Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, July 10, 2008

Summer sockeye on the move

Near-record numbers of the small salmon are swimming toward Lake Wenatchee

By Wayne Kruse
Herald Outdoor Columnist

 Hopes are still high for a Lake Wenatchee sockeye season this summer, as near-record numbers of the small salmon push their way up the Columbia River. It's a week or so too early to make the call on a recreational fishery, but the run size was upgraded from the original pre-season estimate of 75,600 sockeye to 200,000, then again to 230,000 fish, according to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists.

If that number indeed shows up, it would be the third highest return since the construction of Bonneville Dam in 1938. The record is 237,723 sockeye, at Bonneville in 1955.

State biologist Joe Hymer crunched some numbers:

"The sockeye spawning escapement on the Wenatchee system, after any fisheries, has been set at 23,000 fish," said Hymer, who works out of Vancouver, Wash. "And the rule of thumb number needed to open a recreational fishery is about 27,000 fish. Roughly 18 percent of the run turns off the Columbia into the Wenatchee, and the rest go on up to the Okanogan, minus a few Snake River fish and the usual losses. The best-case scenario, then, projects maybe 35,000 to 40,000 salmon going up the Wenatchee River this summer, if everything works out."

The Wenatchee River component of the sockeye run is calculated by simply subtracting the number of fish counted at Rocky Reach Dam (above Wenatchee) from the number counted at Rock Island Dam (below Wenatchee). As of July 5, the cumulative total at Rock Island was 84,000, and at Rocky Reach, 60,000, Hymer said. So, some 24,000 sockeye already had entered the Wenatchee River by that date.

The last recreational season on Lake Wenatchee was in 2004, and the fishery has traditionally run from early August until the harvestable surplus is taken. Most of the fishing takes place at the lake's upper end, off the mouths of the two tributary rivers entering there, with the same gear used for sockeye on Lake Washington -- downriggers (or a 6- or 8-ounce trolling sinker), a dodger, and a bare hook.

Meanwhile -- and a little oddly, considering the strength of the Columbia River run -- prospects for a Lake Washington sockeye season this summer are approximately nil. State biologist Kyle Adicks said the cumulative total of sockeye counted through the Lake Washington ship canal as of Sunday was only 24,000 to 25,000 fish. Since Tuesday was the long-term average date for half of the salmon to be counted, that projects to a very poor run of 50,000 fish or so. The currrent number needed to mount a season is 350,000 fish.

"I wouldn't even call a fishery at this point a possibility," Adicks said. "Our preseason prediction was for a depressed run, and it seems to be working out that way."

The Baker River sockeye fishery at Concrete has suffered from high, dirty water conditions for much of the season so far, but a few fish are being taken each morning, by plunkers using Spin N Glo and shrimp.

SKYKOMISH RIVER: The Sky, when cooler temperatures and a resulting decrease in snow melt brings it down to fishing shape, offers one of the better angling opportunities in the area currently. A nice mix of chinook, in the 12- to 17-pound range, and summer steelhead is available, mostly to boaters drifting from High Bridge to Sultan, or from Sultan to Monroe. The latter lower section is the only one where chinook are legal, through the end of July.

"Given reasonable conditions, you stand a pretty good chance right now to take one or the other," guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram said. "The steelhead tend to be lying in 3 to 5 feet of water, often in the tailouts, while the kings are moving into the deeper holes with the dropping water. The river was down to 7.5 feet at Gold Bar (Wednesday morning), and that's a more manageable level for those with less experience."

He suggests steelhead-size egg clusters for chinook, or an egg/shrimp "cocktail," and he said he has found red eggs to be more attractive to chinook than orange. Plugs such as Kwikfish with a sardine wrap, Fatfish, or magnum Wiggle Warts will also take kings, in blues and greens under lower water conditions.

UPPER COLUMBIA: Summer chinook season got off to a very slow start at Wenatchee, Wells Dam, and in the Brewster pool. "Flat out, the fish just aren't here yet," said Rod Hammons of R and R Guide Service in Brewster. Hammons said he's glad to answer questions about current conditions at 509-689-2849, or e-mail randr@swift-stream.com.

SALTWATER SALMON: The coastal salmon fishery has been up and down recently, with some good days and some not so good, according to Wendy Beeghley, state creel check coordinator. Overall, she said, fishermen out of Westport and Ilwaco last week averaged just under one salmon per person, with lots of chinook still showing in the bag. The ratio at Westport was about three kings to every one coho, and at Ilwaco, one king to every two coho. The north coast produced well under one fish per rod, she said.

"The real story, though, concerns coho," Beeghley said. "The silvers are huge for this time of year. We've been consistently seeing fish over 10 pounds, and that's unheard of for early July."

Chinook at Ilwaco are averaging 13 to 15 pounds, at Westport maybe 18 pounds with a scattering in the 25- to 30-pound range, and on the north coast, 15 to 18 pounds, also with some very large silvers showing.

Some of the best fishing over the weekend was found on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where checks at Van Riper's Resort in Sekiu on Sunday showed 70 fishermen with 28 chinook and 3 halibut.

The Tulalip bubble remained slow, with only 1 king checked Sunday for 44 fishermen at the Port of Everett ramp.

Up in the Islands, fishing has generally been pretty good since the summer opener, at such spots as Point Lawrence, Thatcher Pass, Eagle Bluff and others. Saturday checks at the Washington Park Launch west of Anacortes counted 11 chinook for 46 fishermen.

CRAB: The early part of the summer recreational crab season has been pretty good, except that in some areas roughly 20 percent of the critters have been soft-shelled. Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports in Burlington said almost anywhere along the Whidbey or Camano shoreline should produce, as well as the sandy bays around Lopez.

Only Area 7-south is currently open in the San Juans.

DUCKS: The annual Ducks Unlimited assessment of waterfowl breeding success was released this week, showing duck numbers down a little from last season, but generally similar to last year and still 11 percent above the long-term average. Total duck populations on the Canadian prairies and the U.S. upper midwest are estimated to be down 9 percent from 2007, but mallards are down only 7 percent and still 3 percent above the long-term average.

HUNTING REGS: The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is soliciting public input to develop hunting seasons for 2009-11, but the deadline for comments is Sunday. A questionnaire on various hunting issues is posted on the agency's Web site at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/seasonsetting/indes.htm. Hunters and others can also suggest their own ideas for future hunting seasons, state game manager Dave Ware said.

Once the first comment period is over, the state will use the recommendations received in developing various season alternatives and proposed regulations for the 2009-11 seasons. In mid-August, the proposals will be posted for public comment on the Web site and a series of public meetings will be held. One meeting will be held Aug. 25 in Everett, with the specific time still to be announced.

SPECIAL SAMISH REGULATION: A new rule on the Samish River this year tries to address illegal snagging by prohibiting gear obviously meant to be "stationary" on the river bottom. Snaggers in the past have anchored a hook with heavy weight, or a jig head, to the bottom, reeled up tight, and waited for a fish to bump their line. At that point, they come back hard and snag the fish.

The stationary gear rule requires line, weight, and lure or bait to be moving while in the water. Tackle shops in the area, including Holiday Sports in Burlington, have clarifications on the state rule if you're in doubt about what's legal on the Samish.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA