Sockeye Season Frenzy, Columbia Videos, and Banks Lake Walleye

It’s been quite a week with all the news about the sockeye season on the upper Columbia. I was very glad I got to go before all the news hit. Rather than be frustrated I will be doing some other kinds of fishing. There’s just too many other great fishing opportunities in the region.

I had a pretty incredible day of sockeye fishing with Austin Moser and his crew on the opening day of sockeye fishing on the Brewster Pool. I met the boat at 4:30 that morning and Austin pointed the boat to the top of the pool, where the Okanogan River enters the Columbia. He got all six rods baited up and dropped over the side at the appropriate depths. It took less time for first one rod, then a second and a third to start bouncing. While three anglers scrambled to pick up these rods, three more went off. We had six sockeye on in minutes of Austin putting our baits out. That flurry just set the tone, as we were hooking sockeye as soon as Austin could get the hooks rebaited. He was a blur in the boat, using two nets to keep up and stuffing fish into the cooler on ice. Everyone was yelling and pointing to rods that had fish on. We were all laughing and filling out our punch cards, while others landed fish. In an hour we had 24 fish in the cooler. The video I managed to shoot has over 12,000 views so far! This week’s photo is of Austin with a dandy sockeye.

A lot of rumors have been flying around about the future of the salmon season in our region. The news release is out. I have included some important points here. For more details look for the recent e-mails from the WDFW or check the Emergency Regulations on their website. Priest Rapids Dam to Wells Dam: July 7 through July 8: Closed to salmon fishing. July 9 through Aug. 31: Open Wednesdays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays through Tuesdays. Salmon minimum size 12 inches. Daily limit two sockeye. Release all other salmon. Wells Dam to Highway 173 Bridge at Brewster: July 7 through 15: Closed to salmon fishing. July 16 through Aug. 31: Open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays through Tuesdays. Salmon minimum size 12 inches. Daily limit two sockeye. Release all other salmon. Reason for action: On June 30, 2025, the U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) downgraded the Columbia River sockeye run size from 350,200 to 183,200. At this reduced run size, the total number of sockeye available for harvest is approximately 12,800 fish (minus harvest through July 6). The number of sockeye available for harvest is subject to change based off future upgrades or downgrades to the run size made by TAC.

I mentioned earlier that I was busy shooting videos of some of the lakes in northern Okanogan County. I got that part of the job done and am still finishing the editing. I should have that done in a day or so and will post the finished videos on the Dave Graybill YouTube channel. I just recently finished shooting three sections of the upper Columbia River. I started in Pateros and showed the shoreline and the two launches that many anglers use to run up to fish the Brewster Pool. The next one was on the area above the Highway 173 Bridge to the mouth of the Okanogan River. I talked about how the Okanogan plays an important role in the Brewster Pool fishery. It dumps warm water into the cooler Columbia that creates a “thermal barrier” that keeps the salmon in the Pool. That’s what makes the fishing here so fantastic. The last video was done on the Columbia from Pelican Point to Chief Joseph Dam. This is another area that has some great fishing spots for both Chinook salmon and steelhead, when we have seasons. It is also open now for trout until August 15th.

The last destination on my list of videos to do for the Okanogan County Tourism is on Rufus Woods Reservoir. I will be covering the whole length of the big impoundment, from Chief Joseph Dam all the way up to Grand Coulee Dam. What I will be talking about are the good fishing areas that anglers head for from either the launches above Chief Joseph Dam or the Grand Coulee Dam area. I will be talking about some spots that many anglers will be familiar with, like the Buckley Bar, the Nespelem Bar and the net pen sites. There are some other places I have fished with success that I will describe in the video as well. This is the time of year that I often fish upper Rufus Woods. The triploid rainbow trout that the Colville Tribe released this spring grow fast and some could be 3 or 4 pounds by now. As you probably know, Rufus Woods is best fished by boat. Shore access on the north shore, outside the boundaries of Colville Reservation is limited. Many are happy to pay the Access and Boat Launch fees for the quality of the fishing that is available.

I am eager to get up to Banks Lake. On my last trip we were catching a bunch of those small juvenile walleye on the sand flats or Clay Banks as some anglers call them. Then all of a sudden, we got three really big fish in a row. One was 22 inches, the next measured 19 inches, and the last one was a 25 incher that we released. We were trolling bottom bouncers and spinners, and the next time I go I want to spend more time pulling crank baits on side planers. I like the stretch around Rosebush in the Million Dollar Mile. I have had good success here, and we catch some whopper smallmouth while we are at it. If the walleye aren’t biting, we can always run across the lake to the opposite side and fish for bass. That’s guaranteed action. I am not sure you know, but there has been some major improvements to the launch at Million Dollar Mile. All new paving and a new concrete ramp. They even did some dredging of the launch bay. Check it out.

If you have been out boating by now, you probably have experienced some issues. When I need anything for my boat, and I mean anything, I just go to Bob Feil Boats and Motors in East Wenatchee. They always have what I need. Whether it’s just an additive for my fuel, or whatever. Their parts department is amazing as well.