The heat is on, and not just the fishing for Chinook and sockeye on the Columbia River, the temperature gauges are hitting over 100 degrees across the region. Boy am I glad I have a great cover on my new Smoker Craft, and a portable mister to add to the comfort on these blistering hot summer days.

I got an invite from my friend Brian Anantatmula to go fishing on Lake Chelan. His son Josh and daughters Avary and Brinley were going to fish for kokanee and called to see if wanted to come along. I have fished with this family many times over the years. On my first trip with Josh, he was just turning six years old. Now, he has just graduated from high school and is heading off for his mission with his church. Time flies. We had limited in Brian’s boat in the past, but it wasn’t to be last Saturday. We looked all over the lower basin and just got a few. We kept moving to new spots as the cutthroat kept taking our baits. We drove all the way up to The Fences and picked up just one more. Josh hooked and landed the first lake trout (mackinaw) they had ever caught up here, and when we crossed over to the far shore, we really got into them. We landed four more lake trout that averaged 3 or 4 pounds and they were a handful on our light kokanee gear. In spite of the big crowds, we had a really fun day on Lake Chelan. This week’s photo is of Brinley with a Chelan kokanee, and brother Josh in the background.

This is the time of year that James Lebow and I try Billy Clapp for kokanee. In past years we have had pretty good success, catching fish that average over 15 inches. We made a couple of laps in the areas of the lake that have produced for us on previous trips and didn’t get a bite. We trolled our tried and true combinations of Kokabow blades and spinners until we gave up trying for kokanee. Maybe our luck will change later in the month. We’ll see. We decided to switch to trolling for trout with our favorite plugs and still couldn’t buy a strike. I was desperate to catch something after making the trip to Billy Clapp, so I trolled our lures close to the face of the dam. I put on a large Bandit plug that I had used at Banks for walleye that James thought was ridiculous, but it caught walleye. Wouldn’t you know it, that was the plug that got a smallmouth bass. We got another small bass on one of his plugs, and narrowly missed getting skunked! We talked to some other anglers, and no one caught any kokanee so far that day on Billy Clapp.

One of the most incredible acts of nature is the return of salmon to the upper Columbia River. For eons these fish have traveled down the river, out to the ocean, and then returned to their native streams. In spite of the challenges introduced over the years they still prevail. One of the best places to view these fish is at Rocky Reach Dam. It’s the seventh dam that they have crossed over on their journey. There’s a fish ladder with viewing windows at Rocky Reach, and this year, in particular, it is something that you will want to visit. You can see many big Chinook salmon passing by through the windows. They are outnumbered by far by the return of sockeye that will number over 600,000 this year. It is an amazing site to watch these fish pour through the ladder. You can look a salmon right in the eye. I love to watch youngsters at the viewing windows. They are fascinated seeing these fish inches from their noses. If you can’t travel to Rocky Reach, but want to watch the salmon, you can log onto Rocky Reach Dam Discovery Center, and watch the live feed. My brother Rick got the feed on a television screen at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee and it is drawing quite a crowd at the fishing counter.

There is more good news for salmon anglers in the region. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced that the Entiat River will open to fishing for Chinook salmon on the Entiat River one week early and expands the upstream fishing boundary. Salmon fishing will be allowed from July 9 through Sept. 30, 2024. The area opened to fishing is the Entiat River from mouth (railroad bridge) to the Mad River Road Bridge crossing the Entiat River (near Ardenvoir). This adds more fishing area for anglers from previous years. The minimum size is 12 inches. Daily limit is six Chinook. Release all salmon other than Chinook. Night closure in effect. The preseason forecast for summer Chinook returning to the Entiat River is predicted to be in excess of hatchery brood stock needs. Opening early and expanding the fishing boundary is intended to increase the opportunity to harvest excess summer Chinook while providing for the protection and conservation of adult Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed spring Chinook on the spawning grounds.

If you are planning to get out on the water and take advantage of the terrific fishing for sockeye right now, be sure to have plenty of water on board. Don’t risk heat stroke, it is no fun, believe me. Also, don’t forget the sunscreen and sunglasses.