OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will test whether anglers can successfully catch summer chinook salmon in the tailrace of the Chelan County PUD's hydroelectric powerhouse in Chelan.
The new fishery is scheduled to run through Oct. 15.
"This opening will test whether we can conduct a fishery in such a small area," Jeff Korth, regional fish manager for the WDFW, said in a news release Friday. "Starting this year, a lot of hatchery-reared fish will be moving through the tailrace, and we'd like to give anglers a chance to catch some."
The fishery is limited to in the outfall area -- one-third of a mile downstream from the safety barrier near the powerhouse to the railroad bridge at the Columbia River.
The Chelan River between the tailrace and Lake Chelan will be off limits, Korth said.
Signs will be posted there and in other prohibited areas.
The daily catch limit for summer chinook salmon is six, including up to three adult fish.
Only one may be a wild adult, and all must be at least 12 inches.
Any chinook with an attached floy (anchor) tag or with one or more holes (about an inch in diameter) punched in the caudal (tail) fin must be released.
The WDFW imposed a few other rules as well:
* No angling will be allowed from any floating devices, and a night closure and anti-snagging rule will be in effect, said Korth, noting that the fishable portion of the tailrace is relatively narrow and can be covered from the bank.
* Fishing access along the southwest shoreline by the Chelan Powerhouse Park will be restricted to wading along the shoreline. This rule is designed to protect riparian vegetation along the shoreline, Korth said.
* Anglers may not fish in the swimming area at the park, and must stay outside the buoy line around the net pen area to avoid hatchery construction activities along the shoreline.
* Anglers seeking to reach the tailrace by wading across the Chelan River (where fishing is prohibited) must observe the signs limiting access to the upstream portions of the river.
This will be the summer chinook's second return to the tailrace area since the rearing operation was moved from Turtle Rock on the Columbia River.
Korth said he expects about 2,000 fish to swim to the tailrace area this year and up to 3,000 next year.
After Chelan PUD's new salmon hatchery is finished, the annual return could increase to 7,000 salmon per year, he said.
"Most of the summer chinook produced at the new hatchery will be caught in the Columbia River, but a fair number will make it back to the tailrace," Korth said.
"This could be a great fishery if all goes well this year."
To participate in the fishery, anglers must have a valid Washington fishing license and a Columbia River salmon/steelhead endorsement.
Revenue from the endorsement supports fisheries for salmon and steelhead on several rivers in the Columbia River system, including the new tailrace fishery below the powerhouse in Chelan.
