The opening of the salmon seasons in our region is just around the corner. Better dig out the Chinook and sockeye and gear and get ready for action. The forecast for summer Chinook is down slightly from last year, when we got a return of just over 54,000 up the Columbia River. They are a little sluggish entering the river this year, but they are on the way. The forecast for sockeye up the Columbia is for just over 400,000! Last year they expected 234,000 and we got 329,000. The return to Lake Wenatchee was forecasted to be 44,000 last year and 146,000 showed up! This year the forecast is for 97,000 to the lake, and who knows? It is very possible that we will see over 100,000 again. If the sockeye numbers hold up, and there is little doubt that they will, there will be a four fish limit on both the Brewster Pool and on Lake Wenatchee. The cooler weather we’re experiencing this early summer is good news for those concerned about fish passage. Sockeye survival should be very good. Sockeye salmon don’t do well when river temperatures are high the rivers in our region.