THE WASHINGTON OUTDOOR REPORT July 2

Summer Chinook Season Curtailed

The Oregon and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced fishing for adult summer chinook from the mouth of the Columbia River to Priest Rapids Dam was closed on July 1. The reason why? It’s because the run is tracking significantly below pre-season expectations. As of June 28, only 52, 572 adult summer Chinook salmon had crossed Bonneville Dam. That’s about 12,000 fish less than last year’s run at this time and 6500 fish less than the ten-year average.

However, fishing for sockeye salmon, hatchery steelhead and jack Chinook salmon remains open from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Hwy 395 Bridge in Pasco. The daily adult bag limit is two adult salmonids (only one may be a hatchery steelhead) and five hatchery jack salmon. All sockeye salmon are considered adults. The fall Chinook run on this portion of the Columbia River is still scheduled to open on August 1.

The Wenatchee Salmon Derby

The 10th annual Pete Flohr Memorial Wenatchee Salmon Derby takes place on the Columbia River between Rock Island Dam and Wells Dam on July 14 and 15. There will be over $7500 in cash and prizes given away this year to include a cash prize for the biggest salmon weighed in and for the team who weighs in the heaviest limit of salmon on their boat. There is a mandatory skippers meeting at 6 p.m. on July 13 at the Eagles Aerie in Wenatchee. Weigh-ins will take place both derby days at Beebe Bridge State Park and at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee. The awards ceremony will commence on Saturday July 15 at 5 p.m. at the Wenatchee Eagles Aerie. Proceeds from the event benefit the Washington state chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association. Tickets are available online at

A reminder - No Fireworks on Public Lands

Fireworks are illegal to use in many places east of the Cascade mountains due to high fire danger and that includes public lands throughout the state such as state parks, national parks, U.S. Forest Service lands as well as property managed by the Bureau of Land Management in both Washington and Oregon. With wildfires already starting in several locations in Chelan, Douglas, and Grant Counties, fireworks bans can help reduce the risk of additional fires starting at this time of year.

Music at Lake Wenatchee State Park

Lake Wenatchee State Park will come alive with the sound of music this summer. Washington State Parks announced the 2nd Annual Mountain Melodies concert series has been scheduled at Lake Wenatchee State Park’s South Park amphitheater.

This year, the concerts will feature music from Eastern Europe, Norway, Mexico and rural America. All of the concerts take place between 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday evenings in July and August. Here is the concert lineup:

July 15: Radost Ensemble and Dunava (Balkan, Klezmer, Eastern European music, and dance)

July 29: The Eclectic Cloggers (Old-time, bluegrass, Appalachian music, and clogging)

Aug. 12: Leikarringen (Norwegian folk music and dance)

Aug. 26: Mount Vernon School District Mariachi & Folklórico (More than 100 students from Mount Vernon High School’s outstanding Mariachi program)

You can find out more about this program at www.parks.wa.gov/1248/Mountain-Melodies-2023-Concert-Series.

Check out an outdoors adventure at your local library

Washington State Parks, along with several other state government agencies, are partnering with several non-profit foundations and the Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU) to expand its Check Out Washington Program by providing 500 adventure packs to libraries across the state for individuals to check out much as they would a library book.

 Each adventure pack contains a Discover Pass, which provides families with free parking at public lands managed by Parks, Washington Department of Natural Resources and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. They also feature educational materials, a set of three laminated pocket guides about Washington trees, wildlife and birds, and a high-quality set of binoculars. The adventure packs are made in-state by eqpd gear, a Twisp-based sustainable bag manufacturer.

John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com