First fish for Becca

It is always fun to report a person's first fish, no matter their age. Becca Mortensen, Spokane, and her boyfriend, Nate Jolls, headed for West Medical Lake on July 25.

As Nate tells the story, "This was Becca's first ever fish, and it happened to be a nice 15-inch rainbow. She used a spinning rod with two-foot of leader and green PowerBait on the hook to cast a country mile from shore to get down to the deep, cool water where the trout like to linger. It was the biggest fish of the day. She also cleaned the fish by herself.

"We caught a total of four keepers in about an hour and a half. The bite had slowed a bit, due to the high water temperature in this lake, but if you cast out to the cooler water there were still trout interested in hitting the bait.

Hunting seasons on tap

Many hunting seasons are scheduled to open on Sept. 1, such as fox, raccoon, cottontail rabbit, forest grouse, snowshoe hare and some deer and elk seasons. Stay tuned for details.

Lake Wenatchee opens to sockeye fishing

Lake Wenatchee opened to sockeye salmon fishing on July 30. The daily limit per angler is four sockeye, with a minimum size of 12 inches.

Reason for the season: Based on current passage over Tumwater Dam, at least 30,000 sockeye are projected to enter into Lake Wenatchee. This provides at least 7,000 sockeye for harvest above the natural spawning escapement goal of 23,000 fish.

Other information: Selective gear rules are in effect, to include up to three single-point barbless hooks per line, no bait or scent allowed and knotless nets require.

Anglers may fish with two poles as long as they possess a valid two-pole endorsement. A night closure will be in effect. Legal angling hours are one hour before official sunrise to one hour after official sunset. Bull Trout, Steelhead, and chinook salmon must be released unharmed without removing the fish from the water.

Anglers beware: The Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishery may be closed on short notice depending on participation and catch rates. Fishermen are required to possess a Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement as part of their valid fishing license.

Fish and Wildlife Commission to consider waterfowl seasons

The Fish and Wildlife Commission will conduct a public hearing and take action on proposed 2015-16 migratory waterfowl hunting seasons during a public meeting today and tomorrow, Aug. 7-8 in Olympia.

The commission will also receive briefings on a variety of other management issues, including the implementation of the Statewide Steelhead Management Plan and a report that provides an overview of threats to steelhead populations and the management actions designed to address those threats.

State waterfowl seasons proposed by Fish and Wildlife are mostly similar to those adopted last year. The general duck season would be open for 107 days - from Oct. 17-21 and from Oct. 24-Jan. 31. A special youth hunting weekend is also proposed for Sept. 19-20.

As in previous years, goose hunting seasons would vary by management areas across the state, but most would open in mid-October and run through late January.

In southwest Washington, however, the department is proposing several changes to the goose hunting season, including closing the season for dusky Canada geese and expanding the length of the season for other species.

The proposed changes also include requiring hunters to pass a new goose identification test before receiving authorizations to hunt in Goose Management Area 2A and 2B. Waterfowl managers are looking to ensure protection of dusky Canada geese in those counties, where the small population of this subspecies of Canada geese winters.