring Chinook than attractive. As for plug-cutting your herring, utilizing a miter box and a sharp knife ensures you get a consistent roll every time. Most salmon anglers will agree that a rotating flasher in front of your herring increases your odds. With so many different colors of reflective Mylar on the market today, trying to find the color combination that will catch a fish seems more daunting than finding a February springer. But take a step back from all those brightly colored reflective triangles and look for the common denominator: Besides the shape, most revolve around silver and shades of green. Having a good supply of green and chartreuse flashers with their matching chrome side will ensure that you have a fishcatching combination. The second

most common color combination that has proven itself for salmon anglers is bronze and orange. There are theories for coordinating flasher colors to weather conditions, water clarity and even bait dyes, and while there may be some direct cause and effect, there are just too many variables in the river to draw a conclusive relation. Best to just have multiple flashers with different colors and try experimenting when the fish become elusive. Rigging starts with two 4/0 barbless hooks, fix-tied 3 inches apart on 48 to 60 inches of 25-pound fluorocarbon or monofilament leader tied to your flasher. Above your flasher, tie 16 inches of 40-pound-test mono to a beadchain swivel. Above that, slide two 8mm beads down your mainline to help protect your knot from your plastic weight slider. For a weight dropper, use 15- to 20-pound mono with a duolock snap for quick lead

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FISHING changes. Fifty- or 65-pound braided mainline is the most popular, followed by 25-pound mono.

WHILE SOME ANGLERS take the bait to the fish, others play the odds and wait for the fish to come to their plugs. True, trollers usually fare better at the end of the day, but a well-planned and anchored boat can outfish even the savviest of trollers. Spring Chinook don’t flood into the Columbia in wave after wave on every tide. Instead they trickle in inconsistently, moving upriver in unpredictable surges and frustrating anglers not prepared for the long game. That means that finding choke points, pile dikes, wing dams and bottom contours that concentrate and focus the fish will provide better results. During high-water years, tying or anchoring directly behind pile dikes can be very productive, as fish

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will seek the slower waters created by the pilings. When tying directly to them, make sure to fish your gear close to the boat, as fish oftentimes will move just behind the pilings. Because in many cases the water can be as shallow as 4 feet directly behind pilings, paying attention to your dropper length is more important than ever, as you don’t want your offering too close to the surface of the water, nor dragging the bottom. The current behind pile dikes can be very turbulent, so utilizing spinner blades made for slower waters or plugs will ensure your gear will keep working properly as flows surge and ebb.

WHERE YOU FISH for spring Chinook on the Columbia should be based more on boat ramp locations close to your home than ﬁshing reports. Since salmon movement upriver is such an unpredictable factor, chasing reports is often a losing proposition from the

The best Chinook catches come as winter’s grip fades and spring blooms anew. Fishing builds in March, but takes off at the end of this month and early next. John and Leah Lecarno enjoyed a successful outing with the author last April. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)

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FISHING start as the ﬁsh have moved upriver by the time you launch the following day. And while spring Chinook are consistently inconsistent, there are certain locations that produce ﬁsh from February till the end of the season. Targeting these popular spots usually gives anglers the best odds, day in and day out. Davis Bar downriver to Caterpillar Island annually is one of the most popular and productive locations. Trolling is by far the most popular technique here because of depths and the fact the sandy bottom is mostly snag-free. That makes dragging herring close to the bottom easy, allowing for long, trouble-free runs. Venturing across the channel to Sauvie Island, bank anglers have a mile’s worth of access to some great plunking water at Willow Bar, while downriver from there Social Security and Collins Beaches offer the shorebound even more water.

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Boaters wanting to pitch the hook can find locations along Caterpillar and Sauvie Islands to intercept fish. Trolling between the interstate bridges has been a consistent producer since spring Chinook fishing was allowed above I-5. Most anglers start near Wintler Park, just below the Marine Park ramp, and troll the Washington shore to I-5, and then angle towards the Oregon bank down to the railroad bridge. Trollers also work from the James Gleason launch off NE Marine Drive down along Hayden Island and continuing to the railroad bridge. Most of the Columbia below I-205 averages less than 25 feet deep, on normal water years, making for perfect water for trollers. The last few seasons, the water directly below The Fishery and down to Dalton Point has produced consistent results for those willing to battle the Columbia Gorge’s east wind and faster currents. However, with fuller snowpacks this winter, we

may have higher spring flows, which may negatively affect this fishery. As challenging as this fishery can be, creel counts don’t lie – skippers willing to subject themselves and their crew to these conditions may be in for another good season.

NO MATTER WHAT techniques you employ and where you go, spring Chinook fishing is a rite of passage for Northwest anglers. Spring brings green leaves, colorful flowers and chrome salmon, and as the short days of winter slowly transition to longer and slightly warmer days of spring, spending time on the water pursuing one of the tastiest of fish is a great way to shake off any lingering seasonal depression. Start thawing some bait and get out and enjoy salmon fishing as Mother Nature hits the reset button and turns the upper lefthand corner of this country into one of the most beautiful places to live in the world. NS

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Spring Chinook Herring Set-up NOTES High water or low water, incoming or outgoing tide, trolling herring is one of the most effective ways to catch a Columbia River spring Chinook. Using a miter box to cut your herring will ensure your bait’s angle is consistent and gives you a fish-catching spin. Before sending your bait to the bottom, watch how your herring spins. Adjust your troll speed so that your herring spins just faster than one revolution per second. Once you have your troll speed set, send your herring to the bottom, making sure that your lead cannonball touches bottom frequently but does not drag. Once a fish finds your herring too tasty to pass up, tuck your hands under your legs and wait … and wait … and wait some more … until the rod is completely loaded up and line is creeping off the reel. Keep a good bend in the rod and constant pressure on the fish to ensure the barbless hooks stay seated. –Andy Schneider

16 inches of 40-pound mono

48- to 60-inch, 25-pound-test ﬂuorocarbon leader

Orange-and-gold Yakima Bait Big Al’s Fish Flash or other ﬂasher

Large duolock snap Weight slider Tee bead

8mm beads

Six-bead chain swivel

4/0 Big River Bait hooks (barbless)

Medium duolock snap 50- or 65-pound-test braided mainline 12- to 16-inch lead dropper line

Green-label cut-plug herring 4- to 16-ounce cannonball

Medium duolock snap

(ANDY SCHNEIDER)

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FISHING

THE GURUS: JACK GLASS

Few anglers know the Sandy River better than Jack Glass, who began ﬁshing the Oregon tributary in 1964 with his father, from whom he inherited an old sled and the idea of going into guiding. (HOOKUPGUIDESERVICE.COM)

Our series on some of the best all-around Northwest salmon and steelhead anglers continues with the man from the Sandy. By Andy Schneider

“W

hen I ﬁrst started guiding, I was almost always the youngest person in the boat,” remembers Jack Glass. “But now, I’m routinely the oldest person onboard – not always mind you, not always …” His name is among the most recognizable in the Northwest ﬁshing world, among those so frequently associated with our waters that they become part of the angling

environment and experience. You begin to look for these anglers when you are on certain rivers, finding reassurance when you encounter them. While success rates may differ dramatically, just knowing they’re sharing the same water as you gives you the confidence that you made the right decision on where to fish. Glass has been a recognizable figure on the Sandy River almost since he first started fishing it 52 years ago. But his recognition isn’t limited to just this small Oregon

tributary of the Columbia River. With his trademark mustache and often wearing a black cowboy hat, he’s known from Astoria to the Siletz and many waters in-between. But Glass didn’t become a figurehead of good river etiquette, stewardship and providing quality fishing experiences overnight. His constant presence on the river, involvement with resource managers and willingness to share his knowledge has earned him status among the elite. It all began when he caught his first steelhead.

“I WAS FISHING the Sandy at Gordon Creek back in 1964 with my father. I remember my father telling me how the channel had changed after the big Christmas ﬂood and we were ﬁshing nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

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FISHING in a completely new channel. I was using an Okie Drifter and a doublehook rig with a nightcrawler. Back then, it was either nightcrawlers or eggs, but as the water warmed up in March, those fish ate those nightcrawlers really well. That was all my dad used back then, either nightcrawlers or eggs, and I just so happened to be using a nightcrawler that day. I’ll never forget this fish: It was 14 to 15 pounds, just a big beautiful fish. While they had hatchery fish back then, they didn’t clip them like they do now. But you could tell that by the size of this fish, it was a native, just a perfect specimen.” Growing up, Glass went to Reynolds High School in Troutdale, played sports and was just like most kids. But unlike a lot of his classmates, Glass got a lot more opportunities to go fishing. His dad took him on trips to the Deschutes, Clackamas and Sandy just about every weekend.

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“We were primarily shore fishermen, even though we had a drift boat. In 1967, when I was 10, my dad built a sled. We would launch it at Lewis and Clark Park on the Sandy, when there wasn’t much of a boat ramp there at all. But rarely would we fish out of the boat; we would just use the boat for transportation. We would anchor the boat and fish from shore or fish standing in the boat. It was all casting and drift fishing back then.” “One time my dad and I were fishing on the Clackamas River. We were standing on shore, like we usually did, and looked downriver and saw this boat out in the middle of the river. And he’s catching fish, one right after the other. We were wondering what the heck he was doing. My dad said that he thought it was Jim Conway in one of those fancy new aluminum sleds. It looked like he was running some sort of plug out in the middle of the river. My dad

and I had never seen that technique before.” “My dad went down there and talked to Jim and he showed us these Hot Shots he was using. That night, we went to Fosters Sporting Goods and bought a bunch of new Hot Shots. We fished them a couple of times, but we didn’t catch anything on them, so Dad lost confidence in them and we just decided to keep drift fishing like always. Then one day, we were anchored up in shallow water eating lunch and I decided to hang one out the back of the boat, and I catch one! And I realize they actually did work!”

“ONE DAY DAD and I were thinking how cool it would be to live on the water and be a ﬁshing guide. So my father got his guide’s license in ’67 and he maintained it through 1975, when he moved to back to Texas where he was born and raised. But I stayed here because I was so passionate

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FISHING with the plan, so we had to do some marriage counseling classes. Our about fishing and continued fishing counselor liked to fish and told her to just as much.” let me try it for one year. If it doesn’t “I got a job and worked for the next work, then we could go back to what eight years, then I decided to quit and we were doing. Next thing I know, become a fishing guide. With Dad’s it’s five years later and I’m as busy as old sled, an aluminum drift boat and I could be. Add two kids to the mix a wife who thought I was nuts, I was and I felt I was pretty fortunate.” going to try and make a living doing “I made the Sandy my home river this. But the wife still wasn’t onboard and made my reputation on it. I saw Bob Toman do it on the Clackamas; he was highly visible and well known, running four people in the morning and four people in the afternoon. Glass is one of those rare Northwest salmonid guides who also targets spinyrays So I tried to – son Brandon, who would eventually join him in the guiding business, holds a walleye they caught in 1988. (HOOKUPGUIDESERVICE.COM)

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match his success over here on the Sandy. Soon I realized that a lot of my clients were making more money than I was. Anyone who gets into this business thinking they are going to make a ton of money, think again. It takes a passion to stay with it. But you have got to admit that it’s a pretty low-stress occupation, if you let it be. You see some folks take it a little too seriously out on the water, getting into conﬂicts with other anglers. But there is no need for that; there is room for everybody to enjoy the resource. And that has always been my message: I want everyone to enjoy the waterways as much as I do.” To this day, Glass’s enthusiasm is still strong. Even after spending a long day on the water with clients, his passion for showing anglers the bounty that these Northwest waters can provide is evident. It’s not often someone is lucky enough to make a living doing what they love, and are

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FISHING still in love with it so many years later. It’s hard to imagine Glass doing anything else in life, as he seems so at ease on the water. As this year’s steelhead season transitioned to spring Chinook ﬁshing, Glass remembered some of his ﬁrst salmon seasons on the Sandy. “In 1982 and ’83, the Sandy had a really good spring Chinook run. I was on the water a lot, back-trolling, back-bouncing and running plugs. They were releasing almost 500,000 spring Chinook smolts at that time, creating a real robust run, which only seemed to get better and better, with our peak year around 2004. I think that year we had a return of around 14,000, which was a huge return. That year, I remember seeing schools of spring Chinook moving upriver. It was those years of good runs that really built my reputation on the Sandy. It didn’t hurt that when I

