The Columbia River in north-central Washington isn’t your common salmon fishing location. This area of the state is a land of rugged forested peaks as well as substantial fruit orchards, of sagebrush-steppe and also reddish-orange volcanic scablands where bighorn sheep roam and also gold eagles skyrocket. And also it’s home to the well known summer season Chinook fishery that begins July 1 near the traveler town of Chelan Falls.
Like other prominent salmon fisheries brewster pool chinook fishing in the state the Chelan Falls area can obtain hectic, specifically on weekends and Fridays. Yet you can still score a couple of prime places. For many fishermens the very best area is the Lake Pateros area of the reservoir, additionally referred to as the Brewster Swimming pool. This is where the cold, freshwater from Lake Chelan gush in as well as combines with the warmer Columbia water, providing a prime holding location for generating Chinook.
You can target both kings and sockeye at this area. As well as it’s one of minority areas where you can catch both varieties at the same time. The area is likewise wonderful for families since it’s an easy fishery for beginners, in addition to those wanting to prevent the groups of various other more prominent fisheries.
There’s a respectable chance that this year will see a document return of adult Chinook to the Columbia River mouth, with preseason forecasts asking for 57,500 salmon, up from in 2015’s quote of 56,800 fish. That’s excellent news for fishermens that primarily target kings, as the lake-run fish will likely provide even more possibilities for anglers.
For those targeting sockeye, there will be a home window of chance Aug. 4-7, with an opening from the area listed below the Beebe Bridge to the Elliott Bay Marina breakwater. It can be a challenge to find fish at the lower end of this area as a result of its shallow water, but some hotspots consist of the Duwamish Head Pen; the eastern and west waterways in front of Todd Shipyard; the south and also north waters around Salty’s Restaurant; both the Sekiu as well as Kydaka locations; Slip Point Buoy; Mussolini Rock and also Little Mussolini Rock; Slide and also Coal Mines locations; and Column Point.
The sockeye in this area tend to be larger than those more upstream in the Hanford Reach. You’ll need to make use of a smaller lure than you would certainly in the upper reaches, with 3.5-inch plugs being an usual size. You can likewise troll this area of the tank, with several anglers making use of downriggers geared up with flasher and also a variety of spoons or plugs. A few favored sockeye attractions include the Moose Male, the Red and White Spinner as well as the Silver Frog.