It’s finally here. The opening of sockeye fishing on Lake Wenatchee. I am meeting people in Leavenworth at 4:30 so I can be on the water and trolling by at least 5:30 a.m. It is hard to say what the fishing will be like, given the number of fish that are expected to be in the lake. We have had as many as 40 or fifty thousand or more at the opener. There are just 6,000 available for harvest this year, and the number that have actually reached the lake after being counted over Tumwater Dam is unknown. Rollie Schmitten, who lives on the lake and allows me to park my boat on his dock, told me he has seen very few rolling. That hasn’t dulled my enthusiasm in the least. It may take some looking, but there will be fish to catch. People should know that they need a Catch Record Card to fish for sockeye on Lake Wenatchee. If you got your license on-line, you would need to go to a dealer to get your card in order to fish legally. The folks at the Midway Grocery Store, near Fish Lake, will help you out. Der Sportsman in Leavenworth is the next closest dealer.
I am celebrating landing a double with my two nieces Sophie Graybill and Ellie Coen last year.