ﬁrst started guiding on the Sandy for spring Chinook that we had a lot of summer steelhead at the time. So no matter if salmon ﬁshing was slow that day, we would always be able to catch a summer-run or two.”

don’t remember anything special three years ago about the spring runoff – pretty average. But this year’s run has been anything but average. Why did all the stars line up for this great season? Whatever happened, it should lead to another great season next year. I’m pretty optimistic the Columbia is going to maintain good ﬁshing. Management practices have improved and restoration efforts have made a difference. I’m really optimistic about the future. As long as we don’t have any sort of catastrophic events, I think we are going to see good runs and good ﬁsheries for some time.” Glass looks at he and son Brandon’s guide service, Team Hook Up (hookupguideservice.com), not only as a business, but as a way to create future stewards of the rivers. If you’ve ever talked to the Glasses on the water, at a Steelheaders’ meeting or at a sportsmen’s show, where they’re regular seminar speakers,

MAKING A CAREER as a ﬁshing guide takes a lot of work. It’s not something that comes easy. It takes being able to manage money, a good personality, marketing strategy and – of course – good angling skills. Then it takes lots of work and perseverance to remain successful as an entrepreneur for over 30 years. While Glass has all of these attributes, his passion and enthusiasm for the sport are often his most memorable trademarks. And as he looks to the future, he is still enthused about the direction angling is going. “I’m still excited about the ﬁsheries. Just like this year’s winter steelhead run, it’s been amazing. I

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FISHING you know how approachable and willing they are to share information. “Anyone can get out and enjoy the resource. If Brandon and I can help improve techniques and tactics for anglers so they can be more successful, well, we have done what we set out to do. We are real advocates for Glass isn’t content just helping clients harvest the resource – he’s also active in river stewardship, represents sportﬁshing interests, and is a frequent seminar speaker – here he’s knee-deep in the Steelhead River at the 2015 edition of the Paciﬁc Northwest Sportsmen’s Show in Portland. (JOHN CURTIS, O’LOUGHLIN TRADE SHOWS)

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getting the younger generations out; they are the future of our resources. It’s important to get them involved, be patient with them and get them excited for our resources.” Spending time on the water with friends and family is something pretty special. Many of us are out there so often that we forget how much of a novelty it can be for the majority of Northwest residents and how much they appreciate someone taking the time to take them into the outdoors. As our lives get busy, school activities become overwhelming and work drama gets consuming, we

lose track of how important it is to take a step back and take the next generation of anglers to the rivers and show them what healing powers the water can provide. Taking the time and being patient enough to teach them is not only rewarding, but a way to ensure that the sport will survive for generations to come. “I’ve had a lot of great moments over the years guiding, so many in fact it’s impossible to single out any one day or time on the river,” says Glass. “But I’ve ﬁshed with so many great folks over the years, and now some of them are gone. I’ve been to several funerals where there were pictures of me and that individual in the service or at the wake. It took me a while to realize that I was providing one of the greatest moments and a true highlight of this person’s life. I don’t ever want to forget that, that I made such a memorable impact in someone’s life.” NS

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Brought To You By:

KNOW WHERE TO CAST™

COLUMN

Fling For Kings W

estsiders, prepare to drive! Springer season is almost upon us and this should be a good year on the Columbia and its tributaries, including the Willamette, where around a quarter of the overall run of 299,200 is headed. Spring Chinook are more popular than WIESTSIDER By Terry Wiest ever and our runs have been considerably good, even great, the last few years. They are a superb eating fish (unfortunately, the sea lions think so too), and great fighters. Their reserves of fat not only help provide the strength and endurance to make hundreds-miles-long journeys up the Columbia and its tributaries, but it leads to an incredibly good tasting fish. This is a unique fishery in that there are a multitude of places and techniques that can be used to entice these fish to bite. The Columbia is so big that getting advice from some top guides can be a key ingredient to your early success. Most people will have their favorite places and techniques. But diversifying your arsenal will only help increase your catch. Sticking to a single technique or area might get you some fish, but can actually hurt you under certain conditions. You need to be able to change techniques and areas on the fly if you want to truly succeed at putting multiple fish in the boat. What works for high, dirty water might not work for low, clear water. The same goes for the travel lanes, as during high water the edges offer the cleanest water, while also providing a sense of security in that the water is colored up. Given clearer water, the fish will move off the shore to a more secure route. Some of the more popular techniques are back-bouncing, trolling (spinners or herring), pulling divers, pulling plugs, hover fishing and drift fishing. Bait is extremely popular with springer fishermen. Eggs – gobs of eggs – are used to lure in these fantastic fish in the Columbia’s tributaries. Make sure and cure them up right. I use red Pautzke’s Fire Cure for my springer fishing techniques. Shrimp – yep, they work too. I like to combine mine with those eggs to form a cocktail. And don’t forget the herring: Springers

will devour a properly presented herring – just make sure it spins perfectly, and don’t troll it until it does. Dying your herring is also extremely popular, with blue, purple and chartreuse being the “hot” colors. With season beginning in earnest this month, I thought I’d get some advice from some of the big-time Willamette guides who specialize in these highly sought-after ﬁsh.

David Johnson davidjohnsonﬁshing.com; (503) 201-4292 With the Willamette’s run predicted to be better than last year and the higher snowpack, I’m pretty excited for this year. I’m guessing most people will do well, and those who do their homework (NORTHWESTANGLINGEXPERIENCE.COM)

should do very good. There are two areas that I like to fish for springers – Oregon City followed by the Multnomah Channel. I’m a bait fisherman and I love fishing bait for springers. In Oregon City we back-bounce or run divers with eggs, sand shrimp, prawns, bait-wrapped plugs and, once in a while, herring. For me, bait is the ticket. In the channel I troll cut-plug herring. We use flashers most of the time, but if the water is pretty clear I’ll sometimes run them without. If the water is muddy, I will dye my herring chartreuse.

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COLUMN

Brought To You By:

Change bait often and keep it cold. Author’s note: To add to what Johnson says, make sure when dying your herring you use a high-quality dye, like Pautzke Fire Dye. If your bait is fresh, that’s all you need. If your bait is less than optimal, I’d suggest brining the herring with chartreuse Pautzke Fire Brine. Super simple to use, you’ll not only get the superb color of the dye, but also the ﬁrming power of the brine.

Chris Vertopoulos northwestanglingexperience.com; (503) 349-1377 Hunting spring Chinook in the Portland Harbor amongst the bridges and the skyscrapers is a unique fishery with a not-sotypical backdrop. Downstream trolling plug-cut herring with or without a flasher is the method of choice. Getting your bait down to the level of traveling fish is the task at hand. Cover lots of water and attempt to put your herring in front of as many biters as possible.

KNOW WHERE TO CAST™

using methods from trolling herring to using eggs. The key is to know when to use what method.

WANT TO LEARN more about how to catch springers? You can hear what these guys have to say, as well as meet them in person, by attending Salmon University’s Springer Palooza (springerpalooza .com) seminar in Portland on March 12. Entry is $99. Not only will Johnson, Vertopoulos and Mulkey be there, but so will Owin Hayes and Brian Campbell. This will be a full day of learning all about springers. NS Looking for some springer ﬁshing tips? Salmon University’s Springer Palooza is coming up March 12 in Portland and will feature ﬁve noted guides. (NORTHWESTANGLINGEXPERIENCE.COM)

Terry Mulkey (503) 803-1896 I like fishing the Willamette where the springers are in Multnomah Channel first and will then reach the Sauvie Island area second. This is deep-water fishing and is the method I prefer and like to talk about. We’ll catch them from there all to way to Oregon City

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1648923-01

COLUMN With its plentiful fish and good access, the Willamette River through Portland represents a great place for kayak-borne spring Chinook fishermen to learn how to catch the species. Geoff Fanning hefts his first below the Hawthorne Bridge. (MARK VEARY)

Learning Curve To Springers From A Kayak I t took me too long to realize that I’m not a plunker. Yeah, I caught a fish or two. And, yeah, I spent some entertaining mornings watching and occasionally hanging out with the Prescott, Meldrum and Willow Bar regulars. But Kayak Guys I rarely felt like I was doing anything more than By Mark Veary waiting in a crowd for a random alignment of fates to bless me with a fish. I needed a way to express my creativity. I needed control. I needed the freedom and mobility to chase a hunch, a splash or a bite. I needed a kayak. As my first wasted attempt aboard one proved, I also needed a plan.

THE KAYAK GUYS

AT THE TIME, there wasn’t yet any information available on

chasing salmon from kayaks, so I made the most of the wealth of knowledge available on Northwest power boating forums such as Ifish and Piscatorial Pursuits. Surprisingly, nearly every technique I found was directly applicable to my new toy, including the often repeated suggestion that newbies choose a technique and location and stick to them until their confidence is solid. My choice was trolling cut-plug herring around the flats of the lower Multnomah Channel. For two years, the majority of my springer fishing occurred along the same half mile stretch of river. During that time, I worked out the kinks in spinning a herring. It turns out that shallow placement of the lead hook – around an eighth of an inch back from the cut edge – was the ticket. I also figured out how to reduce the frequency of line twists when using a flasher by enlisting 100-pound-test mono between the flasher and main swivel. Maintaining momentum and controlling the speed at which my gear dropped, when

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A.O.T.Y. CONTEST HELPS VETS Catch lots of fish, maybe win cool stuff, definitely help out vets – that’s the goal of the NorthWest Kayak Anglers’ Angler of the Year contest, which benefits Heroes on the Water. Past years’ winners include Todd Switzer, Bill Liston, Bryce Molenkamp, Jeff Anderson and Mark Veary, here with some nice Neah Bay halibut. (MARK VEARY)

It’s a proven fact that people perform better when they’re faced with a specific challenge. Whether you’re looking to take your kayak fishing to the next level or you think you have what it takes to be crowned “Angler of the Year,” you owe it to yourself to sign up for the NorthWestKayakAnglers .com AOTY contest. The yearlong online event challenges you to chase 24 Northwest fish species from your kayak. Each species is assigned a normalizing points-per-inch value, and at the end of the year, your score is based on the sum of the points garnered from your top 10 species. As simple as the format sounds, it’s a challenge to catch 10 game fish species from any platform. By the end of a year

of competition, most entrants have experienced at least a half dozen new venues and learned at least as many new techniques. That in itself is worth the price of admission. For the big winner – fellow Kayak Guys columnist Todd Switzer has won it two of the past three years – being crowned the best kayak fisherman in the Northwest can be a launching point for gear sponsorships or more. If that’s not enough to motivate you to enter, consider that all proceeds go to support local chapters of Heroes on the Water. H.O.W. is a nonprofit organization that helps to reintegrate wounded veterans from all branches of the US military by taking them out paddling and fishing from kayaks. –MV

deploying, were learned to be the other pieces of this puzzle. And, by the way, I was catching fish more consistently than I ever had from the beach.

my selection of cannonballs, mooching rigs and flashers were all pretied and organized for maximum accessibility and minimum changeover time. While dialing in my gear, I noticed patterns emerged: There really is such a thing as a morning bite. Waking up early to be on the water at dawn pays dividends. Tide changes improve the bite. From an hour before to an hour after a tide change, springers are much more aggressive biters. There are certain spots within my

AFTER AWHILE, I was able to winnow down the amount of gear I brought and maximize the percentage of time that I was actively fishing. By the end of the first year, I was hitting the river with my herring brined and precut, stored in a small foam cooler that ensured they stayed cold (and thus firm) all day. By the second year, 100 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN trolling zone that consistently draw in biting salmon. Year after year, these small areas can be counted on to produce fish. And high water pushes migrating salmon into shallow water. At the end of those two years, I knew everything there was to know about chasing springers from a kayak. I’d perfected my approach and was ready to

take quick limits on every river system with a viable population of spring Chinook. Or so I thought.

