The big news on the fishing front here in Central Washington is the huge return of sockeye salmon that has been arriving in the Columbia River. Well over 500,000 sockeye have passed over Priest Rapids Dam, and anglers have been having good success fishing from them in some areas near our dams and in the Brewster Pool.

I got a call from my brother Rick and he was very excited. He wanted to know if we could fish above Rocky Reach Dam for sockeye last Tuesday. People had been coming to Hooked on Toys saying they were getting quick limits of sockeye fishing with bobbers
above the dam. Rick told me he had done this in the past and limited regularly when we had a good strong return. I really liked this idea. I don’t find the prospect of trolling a circle below the dam in very heavy current with twenty or more boats appealing.
I left two bobber rods off with him on Monday so he could get us rigged and ready. He rigged the rods with small slip bobbers and a size 2 hook to hold a shrimp. He emphasized
that it was crucial that we get a certain spot to anchor off the shore, which would put us in the path of the sockeye running up the river. I got up at 2:45 to meet him in Wenatchee at 4 and off we went.

We got the spot alright. We didn’t see another boat for an hour. Soon there were several boats anchored along the shore and bank anglers casting from spots above us. After
a couple of hours my bobber went down, and the fish took a nice short run. Turned out to be a big sucker. About an hour later I did get a keeper. We didn’t see another fish caught. What a weird day. I’ll blame it on the full moon.

I know I will soon be getting a lot of inquiries about the status of the Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishery. The early forecast for sockeye to the lake was for a below escapement return. But that was before the huge number of sockeye showed up. It is hard to imagine that we wouldn’t get enough sockeye in the Columbia River to make the turn and run up the Wenatchee River to reach the lake. Even if a small percentage of the total run made it up to the lake we should have a season. I want to remind everyone that we need 23,500 fish to meet escapement goals, and if we get a few thousand over that we get to fish—usually. There have been seasons when the limit was four fish a day. I thought I might be a little early, but it’s a short trip from my home to Tumwater Dam to see if any fish have been counted.

I stopped by there last Thursday and wasn’t too surprised when Rollie Schmitten pulled into the parking area. Rollie keeps a space for me on his dock during the sockeye season and we have been fishing the lake for many years. He even calls his place on Lake Wenatchee “Sockeye Point”. There were a couple of technicians capturing spring salmon while we were there and they told us that they counted the first sockeye over the dam that day, so they are on the way! I understand they are doing video counting of the fish going over Tumwater and are running behind on getting a total. I will be checking these counts regularly so keep an eye on my website and Facebook page, as I will be reporting updates.

I have been busy chasing walleye and smallmouth bass at some of our big reservoirs lately, so it has been weeks since I got out on Lake Chelan. My wife and I weren’t in any hurry to get to Chelan, and we arrived at the launch above the Chelan Dam mid-morning
last Friday. I was surprised to see some open trailer slots in the parking lot here. I expected to find the lot full and would have to hike way up the hill and even have to park along the street as I have in the past. Since we were going to fish off Lakeside Park this put us close to our destination. I put out four rods just above the park, in about 40 feet of water, and we were into fish immediately. However, there were a lot of cutthroat in this area, and we caught several before landing our first kokanee.

I trolled up the lake toward Pleasant Beach, catching fish all along the way. When we got above the Blue Roofs I started marking kokanee schools very deep. I didn’t get any more cutthroat up here and we landed more kokanee. Kokabow blades and spinners did the trick for me once again. This week’s photo is of one the cutthroat we caught.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will restrict campfires and other activities on WDFW-managed lands in Eastern Washington beginning Friday, July 15 to help reduce the risk of fire on state wildlife and water access areas.

“Due to the wet and cool start to the summer, we delayed restrictions this year beyond July 1st, allowing people longer opportunity to enjoy campfires,” said Cynthia Wilkerson, WDFW’s Lands Division Manager. “But wildfire risk is increasing this week, and it’s time to take proper precautions to preserve public recreation lands, wildlife habitat, public health, and safety for local communities.”

Overall, the emergency order that imposes restrictions east of the Cascades prohibits:
Fires or campfires, including those in fire rings. Personal camp stoves and lanterns fueled by propane, liquid petroleum, or liquid petroleum gas are allowed.

Discharge of firearms for target shooting or other purposes by anyone not engaged in lawful hunting. Smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle. Do not throw lit cigarettes out your window. Welding and operating chainsaws, including the use of an acetylene torch or other open flame.

Operating a motor vehicle away from developed roads. Parking is permitted
within designated parking areas, including developed campgrounds and trailheads; and in areas without vegetation that are within 10 feet of road.