Anglers are sharpening their hooks to prepare for the opening of fall salmon fishing above Priest Rapids Dam on September 1st. When I looked at the most recent dam counts, though, it appears that there won’t be many fish there to greet them. The fall fish are arriving later than last year, but they are supposed to come in better numbers than last season. Be patient, there is good fishing ahead for fall salmon. There is more good news for anglers this fall. About 100,000 steelhead have been counted at Bonneville Dam since July 1st. The tally is well ahead of the 67,500 fisheries managers predicted and bodes well for anglers. That the run is zooming past the preseason forecast is good news and likely signals the fish found good feeding conditions in the Pacific Ocean over the last 12 months. Chris Donley, fish program manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at Spokane, said the A-run fish appear to be returning in a more traditional pattern this year where about 70% of them have been in salt water for a year and 30% for two years. Some recent years have seen the run tilt heavily toward older fish.