Lake Wenatchee Opens for Sockeye - August 5th

Sufficient numbers of sockeye are returning to Lake Wenatchee to allow a sport season. The fishery will open on August 5th (one hour before official sunrise until the quota has been reached.
The limit is 2 sockeye 12 inches or larger in length. Single point barbless hooks are required. No more than three hooks may be used. No bait or scent may be attached to the hooks. Knotless nets are required. A night closure is in effect. Legal angling hours are one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Bull trout, steelhead, and Chinook salmon must be released unharmed with out removing the fish from the water.
All sockeye with one or more round holes punched in the tail of the fish must be released, as they are part of a study and have been anesthetized and the FDA requires a 21 day ban on the consumption of these fish.
As far as tackle goes you can fish 6 -8 ounces of lead, 3 feet of heavy leader between the lead and the dodger(generally a size 0 or 1 in chrome, silver scalelite or hammered silver finishes , followed by single or double snelled 1/0, 2/0 or 3/0 red or black Octopus style hook tied on twenty or twenty -five pound leader. Fish the hook or hooks about two times the dodgers length. Fish slowly, just getting the dodger to swim in a side to side manner. Depth will vary with the schools generally shallower (35 -40 feet) first thing in the AM and dropping deeper in the water column as the light intensifies. Fishing as deep as 90 feet by mid morning. A good fish finder / depth sounder is invaluable in not only locating schools of fish but the depth at which they are swimming.
The upper portion of the lake generally produces better, though early in the season you might take a look at the lower portion as the fish just out of the Wenatchee River will stack up fro awhile before making their way up to the upper portion of the lake.

Stop by we'll be happy to show you the gear and to tie up a few of our special sockeye leaders.