As we move into September I start checking the dam counts of fall Chinook moving up the Columbia River. The counts at Bonneville look good, with them tracking close to the timing of last year’s run, and although the forecast is for fewer fish than last year, the numbers are way above the ten-year average. As many as 22 thousand passed Bonneville in one day. Numbers are good at McNary Dam, too, and then a very large number of fall Chinook are taking a turn up the Snake. I have seen some reports of good catches of fall fish in the Lewiston-Clarkston area. It is early for anglers to be considering trips to the Hanford Reach, and above in the Columbia. Looking back at some of the photos I have taken below Wanapum Dam, off Crab Creek, there are some showing me and a friend getting fish as early as late August and early September, but the fall run is just starting to pass over Priest Rapids Dam. Many anglers will be planning trips to the Hanford Reach, and if you want fish this stretch of the Columbia, better book a guide soon. They will be filling their boats fast now.