by John Kruse, August 09, 2008

It's sockeye time at Lake Wenatchee! Thanks to a huge return of these fine tasting fish (the largest run in some 50 years), sockeye salmon fishing was opened on Lake Wenatchee for the first time in 4 years on August 6th.

Early reports are very good from happy anglers who are reporting quick two fish limits of salmon ranging from 3 to 6 pounds. The fishery is becoming perhaps a bit too popular for its own good. There are only two public places to launch a boat (Lake Wenatchee State Park and Glacier View Campground). On Friday, the state park was so crowded that the boat ramp reportedly was shut down for a period of time.

Assuming you can get on the water, here's some tips to help you get fish into the boat. First off, this is a boat show. You won't catch any sockeye casting from shore. Many of the fish are found across the lake from the Glacier View Campground. Most anglers use troll a bare red or blue 3/0 hook behind a small dodger (flasher) in water that is anywhere from 20 to 70 feet deep. The 40-foot level is probably the best place to start and your trolling speed needs to be very, very slow. A down rigger works best to get your hook down to the desired depth but you can also make this happen with a diver or even a banana weight.

Be sure to record any salmon you catch immediately on your catch card and release any bull trout you catch unharmed. If you have a net make sure it has knotless mesh, another requirement to make sure protected bull trout are not harmed. Over 25,000 sockeye have made it into the Upper Wenatchee River enroute to Lake Wenatchee, but as popular as this fishery is, it may shut down soon, so despite the crowds you'll want to get out there sooner rather than later!

John Kruse
http://pacificnorthwestoutdoors.com
Host of The Great Outdoors Show - 560 KPQ, Wenatchee