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Methow and Wenatchee opener

9K views 65 replies 30 participants last post by  constructeur 
#1 ·
Looks like you all get to fish for Steelhead in the Methow and Wenatchee this fall and next spring. Rumor has it that it'll be a split season with most of the winter closed. No opening date announced so far.
 
#9 ·
I attended the round table meeting WDFW held in Pateros last week (or whenever it was). There were three main discussion topics; land management, wolves, and steelhead.

My conclusion from the meeting is anglers in general are pretty apathetic compared to landowners and business. When it comes down to a hobby (fishing) vs. livelihood (job), those with their livelihood at stake are generally more vocal, active, and informed. That being said, I only recognized one guide from Omak.

WDFW has a tough job dealing with the public. On one side, you have a bunch of ranchers howling to kill the wolves while on the other side, you have the hippies howling to save the wolves. Then on the other topic, land management, you have a bunch of locals crying that WDFW owns too much land reducing the tax base. Then on the other side, you have the rest of the public asking for more land for more recreational opportunities. How is WDFW supposed to cater to all? They simply can't.

I agree, best to steer clear of the Methow. Between the honey badgers, snakes, cougars, jaguars, ticks, wolves, and now the disgruntled farmers, ranchers, and land owners, the Methow is no place to be seen.
 
G
#21 ·
Then they will all move in when it is closed in the winter and be completely dispersed by the time they open it again, keeping the fisherman spread out as well. Time to learn how to nymph the Columbia.
Ira, just rent a room at the new hotel in pateros and watch the locals. They will show you how to boober fish right of the docks in the park. We always stay there when fishing Rufus woods just to watch the boober show sometimes I even join in!!!!!!
 
#17 ·
when it comes to dangerous rivers there is no river more dangerous than the ,Sol Doc, the rivers on the east side of the mountains don't even come close to the challenge and danger of the causal rivers, as far as navigation on the river it is on an absolute nightmare with logjams on every corner, and all the crazy people, wild animals it really is the wild West out there. I went to the Sol Doc last year and was fishing from shore, when a guided boat pulled up, the guide told me to leave and showed me his gun in the holster, I also saw three bears that day and a cougar visited my camp.
 
#23 ·
Maybe I am missing something here, but isn’t the Wenatchee River already open for trout, including steelhead below the Hwy 2 bridge in Leavenworth. The WDFW pamphlet specifically states the river is closed from the Hwy 2 bridge up to Lake Wenatchee. No mention is made about the river from Hwy 2 down to the mouth. The only other special rule mentioned is the Whitefish season from Dec 1 – Mar 31.

So, in the absence of any other special rules don’t statewide freshwater regulations apply (pg 16) where rivers streams and beaver ponds are open for all game fish from the 1st Sat in June thru Oct 31.

The current Sport Fish Rules went into effect on May 1 2012 and rules found in the Sportfishing Pamphlet are in effect unless otherwise noted in the changes that are listed in Emergency Rule Updates. The closure of the Wenatchee for Steelhead occurred on March 25, 2012 and no closure rules are on the WDFW website superseding the general rules found in announcing a June opener.

The common perception is that the river is closed. Is it?
 
#25 ·
greenwater is correct, it is closed and is never open for trout. What you are missing is that if a body of water is listed in the special rules section, ALL the openings for that body of water will be listed. Any river section, season, fish species, etc. not listed means it is closed. The only time the Statewide General Rules apply is when the body of water is not listed the Special Rules section. It can be a bit confusing but it states this in the regs somewhere and I think it is actually on every page in the special regs section but I don't have them in front of me. The reason that it lists the HWY 2 to Lake Wenatchee section as closed is because it is never open for anything even when other sections of the river are open for whitefish, steelhead or salmon.
 
#26 ·
My response from WDFW on this question. If somebody didn't understand the history of the river, they could get themselves in a lot of trouble.

Thank you for raising this question as I have brought this up myself to the Regional Fish Program manager as a concern that the way this regulation is written in the special rules could cause confusion. Bottom line, is that it is closed from the mouth to the hwy 2 bridge in Leavenworth, except for from December 1st – March 31st for Whitefish. This is very much noted and I will include this into next seasons Sport Fishing Rule change proposals.

Till next Monday.
 
#27 ·
Ed, and don't forget the cougar we saw across the river last year right in Twisp.

Plus, rumor is that there is a Jaguar that likes to roam the banks of the Methow too, LOL!
The cougar is a non-issue, a whole pack of wolverines moved into the are and have seriously f--ked up the local cat population. With the cats gone, they can now pick off fisherman. But go, enjoy.
 
#29 ·
Hydrological going hydrogen hydroxide on us, from my hazmat response days I know that stuff is the worst! Countless victims have fallen to the hydrogen hydroxide. Stay way clear of that mess.
 
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