HAVING NEVER TROLLED across rocky, jagged reefs, I didn’t yet have the tools to minimize snags and take advantage of the holding water along the edges. All of my experience dredging soft bottom shoals hadn’t taught me how to hover my weight a couple Once you master Columbia and Willamette springers, the challenge is to learn of inches above how to catch ’em on the coast, like this one Mark Veary’s battling. (MARK VEARY) the bottom. I never considered that I could check the distance from my weight to the bottom by tilting my kayak to the side from which I fished and look for the telltale bump on the rod. When working deeper travel lanes, nothing in

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my experience indicated that springers might be higher in the water column (between 12 and 15 feet deep) than when they traveled across bars and shoals. Further, I’d never considered back-trolling the narrower slots of the Willamette with a diver until I’d seen it done. These were all next-level skills. My saving grace in these foreign conditions was the time that I’d spent honing the fundamentals. My abilities to spin a herring and keep a flasher straight gave me two less variables to consider. Having seen how to identify travel lanes by observing bite clusters put me closer to my target. So, while I wasn’t an expert in fishing these new venues, I was only a couple of modifications away from success. Whatever level of springer success you’ve reached, remember that earlyseason fishing takes place in cold water. Even though none of us expects to end up in the river, dress for immersion and wear your PFD. Additionally, fly a safety flag so that transiting power boats can spot you early. NS

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fishin´s fine Where The

Vancouver Island’s five major west coast sounds provide quick onramps to the Pacific’s ‘Salmon Highway,’ great bottomfishing grounds.

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FISHING

By Jeff Holmes

Most mornings on Vancouver Island’s west coast look something like this: The sun breaking over inland mountains signals brilliant beginnings to potentially epic ﬁshing and wildlife viewing to come. (RUGGEDPOINTLODGE.COM)

his month, most of our Willamette and Columbia River spring Chinook are binge eating herring along the coast of Vancouver Island before finishing their trek south. Soon the bulk of the run will brave the gauntlet of sea lions from Desdemona Sands to The Dalles Dam, but first they’ll tuck into the five protected sounds on the British Columbia island’s vaunted west coast to gorge on the herring spawn, adding to the layers of fat for which they’re famous. The open ocean is too rough to fish until late spring, so the only pressure our springers see in Canada is from island locals and the very rare off-season tourist specifically targeting saltwater springers. But the arrival of our kings also marks the very beginning of migratory salmon season along “The Salmon Highway,” the funnel-like migration corridor created by close proximity to the continental shelf. In late May comes the first push of big kings – which Canadians call springs – along with increasing plankton and baitfish, followed by waves of all five northeast Pacific salmon species from early summer through early fall. Salmon from California, Oregon, Washington and BC’s Fraser River system all fin past the island’s ocean ports, situated in protected sounds. If Vancouver Island is indeed a Salmon Highway, then by midsummer it is a 12-lane Los Angeles freeway at rush hour, and Chinook, coho, sockeye and more are the cars. Fishing boats are the outgunned highway patrol, but every cop makes his quota as more nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

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FISHING speeders streak past, gobbling baitfish as they go. There is no better place to fish for ocean salmon within a day of the Northwest than the island’s west coast, nor is there any place featuring excellent halibut angling all summer long. Halibut limits are the rule, and I have had 50-salmon days out on the ocean. Amazing salmon and halibut fishing – along with great lingcod and rockfishing – are reason enough to head here, but the wildness, wildlife, and cool travel experience combine to make a visit one of the Cadillac outdoor trips for Northwest sportsmen. The drive alone features a beautiful ferry ride and the island’s gorgeous mountains, rivers and lakes, as well as an opportunity to visit another country full of mostly very happy and nice people. With few exceptions, I love Canadians and Canada and look forward to a couple trips a year.

RIGHT NOW, SUMMER 2016 looks like the best time in many years to make the trip north, and now not later is the time to plan. The exchange rate has swung back mightily in our favor, making trips very affordable. Today, a Canadian dollar is worth roughly 70 cents US. This means very good things for us when we travel north and presents a notso-good scenario for our friends from the north coming south; just two years ago the situation was reversed. Along with a great exchange rate, a barrel of oil was in the low $30s at press time, a mind-bogglingly low figure driving gas to prices of decades ago. Cheaper petroleum makes everything cheaper, even in Canada where gas always costs more. When the exchange tilts in our favor, Canadian fishing operators want American dollars even more due to the downturn in the Canadian economy. This makes private fishing charters even more affordable, as well as lodge stays. In both cases, the Canadian charter model is not so much like America’s. Almost all boats are privately chartered, making for a more intimate and enjoyable experience, in most cases. When you compare the costs of an Alaska or Queen Charlottes trip with a Vancouver Island fishing vacation, there is no comparison, yet there certainly is between the fishing experiences. Many Vancouver Island trips result in bigger trophies and bigger bags of ocean fish for the freezer than more expensive trips to the north. That isn’t to say there aren’t unmatched opportunities in Alaska and further north in Canada, but for convenience, cost and extremely high quality combined, nothing beats the west coast of this 300-mile-long island. For those like me who like to drive and stay somewhat in control of their own travel, all of the island can be reached in a long day’s travel from just about anywhere in the Northwest. NORTH TO SOUTH, remote to popular, Vancouver Island’s protected sounds are as follows: Quatsino, Kyuquot, Nootka/Esperanza Inlet, Clayoquot and Barkley. Each 108 Northwest Sportsman

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With its proximity to the so-called Salmon Highway, every trip to the west coast of Vancouver Island has resulted in a “Tyee spring” for author Jeff Holmes. Canadians call mature Chinook “springs,” and a legitimate 30-pound or larger fish is a “Tyee.” At least five different protected sounds along the Pacific provide quick onramps to salmon-filled waters. And while big lingcod can be had in The States, not nearly so often or so big as along the island’s rocky northern coast. The reefs here also teem with a diversity of rockfish, flatfish, octopus and more. This whopper ling came out of Kyuquot’s Rugged Point Lodge. (JEFF HOLMES; RUGGEDPOINTLODGE.COM)

offers amazing fishing and wildlife viewing, but the further north you go, the higher the cost and quality of experience. That said, the best day of salmon fishing I’ve ever enjoyed occurred in the furthest south port of Ucluelet on the northern tip of Barkley Sound, about 50 miles northwest of Neah Bay. Along with halibut limits, we released 50 salmon for two rods and kept limits of Chinook and coho. Literally the whole west coast is excellent. Here’s a brief overview of the five protected sounds of Vancouver Island’s west coast

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FISHING WASHINGTON, OREGON COASTAL PORTS GREAT BETS TOO British Columbia can’t be beaten for summertime saltwater splendor, but it is also far and requires a ferry ride. My feelings about the awesomeness of Vancouver Island’s west coast could scarcely be clearer, but fishing closer to home is more affordable and less timeconsuming. Fishing for some species is just as good or better in Washington and Oregon. For example, our salmon fishing on these several successive excellent ocean salmon seasons has been nearly as good as BC’s Salmon Highway. It’s tough to beat nonstop action and long seasons and generous bags on Chinook here at home, and predictions so far are for very strong king numbers again this year. Hopefully the effects of El Niño won’t be too harsh this summer – or next – and even if salmon dips a little from our recent historic highs, rockfish, lingcod and halibut will still be available in good numbers. Perhaps more exciting and

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abundant than any of these species are meaty, 50-mph albacore tuna, and they should show up early again this year off of ports from Brookings to Neah Bay. Mark Coleman’s All Rivers and Saltwater Charters (allriversguideservice.com) landed some of the Northwest’s first sport-caught tuna of 2015 in late June out of Westport and was soon booked solid for almost the entire season, into October. Coleman has added a fourth 29-foot Defiance Guadalupe to run even more Westport anglers out to the tuna grounds lightning fast in 2016, but he’ll sell those seats too. Coleman is not alone. The best operators out of all of our Northwest ports are typically booked during prime dates once warm weather and a whiff of halibut, salmon and albacore pervade anglers’ senses. To ensure getting seats with the best outfits – especially for these three species – book as soon as possible. The alternative could be a waiting list of reasonable

length – if you’re lucky. You also might end up on an unproven or less desirable boat. Halibut is the single-most regulated and briefest season on the coast, especially in Washington, and waiting lists for excellent big-water halibut boats like Neah Bay’s Jambo’s Sportfishing (jambossportfishing .com) can stretch out a few years! Getting on the list now is key to getting that call down the road. Thankfully, most of our fish are far more available to sport anglers than halibut, and Washington and Oregon’s coast are dotted with ports with excellent fishing and charter opportunities. For newcomers to saltwater angling and those who want a reminder, here’s a north-to-south list of ocean ports worthy of further research and a visit: Neah Bay, La Push, Westport, Ilwaco, Astoria/ Warrenton, Garibaldi, Pacific City (home of the Pacific’s only dory fleet), Depoe Bay, Newport, Winchester Bay, Charleston, Bandon, Gold Beach and Brookings. –JH

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FISHING Along with a very visible black bear population and lots of coastal wolves and cougars, bald eagles patrol the island’s skies and are everywhere. I’ve seen them whack mergansers and catch lots of ﬁsh, like this swarm of needleﬁsh out of “Hardy,” as locals simply call their port town. But the true rulers of the marine environment are orcas. Residents root for them to slash into sounds to eat rafts of overpopulated sea otters and seals, which they do, often. On my last trip I saw perhaps 10 orcas spaced out in a line hunting a mile-wide swath of ocean. Later I’d see ravaged, bloody sea lions. (RUGGEDPOINTLODGE.CO; JEFF HOLMES)

and Port Hardy, the furthest north post on the island and another good option.

PORT HARDY Biggest North Coast outpost (5,500 residents); Route to Quatsino Sound; Marina and full range of services; Excellent salmon fishing; Good halibut, lingcod and rockfish; Starfish Charters’ kooky captain who worked in the film industry and is a bottomfish and salmon expert.

QUATSINO SOUND Home to famed Winter Harbour (20 residents); Very remote yet reachable in a day; Amazingly close proximity to the ocean and excellent reefs, with productive protected water for rough days; Halibut, salmon, lingcod and yelloweye rockﬁsh abound in large sizes; Spectacular wildlife spectacles of bears, eagles, otters, marine mammals and more. Qualicum Rivers Winter Harbour Fishing Lodge: This is the premier Quatsino Sound lodge. Scarcely 15 minutes from the open ocean, it’s an amazing experience. 112 Northwest Sportsman

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KYUQUOT SOUND Very remote and much less pressured than sounds to the south; Operators here fish some of the same water that those out of Quatsino fish; Still easy to get to and very close to the continental shelf – at 17 miles, it doesn’t get much closer; Prime salmon, lingcod, halibut, rockfish and tuna fishing, with lots of trophy specimens; Super-abundant wildlife, with orca commonly sighted; Rugged Point Lodge: Amazing lodge in protected waters five minutes from the open ocean fishing grounds, and with a proven tuna-fishing program and top-end Okuma tuna tackle.

NOOTKA SOUND AND ESPERANZA INLET Tahsis (316 residents) provides services and a marina; Protected water close to open ocean is popular with

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FISHING Americans bringing their own boats; Along with Kyuquot, closest Paciﬁc port to the continental shelf; Prime salmon, halibut; good ling, rockﬁsh and tuna; Westview Marina in Tahsis is a hub; Many lodges – check reviews.

CLAYOQUOT SOUND Tofino (1,876 residents) is an artsy ocean port on the south end of the sound; Excellent salmon and halibut fishing, and decent ling and rockfish options; Most upscale and trendy port on west coast, with good restaurants; Some camping/pricey lodging; Lots of charter options.

