DON’T ESCHEW CHELAN FALLS FOR CHINOOK

The waters on the way up to the famed Brewster Pool are also fishy in July.

By Mark Yuasa

We all seek to fulfill ultimate goals, and the revered salmon fishing grounds of the Upper Columbia River at Chelan Falls should be on the summer mustdo list.

Nestled behind the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, the Upper Columbia’s natural beauty is diverse with nearby rugged, forested peaks, vast fruit orchards and arid, desertlike scablands.

Yes, the landscape is a sight to see, but it’s the highly anticipated arrival of summer kings that’ll turn anglers into a tizzy when the river opens July 1.

“The king fishing can be amazing around Chelan Falls as they begin to stack up in early July,” said Aaron Peterson, owner of Peterson’s Northwest Guide Service (petersonsnorthwest.com, 425-2202928). “The second and third week in July is the best period, but you can catch them into early August.”

What makes the fishery click is that around a decade ago the Chelan Falls Hatchery ramped up Chinook production to help rebuild the region’s salmon runs.

These Chinook migrate to net pens (completed shortly after 2010) at the outfall to a powerhouse plant where intake pipes stretching up to

Early morning is the best time to work the Chelan Falls stretch of the Upper Columbia. Tegan Yuasa caught this one before the sun had risen over North-central Washington last July. (MARK YUASA)

Lake Chelan gush cold water down the gorge and into the Columbia’s warmer water.

It is here where salmon hold in the calm, cooler water before migrating to the net pens or further upstream.

The fishery – located about 4 miles from the touristy town of Chelan – has garnered more attention, although many still beeline up US Route 97 to the famed Brewster Pool not realizing they’re driving past prime opportunities.

Like others, I’ve zipped by without taking notice, and it wasn’t until last July that my son Tegan and I joined Peterson to experience this remarkable fishery.

IN EARLY MORNING darkness, we met Peterson at the Chelan County Public Utility District’s Beebe Bridge Park boat launch (about 34 miles north of Wenatchee). Both Beebe plus another launch site across the river at Chelan Falls Park have excellent camping and/or RV sites, day-use facilities, picnic shelters and other amenities.

This is a daybreak bite, so being on the water by 4:30 a.m. is the program. Once the bright sun hits the shallow water, the bite tends to wane even though you can catch fish periodically all day long. You’ll even find a good chew for a few hours right before sunset.

After a short three-minute boat ride – just above Chelan Falls Park – we saddled alongside 50-plus boats trolling in a tight, shallow-water area at depths of 25 to 35 feet. Peterson’s fish-finder was lit up with kings under the boat as other fish rolled and jumped on the surface.

Our rods were set up with an 8- or 12-ounce sliding cannonball drop sinker to a chain swivel attached to a Pro-Troll ProChip Flasher.

On a tandem-hook leader (18 to 24 inches long) was a 3.5 Spinner or Brad’s Super Bait Original stuffed with NW Bait & Scent in a mashedup canned tuna concoction. Others opt for a whole or cut-plug herring soaked in a colored store-bought brine or an artificial version like a Brad’s Mini Cut-Plug.

You can deploy downriggers, but they’re cumbersome since milfoil can grab wires and foul up gear, lure and bait. Remember, these kings aren’t here to dine on a salad.

The Upper Columbia has a rather liberal six-salmon daily limit (up to two may be an adult hatchery Chinook or two sockeye or one of each); release coho and wild adult Chinook.

ONCE OUR LINES were in the water, we trolled in a zigzag pattern parallel to Chelan Falls Road near Powerhouse Park up to the Chelan Falls Boathouse. At the top we turned and trolled downriver to Chelan Falls Park.

After about 20 minutes and on a slight zig of the zag above the park, the rear fishing rod jerked hard into the water.

“Fish on,” Peterson called out as Tegan grabbed the rod as line peeled off the reel. The king went

in all directions, jumped a few times and then sulked beneath the boat before Peterson was able to net the 15-pound hatchery Chinook.

We moved back into the trolling path, and quickly the port-side rod buckled over. After a brief tussle, I landed a mint-bright 13-pound hatchery Chinook.

As the sun crept over the eastern horizon, the morning bite faded and Peterson headed toward Beebe Bridge to begin a downstream troll in deeper water.

During a lull in the action, my eyes wandered to the steep cliffs and shrub-steppe carpeted with wildflowers and sagebrush. The sun rose over the eastern horizon, reflecting on the layered basalt from ancient volcanic flows glowing a reddish-orange Mars-like hue. Nearby, bighorn sheep and deer strolled the river’s edge and golden eagles could be seen soaring above. highest run since 1980, and 109 percent of the average return observed over the past decade. A good chunk is large-size Chinook, better known as June hogs, comprised of 36,900 fouryear-old, 39,900 five-year-old and 800 six-year-old fish.

