I had high hopes for the week. That full moon had faded, and I figured the sockeye bite would come back on Lake Wenatchee. My calendar was full of friends eager to get out and give it a try.

I had stopped fishing the lake for a few days, as it just wasn’t happening. I wasn’t the only angler struggling, but I talked Travis Maitland, the district biologist for the Department of Fish and Wildlife for this area, into joining me last Tuesday. I am not saying that I was back on top of my game, but I sure did a lot better than I was doing with that full moon. At least I got Travis his limit of sockeye, and we had a great day. As you can all imagine, we had a lot to talk about. One thing I learned was that there were a lot more sockeye in the lake than I thought. They stopped posting the counts at Tumwater Dam when they hit just over 40,000. I figured there were maybe 50,000 in the lake, but Travis told me that there were actually just over 75,000 sockeye that had passed over the dam and were in the lake. Wow, that gave me confidence that when the bite came back, we could be in for some great fishing. The fish were still looking great, so I was really looking forward to the trips I had planned for later in the week. This week’s photo is of Travis Maitland with the first sockeye he landed on our trip.

On Wednesday, I took my brother-in-law Tom Verschueren. The wind was blowing hard when we got to the lake, but we went out anyway. I am sure glad we did. The bite was finally back on, and we were busy. It is not easy fishing when the wind is blowing hard. Keeping the boat straight with the bow mount and running the kicker in reverse to keep our speed down worked okay, though. Even when we were getting knocked around, we managed to hook and land our eight fish by 8:30. Instead of running up to the top of the lake, where I could get out of the wind, I toughed it out and ran down to West Point. That paid off. We caught fish going downwind and into the wind. When we needed just one more fish, we got a double and had to throw one back. In spite of the conditions, we had a great time.

On Thursday of last week, I had two anglers on board with me. Although the conditions weren’t great, we shoved off and ran out to where I started the day before. The wind was blowing at from 12 to 16 miles per hour, with gusts much higher than that. I had figured out how to fish in these conditions, so it didn’t matter. Anglers Bill Westerbrook and Lyndon McClean were too busy cranking in fish to notice the wind. The sockeye bite was great. They did a great job helping me manage the gear, whacking fish, and getting them in the cooler. The bite was terrific. We had triples, doubles, and were landing fish on the downriggers and the back rods with the lead ball rigs. Once again, when we needed just one more fish, we got a double and had to release one. Even when getting knocked around and the fire drill of landing doubles and triples, we only lost one fish. It was another epic day of sockeye fishing on Lake Wenatchee.

My hunch was right. When the moon faded, the fishing on Lake Wenatchee just got better and better. I have a few more trips scheduled, and I am really looking forward to getting back out there. Also, I have noticed that the traffic on the lake is way down. Maybe a third of what I saw the first week. I don’t think there is much of a wait at the launch now, and there are still lots of sockeye left to catch.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced the opening of several areas of the Snake River to fishing for Chinook salmon. Specific locations, dates, and rules: Lyons Ferry Bubble Fishery from the red river marker (Marker 28) on the south shore of the Snake River upstream to the Highway 261 Bridge (approximately 1.4 miles): Open Sept. 7, until further notice, on Thursdays through Sundays only of each week. Salmon daily limit two (2) adult Chinook including no more than one (1) wild adult Chinook. No daily limit for jack Chinook (wild or hatchery). Minimum size is 12 inches. Release all salmon other than Chinook. Barbless hooks required.

From the downstream edge of the large power lines crossing the Snake River just upstream of West Evans Road on the south shore (approximately 3 miles downstream of Clarkston), upstream to the Oregon state line: Open daily from Aug. 18 through Oct. 31, 2023. Daily limit three (3) adult Chinook (wild or hatchery). No limit for jack Chinook (wild or hatchery). Minimum size is 12 inches. Release all salmon other than Chinook. Barbless hooks required. The 2023 Columbia River forecasted return of upriver bright adults is 272,400, with a significant portion of these fish expected to return to the Snake River.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced an adjustment in the adult salmon daily limit in the Hanford Reach. Beginning on Sept. 1 through Oct. 31, 2023, the area of the Columbia River; from Hwy. 395 Bridge at Pasco to Columbia Point (1/3 mile downstream of the I-182 Bridge), the adjusted rule is that the salmon daily limit is 6 including no more than 1 adult. Release all salmon other than Chinook and coho. The salmon season in this area was listed incorrectly in the 2023/24 Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet. This correction aligns salmon seasons with those agreed to during the 2023 North of Falcon (NOF) season-setting process.

In another announcement from the WDFW, portions of Rimrock Reservoir and the Tieton River have been closed. It closes shoreline fishing for game fish in a portion of the Rimrock Reservoir in the vicinity of South Fork Tieton River and all game fish fishing in South Fork Tieton. Anglers are advised to check the most recent news releases from the Region 3 office of the WDFW in Yakima.

Hope to see you on the water on Lake Wenatchee!