Anybody know if there is going to be a salmon season this spring on the Wenatchee? If so, when is the proposed opener?

SA

i always thought that they never opened the wenatchee. i know they open the icicle.

I read that they are trying to drop the ESA listing for the Steelhead and Salmon in the Wenatchee River, but until that happens it will stay closed. The Icicle, since it is 100% hatchery will be open in May sometime.

I went to the latest WDFW Commission meeting in Spokane. Over 3000 local anglers signed a petition asking for the Wenatchee and Entiat Rivers to be reopened for limited fisheries based on the great returns of salmon and steelhead over the last four years.

The WDFW Biologist, Heather Bartlett, put on a very good power point presentation that essentially said - no go on the Wenatchee for a salmon fishery - maybe in two years on the Wenatchee for a steelhead fishery (since they only started clipping hatchery fish this year) and unlikely on either river - in the lower portions - for trout.

I lobbied for the small portion of the Wenatchee (around Leavenworth) that was open until the mid-90s to re-open based on the strong returns of chinook and an earlier opening of steelhead fishing based on total returns as opposed to how many fish they decide to clip on a given year.

I got the impression I lost this argument. Don't count on any portion of the Wenatchee re-opening for salmon this season.

Thanks NWMallard for the update. Unfortunately, the FEDS and then WDFW decided to really "save" the upper Columbia watershed fisheries by not allowing many angling opportunites in the tribs . I get the same answer each year, "maybe next year". That's why my pickup rolls about 40K miles a year....going to places that allow fishing

Boy it's been ten years this season that I last fished the Wenatchee river for springers.
1993 was a great springer season, we boated 44 the first week of June and 60+ for that season .....who else fished it back then?

I used to fish the Wenatchee when it was open for kings, I think it was a lot more reliable than the icicle. we caught lots of fish there!! I think of how crowded with sleds it was back then and I can't imagine how it would look now with the number of boats that are in the area now. I would like to give it a try though.

I grew up fishing the Icicle in the early 80's, and it was really fun!! The best part though, was slipping into the Wenatchee and fishing the "Gravel Pit" hogline. It was a drift fishing show back then, and it was just a ball!!! My dad and I spent many a memorable evening after school, landing kings and watching the mayflies hatch It's too bad the fishery went away

I remember it well. How sweet it was.
Never quite got used to "drift fishing" with a knarly ol' corkie and a herkin' herring though.

Yup, saw many a springer caught there on a drift fished herring head and corkie.

We used to anchor up in the hogline @ the old Icicle creek mouth, and back bounce plug cutt herring and spin-n-glo's............One things for sure, that far up the system you had lot's of "biters".

Rapid, "head" works great up here My dad and I are leaving tonight for Cathlamet. I'll call you over the weekend and "check in". Good luck, snit