There is a lot of interest in the Brewster Salmon Derby, and this year there are more than the usual questions about it. I want to remind angers that the Brewster Pool is closed to fishing for Chinook this season, but open to fishing for sockeye. I posted the closed area earlier this month on my Facebook page and I am adding the legal fishing areas for the derby. Mike Mauk, who runs the derby, said that the area above Wells Dam is within the legal fishing area, as usual. Fishing for Chinook salmon opens here on July 16th every year. The fishing area also includes the stretch of the Columbia River from Pelican Point to the bridge at Bridgeport, which has always been the case. Mike said that this is clearly stated in this year’s derby rules. There have been questions in the past if fish caught at Chelan Falls could be turned in for the derby, and that has never been the case. The closure was prompted by an anticipated very low return of Chinook bound for the Colville Hatchery, which releases over three million smolt each year. They need all the brood stock they can get for the future.