Anglers are going to have to shift gears and try different fisheries as fall salmon seasons close in our region. Salmon fishing in the Hanford Reach from the Highway 395 Bridge to the old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers is over as the 16th of October. The WDFW estimates that adult Chinook in excess of escapement will be harvested by the 15th. On the Yakima River the fall season ends on October 18th from the Highway 240 Bridge in Richland to the Grant Avenue Bridge in Prosser. The closure was necessary to meet conservation goals and brookstock collection needs for fall Chinook and coho in the Yakima River Basin. There are some good opportunities for anglers, though. I talked to my buddy and guide Brian Nielson and he had some good days on Potholes Reservoir last week. His clients went eight for sixteen one day, and he said the walleye are averaging a solid 18 inches on Potholes this fall. He is finding that trolling with bottom walkers and bait is the way to go now on the reservoir. All the reports that I am getting indicate that fishing on Potholes is much better this season than it was last fall. I gotta get down there!