Weekly Fishin' Magician Report with Dave Graybill

December 12

If you haven't heard, there are some dramatic changes coming for gillnetters on the main stem Columbia River.

It began when the Oregon Coastal Conservation Association got a measure on the ballot to remove gillnets. That got the Oregon governor in gear and he set up a work group made up of Oregon and Washington Fish and Wildlife commissioners met to develop a plan.

The two states agreed to a plan to transition commercial fisheries to phase out gillnet in the main stem by 2017.

It would gradually increase the catch share of salmon for the sport fishery in the main stem over the next four years and by 2017 providing 100 percent of the summer and main stem spring Chinook harvest to the sport fishery, while increasing spring Chinook opportunity for the commercial fishery in the off-channel areas.

The also requires sport anglers fishing for salmon and steelhead in the main stem Columbia River and its tributaries to use barbless hooks beginning in 2013. What I have said here is just a portion of the plan, and there are other important elements.

I urge you to see all the details by visiting the Department of Fish and Wildlife web site.

December 14

I have had a few reports from Rufus Woods this winter, but nothing to get excited about.

When I checked in Bob Fateley at the Triangle Exxon in Brewster, I finally got the kind of report I have been waiting for.

Water temperatures have dropped and the fishing for big triploid rainbow at Rufus has turned on.

According to Fateley, many of the shore anglers have been limiting. Those who are casting from the Corps of Engineers Parks above the dam have been doing well, and one angler, fishing at Brandts weighed in a 13 ?-pounder.

Trollers are also getting in on the action.

They are having their best luck trolling along the edges of the weed beds. This is what I have been waiting to hear, and is the signal for good fishing at Rufus Woods Reservoir for the winter season, which is the most popular.

Most of the anglers that Fateley was talking to were fishing from the dam up stream, but anglers fishing from the top end down should also be experiencing better action.

He said that the reports from anglers he is getting now is the best he has had in at least a year.

December 17

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has made some forecasts for returns of salmon in 2013.

Not surprising really is the significant drop in expected returns of sockeye, since we had an all-time high return last year.

The good news is that the anticipated return of sockeye to Lake Wenatchee looks very strong, with over 44,000 expected to reach the lake in 2013.

It was hoped that the Wenatchee River would open to spring Chinook fishing this year, and if the return of over 14,000 actually occurs that could happen.

Also strong again this year is our expected return of summer-runs. Last year a big adjustment was made in the forecast as the run entered the Columbia, but we still got almost 60,000 to our region.

This year they expect over 73,000 to reach the upper Columbia.

Sockeye aren't going to disappear from the Columbia.

The forecast is for over 180,000 in 2013, which will make for a decent fishery.

Angler success will be much higher on these fish, too, as anglers really learned how to catch them last season.

No record returns, but there will be plenty of fish in the upper river next year.