BARKLEY SOUND Ucluelet (1,627 residents) is the closest west coast port, located at north end of Barkley Sound; Long Beach and Big Bank are amazing and famous ﬁshing areas; Excellent salmon and halibut angling, and good lingcod and rockﬁsh; Nice working-class port with good lodging and food

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Albacore in Canada? You bet, and lots of them, close to shore. The continental shelf is fewer than 20 miles from Esperanza Inlet and Nootka and Kyuquot Sounds. I’ll be ﬁshing tuna in Canada this August for my ﬁrst-ever north-ofthe-border albacore slaughter. (RUGGEDPOINTLODGE.COM)

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FISHING fishing and the local area you’ll be visiting, but for even more info about your destination and about the trek to get there, abundant online resources are available. While you can take the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria to access the island, I greatly prefer BC Ferries and leaving from Horseshoe Bay in North Vancouver. That 1½-hour sail lands you in Nanaimo, the jumping-off point for visiting all five of these protected sounds and ocean ports. As soon as you get to Canada and can find an open bank, be sure to exchange American money for Canadian. I’m sure my eyes light up when I fork over $1,000 and receive $1,300 in return, even if Canadian money looks like it belongs in a board game. For a while it made sense to use your credit and debit cards in Canada, but the companies have caught up and fees greatly outweigh the advantages. The old model of exchanging cash is the way to go. Whether in Vancouver or Nanaimo, grabbing some groceries and additional fuel for vehicles is smart, as prices increase the further away from large towns one strays. And before you leave home, for God’s sake don’t forget your US Passport or your Enhanced Driver’s License to drive over the border. If you fly, the law has changed and a passport is now required. If you plan to take fish home whole, gilled and gutted, bring several large coolers. That’s my preference in order to keep fish as fish as fresh as possible. Even if you plan to

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Qualicum Rivers Winter Harbour Fishing Lodge and Resort’s Rob Knutsen and his wharf monger look incredulously at my stupidity in thinking seven coolers of big Chinook, coho, halibut, lingcod and rockﬁsh would ﬁt easily in a Toyota Tacoma. But with their help I got it all in, and only had to leave one tote of belongings in Canada to get home. These days I bring enough coolers and a bigger rig to haul home hundreds of pounds of the ocean’s best. (JEFF HOLMES)

forego the work and have fish processed and packaged in Canada, bring at least a few large coolers. And be prepared, perhaps, for a US Customs agent at the border to ask you why your truck is tilted backwards and leaking fluid, as happened to me a couple years ago as I struggled home with seven coolers containing four halibut, 12 lingcod, eight yelloweye rockfish, eight big kings and eight coho. Top that, Alaska :) NS

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COLUMN

Dream Trippin’

Among longtime Central Oregon outdoor writer Scott Staats all-time favorite local ﬁsheries is the John Day, and March just happens to be the “wonder month” for big smallmouth – this one went 21 inches – and snappy steelhead. (SCOTT STAATS)

ver the past 20 years as an outdoor writer in Oregon, I’ve had quite a few memorable experiences and got to share many of them in this magazine. This column will be my last, as I’m taking some time off and then will be working on some CENTRAL OREGEON book ideas. In the meanwhile, these are three BY Scott Staats of my favorite Eastern Oregon fishing outings. If you’ve ever dreamed about taking a trip like any of these, now’s the time to start booking.

JOHN DAY: NO MATCH FOR ITS SMALLIES, STEELIES My very favorite outing over the years has been floating and fishing the John Day River for smallmouth bass and steelhead. “March is the ‘Wonder Month’ because we can run steelhead/ bass trips and catch both in one day,” says Steve Fleming, owner of Mah-Hah Outfitters (johndayriverfishing.com) in Fossil. “Last year was a super year for March and we were getting both on every trip.” Fleming says he had a very good October/November steelhead season and has found that the following February/March fishery often mirrors the fall months. There’s more snowpack this year

than last, so the John Day will stay cooler longer and perhaps make for a longer run. Most of the steelhead run goes up the North Fork of the John Day. The tributary’s small size lends itself to great bank angling with bobber/jig or bobber/bait set-ups. Old reliables such as Blue Fox, Mepps, Panther Martin and Stee-lees also work. One of Fleming’s secrets is to cover everything with garlic Smelly Jelly. There is a lot of bank access from Service Creek to Monument and upriver to Dayville. There’s also about a mile of river access at Priest Hole out of Mitchell. There will still be some steelhead coming through at Clarno in March, but there’s not a lot of access. On my last couple of outings I caught both steelhead and smallmouth – and a few of the steelies came while using plastic grubs for bass! Fleming prefers 3-inch and 4-inch grubs in black, green pumpkin and smoke/red flake. He also likes 5-inch RippleWorms by Outlaw Baits, cut down by three-quarters of an inch so they fit on the jighead better (black, watermelon, pumpkin and green pumpkin are best colors). The trick is to give slack immediately when you feel the bite and allow the fish to gobble more of the bait and get the hook into its mouth. Fleming tells anglers to lower the rod, count to three and then set the hook hard.

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COLUMN Unless you’re comfortable fishing soft plastics, you’ll do best by fishing crankbaits, which cover a lot of water and get lots of reaction strikes. Fleming uses a lot of Rapala products, such as Countdowns, Shad Raps and X-Raps, to name a few. Other lures he uses include Yakima Bait’s Poe 300, Bagley Baits and Luhr Jensen Speed Traps and Hot Lips.

BROWNLEE: VARIETY AND SCENERY If you like catching lots of fish and a variety of ’em, then Brownlee Reservoir is the place for you. “Brownlee is probably the best fishery in the Northwest for catching a variety of warmwater species,” says Gary Gorbet, owner of Brownlee Charters (brownleecharters.com) in Richland, Ore. “I like the variety of fish in Brownlee and being able to go anywhere and find solitude.” Gorbet fishes the Snake River reservoir most of the year and says angling for all species has recently been on the upswing. Brownlee is home to black and white crappie, smallmouth and largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, trout, brown bullhead, and channel, flathead and blue catfish. For crappie and bass, Gorbet likes to target the banks in 6 to 20 feet of water, paying special attention to rocky points jutting out into the reservoir. He prefers plastic tubes and grubs up to 2 inches long on 1/16-ounce leadheads. For crappie, he tips the hooks with PowerBait Crappie Nibbles.

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There’s nothing like fishing in comfort, and Gorbet’s 20-foot pontoon boat has four swivel chairs, shade canopy, changing room, porta-potty, electric motor and plenty of room to move around for up to six anglers. Gorbet predicts that 2016 should be a really good year on Brownlee. He says there’s a good population of crappie that should be pushing 10 inches this season. Catfishing was very good last year and he sees no reason this year won’t be just as good. Channel cats averaged 3 to 6 pounds, and he caught plenty of 8- to 10-pounders throughout the season. “It was an unusual year for smallmouth bass,” Gorbet adds. “There were lots of small fish up to 11.5 inches and I have never seen a year where more big bass 17 inches and Staats also loves over were caught, and Brownlee Reservoir many fish 20 inches and for its variety of over. What was strange species and great scenery. A local was the bass from 12 to 16 guide expects 2016 inches were nonexistent.” to be pretty good for Idaho’s state record crappie and catﬁsh. (SCOTT STAATS) black crappie came out of

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Tucked below Chief Joseph Mountain, Wallowa Lake is home to the worldrecord kokanee, and also holds Mackinaw and rainbow trout. The surrounding countryside is some of the prettiest in the Northwest. (SCOTT STAATS) Brownlee in June 2003. It weighed 3.56 pounds, measured 17.5 inches and had a girth of 15 inches. The reservoir also produced two other Gem State records, a 58.5-pound flathead and 3.88-pound bullhead.

WALLOWA LAKE: BEAUTY AND THE FEAST It was all I could do just to keep an eye on the tip of my rod for the next hit. My eyes kept straying up at the snow-covered Wallowa Mountains that rise abruptly from the lake. But a tug on the rod brought my focus quickly back to the water. A few minutes later, I landed the largest kokanee of my life, a bright and tasty 17-incher. On that outing I tagged along with fishing guide Mark Moncrief, owner of Tri-State Outfitters (tri-stateoutfitters.com) in Enterprise. He says Wallowa Lake kokanee average 12 to 16 inches, but you’ll also recall the string of big landlocked sockeye that culminated in Ron Campbell’s world record of 9 pounds 11 ounces. “Downriggers make it possible to catch fish anytime of the year and anytime of the day,” Moncrief says. Fish come up near the surface in the morning then head deeper as the day warms up. He says that flat-line trollers often have a hard time putting enough weight on to reach the fish in deeper water. Anglers begin catching nice kokes in March, with the best chance at larger fish occurring in June. The fish are usually down pretty deep until the lake turns over in May. When fish are suspending, Moncrief likes to use a Sling Blade and a Koke-A-Nut from Shasta Tackle. He tips the hook with maggots and finally adds Pro-Cure shrimp oil scent. With this set-up, he says he’s never had a day on the lake that he hasn’t caught kokanee. The salmon can be found throughout the entire lake at a variety of depths. In May and June, many anglers do well flat-line trolling for the fish near the surface. In midsummer, the fish can be down over 50 feet. Normally, when you find the kokanee, they will be in schools. Sonar will often reveal large groups of smaller fish and smaller ones of larger fish. Moncrief says that the oversize fish in the lake are getting big by feeding on the mysis shrimp. The shrimp provide high protein compared to their usual diet of plankton. He has had luck along most of the shorelines, but much of the time it’s a matter of locating the fish on the screen. That is, if you can take your eyes off the mountains surrounding the lake in one of Oregon’s most beautiful counties. NS 122 Northwest Sportsman

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FISHING

Basin’s Best ’Eyes How to ﬁsh Banks Lake, Potholes Reservoir for early-season walleye. By Keith Jensen

ith the shotguns, bird dogs and decoys having wrapped up another successful Columbia Basin waterfowl and upland bird season, it’s now time to get the ﬁshing gear ready for one of the best times to ﬁsh for walleye in Washington. Yeah, you bet it’s still on the chilly side here east of the mountains, but the bite will be red hot. Walleye, as with all of the state’s spinyrays, winter in deeper water

where conditions remain more stable and where they are not subject to harsh winter storms. Once the ice clears on Potholes Reservoir and Banks Lake, the walleye remain deep but are more than ready to do some serious eating.

AT THAT WALLEYE FACTORY known far and wide simply as the Potholes, as the weather warms and the reservoir becomes ice-free, the ﬁsh will be grouped up in large numbers around the many humps in front of the sand dunes between Crab Creek

and Winchester Wasteway. The closest ramps are at MarDon Resort (mardonresort.com) and Potholes State Park, and as you get within several hundred yards of the outer dunes, start paying close attention to your electronics. You will begin to go over humps that rise from 50 feet quickly up to 25 or 30 feet. Once you have located the humps, two key lures for targeting walleye staging on them are blade baits and lipless crankbaits. With the former, I prefer Bass Pro Shops XPS Laser Blades, and I like -ounce models

Clients of author Keith Jensen show off nice Banks Lake walleye, caught at Barker Flats. Banks and Potholes Reservoir are among the best spots in the Columbia Basin for the tasty ﬁsh this time of year. (BIGWALLYSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

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FISHING

Among the author’s favorite walleye lures are Bass Pro Shops XPS Laser Blades, Rapala Rippin’ Raps and (below) Mack’s Lure Smile Blade Spindrift and Super Slow Death Rigs. (BIGWALLYSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

in either gold or silver finishes. For the latter, I use the Rapala Rippin’ Rap, which was designed for the type of fishing I’m describing. The ¾-ounce red crawfish-patterned plug has treated me very well. When using blade baits and Rippin’ Raps you will want to utilize two key presentations: vertical jigging or cast-and-retrieve. For jigging, drop your blade or plug on top of or on the side of one of Potholes’ humps. A quick lift of the rod to about the 10 o’clock position will raise and vibrate your lure off the bottom. It is vital that you feel the vibrations of the bait. If you don’t feel any, most likely the bait has become fouled on the line. But most important is the drop. After raising your rod to 10 o’clock, you want to quickly lower it back down to allow the blade bait or Rippin’ Rap to flutter back to the bottom on slack line. It is that slackline flutter fall that gets the majority of the bites. When you go to lift the rod back up, you will feel the extra weight of a walleye – quickly reel down and set the hook. As for casting and retrieving either lure, give it a good heave and, again, allow the bait to reach bottom. Then begin a series of rod sweeps. Quickly raise your rod to 10 o’clock to activate the vibration, then lower it just as you would if fishing vertically. Allow the lure to make contact with the bottom on the drop. Continue with this series of rod sweeps and 126 Northwest Sportsman

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drops all the way back to the boat. I rig my blade baits on a 7-foot medium-action Bass Pro Shops Walleye Angler Spinning Rod coupled with either 6- or 8-pound CXX P-Line. For the Rippin’ Rap I use a 7-foot-6 Bass Pro Shops Walleye Angler Casting Rod, again, with 6or 8-pound test. Weighing ¾ ounce, the Rippin’ Rap is much better suited to the casting rod, thanks to its weight. I am a ﬁrm believer in using light line on all my presentations because I believe it results in many more bites.

