Northwest Fishing Magazine July 2025 Volume 4 Issue 9 - Flipbook - Page 32
LAKE WENATCHEE SOCKEYE
Last but not least, my
personal favorite fishery:
Lake Wenatchee Sockeye!
Watch the counts at
Tumwater Dam. Once
we've reached our
escapement goal of
23,000 fish plus several
thousand for harvest,
WDFW will open the lake
by emergency rule. This
will usually be in either late
July or early August. For
gear, keep it stupid simple.
2 or 3 bare red hooks
behind your dodger on a
short leader, 8 to 10 inches.
Shorter is always best at
Lake Wenatchee. Check
the regulations, as here it is
no bait and single barbless
hooks. The wardens are
normally out in force. For
depth, the fish here are
much deeper.
I usually catch them at 30
to 50 feet early on, and
later in the season, I'll fish
as deep as 115 feet down.
Trust your electronics!
Also, mindful of the wind
out here. It blows more
often than not and gets
extremely rough!
Good luck out there, and
if you're feeling ambitious,
I recommend hitting all 3
fisheries!
Torrey is the owner and
operator of Torrey's Guide
Service.
