Jim King with an Icicle Springer last year

     It never fails.  Just about when we can expect the Icicle River to open to spring salmon fishing the rivers blow out, and I mean really blow out.  The Wenatchee at Plain reached over 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the river at Peshastin and Monitor went over 15,000 cfs.  We haven't seen the peak yet.  There is still plenty of snow in the mountains and more warm weather on the way.  It looks like over 2,000 springers have made the turn up the Wenatchee to the Icicle and I have heard that there are fish rolling and tribal anglers are taking fish at the hatchery.  *(see below) There should be an announcement about opening the river to fishing any time now.  There is a spring salmon season open right now on two sections of the Yakima River.  I suggest you go to the WDFW web site and read the details.  This has been a great season the past few years. This river is also running very high, but it is closer to a springer fishery than the lower Columbia, where fishing is excellent by the way.  High water isn't an issue at Drano Lake or off the Wind River.

John Swenson of Chelan with son, Joel and grandkids Troy (6) and Megan (4) with their pile of Chelan Kokanee

     What's hot is trolling Lake Chelan for Kokanee near Lakeside.  Also hot is trolling the dip between the Bar and Sunnybank or trolling the face of Manson Bay for Mackinaw. 

    The Kokanee bite is as good as it can get in the lower basin of Lake Chelan.  The area near Lakeside Park is best.  Trolling those Mack's Lures mini Cha Cha Squidders and Kokanee Pro Wedding Rings rigged behind Mack's Lures Flash Lites caught loads of 11 inch Kokanee.  Bait those presentations with Pautzke's Fire Corn in Natural and Orange.  A 000 or 0000 dodger works well too.  Fish 15 to 25 feet down over a 45 to 65 foot bottom.  

    Troll for Lakers either around the Bar or along the face of Manson Bay.  Around the Bar, Mack's Lures Cha Cha Squidders baited with a strip of Northern Pikeminnow produced well along with Worden's T4 Flatfish in Purple Glow.  Along the face of Manson Bay, U20 flatfish by Worden's in Luminous Chartreuse or Purple Glow is the order of the day  

    Your fishing tip of the week is to use subtle alterations in your speed to trigger fish.  Let's use Worden Lures Flatfish as an example.  The little F7's work best at 1mph to 1.2 mph.  They spin out and don't work at all when pulled at speeds over 1.5 mph.  U20's work best at 1.3 to 1.6 mph.  The bigger T4 flatfish work best at 1.5 to 1.7 mph.  These are small differences that can mean a lot when it comes to the number of bites that you get. 

    The kid's tip of the week is to pick your battles, but when you pick one, win every time.  It will preserve your sanity and set boundaries for your kid that will help them throughout their life.  If that small child commits a transgression for which there is a consequence, that consequence needs to be delivered calmly every time.  That way, it's not your fault for enforcing, it's that darned rule.  Consistency will save you.  Those tantrums will dissipate as your kid get's conditioned to realize it's just wasted energy.  Just do the consequence, process through it and be done.  I've had grandkids break a rule, see that I saw them do it, pop themselves in the forehead with the heel of their hand and put themselves in time out.  You know you have it made then. 

    Your safety tip of the week is to be aware of the rapid influx of driftwood into Lake Chelan as the Spring runoff hits with full force.