There are summer run salmon being taken in the Wenatchee area, but the best catches of kings in the early season are once again coming from below Wanapum Dam.  I caught up with Jerrod Gibbon, Okanogan Valley Guide Service, recently and he said that the fishing has been pretty consistent down there.  If anything's different it's that there is no morning bite this year.  There is more debris and water than usual, but it is fishable, he says.  Catching three or more kings a day is pretty typical here now.  He suggests that anglers use the Super Bait in the silver and chartreuse colors, and the flasher in green work best, too.  If you're not ready to start fishing for salmon yet, the triploid rainbow trout fishery on Rufus Woods Reservoir continues to be red hot.  I am still making some trips to Rufus Woods, as the big triploid fishing is very good, but I also want to get out on some of the lakes for walleye and bass.  Evergreen Reservoir, near Quincy, is one of my favorites this time of year.  The big largemouth should be on the bite now, and when you're fishing for them, Mr. Tiger Muskie just may pay you a visit.

--Dave Graybill can be heard on radio stations throughout

6/30/11 - Larry Seureau's 15 year old nephew from Wisconsin with a 20 lb 8 oz Lake Chelan Laker.

    What continues red hot is trolling for Lake Trout on the Lake Chelan "Bar" early in the morning.  Also hot was flyfishing Grimes Lake for nice numbers of quality sized Lahontan Cutthroat trout.   

    Troll for those Mackinaw in depths of 120 to 140 feet on the Bar just out from the Mill Bay boat launch.  The lower half of that piece of structure has been absolutely loaded with quality fish the past few weeks.  This last reporting period has got to be the absolute peak for numbers and big fish.  I had a "career" half day trip where my customers got 17 fish in four hours with a total weight of 133 pounds!  Every day has been good.  We have had consistent success pulling T4 flatfish in Purple Glow at 1.2 to 1.5 mph off the outriggers.  Mack's Lures Cha Cha Squidders and Silver Horde's Ace Hi Fly in glow colors baited with a strip of Northern Pikeminnow also worked great.  Those downrigger presentations have been especially deadly early in the morning when we idle our troll to less than one mile per hour. 

    Casting a Worden's Roostertail around the docks on Chelan can yield Northern Pikeminnow, Cutthroat trout or Smallmouth Bass.  This early summer is a time when shore fishing Chelan can be productive. 

    On Grimes Lake, our guide, Jeff Witkowski has had great success fishing chronomids and pheasant tail nymphs.  These are beautiful fish in a unique location. 

    The Upper Columbia opened for Chinook Salmon during the reporting period, but looking at the counts of fish over the dam, we are not very excited yet. 

    Your fishing tip of the week is to use "set tension" downrigger releases on Lake Chelan.  We highly recommend Sam's Pro Releases by Silver Horde.  They are simple to use and very effective.  "Set Tension" releases prevent false releases, allowing you to keep your presentation in the strike zone on Lake Chelan.  This is especially critical when you are fishing extreme depths because you can spend a significant portion of your day resetting lines instead of catching fish. 

    Your kids tip of the week is to make sure you have comfortable like jackets for your little people.  It is critical to you retaining your sanity.  You don't want to have the options of either a fussy kid or an unsafe / illegal situation. 

    Your safety tip of the week is to remember to stay hydrated.  Water is your best bet.  Those electrolyte replenishers are pretty good too.  Summer in Chelan!  Another day in paradise!

--Anton Jones Operates Darrell and Dads Family Guide Service
in Manson, WA.  Go to www.darrellanddads.com for more.