Author: John Kruse

Posted: 7/12/2020

SOCKEYE SALMON Sockeye fishing opened on the Columbia River from the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco to the Highway 17 Bridge in Bridgeport on July 1st and with a two fish limit angler interest is high. Some 200,000 sockeye had passed over Bonneville Dam as of July 1st. This is indeed a good run compared to last year’s paltry returns but still about 8 percent below the 10-year average. Alt...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 7/11/2020

Looking for a unique summer job this year? Do you like to go fishing? If so, cast a line this summer in the Columbia and Snake Rivers for cash! You’ll be fishing for the northern pike minnow, formerly known as the squawfish. There is a size-able population of these fish in both the Snake River from its outlet near Pasco to Clarkston. They are also found throughout the Columbia River syste...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 7/10/2020

Back in 2017 the U.S. Department of Interior rolled out a draft Environmental Impact Statement to the public, seeking comment on the idea of physically reintroducing grizzly bears back into remote portions of the North Cascades in Washington State. Several meetings were held from 2017 through 2019 where biologists and other staff members from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Se...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 6/19/2020

TOO MANY HIKERS – Robin DeMario with the Okanogan -Wenatchee National Forest sounded the alarm recently about crowded conditions on 8-Mile Road south of Leavenworth. This road starts leads to two popular trailheads for 8-Mile Lake and to Stuart and Colchuck Lakes. The latter trailhead is a favored pathway into the Enchantments. Earlier this month video was released showing vehicles parked on ...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 6/12/2020

Not to be confused with an oft-uttered curse phrase, “Oh shad! “is something you may hear an angler say repeatedly as they hook into these fish in quick fashion this month in the Columbia River Gorge. The American shad isn’t native to the Pacific Northwest. It is an Atlantic Ocean fish that spawns in several rivers along the east coast and was an important food fish for Americans in the 18th a...

Author: Mike Carey

Posted: 6/7/2020

Fishing derbies are a sport enjoyed by many in the Pacific Northwest. Every year hundreds of derbies are held by various private organizations for just about any species of fish you can name. Salmon, bass, trout, and walleye are certainly the most popular. Kokanee is another fish that has gained a lot of interest in the derby circuits. I’ve even seen perch derbies. In short, if you’re into compet...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 6/7/2020

Washington State Parks are reopening for camping across the state in areas that have achieved a Phase 2 recovery status during the COVID-19 pandemic. That makes this a great time to rediscover these treasured places we’ve been unable to visit for much of this year. If you are looking for some ideas on which ones to go to you could always start with the most popular parks. After all, people are ...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 6/7/2020

My fishing partner, Rusty Johnston, and I always considered ourselves to be very good bass anglers. At least, we did until we decided to dip our toes into the world of tournament fishing. Every September there is an event at Potholes Reservoir called the “Old Fart’s Bass Tournament” where at least one of the two anglers in the boat has to be over 40 years old. The rules are simple. Fish for ...

Author: Jason Brooks

Posted: 6/7/2020

When the sonar shows a large blob on the screen with a few arches underneath your about to get bit, as long as you are using the right bait. If it is a herring ball and Chinook are the arches then you better have a proper sized, cured and cut-plug herring rigged up. Herring are a staple for most salmon species as they feed in the ocean, sounds, and bays and anglers know that it’s hard to beat a go...

Author: Hannah Pennebaker

Posted: 6/7/2020

Many fishermen around the state look forward to summer fishing. The warm and sunny weather brings to mind many good memories of reeling in big fish with good friends. To some, it means limits of summer steelhead, ready for the smoker. To others, it means stringers of silvery, orange meat rainbow trout. To me, summer means a variety of bottom fish coming in shallow, just waiting to be caught on one...

Author: WDFW

Posted: 6/2/2020

Anglers can fish for free June 6-7, 2020! State reminds anglers to continue to recreate responsibly this Free Fishing Weekend OLYMPIA – Anglers can forget the fishing license June 6-7, but the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is still asking everyone to remember to recreate responsibly for this year’s “Free Fishing Weekend” to keep their communities safe during the COVI...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 5/25/2020

FISH AND WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT DURING THE PANDEMIC On May 13th a regional news outlet reported the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife issued 17 fishing violations and three land use (trespassing) violations in Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties during the month of April when fishing and access to state public lands were closed. I spoke with Captain Mike Jewell with WDFW about this. ...