Salmon seasons will be closing on some areas of the upper Columbia River and at Lake Wenatchee at the end of the month. Many anglers have already moved on to try some of the other great opportunities we have in the region. I got the opportunity to fish with friends in Alaska.
Many years ago, my brother Rick Graybill, our cousin Greg Preston and I were invited to fish by our long-time fishing friend of 50 years, Steve Goodfellow, to fish with him on his boat in Maui, Hawaii. This year he invited us to join him for some fishing in Angoon, Alaska. After arriving in Juneau, it was about a 40 minute flight by float plane to Angoon, where Steve met us. Rick told me to dress for Alask weather, which meant wet and windy, but we were greeted by sunshine and calm seas. After throwing our bags on board we headed out to the mouth of Favorite Bay and were fishing for coho salmon minutes after arriving. After getting our trolling gear in the water, it took only about five minutes to get our first fish, and in about three hours we had 11 in the fish box. We then motored into the bay and pulled the crab pots, so we could have some fresh crab to go with our dinner that evening. The next day we had the same fast-paced action for coho and also hooked small halibut every time our live herring hit the bottom. We couldn’t keep the small halibut off, so Steve drove the boat out in the main channel to an area where the bottom rose from over 2,000 feet deep to about 350 feet. We dropped heavy jigs baited with salmon scraps to the bottom and in no time, Greg had a big fish on the line. Fortunately, Steve was equipped with electric reels, and even these struggled to hoist the fish to the boat. When it reached the surface, Steve harpooned the big halibut, and when it settle down, we pulled the 70 pound fish on board. The following day I got one that was close to 50 pounds. To give you an idea of how good the coho fishing was, we released seven of them that had hit the jigs that we used for weight on our herring fishing jigs as we gathered bait. The calm seas lasted throughout the entire trip, and we experienced only one day of slight drizzle at times. No wind, no rain, no bugs. Unbelievable. This week’s photo is of Greg, Steve and Rick with Greg’s big halibut.
Fishing has been tough on Lake Wenatchee for sockeye this season. Many anglers have moved on to one of many other terrific opportunities we have in the region. On one of my trips my fishing partners and I were making plans to fish Banks Lake. We have fished Banks Lake for smallmouth, but they have never caught a walleye. This is prime time for walleye fishing on this big reservoir. I have several good places that I like to look for walleye, and I usually fish with bottom bouncers and spinners with a big nightcrawler for bait. This year I am going to spend more time pulling crank baits. I have had good success doing this in the area below the landmark known as Rosebush. I have quite a collection of plugs to pull. Certain Flicker Shads and Rapalas are lures I always run first. Perch and crawfish are a couple favorites. Then I start trying different colors and patterns. There are models that run shallow or down to 20 feet deep, so I can run them over the tops of the weed beds or out in deeper water. Watching the side planners jerk with a walleye on the plug is very exciting.
A lake that is on my list for a visit at this time of year is Billy Clapp Lake, near Soap Lake. This reservoir is known for good trout fishing in the spring and smallmouth bass fishing from the spring into fall. In July and August, I check on two fisheries on Billy Clapp. Number one is the kokanee fishing. There have been times, though infrequent, when the kokanee in Billy Clapp grow to exceptional size. We don’t catch a lot of them, but the fish we do catch are impressive, 15 to 19 inches. We look for them above the big basalt Island and along the north shore. We have been disappointed the past couple of years, but we always look for them, as we never know when they will show up again. Number two is the walleye fishing. It’s great to have the Bob Feil Boats and Motors Smoker Craft with the 250 Mercury on the back, as it is a long run from the launch to the top end at Summer Falls. There is a deep hole below the dam that holds fish. We also get some nice walleye below here along the north shore.
My good friend and fishing partner James Lebow loves to fish for fall kings. His favorite place to try for them is below Wanapum Dam. We make at least one trip down here every year and have varying success. As you anglers know, it only takes one good fishing trip to keep you coming back. I have been fishing below Wanapum, off the mouth of Crab Creek for many years. I made my first trip there with Jerrod Gibbons and a few with Shane Magnuson later on. Fishing for fall kings should be especially good here and below Priest Rapids Dam this season. The Columbia River is expected to have good fall salmon fishing in 2025, with similar or better returns than 2024 for Chinook and coho. Specifically, the preseason forecast for fall Chinook is 736,200 fish, up from the 2024 return of 669,505. The coho forecast is 342,100 fish. Fishing seasons are planned for August 1st, with specific dates and regulations varying by area and species. Good coho returns are a fairly new opportunity in the fall on the upper Columbia. The main stem produces some decent catches, and I enjoy coho fishing on the Icicle River in Leavenworth.
Alaska was an amazing experience, and now I’m eager to fill my remaining freezer space with walleye and triploid rainbow trout!
