Fishing Magician Report - Friday, July 1

There's good news and bad news in regard to water conditions here in Central Washington. The good news is that the high flows make for great fishing conditions on the Icicle River for spring salmon. High water and the fact that spring salmon are still coming into the river is good news for anglers. I floated the river recently and had an amazing day.

I joined Shane Magnuson and Kevin Winters and we caught a total of seven fish. I never thought I would ever catch a fish over 25 pounds on the Icicle. I have heard of them, seen photos of them, but I have a reputation for catching small fish. However, I outdid myself, caught not one but two spring salmon over 30 pounds-unbelievable!

More good news about the high water is that the rafting season on the Wenatchee River is the best in memory for this time of year. July is going to be off the charts fun for rafting.

The bad news is that the high water is going to make fishing a challenge for salmon anglers on the upper Columbia River, which opened on July 1st. Over 90,000 fish are projected for the return this year, so fishing will be great when the water settles down.