Something I am always very interested in is the annual Columbia River Adult Salmon Returns report. The report forecasts what the Department of Fish and Wildlife expects to see in 2026 and also gives the numbers for last year's return and forecasts. It has just been released and there is good news and bad news. Anglers who enjoy fishing for spring salmon can look forward to even better fishing than they did last year. The number of springers returning to the Columbia continues to climb. Not all tributaries in the lower river are increasing but the total return is up significantly. Up here in our region things are different. The return of summer salmon upper Columbia is anticipated to be up over last year, but not by much. How that season unfolds is something that we will have to wait and see. Hopefully, we won’t repeat last season’s difficulties and closures. The return of sockeye is also supposed to be higher than last season. Both Lake Wenatchee and Columbia River returns fell short of forecast last year. Sockeye may surprise us, though, and come in stronger. Fishing for sockeye on the Columbia was brief and Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishing a challenge.