EDITOR ’ S LETTER
Are We Back to Normal Yet ?
With spring finally arriving ,
and spring chinook already being caught for nearly a month now in the lower Columbia , let ’ s hope this is a new beginning to a great salmon season . The early fish showed up mid-February in usual fashion and have slowly and steadily increased as more salmon return . When it comes to spring chinook “ normal ” is a good thing ! Maybe I am just being optimistic but after all the craziness of last year we are all ready to get out on the water and start catching fish . At about this time last year , if you recall we couldn ’ t fish in Washington ( thankfully that changes ) so 2021 is already way ahead of 2020 .
Over 143,000 spring chinook will head into the Columbia River system and 50,000 of them are headed to the Willamette River in Oregon . Another 75,000 are going farther up the Columbia , known as “ upriver spring chinook ” with a few returning to the Icicle River near Leavenworth , Wash . This little river is a popular fishery but no announcement has been made yet for a fishery as managers are waiting to see if enough make it back to make escapement goals . All of this means anglers will get a lower Columbia spring chinook season . In this issue of the Tailout we highlight one of the more popular areas near the Port of Kalama where anglers will intercept fish , including the large
Willamette run . Be sure to give it a read and get out on the water for the early , Omega 3 loaded salmon .
With pink salmon again running this summer into Puget Sound and British Columbia rivers and now a forecast of 1.73 million coho returning off of the coast of Washington and Oregon we have to get a little bit excited . Halibut seasons are being finalized , NOAA is re-establishing salmon stocks in California streams , and sport anglers are finally taking state game agencies to court over our jason brooks photo
“ fair share ” of fish allotments .
As of this writing the border to Canada is still closed . But in late February Washington Representative Susan DelBene sent President Biden a letter urging him to prioritize opening the border . She noted that border crossings were down 98 % into Whatcom County last year . Even though she is pushing for the border to be opened to allow crossings into the U . S . she is also asking that it be reciprocated and allows U . S . citizens into Canada . This means just maybe we will get to head north to some of the best salmon and bottom fishing in the Pacific Northwest . Part of the request is also to allow transit through Canadian waters which might open up the popular halibut fishery off of the southern coast of Vancouver Island . Currently private US vessels cannot enter Canadian waters .
I know I am looking forward to hitting the water and doing some fishing . First with springers , and then rolling right into summer steelhead while waiting for the pinks and summer chinook . Don ’ t think I am totally smitten with our seasons as there is a lot of work to do on protecting the runs and our opportunities . The mighty Fraser is still hurting from landslides , mine tailings , and predation but all of these hurdles are being recognized , including the effects of fish farms in the feeding grounds of the Discovery Islands . Sockeye runs in Lake Washington are near critically low levels , and the hot button of Orca ’ s simply vanished as a way to promote hatchery production . 2021 has its own issues , but at least it is springtime with fish heading to the rivers and warmer weather ahead .
JASON BROOKS
Editor