Opens May 7, closes July 22.

You still up for a trip, Justin?

Fish on...

Todd

Ive heard rumors of the Wenatchee opening for a few miles below the mouth of the Icicle. Does anyone know if this is a possibility or not? Sounds like a major league cluster**** otherwise if just the Icicle is open.


save a trout, bonk a bass

Does anyone know how many fish they are expecting to return to Icicle River?

11000 I do believe and the hatchery only needs 1000.

I seem to recall hearing last season that some Indian tribe was allowed to snag lots of springers stacked up near the Icicle hatchery ladders. Was this a tribe belonging to the Federated Tribes of the Columbia region; rep'd by the Columbia Inter-tribal Fish Commission? Which tribe; Yakima? If so, they got to net 13 times more Columbia springers than non-Indian sportfishers got to try to catch. Any word on the likelyhood of another Indian bloody snagfest on the Icicle this season? If so, that will be ugly on ugly!

RT

About when does the fishing peak, Ive always have gotten there a little late. Its a nice little river to float. :p

Todd,

Sounds good to me!!! I've got all the gear we'll need and the secrets too!

I tried to talk to you about it at the last couple of WSC meetings, but we were both tied up in conversations with others and didn't want to interrupt. I'll shoot you an e-mail and be sure and yap with you at the next meeting on May 2.

Thanks again,
Justin

Just about every trib. on the Columbia on the Columbia will be a snagfest, and it's not just the tribal members doing it. Drop yourself into the canyon on the Wind river next month if you want to see a snagfest. With 42,000 fish expected to return, it will be a snagger's wet dream. Then, these goons won't even toss their fish's guts and carcass back into the river, so you get big pools of water cut into the rock all full of rotten fish guts and blood.......nice.

That canyon is a gorgeous piece of earth, with ripping whitewater raging through a huge bouldery canyon. It's pretty disappointing to see what happens to it when the hordes of fishermen (I use that term loosely in some cases) descend into the canyon during springer time.

It's kind of a poor reflection upon all of us when this sort of thing happens, and it makes it hard for me to bag on the tribes too much for what they're doing. I think I might just have to let Superfly wail on those Wind river springers for me. You'll spank a few for me, won't you Joe?

Good point well taken Dan. After watching the "sportsnaggers" on the Cowlitz silvers up by the barrier dam last fall and hearing reports of that in many other places, us real sportsmen and the WDF&G enforcement need to do a much better job of curtailing that activity. However, I didn't say the Indian snagging was exclusive - just rubbing salt into an open wound to allow them to legally snag stacked fish after the fiasco of the absurd Columbia mainstem springer allocations have occured. I've got some cheese and crackers to go along with that 'aged' whine if ya need it . ... BTW, 'Spanky' and I are taking some guys on up a ways there to put the hurt on a load of springers this week - I'll ask him to send ya a steak. - Steve

Could one of you nice gentlemen tell me where Icicle creek/river is? I have heard a lot of talk about it the last couple of years but have not been there. I would like to try it if work permits. Thanks in advance.

Good luck

Doubletake

Doubletake, you go east over stevens pass, just befor you enter leavenworth turn right on icicle rd., about two miles on your left look for the hatchery. You should be able to get a map of the river that shows the public accesses and launches available. If you venture over there always remember to smile and wave to all and ignore the ones who flip you the bird, the locals tend to get a little territorial this time of year. Good luck it should be good fishing.

Thanks for the info. Chubby.

Doubletake

RT,

I hear every word you're saying. I've just about come to the conclusion that the whole salmon and steelhead commercial fishery taken up by the tribes is simply a way for them to show their political power. At prices ranging from .75-2.00 a pound on the wholesale side, it's hardly a windfall as far as an income-generator for the tribes. Iwonder what kind of stewards of the resource they'll be when the power to light up their casinos triples in price.

I'm just not happy with the whole scene on the Columbia tribs. that takes place when the springers come in. Guys talk about taking pictures of the piles of rotting chum carcasses on the Skok, but if somebody took pictures of what takes place in the Wind canyon, it wouldn't paint a pretty picture of us as sports fishers. It would do nothing for our "public image", to say the least. I hate to see the image thing be as important as it is, but that's politics. People get impeached for lying about a hummer in today's political arena.

Somebody would have to be damn motivated to take pictures in the Wind Canyon, though. That hillclimb about killed me.......