EQUALLY AS EFFECTIVE as those blades and plugs are bottom bouncerspinner rigs. On Potholes through early March, I will motor directly in front of the mouth of Winchester Wasteway and ﬁnd 35 to 40 feet of water. I will then proceed by trolling motor across the face of the dunes toward Crab Creek with the set-up. With water temperatures still cold, a slow presentation is vital to trigger a bite from the equally cold walleye. I will troll .5 to .8 mph up and over the dozens of underwater humps at Potholes. When I hit a walleye, I immediately hit a waypoint on the GPS. By continuing this pattern down this stretch I end up locating the key humps that are holding walleye on that particular day. When it comes to spinner-crawler rigs for walleye, Mack’s Lure Smile Blades dominate the competition.

One of the greatest attributes of the Smile Blade is its ability to spin at the slowest of speeds. The Smile BladeSlow Death Hook combination and the new Spindrift Floating Walleye Rig are the two Mack’s Lure baits that do the damage on walleye in my boat. Baited with a nightcrawler, they’re just too much for the walleye to resist. Many anglers will pinch their worms in half when using these hooks, but I prefer to use the whole ’crawler. Big baits equal big bites, right? Smile Blades come in many colors, from motor oil to pink, but there is one that produces more bites and more walleye for myself and my clients than any other: No. 65211, gold with black scales in the .8- and 1.1-inch sizes. Whether

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Northwest Sportsman 127

FISHING I am at Potholes, Banks, Moses or Rufus Woods, this particular color consistently produces quantity and quality ﬁsh. Walleye are opportunistic feeders and will prey on smaller members of their own species when given the chance. Hold this color Smile Blade up to a walleye and you will see a very close match. For bottom bouncing I use the Bass Pro Shops Walleye Angler Casting Rod. Geared for the tactic, the 7-foot-6 model has a soft tip to detect the softest of bites. With the walleye being in 30 to 50 feet of water this time of year, I stick with 2-ounce bottom bouncers to maintain bottom contact. At times I will bump up to 3-ounce bouncers if I have wind to deal with.

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FISHING and there are several spots on the 42-square-mile reservoir for earlyseason walleye. The first is on the north end, Barker Flats. Located straight across the lake from Steamboat Rock, the flats hold enormous numbers of walleye in late winter and early spring. I catch many of the largest fish of the year here now. Walleye in the 5- to 10-pound range are a real possibility every trip. To reach Barker Flats, launch at the Northrup ramp just off Highway 155 near Steamboat Rock. Go around the north face of the rock and then straight across the lake. Barker Flats gets its name from the vast shallow flat that extends out from the west side of the lake opposite Steamboat Rock. From shore, the flats stay shallow, 6 to 20 feet deep, for several hundred yards. This time of year, however, you want to be right outside the flats in water 35

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to 50 feet deep. But unlike Potholes with all of its underwater humps, Barker Flats is just as it sounds, flat. It consists of a sandy/muddy bottom with very little rock, but it holds great numbers of perch this time of year – and where there are perch, there are walleye. When fishing the flats, I always troll parallel to the contours. Rather than going from deep to shallow or shallow to deep, I start at a given depth, say, 40 feet, and maintain that. If I don’t find fish at 40 feet, my next pass will be at 45 feet. I will continue to test different contours until I locate the depth the fish are holding at. If I am running four bottombouncer rods, I will have two rods with Smile Blade-Slow Death Hook combos and the other two with Mack’s Spindrift Rigs. All four will start out with the gold-with-blackscales pattern. But if I’m marking a ton of fish but not getting bit,

I will start experimenting with different colors. Another extremely productive area on Banks lies at the far north end, at Electric City. Directly across from Coulee Playland Resort is a stretch of 35- to 50-foot-deep water that extends back downlake for more than a mile. From February through March, large numbers of walleye ranging in size from 16 to 22 inches, with many over 22, gather here. Again, pick a starting depth and then proceed to bottom bounce this entire stretch. If I locate a large school of walleye, I switch over to the aforementioned blade bait and jigging plug, and try to stay right on top of the school. Many anglers are aware of and ﬁsh Barker Flats but do not run further north to the area across from Coulee Playland. Some of my best ﬁshing days early in the year are in this area. The daily limit for walleye on both Banks and Potholes is eight (12-inch

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Northwest Sportsman 131

FISHING minimum size), with only one over 22 inches allowed.

I’D BE REMISS in not mentioning the “bonus” catches walleye anglers get early in the year at either reservoir. In all the areas I’ve described, yellow perch can be found in great numbers, and this is the time of year the jumbos can be caught. If there is one ﬁsh that rivals the taste of a walleye ﬁllet, it is yellow perch. Anglers will pick up great numbers of perch on Banks and Potholes on blade baits, Rippin’ Raps and bottom bouncer-spinner rigs. Burbot also make an appearance now. Their numbers appear to be rising, and last February and March saw 27 hauled aboard my boat while targeting walleye. This may not seem like many, but my previous record was nine for an entire season. Please feel free to contact me (509770-8318; bigwallysguideservice.com)

Burbot may turn up as a bonus at Banks and Potholes, but you can count on catching yellow perch. (BIGWALLYSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

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COLUMN

March Best At Burke, Quincy

Nestled in a state wildlife area on a plateau above the Columbia River’s Wanapum Pool, Burke Lake and nearby waters open March 1, and author Don Talbot says a great way to catch their rainbows is with a little bug. (DONSFISHINGGUIDESERVICE.COM)

arch 1 marks the opening day of fishing season at a couple dozen lakes in Eastern Washington, including several productive waters in the Quincy Wildlife Area, one of which will be the site of a derby on this month’s first Saturday. Burke and Quincy Lakes are located about 5 BASIN BEACON miles from the outskirts of the town of Quincy, By Don Talbot off of White Trail Road. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been stocking these waters for decades, and I started fishing them over 40 years ago with my family. The funny part is that I never got hooked on PowerBait when it first came out, like 90 percent of all shore fishermen. I thought it was a great challenge to beat those using dough with spoons, spinners, flies and live dragonfly nymphs instead.

“WAIT A SECOND,” you might be saying to yourself, “did Don just write ‘live dragonfly nymphs?’” Yep, and this is probably the best kept trout secret on the planet. When I was 11 years old and growing up in Chelan County I would ride my bike down to the Wenatchee River with my fishing buddies to screen bugs for use as whitefish bait while fishing off

most of the bridges near We Wenatchee. enatchee. We collected the e hellgrammites hellgrrammites by putting on our hip boots oots ots and a shuffling loose rocks in front ront of a screen. It took about 30 minutes to get enough bait for the entire day. The limit for whitefish in the river was 25 per person 40 years ago, and we used a wine cork bobber and a nail for a weight and drifted hellgrammites downstream very close to the bottom on the very edge of the current line. I caught my limit over 90 percent of the time using natural bait that I harvested from the river, and wondered if the same idea would work at Quincy and Burke Lakes for trout. I didn’t know what type of bugs that I would find there, so I took a couple of fish-tank nets down to Burke to see what lived in the water under the rocks. The bugs we found we put on a hook and floated them naturally under a bobber. The dragonfly nymphs worked like a dream on the fish in all the lakes. We not only limited in record time, but most of our trout were carryovers from the year before. My older brother Steve always drove me down to Burke to harvest the bugs. I would walk to the hot spot at the other end of the lake to turn over rocks. The only problem is that you have

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Northwest Sportsman 137

COLUMN This trio – a Jake’s Spin-A-Lure, Kamlooper spoon poon and dragonﬂy nymph – is the bane of Burke’s urke’s ’bows, says Talbot. (DONSFISHINGGUIDESERVICE.COM) E.COM) COM)

to be extremely fast with the net to catch these speedy nymphs. Only a few anglers are fast enough to get 10 to 20 of them in about 30 minutes, and it takes extremely fast reflexes to scoop them on the first try. A dragonfly nymph shoots water out of the rear of its body to propel itself quickly. While only a few anglers have ever used live dragonfly nymphs for bait, it is my favorite for trout fishing at the Quincy Lakes. Good luck catching these speedy nymphs!

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SPOONS ALSO WORK extremely well in the early spring on the big carryovers in the lakes. My favorite is a Kamlooper with a single hook. I have landed hundreds of 3-plus-pound fish on this spoon early in the season. Here’s a tip for determining if it’s time to use spoons: Use them when the fish aren’t breaking the surface much and the PowerBait fishermen are nailing most of the trout off the bottom. I use a 3/8-ounce Kamplooper off 6-pound

test strung on a spinning reel. Using a light-action steelhead rod about 10 feet long, I can cast the spoon over halfway across the lake. I let the spoon fall to the bottom and reel just fast enough to cruise the bottom. The big fish will stop the spoon cold and I set the hook hard. I will work most of the lake with the spoon until I find the hot spot. This is a great way to win a derby too. Because all legal-sized trout caught with bait count towards your daily limit,

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COLUMN regardless of whether you keep or release them, you can’t high grade like you can with selective gear. I use a barbless hook on my spoon and release the fish I don’t want to keep. If the trout are breaking the lake’s surface, Jake’s Spin-A-Lures work well. This is my favorite top-of-the-water spinner for lake fishing off the shore due to the fact that you can cast it a mile with 4-pound test. I start reeling right when the spinner hits the water, looking for a quick reaction from the trout. You will never get bored using a Jake’s when the trout are rising. And finally, not surprisingly an olive green dragonfly nymph fly behind a bobber works really well. The fly needs to sink naturally on 4-pound test under a clear weighted bobber. Always have a few flies in your trout arsenal to mimic the natural bait in the water. You never know what you might catch. Other March 1 opener waters in the greater Columbia Basin include those in the Tucannon River Chain; Lenice and Nunnally Lakes as well as Crab Creek; Downs, Liberty and Medical Lakes in Spokane County; Pampa and Fishhook Ponds; and trophy fisheries at Coffeepot and Lenore Lakes.

I’LL SEE YOU at Burke Lake for the 6th Annual Trout Derby on March 5 (see Derby Watch). Tons of prizes will be awarded, and you just might win big using the tips in this column! If you have any additional questions about this subject, contact me at Don Talbot’s Fishing (509-679-8641; donsfishingguideservice.com). NS

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Nice-sized holdovers are possible at Burke Lake, which also hosts an annual ﬁshing derby. Most rainbows will be around a footlong or so. (DON TALBOT)

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FISHING

8 GREAT INLAND TROUT WATERS Springers, schmringers – lakes and rivers in far Eastern Washington, North Idaho and Western Montana produce nice big rainbows, browns and more in March. By Jeff Holmes

arch is a lovely month in the Inland Northwest to be a trout angler. While much of the Westside angling army is rotting on the hook drowning bait-wrapped plugs for spring Chinook or trolling herring through travel lanes for these fish that mostly won’t show up until April, dedicated swarms of anglers from all over the Northwest – even the world – show up here to fish trout. Why? We grow ‘em big, and trophy trout wake up in March ready to gobble more and more frequently throughout the day. We see excellent growth rates at many lakes that Westside biologists and fishery managers throughout the West would love. But when one thinks about the best stillwater trout fishing in the Lower 48, the Inland Northwest probably doesn’t come up as often as it deserves. The region is dotted with small and midsized bodies of water, as well as huge lakes holding some of the world’s largest trout. Luckily, not every excellent March trout fishery in Eastern Washington, North Idaho and Western Montana draws well-heeled anglers from afar, nor do many of them draw much of a crowd at all. And none of the fisheries resemble the madhouses of springer season or Washington’s soon-tofollow opening of trout season on the fourth Saturday in April. Except when certain guides blow up fisheries on social media, as was done to an epic Lake Roosevelt kokanee bite this winter, crowds of 30 or 40 boats are uncommon. Most days, expect to never pass within shouting distance of another angler or boat – if you want to. A prime example of that can

be found at North America’s third deepest lake, the Panhandle’s Pend Oreille. It, along with several others, should be on your radar this March or in the near future. All lakes that follow are in top form right now.

