Salmon Derby is back on! WDFW announces reopening of summer chinook salmon season

BREWSTER – Good news for fishermen and the Brewster Salmon Derby comes with the announcement from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) that the agency will reopen summer chinook salmon season from Wells Dam to Chief Joseph Dam on August 1.

Upon hearing that news, Derby organizers Randy Coles and Lori Kratzer announced that the 13th annual Brewster King Salmon Derby will be held August 3-5 as scheduled with a skippers’ meeting on Thursday evening, August 2.

Coles said that he and Kratzer “are working hard to get our sponsors back on board and get the word out.”

In a media release on Monday, July 23, WDFW announced that in addition to the derby waters, other specified fisheries on the Upper Columbia system will also open on July 25 or August 1, depending on the location.

Waters opening at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 25 include:

• Rocky Reach Dam to Wells Dam through Oct. 15. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild adult chinook and coho. Retain no more than two adult hatchery chinook and three sockeye.

• Chelan River (from Railroad Bridge upstream to Chelan P.U.D. safety barrier below the powerhouse) through Oct. 31. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho. Retain no more than two hatchery adult chinook.

The WDFW release said the season above Wells Dam opens later to allow the Colville Confederated Tribes to collect brood stock for the Chief Joseph Hatchery summer chinook program.

Waters opening at 12:01 a.m. August 1, include:

• Wells Dam to Hwy. 173 Bridge at Brewster through August 31. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild adult chinook and coho. Retain no more than two hatchery adult chinook and three sockeye.

• Hwy. 173 Bridge at Brewster to Chief Joseph Dam through Oct. 15. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild adult chinook and coho. Retain no more than two hatchery adult chinook and three sockeye.

• Wenatchee River (mouth to Icicle Road Bridge) through Sept. 30. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho. Retain no more than two hatchery adult chinook.

• Okanogan River (from mouth upstream to Hwy. 97 Bridge upstream of mouth) through Oct. 15. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho. Retain no more than two hatchery adult chinook.

• Okanogan River (from Hwy. 97 Bridge immediately upstream of mouth to the second Hwy. 97 Bridge in Oroville) through Sept. 15. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho. Retain no more than two hatchery adult chinook.

• Similkameen River (from mouth upstream to 400 feet below Enloe Dam) through Sept. 15. Daily limit six salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Release wild chinook, sockeye, and coho. Retain no more than two hatchery adult chinook.

Citing its reason for the recent action the WDFW said that “current and projected summer chinook passage over Priest Rapids Dam and hatchery-wild mark rates confirm that surplus fish from the Chelan Falls, Entiat, and Chief Joseph hatchery programs are available for harvest.”

The Department added that removing more hatchery-reared fish will further conservation objectives in the salmon spawning grounds.

Additional information is available from WDFW Region 2-Ephrata (509) 754-4624 or Wenatchee (509) 662-0452.