I know there will be a lot of questions about the closure of Chinook fishing in the Brewster Pool, and many of them will be about the Brewster King Salmon Derby. It’s scheduled for August 2nd, 3rd and 4th this year. So, I called derby organizer Mike Mauk and asked him about this year’s derby. “We have a great bunch of sponsors again this year, and the prize money will be the same as previously awarded at the derby”, he said. “Rain or shine, the derby will happen, and anglers will deal with whatever to fish for Chinook wherever they can to win.” Mauk knows a lot of anglers already fish above Pelican Point to the bridge in Bridgeport and use the two launches up there. The stretch of the Columbia above Wells Dam to the Brewster Bridge opens on July 16th, and he says he has caught a lot of kings himself in this area. He also knows that many anglers are fishing the Brewster Pool for sockeye, and there is supposed to be a lot of them coming up the Columbia again this year. The preseason forecast is bigger than last year with over 400,000 sockeye expected.