LAKE PEND OREILLE This giant trout heaven fell on hard times after several habitat and management crises led to severely depressed kokanee populations, an overabundance of newly introduced

and management challenges and successes have led Pend Oreille back into the conversation as America’s best trout lake. Period. Let’s look at some basic numbers in terms of ﬁsh size. The lake holds bull trout to over 20 pounds, rainbows to over 30, brown trout to the high teens and maybe larger, and some large westslope cutthroat trout as well. Despite extensive deepwater netting efforts to eliminate lake trout, they remain in smaller numbers and

Lake Pend Oreille is again in the running for the title of America’s best trout lake. Kokanee have rebounded, and so have their predators, including Gerard-strain rainbow trout, which are once again numerous and often topping 20 pounds – the one Cashmere, Washington’s Ace Campbell (right) holds was estimated at 22 pounds. Specimens much larger than this exist, and in the May issue author Jeff Holmes will go in depth on the Idaho lake’s fantastic ﬁsheries. (JIM CUMMINS)

lake trout and a subsequent bounty on the heads of the lake’s precious Gerrard-strain rainbows to help balance the predator-prey relationship and allow kokanee to rebound. Well, the kokanee are back – really back – and trout of several species are getting huge. I’ll present in depth in the May issue on how the lake’s historic and current habitat

fatter and larger sizes, topping 20 pounds and possibly larger. Pend Oreille is a big-water ﬁshery that can be as rough as the ocean, and only experienced big-water ﬁshermen in substantial boats should tackle it, except on bluebird days. Probably the best way to experience the 148-square-mile lake is with a guide or hitching a ride with a fellow nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

Northwest Sportsman 143

FISHING recreational angler. The most common approaches for trolling the lake are surfaceplaner boards and downriggers, usually deployed simultaneously to cover more of the water column. Big bucktail flies are trolled fast behind planer boards spaced far to the sides of boats to cover a large swath for surface-feeding, spooky rainbows, the top target for most anglers. Downrigger offerings are often Rapalas, Lyman plugs, spoons and an assortment of other trophy trout trolling lures, including flasher-andbait combos for lakers. March is a great time for big fish on the lake as they begin to move toward an end to winter patterns. Many rainbows leave the lake to spawn, but most remain since they don’t spawn every year. Browns, lakers and bulls are all fall spawners and are in full effect. Several charter operators make a living at the north end of Pend Oreille. They and their reviews are available online.

Lake Roosevelt is one of the Northwest’s ﬂagship trout and kokanee lakes. Home to football-shaped rainbows and kokanee averaging almost 20 inches right now, March is an excellent time to troll the big waters behind Grand Coulee dam all the way to Fort Spokane, as this angler discovered while out with Spokane’s Kelly Colliton. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

LAKE ROOSEVELT March should be a fantastic time to ﬁsh Roosevelt as federal water managers draw down the reservoir in anticipation of a substantial runoff this season. When Roosevelt 144 Northwest Sportsman

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is low, it concentrates fish, which tend to school up in elbows in the lake where plankton gets pushed by prevailing winds. In these foodrich areas – which are many along the lengths of the 144-mile-long reservoir – fishing can be fantastic for hatchery rainbows reaching 24 inches and averaging 15 to 19, as well as beautiful wild rainbows that occasionally approach 10 pounds. These football-shaped fish should be abundant and concentrated come March, along with 2016’s excellent crop of kokanee averaging 18 inches and reaching 24. The lake’s netpen program is often chronicled, including by me, because of its scope and level of success. Some 750,000 rainbow trout are released from pens throughout the reservoir. These 8-inch fish grow a whopping 6 inches and change completely in body shape and flesh coloration by the time winter rolls around. In March, last year’s stockers average 15 inches, with many substantially longer. Rainbows and big kokanee are on the regular docket for March and all the way into summer, and other fish make occasional appearances as they wash through the system. Nice brown trout are occasionally caught here, as are landlocked Chinook that have been flushed down from Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. I caught a nice little 22-inch Chinook trolling flies between Hawk Creek and Lincoln, on Roosevelt’s lower section. The areas from the mouth of the Spokane Arm down to Spring Canyon and Grand Coulee Dam are most densely populated with trout, especially true for kokanee. Consider fishing out of Fort Spokane if you catch word of a bite, but I’d focus even further downstream at Seven Bays or even much lower. Think about Lincoln, Hanson Harbor, Keller Ferry and Spring Canyon as your best bets. This is big water and the wind can come up, but I have many times safely fished Roosevelt in a 14-foot boat. March days can be blustery, but they can also be beautiful and sunburny.

Trout and kokanee here tend to be spooky, and most anglers fan out a wide selection of trolled patterns, including Muddlers and other trolling flies, Apexes, Floating Rapalas, various spinners and other proven trout and kokanee lures. In March fish are still almost always in the top 20 feet of the water column, often coming to the surface to feed. Some rely on downriggers, others planer boards, still others leaded line with long monofilament leaders and light trolling weights. Others simply fish mono rigs with trolling weights and lures. Most Roosevelt veterans believe strongly in tipping every hook – even Rapalas – with maggots, worm, corn, etc. The trout and kokanee here will often favor one direction of troll over another, which I experienced fishing with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Chris Donley in late January. Kokanee wouldn’t touch us going upstream and smacked it repeatedly going down. Later in the day, the reverse pattern developed. I’ll feature Roosevelt, along with trout and kokanee guru Donley, in the April issue.

ROCK LAKE I caught my ﬁrst Rock Lake trout as an almost-tween and immediately fell in love with the lake’s wildness and geography, as well as the legends about its huge browns. I later taught 25 miles from Rock at Eastern Washington University in Cheney for over a decade and went to school there for way too long before that. During that time I developed an obsession with the lake, even its history, as I’ve written about here before and probably will again. But for now let me tell you this: It’s rad. Also, it’s rad in March. Provided major precipitation or runoff events don’t cloud the lake and throw it offcolor, ﬁshing should be amazing for hatchery winter steelhead, released here as a result of the Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit settlement with WDFW. It should similarly be

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FISHING excellent for some of the season’s biggest rainbows and browns. I can verify browns here to 14 pounds and have personally seen a few topping 10. Most of my time at Rock has been spent fishing flies, and I have caught some giant trout, but to get the real monsters, lures or bait shine. Along with a small-but-strong population of large browns of multiple age classes, the lake has good numbers of 15- to 19-inch browns, as well as skinny, silvery juveniles that are best avoided and left to grow. They tend to bunch up in schools at this size. Browns may be what Rock is best known for – certainly not steelhead smolts – but its rainbows are remarkable. Averaging 15 to 18 inches, with lots of fish topping 20, they reach lengths of 24 inches with substantial girth and growl. A limit of Rock Lake fish can be a real haul. Four limits is hard to carry. Rock is over 7 miles long and is ringed by steep cliffs and sharp drop-

offs. It’s called Rock Lake for a reason, both for the beautiful above-ground volcanic landscape and the propshedding, transom-ripping architecture under the water. As a rule, run on plane only up the middle of the lake unless you know it well. I have launched a boat at the lake approaching 200 times in my life and I’m still always wary. Not long ago I found an outjutting shelf I did not know about, almost 100 yards from shore. As I’ve written about, the one boat wreck I’ve enjoyed in my life that wasn’t a whitewater raft or a canoe was at Rock, at high speed, in June. If this happens in March, you’re likely going to die. Of course a rock didn’t wreck me; I reached for a chew and lost the tiller. I quit chewing. You don’t want to go close to shorelines at high speed, but you deﬁnitely want to troll them or cast to them. Almost the entire lake features steep drop-offs, and food and predators are most abundant close to

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the rocks. I like to troll flies here like olive and black and brown Woolly Buggers, Bunny Leeches and other unweighted flies on fast-sinking fly lines, or you can even fish them with leaded line or with mono and weight. I also like to troll plugs like MagLip 3.0s and 3.5s, Rapala Shad Raps, and FlatFish and Kwikfish. I’ve caught trout here trolling most of my steelhead plugs, but guys who experiment with hard baits from the bass world do especially well.

FOURTH OF JULY LAKE Fourth of July grows ﬁsh bigger and faster than its winter-only counterparts, and when there aren’t undesirable species like fathead minnows to contend with, rainbows have free reign of the lake, growing fat on scuds (freshwater shrimp), chironomids, leeches and a variety of aquatic invertebrates that also thrive in the lake’s alkaline waters. The lake is a little over a mile long

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FISHING and mostly devoid of trees except for the end opposite the public launch, where ponderosas sit above the narrow lake that fills a coulee in the channeled scablands 3 miles south of Sprague. Its fish are piggish in size and appetite. The lake has historically churned out lots of big rainbows, with anglers’ biggest gripe being the overabundance of trout over 14 inches. The daily limit here only allows two trout over 14; the other three must be smaller, which isn’t always possible. For guys who like to catch and release lots of trout during a day, this is great news, however. The lake doesn’t get fished out as quickly, and there are big trout galore to be had. Trout as long as 26 inches have been landed here, and specimens stretching at least 2 feet are in the lake now. On my first morning of fly fishing with sinking line from a float tube during a snowstorm in the mid-

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1990s, I landed eight fish between 16 and 20 inches at Fourth of July, mostly by accident. As I untied knots in the borrowed fly line, my leech patterns would consistently sit still for long periods, slowly slithering along the bottom only as I shifted my rod tip by accident or as I drifted. On future trips, I made sure to get my leeches and chironomids as close to the bottom as possible, often in very shallow water, and I caught lots. Over the years I’ve learned that rainbows use all depths of the lake, from the shallow end nearest the launch to the far end and its deeper water. One thing is for sure: They are often gorging just out of sight really close to shore and in shallow water. To generalize, Fourth of July’s big fish spend most of their time quite low in the water column, something I began learning on that day, although I might have reasoned it out earlier. When I bait fished the lake in earlier years, I was far more

Fourth of July Lake is tucked into the Channeled Scablands a few miles south of Sprague. Rainbows grow very fast here and get very fat – state biologist Randall Osborne landed this one while test-fishing the lake for the winter fishery a few seasons back. It’s tough if not impossible to launch a trailered boat, but very easy to haul a cartopper or a pontoon or float tube to the water. (WDFW)

successful plunking than fishing with a fixed bobber, and so were those around me. Whether plunkers use PowerBait, marshmallows or other means to suspend bait above the bottom, successful anglers are careful to keep baits out of the weeds, and to vary depths throughout the day if not getting bites. Again, the fish are often very shallow and close to shore. Make sure you’re not casting

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FISHING right over the big bruisers that ﬁght their way into prime spots on the bank’s chironomid-and-leech buffet.

MISSOULA WATERS Sorry, Montana, I’m gonna go ahead and be “that” guy and unleash magazine readers on you and your not-so-secret March trophy trout fishery. I’ve seen enough Montanans nymphing the spey runs and speying the gear stretches of steelhead streams lately to not bat an eyelash. Point of fact, the biggest browns, rainbows, and cutthroats of the year begin to feed again for the first time in several months. They all look “up” in earnest for adult bugs, especially skwala stoneflies. These meaty, late-winter/ early-spring bugs are part of a rich seasonal diet enjoyed by trout from the local rivers: Clark Fork, Bitterroot, Blackfoot and Rock Creek. All four fish well in March during the prerunoff pattern, which typically continues well

into April. Definitely the Bitterroot and Clark Fork see the most traffic, partly because they run through Missoula and other population hubs in Western Montana, partly because they offer the best floating access and strong numbers of skwalas and other bugs, mostly midges, blue-winged olive mayflies and March brown mayflies. Both rivers are well-suited for drift boats or rafts and rowers of all skill levels. Skwala nymphs become active when the water reaches the high 30s. The nymphs emerge from under rocks and immediately become targets of opportunity for feeding trout well before they make their way to the shore, where they crawl into willows and other vegetation and also rocks to shuck out of their nymph stage into adulthood. Swkalas then unloose, dry and test their wings until they can fly. They then become food as adults when they are driven into the water by high winds, when they die

and when the females lay eggs. Trout eat them at all of these stages but eat far more nymphs than anything else. Still, when the adults are present in good numbers, early-season trout can’t help but look up and rise to dry patterns, which are big, fun to fish and intoxicating to watch get eaten. One must wait a count before setting on a trout picking off a big stonefly, long enough for them to turn their head and allow a positive hookset. This is challenging after a winter without dry flies, especially if one is conditioned to watch bobbers drown and to set the hook immediately. It’s fun, and the trout get drunk and dumb on the bounty. The year’s biggest trout are caught every year during the prerunoff. Even wise old browns will rise like greedy westslope cutthroats for skwalas, and the swkalas seem to make big fish eager to rise to other bugs when hatches occur. There are fish present in all four streams of all age classes, but to

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FISHING generalize mightily, all four streams offer lots of “teens” and much larger fish of a mixed bag: cutts, rainbows, cutt-bows, browns and even bulls. It’s wise to book a day with a guide out of the better-reviewed of several area fly shops, but after one weekend with a friend in his boat in Missoula, I found it easy to take my own boat, set up shuttles with shops and get on fish immediately on all four rivers. I have never floated Rock Creek, nor would I in a hard-sided boat. It’s more of a small river than a creek, but it is a small river. It may offer the coolest and certainly wildest experience of any of the four major streams. It features healthy bull trout, browns, rainbows, cutts, cutt-bows and brookies. It’s a great trout stream and worth the half-hour drive from downtown Missoula. Expect possible bighorn, moose, elk and deer sightings especially on Rock Creek, but also on the other streams, even in Missoula.

