I just can’t help it. Every year at this time I check the steelhead numbers over Bonneville and Priest Rapids dams, to see if there is any hope for a steelhead season on the upper Columbia. Last year the numbers kind of took me by surprise. Turned out we got enough fish up here for an abbreviated season. By that I mean that we got to fish the Methow River and from Wells Dam up to Pateros. My wife was disappointed that the area that she loves to fish in Bridgeport didn’t open, but we gave it a try at Pateros. We took the Bob Feil Boats and Motors Smoker Craft down to The Rocks and then across to one of my favorite spots, and I hooked a great fish. It took off upstream with my reel singing and then my line broke—and my heart. When I checked the numbers recently, I saw a big spike earlier this summer and then the numbers at Bonneville fell off sharply, and the numbers over Priest Rapids are not good. Oh well, maybe next year. Also, the numbers of fall Chinook over Bonneville are looking better, so fishing above Wanapum should improve soon.