by Mike Carey, August 05, 2014

Like many of you, I’d read about this year’s banner return of sockeye to the Columbia River system, over 650,000 fish strong. New records of fish and generous limits awaited those traveling to Central Washington. The two primary locations to fish Central Washington for sockeye are Lake Wenatchee and Brewster, at the mouth of the Okanogan river. Each fishery has a generous limit of sockeye, but Brewster also offers a bonus – chinook salmon. Yup, while you’re fishing sockeye if you hook into a clipped chinook – it’s yours. That’s a deal that is pretty hard to pass up!

I recently contacted Shane Moon of Moon’s Guide Service (509-860-6497) to get the inside skinny from a guide, and this is what he had to say:

“The fires in Eastern Washington aren’t the only thing that is hot right now. It’s very sad to see the devastation that the fires have brought to our region. On a brighter side of things fishing has been red hot in the Brewster pool. There has been over 605,860 sockeye cross over Bonneville Dam so far in 2014. Adding with this a strong Chinook run and we are in for an Epic season. The limit is eight salmon, totaling six sockeye and two adult hatchery kings. This is a great family friendly fishery. The sockeye fishing is fast and furious. It’s not uncommon to have multiple fish on at the same time. The Brewster pool gets a lot of fishing pressure, some days topping 100 boats.



That’s OK as there is plenty of fish to go around. Just remember to watch where you are trolling and respect the other boats. We are all out there for the same reason! To catch some fish and have fun!
The sockeye have been running from 2 to 4 pounds on average. These are some of the best eating salmon in my opinion. Their meat is bright red and very firm. I start most of my days off trolling “0” Mack’s Double D Dodgers with a short leader, from 9 to 16 inches long. I use red 1/0 hooks tied real close together. Also I like to use Mack’s squids in pink and a 1.5 smile blade. Lastly, tip this with a piece of coon shrimp. If you have down riggers run them from 7 to 20 feet. Most of the sockeye we catch are in the top 20 feet of the water column. If you don’t have down riggers use a 4 to 6 ounce weight or jet diver. Remember to bleed your fish and keep them cool.”

A couple points to remember. These fish have traveled hundreds of miles to reach Brewster. Chromers they aren’t. That said, the flesh is still excellent table fair. Don’t let the outside fool you, these are good eating fish! Also, be prepared. Camping is limited so call ahead. If you can’t find anything in Brewster, down the road is Bridgeport and Chief Joseph State Park, two locations you can find camping available. Finally, bring a lot of patience. Even though Brewster is far off the beaten path, there will be a lot of people – and boats! So be ready to troll in a crowd of boats large and small. And because the fishing is so shallow, many will not be using downriggers. So watch for long-liners and avoid those tangled lines. Finally, bring a LOT of ice. It’s going to be hot. As in 90s to 100 degrees hot, so bring lots of water and sunscreen, and maybe a large umbrella.

There you go, another great sockeye fishery for Washington anglers!