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Anglers sing Blues over fewer trout There was time - and not that long ago - when June 1 was cause for celebration. I'd circle the date on the calendar and hope that it fell on my day off. Today is still the statewide opening of rivers and streams, but for Southeastern Washington trout anglers, rules designed to protect salmon and steelhead in our region have greatly limited where, how and the number of trout you can catch. For years, the Tucannon and Touchet rivers, Snake and Walla Walla river tributaries that flow out of the Blue Mountains northeast of Dayton were well-stocked with hatchery rainbow and German brown trout. I can remember watching state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists dumping thousands of hatchery-reared trout in both streams from hatchery tanker trucks. The Touchet, in particular, was long my favorite because it was stocked with plump German browns. For many years, the river was renowned for its trophy browns. Today, however, neither river is stocked with trout, although there are reported to be a few large brown trout still lurking under cut banks or in the tangle of an underwater log jam. Glen Mendel, district fish biologist for Southeastern Washington, said this is the second year that the Touchet and Tucannon rivers have not be stocked with hatchery trout. "The reason why the rivers are no longer stocked is to reduce angling pressure and improve habit for salmon and steelhead by reducing competition for food and space," he said. Since the state reduced hatchery fish plants, there has been a significant downturn in the number of anglers fishing the streams, which has led to a reduction in the hooking mortality of juvenile salmon and steelhead, Mendel said. Also, as part of the state's continuing plan to reduce fishing pressure on both rivers, the daily limit for trout is two fish and selective gear rules are in place on much of both rivers. On the Tucannon River, for example, selective gear rules - which requires anglers to use artificial flies or lures with a single barbless hook and no bait - are in place upstream of Turner Road Bridge at Marengo, leaving only the lower end of the river open to bait anglers. On the Touchet, selective gear rules are in force on the north and south forks. Despite all the regulations, anglers can still get their waders wet catching trout on these two beautiful streams. Each year, the state plants thousands of juvenile steelhead on both rivers and anywhere from 10 percent to 15 percent of these smolts never leave the river system, instead becoming legal resident rainbow. On the Touchet, for instance, the state released 125,000 steelhead smolt this year, meaning that as many as 12,500 smolt, averaging 7 to 10 inches, will be available for anglers, Mendel said. Moreover, some of these steelhead smolt (or resident rainbows) do manage to survive from one season to the next and could be 12 inches or larger. And on the Touchet, Mendel said brown trout are still caught, although their future is grim. "While brown trout can live six to eight years, their survival rate has been very low and it's likely the population will eventually disappear," he said. However, the state's electro-shocking studies - which provide biologists with an estimate of river fish population and distribution of populations during the summer - have turned up some very large brown trout. "Some of the fish that are left are really big fish, up to 8 pounds. But brown trout are among the most difficult trout to catch and they hide in the most inaccessible portions of the river," he said. Another bonus of the restrictive fishing rules on the Touchet and Tucannon has been an increase in bull trout populations. Although bull trout are threatened under the Endangered Species Act and are illegal to keep, catching them is not illegal. "Bull trout certainly are not a target fishery," Mendel said, "but anglers using selective gear, such as spinners, do catch and release some very large bull trout." Mendel said bull trout are typically found in a river's cooler upper reaches, especially during the summer. This year, in an effort to further protect bull trout, salmon and steelhead spawning areas, many sections of the upper Touchet, in particular the Wolf and south forks, are closed to all trout fishing on Aug. 31. Also, because there is no maximum size limit on the Touchet and Tucannon rivers, trout anglers can keep hatchery adult steelhead in areas where it's legal to do so. While we're all hankering to hit the rivers, keep in mind that recent warm weather is melting the snowpack in the Blues and the Cascades so many rivers could be high and unfishable. Late this week, the Touchet appeared to be in fair shape, but the Tucannon was high and muddy. And Jim Cummins, the state's regional fish biologist in Yakima, said the upper Yakima, the state's premier catch and release rainbow trout fishery, is not fishable and likely will remain high for several weeks because of snowmelt and rain at mid- to high elevations. However, for anglers looking to get hip deep in some of the finest trout to be found in the Northwest, consider heading south to Oregon's Deschutes River in northcentral Oregon where the annual salmon fly hatch is coming on strong. The latest reports indicate the river's in fine shape - a moderate flow and clear - and the huge aquatic insects have moved into shoreline bushes and trees and have started mating and depositing their eggs in the river, just what anglers and huge redside rainbows alike have been waiting for. For the latest information, call the Deschutes Canyon Fly Shop in Maupin at 541-395-2565. Closer to home, Nunnally, Merry and Lenice lake, a trio of top-notch selective gear desert lakes near Beverly, are producing well for rainbows and browns averaging 14 to 18 inches, reports Jim Westland at the Clearwater Fly Shop in Kennewick. Anglers should be well stocked with damsel fly and dragon fly nymph imitations - in sizes 10 and 12 - as June finds these relatively large aquatic insects on the move and trout hot on their tail.
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