The return of sockeye to the Columbia River is dismal this year. Sockeye forecasts have been downgraded a couple of times and are now below 80,000. The entire Columbia River closed to fishing for sockeye, but some were holding out hope that the Lake Wenatchee return would be high enough to allow for a fishery. I looked at the number of fish that had passed over Rock Island Dam as of the 15th of July and it was just over 48,000. The number of sockeye over Rocky Reach Dam was just over 38,000. Many will look at the difference and assume that these fish are heading up the Wenatchee to the lake. If so, that would represent just over 10,000 fish. Chad Jackson, with the WDFW said that as of the 9th of July 11,000 fish had pass through Tumwater Dam and should be in the lake. That means that maybe over 21,000 fish could be in the lake, but the escapement needed is 23,000. Only 150 fish a day are coming over Rock Island Dam now, so although there has been no official announcement yet, I would bet Lake Wenatchee won’t open this season.