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This was derby headquarters at Vernita for the CCA King of the Reach Salmon Derby, supported by Grant County PUD and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. This year Thor Ostrom's crew brought in 52 natural origin fall Chinook that were transferred to the tankers to be delivered to the Grant County hatchery.
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My wife Eileen is pretty pleased with her first steelhead of the season. This one was landed on our favorite stretch of the Columbia below Chief Joseph Dam. We were fishing with bobbers and jigs baited with shrimp.
We should have a great steelhead season this year, with almost 20,000 fish over Preist Rapids so far.
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Mike Ericson from the Department of Fish and Wildlife holds up fall Chinook that was brought to shore alive by one of CCA King of Reach Derby participants. It went into a tanker truck and then on to the new Grant County Fish Hatchery at Priest Rapids Dam. Over 300 fish were taken in this year's derby.
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The new Grant County PUD hatchery is operated by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and here you see department personnel sorting fall Chinook by sex and origin to go to holding ponds prior to spawning. The effort sustains the largest salmon run in the contiguous United States.
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A fall Chinook leaves a conveyor and enters a tank truck for transfer from the holding pond to the just completed Grant County PUD hatchery at Priest Rapids. The new state of the art facility will release
5.6 million salmon smolts every year into the Columbia River.
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Brian Nielson, BJs Guide Service, holds up one of the walleye we caught for the camera. Three of us limited on walleye from 14 to 21 inches, and kept 28 perch, all over 11 inches. Potholes is the place to be!
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This is the downscan image on the Lowrance unit it Brian Nielson's boat while we were fishing for walleye on Potholes Reservoir. The screen was constantly showing fish. There were lots of both perch and walleye.
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I am pretty pleased with this bright steelhead taken on the Methow. With me is guide Jeff Brazda, Brazda's Fly Fishing. The river is in great shape and it's full of bright steelhead.
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Rollie Schmitten (right) celebrates catching his second marked steelhead on the Methow River. Guide Jeff Brazda put us on fish all day long. We were fishing with nymphs under indicators.
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Lance from Mack's Lure shows off one of the kings he caught off the mouth of the Klickitat River. We were fishing with Shane Magnuson and he really showed the local boys how it is done.
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