Nothing like this Indian Summer weather we’ve had to get people excited about fishing. Anglers are out in force on the Hanford Reach, plus there’s a pretty good fleet of boats looking for walleye on Potholes Reservoir.

My good friend and guide, Brian Nielson, put me and Mike Wren onto so many fish in late September, that we planned another trip to Potholes Reservoir late last week. In spite of the fact that we were fishing during a full moon, we put eleven walleye in the live well, and we only fished for three or four hours. This time Lou Larsen joined us. Larsen is a fly fisher and trolling for walleye was new to him. It didn’t take him long to get into the swing of things. He lost a nice walleye right at the boat not long after we got started. Lou and I were trolling sparkly green Smile Blades behind our bottom bouncers. It was a classic Indian Summer day; flat calm, and fishing was tough. We passed near several boats, and they all showed us the “palms up” signal that they weren’t getting many fish. Brian took us to several of his hot spots. Our last stop was at the mouth of Lind Coulee. We marked a lot of fish here and got several bites. Lou landed all the walleye we hooked that day. I landed three catfish, and zero walleye. This week’s photo is of Brian and Lou.

My wife Eileen and her sister Diane share the same birthday, so for a special treat Diane’s husband Tom Verschuren and I took them on an overnight to Winthrop. We stayed at Mt. Gardener Inn and had a great meal at Three Fingered Jacks. After touring the town and lunch, Eileen and I explored the fishing opportunities in the valley. Our first stop was at Pearrygin. This lake has a State Park that can accommodate lots of visitors and is known for its trout fishing in the spring. Bass fishing has become popular here. It is open till the end of October. Our next stop was at Davis Lake, which is southeast of Winthrop. This is a quality lake with selective fishing rules, that is open year-round, with a daily limit of two fish of a minimum size of 14 inches. There is a gravel launch here and internal combustion motors are prohibited. Our last stop was at Little Twin Lake. Big and Little Twin lakes are popular with fly fishers. Both lakes have selective fishing rules and internal combustion motors are prohibited. The daily limit is one fish of a minimum size of 18 inches.

There is good news for anglers that are fans of fishing for coho on the upper Columbia River. The river is open to coho retention from above Priest Rapids Dam to Wells Dam and remains open for Chinook. Anglers are allowed to keep two adult Chinook and two coho. All wild Chinook must be released. From Highway 173 Bridge at Brewster to the rock jetty at Foster Creek anglers may also keep two adult Chinook but must release all wild fish and coho. Also, the Icicle River has opened for coho fishing. The recent rain that fell in our region helped a little, but still wasn’t enough to draw coho into the Icicle. I have been checking the river and it is very low and clear, and I have yet to see any signs of coho in the river. I am sure that they are holding up in the deeper holes in the Wenatchee and will rush up when the water levels increase in the Icicle. A new section of the Icicle has been opened this year, too, and will give anglers more water to fish. Please visit the WDFW website and read the most recent release about the Icicle and upper Columbia River updates details.

I am hearing of some great fishing for Chinook in the Hanford Reach. With the one fish limit, anglers are heading home early. Kings are being caught from White Bluffs to Priest Rapids Dam, and off the mouth of Crab Creek below Wanapum Dam. Also, certain areas of the Snake River has opened to fishing.

Lyons Ferry Bubble Fishery from the red river marker (Marker 28) on the south shore of the Snake River upstream to the Highway 261 Bridge, approximately 1.4 miles:  Open now, through Oct. 29: Salmon fishing is open Thursdays through Sundays each week. Daily limit is two (2) adult Chinook including no more than one (1) wild (unclipped, adipose intact) adult Chinook. No daily limit for any jack Chinook. Minimum size is 12 inches. Release all salmon other than Chinook. Barbless hooks required.

From the downstream edge of the large power lines crossing the Snake River just upstream of West Evans Road on the south shore (approximately three miles downstream of Clarkston) upstream to the Idaho border at Clarkston (the dividing line for catch record card area 648/650): Open now through Oct. 31: Salmon open daily. Salmon daily limit is any three (3) adult Chinook and any two (2) adult coho totaling five (5) adults combined. No limit for any jack Chinook or any jack coho. Minimum size is 12 inches. Barbless hooks required.
Snake River from the Idaho Border at Clarkston (the dividing line for catch record card area 648/650), upstream to the Oregon state line: Open now through Oct. 31: Salmon open daily. Salmon daily limit is any three (3) adult Chinook and any two (2) adult coho, totaling five (5) adults combined. No limit for any jack Chinook or any jack coho. Minimum size is 12 inches. Barbless hooks required.

The Annual King of the Reach Live Capture Fishing Derby is coming up on October 27th to the 29th this year. Unlike traditional fishing tournaments that focus on catching the most or biggest fish, the KOR aims to preserve the future of the Hanford Reach population. Angler participation in this event helps collect natural origin Upriver Bright (URB) fall Chinook salmon, which are incorporated into the broodstock of the Priest Rapids Hatchery (PRH). These URBs play a crucial role in sustaining local adaptations and integrating the natural and hatchery populations in the Hanford Reach. The KOR has proven highly successful and has become an annual event to support the PRH’s efforts in ensuring a thriving abundance of URBs for future generations. Get all the details by logging onto the website at www.ccawashington.org/kingofthereach.

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