Man, it is a scorcher out there! I would like to get out fishing more, but this heat is just too much. Thank goodness I have a portable mister for the boat. It makes fishing in this heat bearable. I wouldn’t consider going out on the water without it. The big news this week is the opening of the summer run salmon season on the upper Columbia. We are expecting a good return. This season should be great. Sockeye? It is still wait and see.

Salmon season opens on the upper Columbia on July 1 in our local region, and many anglers start their season in the Wenatchee area. Popular spots are off Walla Walla Point Park and below Rocky Reach Dam. This is a high water year, and Chelan County PUD has come up with a handy tool to let anglers know what they are up against in terms of river flows. It is the Currents App, and you can download it for free to get current river conditions. To get this on your smart phone, visit my website at fishingmagician.com and click on the App graphic on the right hand side of the Home Page. Also, anglers who fish below Rocky Reach Dam should be aware of the safety areas where they are allowed to troll for salmon. I have put a photo of the fishing barrier area on my Fishing Magician.com Facebook Page so everyone can see it. It is particularly important this year with the high water conditions below both Rock Island and Rocky Reach dams to know how much water is moving down the Columbia River. What you learn may determine where and when you want to fish for salmon this early season. This week’s photo is of me and my friend Shane Magnuson on an opening day at Chelan Falls a couple of years ago.

I had so much fun fishing with my friends, the Anantatmula family, last Friday I just had to go back to Lake Chelan. This time I had my friend James Lebow along. We had been trying to get to Chelan because he wants to can a bunch of kokanee. Also with us was Bill Hansen, a long-time friend and occasional fishing buddy. I had a pretty good idea where the fish were going to be, so we launched at Mill Bay and ran down the lake and put our gear out just below Rocky Point. We were in and out of the fish all morning. We would have a big flurry of bites and had several doubles. Then we would be out of the fish for a while. I was sure glad I brought along my portable mister. It made fishing in the heat bearable. We had 25 fish on the clicker when we decided to just troll on up to the launch. By the time we got there we had 29 fish and called it a day. Once again Kokabow Tackle did the job, and we found both pink and orange squids or spinners worked well.    

I am getting a lot of calls and questions about this year’s Chinook and sockeye season that opens on July 1. I got a note from Chad Jackson that shows how to access the new regulations:

1.) Click on the following link https://www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing/ to access the 2021-2022 Sport Fishing Rules Pamphlet webpage
2.) Once there click, on the “+” of the “Special Rules” heading located on the left side of the webpage
a. By clicking the “+” all the special rules categories should open for view
3.) Once there click on the “Columbia Basin Rivers Special Rules: Columbia River” category (5th selection from the top and underneath the “Puget Sound & Coastal Rivers Special Rules: S-Z” category).
4.) The fishing seasons and rules for the entire Columbia River will appear.
a. Scroll down the web
page until you see the salmon seasons and rules for areas above Priest Rapids Dam.
5.) Most of the mainstem Columbia River above Priest Rapids Dam open July 1, except from Wells Dam to Brewster Bridge which opens July 16. The daily limit is 6 salmon, no more than two hatchery adult chinook and 2 sockeye, release wild adult chinook and coho. Please note that there’s a very good chance that sockeye may close before the season begins or a couple days into the season because the run is not materializing as predicted. Keep an eye on the emergency regulations webpage (https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/).


6.) Please note that the tributaries (except the Methow River) are also open this year. Seasons and/or daily limits vary by tributary. Consult the 2021-2022 Sport Fishing Rules Pamphlet for complete details.

I got a follow up note that is important on how to view the regulations. What I gave you is for accessing the regs via your PC. From your mobile device or smart phone there is one more step. After clicking on the link in step one you then need to click on the three parallel lines at the upper right corner. From there follow the remaining steps.

I just published the Summer issue of my free E-Letter. This one is dedicated to fishing for summer run salmon. I provide details on where to fish for them, and what tackle you need. To get your free copy, go to my website at www.fishingmagician.com and click on the E-Letter button at the top left of my Home Page.

It’s going to be a busy week. I hope to get in another trip to Lake Chelan for kokanee before salmon season opens on Thursday. Then I want to get after some kings, probably starting at Chelan Falls.