“Since the summer Chinook preseason forecast is very robust, we were able to establish season dates,” said Chad Jackson, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife regional Fish Program manager in Ephrata.

“We’ll monitor the returns so we know what we’re playing with, but it would take a draconian crash for us to make any in-season measures,” Jackson said. “Even if that happens, we’ll likely be able to maintain bubble areas like Chelan Falls and meet broodstock goals.”

The 2020 return was the 12th largest since 1980, totaling 65,494 compared to the 38,300-fish preseason forecast.

“When it’s slow I’ll do a downhill troll by tricking these fish to bite instinctively,” said Peterson, jolting me out of my trance. “The water levels (up as high as 6 or 7 feet the day we fished) and flow affect how the fish bite.”

In a final attempt, Peterson made a Hail Mary decision to troll further below Chelan Falls Park, where a 14-pound hatchery king inhaled our Super Bait at mid-depth.

Happy with our three-fish day, we motored to Beebe Bridge Park by 10 a.m. Not bad for half a day’s work, and the roughly three-hour drive over Blewett Pass (4,124-foot elevation) and Snoqualmie Pass (3,015-foot) got us back to Seattle in time for a late afternoon lunch and power nap!

THIS YEAR MANAGERS are predicting

decent back-to-back returns of Upper Columbia summer Chinook.

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This year’s sockeye forecast isn’t as large as last year’s actual return, but they are notoriously hard to predict and some of the best fishing for these delicious salmon will likely occur in the Brewster Pool. (MARK YUASA)

The 2020 return was 91 percent of the 71,995 recent 10-year average (2010 to 2019); 96 percent of the average observed since 2001; and nearly four times the 1980-2000 average of 17,425.

In 1980 to 2000, returns were at low levels yet remained fairly stable, ranging from 9,400 to 22,700.

Improved ocean conditions and substantial changes in the hydrosystem enhanced downriver passage, significantly increasing the 2001 return to 53,000. During 2002 to 2017, the run averaged 72,900 fish, ranging from a low of 37,000 in 2007 to a high of 126,900 in 2015. Summer Chinook migrating above Priest Rapids Dam aren’t listed under the Endangered Species Act.

“There will be lots of fish around to catch if the run comes in as expected and anglers should have a good time,” Jackson said. “The fishery has its ups and downs as waves of fish return, and the willing biters tend to get picked off right away.”

You can track fish migration to the Upper Columbia via fpc.org.

CHELAN FALLS ISN’T the only showstopper, as about 18 miles upstream is the Brewster Pool where you’ll find sockeye and Chinook in late summer.

Last August, we fished the Brewster Pool with Austin Moser, owner of Austin’s Northwest Adventures (austinsnorthwestadventures.com, 509-255-3195), and scored fast limits on sockeye and released a large unmarked king.

“The water temperature (as it warms up) creates a thermal barrier at the Okanogan River mouth,” Moser said. “Those fish will stack up and not go anywhere.”

The 2021 forecast is 154,900 sockeye (127,300 to the Okanogan) compared to a 2020 actual return of 345,018 (273,667 was predicted), and hopes are high the run will once again wax expectations.

“The preseason sockeye forecast is big enough to have a limited harvest,” Jackson said. “The bulk of a 7,000-sockeye quota is for the Upper Columbia, and if we hit the quota or the run is downgraded, then we may have to shut it down. We’ll adjust accordingly, but at the moment we’re not expecting an abundance like we saw last year.”

The 2021 Columbia sockeye forecast is 50 percent of the 201120 total average return of 312,234. The Okanogan-origin component is approximately 49 percent of the recent 10-year average (257,179).

Also note that after a one-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the Brewster King Salmon Derby (brewstersalmonderby .com) is back August 5-8.

The region’s other sockeye fishery, Lake Wenatchee, is forecasted to see 27,300 (56,111 in 2020). That’s more than the 23,000-escapement goal, although less than the 53,835fish 10-year average. Watch the Tumwater Dam fish count to see if an August fishery is viable.

Another location to try for summer Chinook and sockeye is Wells Dam, between Chelan Falls and the Brewster Pool, but use caution as releases create turbulent waters and levels can rise and drop quickly. Most fish the west side near the outlet and intake for a hatchery. Bank anglers fish the Chelan County, or west, side.

Other early-season spots on the Upper Columbia include the Crab Creek mouth near Schwana; above Priest Rapids and Rocky Reach Dams; below Wanapum Dam at the Toilet Bowl; and the mainstem of the Big C around Wenatchee.

In the weeks ahead, I’ll keep tabs on fish counts as I plan getaways to this “little piece of heaven on Earth” where salmon make the marathon 500-plus-mile journey from the entrance to the Pacific Ocean! NS

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