As we speak, there’s a very large run of 300,000 sockeye salmon pushing its way up the Columbia River, which is more than twice as many fish as the original preseason forecast of 125,200.
And with a run that size on the way, the rumor mill has cranked out the information that well, sure, there will be a Lake Wenatchee recreational sockeye season. How could there not be?
The truth, of course, is that there could easily be no Lake Wenatchee fishery, although it’s far too early to say for sure.
The main reason for pessimism is that most of these fish are headed for the Okanogan/Similkameen system and will bypass the Wenatchee River completely. Of the 125,200 sockeye originally predicted at the mouth of the Columbia, 14,300 were slated for the Wenatchee and 600 for the Snake. The rest, some 110,300, were forecast for the Okanogan. And since the escapement goal for Lake Wenatchee — before any season is considered at all — is 23,000 fish, chances for a fishery were slim.
But if you double the Wenatchee figure to match the new, updated run size, the 28,600 fish you come up with would be plenty to allow both a generous fishery and ample escapement.
The problem with this math is twofold. First, nothing says the same Wenatchee percentage will apply to the updated run, and second, biologists were burned by river conditions last year and so they will be ultra-conservative this time around. It looked like enough fish were present for a fishery in 2009, and a season was authorized, but unusually low, warm water conditions in the watershed prevented normal migration upstream and resulted in significant fish mortality. The number eventually reaching Lake Wenatchee was well below escapement goals.
So salmon managers in the state’s Region 2 almost certainly will wait and count sockeye actually passing Tumwater Dam, roughly 18 miles downriver from the lake, before deciding on a recreational season.
The upside of all this is that the big chunk of the run heading toward the Okanogan should afford an excellent fishery as the fish slow and mill off the tributary’s mouth at Brewster. And to make the drive even more worthwhile, the limit has been set at six fish, compared to the two sockeye normally allowed in Lake Wenatchee.
Don Talbot at Hooked On Toys in Wenatchee said the Columbia just below the Okanogan at Brewster should be an excellent sockeye fishery almost from the opening (today) of the season. The Columbia in that section encompasses a deep (up to 60 feet) hole on the outside of the curve and Talbot said the good sockeye water is around the edges of the hole, over about 45 feet of water, fishing about 20 feet deep. Use a standard sockeye setup, he said, with a 6-inch dodger followed by a single 2/0 hook — black, red, or most any other color.
One oddity of the area, he said, is that because of limited visibility in the Columbia, some anglers shorten the distance between the dodger and hook to as little as 3-4 inches, rather than the 14 inches or so normally used in Lake Wenatchee.
Chelan resident and guide Anton Jones (antonj@aol.com; 1-866-360-1523) said a U-20 Flatfish in chrome or flame orange also works, as does a mini-squid rig.
The upper Columbia fishery, of course, features the chance of hitting a big summer chinook of 40 pounds or better, although you’ll have to make the decision about which species to pursue.
Guide and Brewster resident Rod Hammons (randr@swift-stream.com; 509-689-2849) said there probably won’t really be fishable numbers of chinook holding off the Okanogan for a week to 10 days yet, if kings, rather than sockeye, are your target. Herring and Super Baits are the order of the day for chinook.
Regulations allow a daily limit in that section of the Columbia of six salmon, up to three adult chinook but only one of wild stock. Release all coho and steelhead.
JOHN DAY POOL
Any angler with a yen to do a little exploring over the long holiday weekend could do a lot worse than giving the Columbia pool above John Day Dam a shot. State creel checks there last week showed awesome catch rates on several species: 36 bank fishermen with 53 hatchery summer chinook taken and 14 wild stock chinook released; 15 boats with 43 walleye; 26 boats with 203 shad; eight boats with 25 sturgeon caught and released; and bass fishermen averaging three smallmouth per rod.
State biologist Paul Hoffarth in Pasco said most of the chinook fishing in the John Day pool takes place just below McNary Dam, on the Oregon side of the river, in an area called Spillway Park, from the fence deadline down to the Umatilla Marina.
Most of the fishing is a plunking show, Hoffarth said, using a big Spin N Glo with eggs or shrimp. Several of the fish checked last week were in the 20-pound class, he said.
STURGEON
The lower Columbia recreational sturgeon fishery was extended late last week through July 11, because 6,500 of the original quota of 9,600 fish are still available. Both angler effort and catch rates have been below expectations for the season, according to state biologist Brad James. Success rates picked up a little last week for charter and private boaters out of the ports of Ilwaco and Chinook, with charter anglers averaging a legal kept per every 3.6 rods and private boaters averaging one per every 10 rods. Of those sturgeon brought to the boat, about 28 percent were legal keepers.
SPECIAL HUNT DRAWING RESULTS
Hunters who submitted applications for 2010 special-hunt permits can now check the results of this year’s drawing on the state Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site, https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/wa/specialhuntlookup.
Major changes this year and a raft of new hunting options for deer, elk, moose and sheep resulted in an increase in applications from 125,000 last year to 230,000 this year. State game division manager Dave Ware said revenue generated by application fees also increased, rising from $654,000 in 2009 to $1.1 million this year.
“All those additional revenues will be used to increase hunter access to private lands and improve habitat for game animals,” Ware said.
Successful applicants should receive their permits via mail by mid-July, he said.
SKYKOMISH RIVER
Guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram said that while chinook action in the Skykomish certainly can’t be called hot, there are a few nice kings around for those with a little expertise and a willingness to put in time on the water.
OCEAN SELECTIVE CHINOOK FISHERY
The pilot marked-chinook fishery out of coastal ports closed Wednesday, and the latest numbers (through June 20) showed Westport with the best averages. Some 2,627 Westport anglers scored 2,009 chinook for a 0.76 fish-per-rod average.
Westport reopens under “regular season” salmon rules on Sunday. The other coastal ports reopened this morning.
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