All four of the Missoula-area prerunoff trout streams are awesome, including the Blackfoot, Clark Fork, and Bitterroot rivers, but me and my brother Zac’s favorites is more intimate and wild Rock Creek. The little river is home to lots of browns, including specimens larger than this as well as cutthroat, rainbow, brook and bull trout. The Clark Fork and Blackfoot, where this Teutonic trout bit, are closer to Missoula. (ZAC HOLMES)

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Cutt, Coney Ops Mark March NORTH SOUND

ost Marches bring good lake fishing that’s often overlooked by casual anglers peering ahead on the calendar and awaiting late April’s much By Doug Huddle ballyhooed general lowland opener. The underutilized resources are native and cultured coastal cutthroat trout populations in a number of Northwest Washington waters. Add to this combination latter-day, off-season plants of catchable rainbows together with brown trout infusions, and early-spring visits to certain shallow, year-round lakes can be quite rewarding. As cool as it may be in the last days of winter, cutthroat – both hatchery and native specimens – with their innate or genetically inherited adaptations are able to shake off the effects of chilly water sooner. They’ll start to feed and move about as early as the last of February. In some lakes, cutthroat, especially in native resident populations, survive or carryover well, and as trout go, they can get to a ripe old age and substantial size. For effective February and early March fishing for lake cutts, there are two main schools of thought. One angling camp says to focus on inlet creek mouths with enough flow that potential spawners will want to ascend them, and in those locales troll offerings in close to shore. The other claims drifting with plunked baits, usually smallish and scented (egg clusters or worms), just off the bottom is equally effective. Propulsion for the boat often is provided by a slight breeze or current. This so-called windmooching presentation requires either firsthand knowledge of the depth along the intended drift path, or constant vigilance to keep from snagging up. Proponents of both of these proactive techniques say that anchoring and dropping baits to the bottom isn’t as successful, since that requires the fish generally to come to you, and these trout, though alert and active, tend to stake out territories.

FOR MARCH TROUT, try out these North Sound lakes: Whistle Lake: Deep in the Anacortes Community Forest in western Skagit County on the east ﬂanks of Mt. Erie, this lake was once the Fidalgo Island city’s back-up municipal water supply. For its general locale in metropolitan Puget Sound, this walk-in ﬁshing spot is in a unique setting and is fully surrounded by a mature

evergreen forest. The old road from the parking area to the lake is broad and easily walkable, but narrows at the lake’s north end to pathways circumnavigating shore in the woods. Rock outcrops and steep slopes in places significantly limit water’s edge access. To most thoroughly fish Whistle, some sort of mobile flotation is a necessity. Small cutthroat trout (fed fry) are stocked seasonally here and vie initially for food with Whistle’s perch and sunfish. Cutt survivors able to withstand the warm late-summer waters and compete with the spinyrays grow well, as indicated by the lake’s none-to-secret reputation for lunkers. Cranberry Lake: Located in the expansive Deception Pass State Park

Cranberry Lake is among the lakes that aren’t halfbad bets for trout ﬁshing this month. (DANA, FLICKR) complex at the north end of Whidbey Island in Island County, this shallow year-round lake harbors both rainbow trout catchables added in March and lurking browns, an exotic and sedentary trout that are input as fry each fall to grow to occasionally mildly menacing size. Cranberry is surrounded by park property, but its shores are defended by stunted conifer thickets that resemble a remote Canadian outback lake. There is a dock and a few bushy shore stands along West Beach Road. A 25-foot-deep kolk kettle along the north shore is the deepest spot, and occasionally holds a big rainbow or two. Launch your personal watercraft there or at the West Beach parking area ramp toward the northwest end.

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Trollers using an array of spinners will tangle mainly with the rainbows. A more deliberate approach with small, light Rapala minnows is necessary for the late-spring-awakening browns. You must have a Discover Pass to enter the park by vehicle. Depression Lake: North of Concrete at Upper Baker Dam in Whatcom County, this relatively shallow, subordinate impoundment near Puget Sound Energy’s Koma Kulshan Campground captures the substantial seepage from Baker Lake that flows underground through the porous geological formations on the lower west side of the main reservoir. Puget Sound Energy helps raise the rainbows, which are planted in staggered releases from March through June. Depression gets fished hard for its catchables in the warmer months, but that effort drops in the winter and early spring. In the crystal-clear water, survivors of the annual inputs get bigger and move in the rectangular waterbody to hunker down in the two deep ends. The west end has a series of sink holes where water drains back into subterrania. The east end up against West Pass earthen dike is an excavated hole where the inflow occurs. Still-fished bait offerings, either single eggs or thumb-endsized clusters, work well here. Fish from shore or a small personal watercraft. Grandy Lake: Northwest of Concrete along the Baker Lake Road in Skagit County, this lake once was sustained by natural spawning of resident cutts, with some private hatchery escapees from Lake Tyee

MARINE & OUTBOARDS

Resort Community. The coldwater trout in this shallow 56-acre lake now share their lair with largemouth bass, so due to competitive demands, hatchery rainbows are now added in early spring. Skagit County Parks and Recreation operates a seasonal campground on the north shore along the road, with gates opening for driving in around March 1. When gates are open small trailered boats can be launched, but to be sure you get on the water, take your personal pontoon, canoe, kayak, dingy or belly craft. There are some easily accessible shore spots, or you can troll or still-ﬁsh with bobbers until aquatic plants burst forth. If you camp here, Grandy can serve as a base for ﬁshing Everett (year-round), nearby Vogler (in season) and mountain-high Blue (when the snow melts) Lakes, all in the greater Baker River Valley vicinity. Also in late April, anglers foraying to the big reservoirs, Baker and Shannon, can stage out of here. Grandy warms and gets weedy early in summer, so it’s best to prospect it now before the bass become active.

HUNTERS HANKERING FOR just one more hunt to stock the larder before stowing the shotgun for the season should look to rabbits. They’re fair game through mid-March. Last month’s discussion of coney options here focused on lowland cottontails, but there’s an equally viable alternative – the snowshoe hare – that oﬀers valid justiﬁcation for donning hiking

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shoes, or even bearpaws for a boot hunt in the still-white foothills. Though in some places there are some quite large cottontails, pound for pound, snowshoe hares are a better payoff for the effort and kitchen pot. Vulnerable to both winged and ground predators, these native mountain dwellers are most active at dawn and dusk and are readily found along many logging roads. Cottontails too are seen in thick cover in lower elevation forest areas, but for snowshoes you need to gain some elevation. Look for road stretches that are usually not “brushed”aggressively by the landowner, and where the forest fringe has combinations of thick grass, thimbleberry, wild rose or evergreen blackberries. Transitions from road surface immediately to spindly alder and then into unthinned second-growth conifers with dark but open forest floors are not safe and therefore are not good places for either cottontails or snowshoe hares to evade coyotes or bobcats. Along less-traveled logging roads and in areas sans homes, a scoped, nail-driving .22 rifle can be a highly effective lago tumbler. They and other smaller caliber rim- and/or centerfire modern firearms are appropriate and legal for these small game. If you hunt in reduced-sight-distance terrain, consider using short .22 cartridges, but if you know you have safe backdrops, LRs allow you a greater reach. If you’re sharing rabbit hunting grounds with homes, businesses or casual pedestrians (dog walkers and runners),

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consider using a 20-, 28- or 410-gauge shotgun rather than a pistol or rifle. Also, a lighter, shorter-barreled smoothbore is easier to wield than a heavier gamebird piece. At ranges of up to 35 yards No. 6 or 7½ pellet loads will dispatch a rabbit without destroying its edible parts, and are a skosh safer if you hunt over a dog. Though rabbits and hares are creatures of territorial habit, their sign is nonetheless subtle and difficult to pick out of the Western Washington winter undergrowth. They generally don’t drop visible piles or trails of dung pellets and their browsing habits are not obvious. Sheaves of leafless clover or other weedy plant stems, however, are a subtle indication of their delicate eating. A visual giveaway, though, are warren or vegetation entries that are suitably sized for the species. At between 8 and 12 inches high and slightly oval in shape, these holes in the grass or brush are bigger than those for rodents such as kangaroo rats and smaller than those bush entries made and used by coyotes, foxes, raccoons and even deer. There will be a number of these warren entries and they should be your point of focus at dawn and dusk for returning or emerging animals. Active throughout the winter and even during its depths, the namesake hares’ presence is always betrayed by a white winter blanket. I walked about a quarter mile of powerline right-of-way on the Mt. Baker Ranger District the other day and cut at least a dozen rabbit tracks in the snow coming in and out of fringe cover

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along the mowed path. Locales to check for snowshoes include the state’s Van Zandt Dike forest management area, as well as its Alger Mountain system. Try the Baker Lake area north of Koma Kulshan Guard Station and the first 8 miles of the Illabot Creek Road south of Rockport. A walk on any Sierra Pacific spur off the Finney Cumberland Road up from the Concrete-Sauk Valley Road will yield shots at rabbits, as will similar vehicular venues off Lake Cavanaugh Road. Look to the East Lake Shannon Road up from Concrete as well. The Coal Mine Road out of Glacier is a good haunt and will serve as a jumping-off point for a good snow hunt. You’ll also find snowshoes at higher elevations on the open roads on Sumas Mountain. Unless you’re hunting with a dog that can ferret rabbits from midday cover, focus on the legal shooting periods before sunrise and into darkness at sunset for the periods of greatest activity by rabbits.

NEXT ISSUE: Late blackmouth haunts, lower Skagit bull trout, state park lakes and more beach venues. NS Editor’s note: Doug Huddle lives in Bellingham, is retired from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and has written about hunting and fishing in the Northwest for more than 33 years.

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NO NORTH SOUND NATIVE STEELIE OPS NOW? NOT SO FAST Don’t pass up a beach steelheading foray on Whidbey Island right now. A significant number of Skagit wild fish, plus those headed for the Stilly, Snohomish and South Sound streams all course through Admiralty Inlet heading for April and May entries into their natal streams. Westside public beaches from Fort Ebey and Fort Casey State Parks south through Lagoon Point, South Whidbey State Park and Bush Point should be first stops. Public beaches at Dave Mackie County Park on Useless Bay at Maxwelton on Whidbey’s south end are good to visit as well. Look for shorelines with gravel bottoms at any tide state and exploit headland and shore irregularities for their tidal current eddies. You will encounter these fish in surprisingly shallow water, and often quite close to shore. Cast and retrieve wing-bobber/hoochie combos or drift a jig, marabou fly or pink worm under a float. Chest waders, or at least hip boots, help immensely in covering water, as well as for releasing wild fish by the rules. The rare clipped steelhead is a keeper. Salmon may not be retained. Do use barbless hooks and be aware of the ownership status of tidelands and upland approaches to beaches. Residents and landowners are quite sensitive to trespassers. –DH

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Jacks A Nimbler Meat When Canned T

he jackrabbit was only about 15 yards away when he stopped and gave me the stink eye. I had caught him slinking through the sage and he was now trying to determine if he should run CHEF IN THE WILD or hold. He should have run. By Randy King I drew back my longbow and let the wooden arrow fly. It flew wide right and I felt it – but then, as if by divine dumb luck, my arrow glanced off a small twig and hooked left – directly into the back legs of the stationary jackrabbit. Now clearly injured and unable to run, the chase was on. With no gun and no dog I must have shot at that rabbit 10 more times before landing the fatal blow. But that difficulty made the victory all the more sweet. As the black cliffs of the Snake River Valley loomed over me, I could do nothing but smile at the good fortune. I slipped the hare into my backpack and kept hunting. Next up was a series of near hits and two more kills with the longbow. It was the best day of hunting rabbits with stick and string I’ve ever had. Back home I aged the rabbits – which is to say, let them lay on my cold, 40-degree garage floor – for four days.

