The Fishin' Magician: Possible Sockeye on Lake Wenatchee

I am getting a lot of questions about whether or not there will be a sockeye season on Lake Wenatchee. I have stopped by Tumwater Dam and have observed them surfacing in the smooth water at the outlet of the fish ladder above the dam. I visited with the folks from Fish and Wildlife that are doing the counting, too. They have had as many as 6,500 pass through in a day. They don't count on the weekends, the fish passage is video taped and then counted by the PUD.

I don't know the total, but thousands have made it over the Tumwater Dam now, and we should know pretty soon whether the numbers are good enough for a season. It will take eighteen to twenty-three thousand to have enough fish for escapement and sustain the run, and the excess will determine if the season is a go or no go. Depending on the number above escapement needs will decide how the long anglers will be able to fish for them in Lake Wenatchee.

Water temperatures remain cool in the Wenatchee, which is good for the condition of the fish, and we should have an answer very soon if the sockeye numbers add up to enough for a fishery.