by Dave Graybill, August 26, 2014

The thunder storms that rolled through our region last week were bad news for anglers in many ways. It kept them off the water for a couple days for sure. Up north it cooled the water temperature in the Okanogan River and sockeye and king salmon that were held up in the Brewster Pool on the Columbia shot up into the Okanogan. The good news is that there is hot and clear weather coming and fishing will improve in the Pool very soon.

There is plenty of good king fishing ahead for anglers in the Brewster Pool. Over 45,000 summer-runs have passed over Wells Dam so far this season, but 57,000 have come over Rocky Reach Dam. That means that there could still be over 10,000 fish still to arrive in the Pool. If we have a good string of consistent weather anglers will be able to really do some serious harvesting of these summer kings. The bite is early here. I made a run to Brewster on Sunday and had my gear down between 6 and 6:30 a.m. I was about an hour late. There were still some fish being caught when I got there, both kings and sockeye. The bite died not much later, though. We toughed it out, but to no avail. A word to the wise; be there before first light if you want to cash in on kings on the Brewster Pool.

Another fishery that is at its peak right now is the fly fishing for small rainbow on the Icicle River, above the Snow Lakes trail head. The river did rise and get some color when the storms hit, but it has dropped back into perfect shape for wading. I got out on the river just before the storms and had an amazing couple of hours. I found trout all along the stretch of river I was fishing and although I started early in the afternoon, it didn’t matter. I fished a Parachute Adams and caught close to 30 fish. Most of them were 8 or 9 inches, but some were close to 10 inches--real whoppers for the Icicle.

There are a number of reasons I like to fish this small stream for the small trout. One is that it is a really fun way to cool off when we have a hot day in Leavenworth. It can be a hundred degrees in town, but in the high 70s up the valley. The water is warm and splashing around in a pair of shorts sure cools you down. The other thing about fishing this small water is that it is great practice for bigger water and bigger fish. The same principles apply. You learn how to cast and land a fly on the water without slapping the line. Drifting a fly naturally can be a challenge and it can be learned on this small water. Finding out which flies these small trout take transfers to bigger water, too. I almost forgot to mention the quiet calm of the stream and the scenery on the Icicle. When I am on this small river I forget about everything else. It’s great therapy.

It won’t be long before the fall run fish will be making their way into our region. There is an all-time record of over one million fish expected this year. The fishing in the Hanford Reach and below Priest Rapids Dam was fantastic last season and will be even better this year. I will be heading down to the Columbia River Gorge in the middle of September to do some fishing for these fall kings. Eric Granstrom and I will be at Fish Camp and we got a bunch of these up river brights there last year. I am taking a bigger cooler along this time.

I spent some time talking about how much I enjoy fishing the small streams in our region, and particularly the Icicle, which is just a few miles from my home in Leavenworth. Eric Granstrom, of Gaboon Productions, joined me for an afternoon on the river and shot video of me casting and catching and releasing the small rainbow. I wanted to show people how simple it is to have a great time fly fishing, even if you are not experienced on this small stream. Look for it soon on the Fishing TV Page of my web site at FishingMagician.com.

Lake Wenatchee will close to sockeye fishing right after Labor Day Weekend, and what a season it was. For my last trip I was invited to join fishing buddy Jim Passage, who has really been racking up the numbers on sockeye this year. I started the day with a good fish, and then he soon hooked up. We were both surprised that when I put the net under his fish, which was the largest sockeye I had ever seen on the lake, it had both sets of our hooks in its jaw! We were both using three single hooks and the fish had scooped up both rigs. Jim got four that morning and I just had the one and lost five.

On Sunday I made a run up to Banks Lake with Dave Blue and Chad Lee from Town Ford. We have talked and talked about getting out on the water and we finally made it. The forecast looked pretty good, but the water didn’t when we got there. I tried to fish the boulders on the east side below Steamboat Rock but controlling the boat wasn’t easy and the water was muddy due to the wind, and I had a hard time seeing the rocks. We got a fish or two here but I chose to run across to find water that was more clear and maybe not as much wind. We did find a calm stretch and caught and released several fish. I couldn’t find any calm water after that, but we still managed to catch fish in spite of the conditions. Dave Blue was the rookie and of course showed Chad and I how to do it. He got fish everywhere we went.

Good news for anglers that are interested in fishing for fall kings on the Columbia River. The Priest Rapids Pool opens to fishing on August, 30th, and two poles will be allowed through August 31st. The limit is six Chinook, of which two may be adults. All other rules for the Columbia River apply, including barbless hooks.

Starting on August 30th, anglers will be able to catch and keep hatchery fall Chinook seven days a week on the Snake River. A strong return of upriver bright Chinook are expected this year, so fishery managers have expanded the daily catch limit to include six hatchery Chinook, plus six hatchery jack Chinook under 24 inches. Anglers may also catch and keep up to three hatchery steelhead on the Snake River, but must stop fishing for the day—for both hatchery Chinook and steelhead—once they have taken their three-fish steelhead limit. The Chinook fishery on the Snake is expected to extend through October 31st, while the season for hatchery steelhead and other game fish will run through February, 28th. There are other important details about these fisheries in the news release that can be found on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife web site, and I encourage you to read the full report.

State fisheries managers are seeking public comments on proposed Sportfishing rules they are recommending for the Columbia River Basin, and have scheduled a series of meetings through September to discuss the proposed rules with the public. There is a meeting in Wenatchee on Wednesday, September 10th at the Chelan PUD Auditorium from 7 to 9 p.m. The next meeting will on Thursday September 11th, at the East Valley Fire Station, 2003 Beaudry Road, from 7 to 9 p.m.

There are two seminars coming up for those who like to learn more about how to fish for fall salmon on the Columbia River. Rick Graybill, former guide and fishing expert at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee, will be providing a presentation on tackle and techniques for taking fall salmon at Town Ford in East Wenatchee on Thursday, September 11th, starting at 6 p.m. I will be doing a seminar on the different tackle and techniques used for fall Chinook fishing at Bob Feil Boats and Motors on Saturday, September 13th, starting at 1 p.m.

There is a new state record for tiger muskie. Dave Hickman of Richland landed a tiger muskie weighing 37.88 pounds and 50.38 inches long at Curlew Lake in Ferry County. He caught the fish on July 28th. Anglers familiar with Curlew Lake know that it has a large population of whopper tiger muskie and it is no surprise the new record was caught here.

I am off to the Washington coast to do some tuna fishing and I am very excited about my first opportunity to catch these prized sport fish. I will be shooting video for a new Fishing TV Show, so you’ll be able to see what its like very soon via the Fishing TV Page at FishingMagician.com.


If you haven’t fished for the fall salmon in the Hanford Reach and want to spend a day with a guide, better book your trip now. Guides will be booked up fast this year. It’s going to be a great season. I can’t wait!

FishingMagician.com