AGING MEAT IS a sensitive topic, and I used to be adamantly against it. But I am now a convert, for the most part. After all, aging meat is controlled rot, for lack of a better term. Aging lets the enzymes already in the meat help in the tenderizing process. Tenderizing jackrabbit is a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love the stuﬀ, but others are not always in my camp. The old timers would say they were “trash” and “not worth the shot,” and so for years I would not eat them. Hell, even Steven Rinella disparages the jackrabbit in his new book The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game; Volume Two: Small Game and Fowl, calling them “loathsome.” But it always seemed wrong to value one animal over another without ﬁrsthand evidence. So I searched for a good way to make jackrabbit meat palatable. Scouring the Internet I found that not everyone hates on the jackrabbit. One likeminded proponent of the humble jack is Hank Shaw, the author, blogger and James Beard Award Winner. Shaw comes to the rescue of the jack in a variety of ways – fantastically so with his Sardinian Hare Stew – including in his general praise for the beast of the sage. “Anyone who’s ever braised a jackrabbit until it’s tender already knows that they are a perfectly good meat – vaguely venison-like and completely lean,” says Shaw. I took my now-ready-to-clean rabbits and skinned, deboned and cubed them, getting about 4 pounds of meat in total. At this

An experiment with a vintage pressure canner and several jackrabbits – a species “not worth the shot,” according to some – produced great results for Randy King, who is looking forward to more quesadillas made with the shelfstable meat. (RANDY KING) point, however, I was at a loss of what to do with such a large batch. My freezer was fullish and I was not planning on making sausage any time soon. I did have a goal, though: shelf-stable meat. I wanted a “no refrigeration needed” product that I could haul into the backcountry with me, something other than jerky. I knew about canning meat, or jarring, to be more speciﬁc, but I had never done it. Still, the idea of having a little jar of meat I could pop open and warm up intrigued me.

MY FIRST LOGISTICAL problem came from the fact that canning meat requires a pressure canner – something I did not own. Honestly, I had always feared pressure canners. They reminded me nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

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COLUMN BUGS IN A JUG As with all preserving, keeping things sanitary is a must – clean hands, clean jars, clean lids, clean everything. With canning, and all preservation really, you are trying to defeat the forces of nature that rot food. It’s a hard project and one that if not done right is downright dangerous, so follow the directions on your canner and be careful. That said, I am going to be canning meat a lot more in the future. 2 pounds cleaned rabbit meat, diced ¼ cup canola oil 1 packet “taco seasoning” 2 cloves garlic, crushed ½ onion, diced 1 cup chicken stock or water Place a 12-inch heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat for ﬁve minutes. Add half the canola and carefully add the rabbit meat a little at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan or the meat will not brown properly. Add more oil as needed to keep the pan from becoming dry-bottomed. When all the meat is brown add it all back to the pan and toss with taco seasoning. Remove meat from pan to a plate. Add garlic, onion and chicken stock to the pan. Bring the pan to a boil, scrape the bottom for all the good

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Canned rabbit meat. (RANDY KING) chunks of brown. This is called “fond,” by the way. Remove pan from heat. Next pack the meat in clean, wide-mouthed jars. Then add the pan drippings to each jar, distributing them evenly. But make sure to leave at least half an inch of head room on the jar. Top each jar with a clean lid and clean ring. Place into pressure canner and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure to follow all instructions for canning very carefully. For more recipes, see chefrandyking.com. -RK

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The author with a jackrabbit he took with an arrow. (RANDY KING)

of a bomb in the kitchen, and can be tricky if not managed correctly. I kept having visions of my grandma at the stove and a loud boom! Pushing past those phobias I decided to take the plunge and get my shelf-stable meat via pressure canning. After a quick search on Craigslist I came up with an inexpensive pressure canner, the “Victory Model” from World War II. It is simply amazing and even lists the amount of time needed to can rabbit (dandelion greens too!). Sure, a new canner would be cool, but this old school model was all a guy needs – plus, the $25 dollar price tag was hard to beat. With my newly acquired jackrabbits and a new-to-me pressure cooker I set out to can some meat. As visions of tacos in the backcountry floated in my head, first I browned the cubed rabbit in hot oil and then tossed them in “taco” seasoning. Next, I added them to jars with a little stock and canned them. When I was done canning the meat I could not wait to try it out. The next afternoon I opened a jar and made myself a quick quesadilla. It was unreal – I now basically have shredded rabbit meat in a jar ready to eat whenever I am hungry. Trying not to be flattered with my own success, I let a master jackrabbit cook have a taste – I fed them to Hank Shaw in the backwoods of Idaho. “I’d never thought to pressure can them until I ate Randy’s canned jack tacos ... Not sure whether it was the hunger or not, but I am a convert,” he said. And that’s a fact, jack. NS 168 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN On Media Day at the 2016 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Dave Workman got to try out the new Savage 16/116 bolt-action Lightweight Hunter, topped by a Bushnell Trophy scope, one of several new riďŹ&#x201A;es that caught his eye. (DAVE WORKMAN)

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very once in a while somebody in the ďŹ rearms industry comes up with an idea that may not seem like much at ďŹ rst glance, but given an opportunity to digest in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gray matter, it turns into something worthwhile. There were several new guns ON TARGET that caught my eye at the Shooting, By Dave Workman Hunting and Outdoor Trade, or SHOT, Show in mid-January. In particular, Savage (savagearms .com) has a couple of new riďŹ&#x201A;es, including the Model 16/116 Lightweight Hunter and the A22 semiauto in .22 Magnum. The latter may just qualify as one of the ďŹ nest specimens of a rimďŹ re riďŹ&#x201A;e chambered for this snappy round Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever seen. Never sell the .22 Magnum short. Introduced back in 1959, this â&#x20AC;&#x153;step upâ&#x20AC;? on the rimďŹ re evolutionary ladder was based on the old .22 WRF cartridge, also known by my dad as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;.22 Special.â&#x20AC;? The magnum is a sizzler, capable of velocities exceeding 2,300 feet per second with a light bullet. That will conk a coyote in a heartbeat, and as I discovered at a gun range in Nevada, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a ďŹ&#x201A;at-shooting round at 100 yards. I managed to repeatedly hit a plastic replica of

a tin can at that distance. The A22 Savage riďŹ&#x201A;e has a synthetic stock, recoil pad (for no earthly reason other than cosmetics) and a delayed blowback action that was introduced last year with the A17, which is chambered for the .17 HMR. For ground squirrels, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;yotes and other predators, the .22 Magnum is a nasty surprise. It has a 10-round rotary magazine and QD sling swivel studs. In the fall and winter, this would make an excellent rabbit gun and the stock makes it virtually impervious to crummy weather. And then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Lightweight Hunter, a centerďŹ re model designed for rough environments and accurate as can be. The range model was topped with a Bushnell Trophy scope. Chambered for several calibers, including the 6.5 Creedmore, this riďŹ&#x201A;e has a rugged synthetic stock with molded checkering and Q-D sling swivel studs, AccuTrigger, ďŹ&#x201A;uted bolt to reduce weight, detachable magazine and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drilled and tapped for scope mounts. The 20-inch tapered barrel is smooth. According to Savage literature, the Lightweight Hunter hits the scale at less than 6 pounds without a scope. The AccuTrigger is superb and it breaks crisply. My own Savage American Classic has that trigger,

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and I swear by it. On the shotgun front, Franchi (franchiusa.com) has expanded its lineup of Instinct L over-and-unders, adding models chambered in .410 bore and 28 gauge. I own one of these handsome guns in 20 gauge and it’s a superb grouse buster. Both new models are very lightweight, and for the guy who wants to hunt upland game with a smallbore shotgun, either of these models would make the grade. The Instinct L has a steel receiver with a color case-hardened ﬁnish that pairs up beautifully with the deep-blue barrels. It has a tang-mounted safety that doubles as a barrel selector, automatic ejectors, removable chokes and gold-plated trigger and a grade A walnut stock that features checkering on the grip and forend.

A COUPLE MONTHS back you read about carrying a gun while fishing in a piece written by Terry Wiest (Northwest Sportsman, January 2016). Having written a book on firearms and selfdefense under Washington statute, the subject is not new to me. I’m a certified firearms instructor and even done courses one year at a community college. I’ve been carrying a sidearm for personal protection for decades in the wilds, and learned long ago that the sight of a handgun is a great deterrent to unpleasantness. It is imperative that anyone who carries a sidearm for selfdefense understands the law. Real defensive gun use isn’t

remotely close to what you see on television. There can be a fine line between simply wishing to avoid trouble and having somebody think you’re trying to intimidate them. It is legal to carry openly in Washington, and under state law (Revised Codes of Washington 9.41.060 (8)), if one is engaged in a legitimate outdoor activity (i.e. hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc.), you don’t need a concealed pistol license, but it’s a good idea to have one, anyway. In Washington, according to state statute 9A.16.050, “Homicide is also justifiable when committed either: “(1) In the lawful defense of the slayer, or his or her husband, wife, parent, child, brother, or sister, or of any other person in his presence or company, when there is reasonable ground to apprehend a design on the part of the person slain to commit a felony or to do some great personal injury to the slayer or to any such person, and there is imminent danger of such design being accomplished; or “(2) In the actual resistance of an attempt to commit a felony upon the slayer, in his presence, or upon or in a dwelling, or other place of abode, in which he is.” This language is built on what is generically called the “Reasonable Man Doctrine.” Translation: What would any reasonable person do in the same situation, facing the same circumstances, knowing what you knew at the time? That’s

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how the authorities will consider the evidence, including any statements you make. In the event you have to draw, much less use, a firearm for self-defense, be the first one on the phone to the authorities. Otherwise you risk becoming “some crazy guy with a gun in the woods” who just threatened to shoot someone. There are several quality self-defense courses available, and they’re worth the investment if you think you might ever need to use a gun to defend yourself or your family. Let this be your guide: Seek competent instruction. Practice with whatever sidearm you carry. That means more than just shooting up a box of ammunition now and then at the range. Become competent and familiar with the gun you’re carrying. Select a load that works consistently and accurately. My personal sidearms in the woods are chambered for either the .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum or .45 Colt, depending upon the circumstances and personal choice at the time. Why not a semiauto? It’s a two-piece gun. Lose a magazine and you’ve got a single-shot pistol that’s difficult to reload. Revolvers, on the other hand, require only loose ammunition to keep running. For single-action revolvers like my Ruger Blackhawks, spare cartridges in a gunbelt or on a belt slide; for my doubleaction, a couple of speed loaders work fine. Since Hillary Clinton started making gun control a centerpiece

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MARCH 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

of her presidential campaign, and Barack Obama made guns an issue in his final year in office, gun sales have soared. That much was evident from the busy atmosphere at the SHOT Show. Legions of people are buying guns for the first time. If you buy a sidearm for personal protection, learn how to use it, and when. NS

Workman always packs a sidearm in the wilds, and he likes revolvers more so than semiautos for this chore. Among his favorites, the Model 57 Smith & Wesson in .41 Magnum with speedloaders and the Ruger New Vaquero in .45 Colt, with spare rounds on a belt slide or a cartridge belt. (DAVE WORKMAN)

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nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2016

Northwest Sportsman 175