Sockeye salmon have a very large fan base here in Central Washington.  This is very obvious if you visit the Brewster Pool.  Hundreds of anglers are out every day chasing these prized fish, known for their exceptional table quality.  When the limit is four per day we even see guide boats from Idaho booking trips over here.  Fishing continues to be very good and could get even better when the thermal barrier forms at the mouth of the Okanogan River.  Soon there will be a big fleet of sockeye boats on Lake Wenatchee, as thousands of these fish have made their way up the Wenatchee River.

I finally got a crew together for a trip to Brewster to try the sockeye fishing.  I had James Lebow, Michael Ericson and Keith Hyatt willing to get up at an ungodly hour to make the drive.  It is important to be on station and ready to fish before the sun hits the water, so we all met in Wenatchee at 3 a.m.  It worked out great, too.  No waiting to put the boat in and we were in position with the large fleet of boats before first light.  The bite started kind of late, though, and we really didn’t get into good action until about 5:30.  We caught some and lost some on rods that were set up with hoochies and coon shrimp.  We ran both ten-inch and 12-inch leaders with equal success, and although we had heard that fishing without hoochies was the way to go, that wasn’t the case on this particular day.  There were six ounce sinkers on the side rods and four ounces out the back. We let the side rods out 20 feet and the back ones out 25 feet to start out and let them out an additional five feet later in the morning.  We caught fish along the west shore and at the top end of the mouth of the Okanogan River.  The fish averaged about 3 pounds.

I made another trip to the Brewster Pool to fish for sockeye.  I am getting worse at it.  We got eight fish on Tuesday, my friend James got five on Wednesday and I could only scratch out two fish on Thursday.  It just doesn’t seem possible.  Over three hundred thousand sockeye have passed over Wells Dam, so you’d think I could get a limit by accident.  Not me.  I like to brag about my catches like any other angler, but I have nothing to brag about my success on Thursday.  I tried different leader lengths, different types of hookies, tried no hoochie rigs and everything else I could think of to change my luck.  Nothing worked.  I did notice that when we threw in the towel and headed for the dock, there were still a number of guide boats on the water trying finish their limits. I have to be honest though, it was a very frustrating day.  The water temperature at the mouth of the Okanogan was 68 degrees and with the hot weather in the forecast the fish could really stack up.  

I have been driving up to the Tumwater Dam near Leavenworth almost daily, to check on the sockeye numbers that have passed through here.  A lot of folks want to know if Lake Wenatchee will open to sockeye fishing this year.  When I stopped by last Friday, they had a sign set up with the most current count.  The board showed 22,581, and it was noted that they were several days behind on the video counting numbers.  There must be 23,500 entering the lake for escapement, and it sure looks like that number has been passed and thousands more sockeye are on the way.  There is a lot of speculation about what day the fishery will open, and the big money is on later on this week.  Maybe as early as Thursday.  I have my sockeye gear already organized as I have fished at Brewster a couple of times.  When I opened my sockeye box I found leaders tied from last season.  These leaders were tied with three red hooks, about an inch apart, and barbless of course.  Just to cover the bases there is also a number of hooks tied with hoochies.  I have a good supply of size 0 dodgers, too, so I am ready to go.  Just waiting for the official announcement. 

According to the Chelan County PUD, the area below Rocky Reach Dam is a favorite among anglers this time of year, but please keep a safe distance away from the dam and the fish bypass outfall pipe.  By state law, boats and anglers fishing from the riverbank are not allowed within 400 feet downstream of man-made dams and structures used for fish passage – including Rocky Reach.  The off-limits area is marked by no-trespassing signs and buoys. For safety reasons, all water recreation is prohibited in the off-limits area.   Information about river flows, elevation and boat launch status are available through Chelan PUD’s free Current app, available at chelanpud.org/app.

I talked to my good friend Rollie Schmitten last week, and he was frustrated. The level of Lake Wenatchee has been so high and there had been so much wind he hadn’t been able to get his dock in place below his home.  Anticipating the opening of sockeye fishing soon, he needed to get that done as soon as possible.  Not only does he keep his boat on a lift next to his dock, but he provides space for WDFW enforcement to keep their boat during the sockeye season.  He also provides me with a space on the dock, so I was eager to help him move his dock from the top end of the lake.  Last Sunday the lake was flat calm, so we jumped into the 14-foot Lund, which served as the tug boat, and put the dock in place.  While Rollie pulled the anchors that kept the boat secure over the winter, I was busy sweeping the otter poop that had accumulated.  There is obviously a very healthy population of otters on Lake Wenatchee as every square inch of the dock was covered with their droppings.  This week’s photo was taken at the top end of the lake last year. 

I will move my boat to this dock the middle of next week and be ready for what should be a fantastic sockeye season on Lake Wenatchee!