This report covers July 22 thru July 28. As I seem to say every year when I leave Lake Wenatchee "I'm done I will never be back" but for some reason every time I hear they are opening the Sockeye season it draws me like a moth to a flame. We started Friday morning as usual getting aggravated at the boat launch and parked .72 miles away and walking back to the launch to get out of the next guys way. I don't like fishing in crowded waters and seeing that most of the 100 plus boats were in the popular areas we started trolling by our self in an area in front of the scout camp toward the east end of the lake. I have never really seen folks fish this area and never heard of anybody catching any thing here but what the heck we weren't fighting the crowds. In the first half hour we put two in the boat and we were off to a great start, the next pole to go off was my wife's and it bent almost double. After a great fight and not a half bad netting job on my part she brought in the largest sockeye I have ever seen come out of this lake, it was a little over 9 pounds and perfect color. Then the bad part, folks hearing all our hoops and hollers now we have six boats on top of us. We trolled out of the area looking for a more pleasant place to fish. The wind started picking up mid morning and by mid afternoon the lake was unfishable for us with large rollers and 20 mph gust so we went in but not before boating 3 more fish. Friday it took us about an hour and a half to get out of the launch. Saturday we got on the water at the same time and this time I was lucky enough to park in the only handicapped truck/trailer spot in the park, this is right at the launch. We started fishing the same area as the day before and put three fish in the boat the first two hours and then came the wind. By noon we had to go in, you couldn't control the boat in the rollers and the wind was intense. We got to the launch and beached across the river and waited for a chance to get to the ramp. Four hours later we were out of the water and headed to to camp with three fish. Sunday I had had all the frustration I could handle so we stayed at camp. Monday we started in the same spot as previous days and my wife had an instant hook up but after a good fight she lost the first fish that we had lost on this trip. About an hour later I hooked up and boated that fish. We continued fishing for another seven hours with out a bite. Tuesday was an almost repeat of Monday except we didn't loose any, Nine hours trolling, one bite- one fish in the boat. Wednesday eight hours trolling, several bites but we just couldn't hook them. We finished with one fish in the boat. Long story short we wound up with four fish Thursday. We talked with a lot of folks at the boat ramp and on the beach as well as in the parking lot and camp ground, there were a lot of folks doing about the same as we were or worse. Several people didn't boat a single fish. We read reports from guides and tackle companies that seem to imply that every body on the lake is bring home limits, that simply is not the case. Guilds are doing very good but they fish seven days a week and know all the tricks and share a lot of information that helps them limit on every outing. That is great for them, If they are getting $200 per seat then they should be expected to put you on limits and they are doing a great job of that. And several of the private boats are getting limits but it seemed like for every private boat the caught 16 fish you would talk to 16 other folks that didn't get a bite or just caught a couple fish. I responded to a report from a popular tackle company with this same information last week and was bombarded from the guides that I just don't know how to fish, well maybe that's true but I spend four or five days ever week trying to learn I guess. I have only been fishing for about thirty years longer then most of these guys have been alive. I just like to give an honest report of what the average joe might expect if fishing the same waters that I fish. Thanks for reading my report, good luck and please stay safe.

coyoteking

7/30/2016 6:22:00 PM

Great report. Lotta truth wrapped up here, way to tell it like it really is!!

kokanee1

7/30/2016 8:58:00 PM

Sorry to hear your frustrations. We can totally understand. We fished several of the same days you did. We leave our cabin and arrive at the launch before 4:00 am and the early days of the opener we waited 1.25 hours to launch. That's as bad as it used to be when lake Washington was open for sockeye (last time 10 years ago so sad). So I just put up with it as Wenatchee seems to be the most consistent sockeye fishery in the state. We fished a little west of the red/white boat house and did well with few boats around us most days.

atroutfisherman

7/31/2016 5:53:00 AM

Very good and honest report. last time I fished there, the resort at the upper end had a launch, making it a much better experience! I have not been back. Your story emphasizes why! I am tempted but then reality sets in and I remind myself, combat fishing is not Fishing! Thanks for the reminder!

atroutfisherman

7/31/2016 5:53:00 AM

Very good and honest report. last time I fished there, the resort at the upper end had a launch, making it a much better experience! I have not been back. Your story emphasizes why! I am tempted but then reality sets in and I remind myself, combat fishing is not Fishing! Thanks for the reminder!

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