RESERVOIRS — The level of Lake Roosevelt was 1248.90 at 9 a.m. today as the lake continues to fill. The Bureau of Reclamation predicts the levels will continue to rise up to 1 foot a day over the next week.

Through the Memorial Day weekend the level of the lake is anticipated to be in the 1250-1253 range.

Daily lake level forecast by phone: (800) 824-4916.

Better yet, check out this new NOAA site with Roosevelt levels and a list of boat launching elevations on the same page.

SALMON FISHING — Up to six hatchery origin spring chinook salmon may be retained on the Wind River from the railroad bridge upstream starting Saturday, the Washington Fish and Wildlife has just announced.

Up to four of the fish can be adult chinook.

Similar limit increases were announced for Drano Lake. The rules will extend to June 30 unless revoked earlier.

Read on for details

FISHING — The Richland Rod and Gun Club is sponsoring a Moon Light Catfish Tournament starting at 7:30 p.m. on June 1 and ending at the 2 p.m. weigh-in on June 2.

Apparently the tourney organizers are catfishermen, who know that night isn't the most convenient time to for a contest, but it's the best time to catch catfish.

The event helps pay for fish to be stocked into the Kids Fishing Pond in Columbia Park.

Contest winners will also be able to win cash prizes for the contestant with the largest catfish and most total weight (without largest fish).

Sign-up starts at  5  p.m. June 1 at Columbia Point Gazebo No. 4.

Contestants can fish per WDFW rules/regulations in any waters found in Benton, Franklin, or Walla Walla Counties.

KID FISHING — The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is signing up kids, ages 5 to 16, for two special bluegill fishing clinics on June 16 at Hauser Lake south of Rathdrum.

The limited number of participants will have the opportunity to spend a morning or afternoon on a tournament fishing boat learning how to catch bluegills.  The event is free.

Mentors will be experienced anglers affiliated with the Panhandle Bass Anglers Club who are volunteering their boats, time and expertise to the event. One parent/guardian must accompany young anglers on the lake.

Fishing equipment and bait will be available for use during the clinic, but those who own fishing tackle are encouraged to bring it. Mentors will be able to give participants tips on how to properly use the tackle they bring.

IDFG will be issuing First Fish Certificates to recognize young anglers catching their first fish. The objective is to teach young folks a lifelong hobby, instill an appreciation of aquatic resources, and provide an inexpensive and fun family outing.

Participants will be treated to a fish fry and a hamburger, hot dog and soda barbeque.

Advance reservations are required and space is limited. Call the IDFG Panhandle Region Office, (208) 769-1414. 

No fishing license is needed.

SALMON FISHING — Although forecasts for the 2012 spring chinook salmon run turned out to be overly optimistic, Northwest fish managers are projecting a large return of summer chinook to the Columbia River and a record-breaking run of sockeyes.

And the forecast for the fall chinook heading to the Hanford Reach of the Columbia isn't bad,either.

Read on for details.

TOURNAMENT FISHING — Dakota Jones of Spokane will be representing Washington in a national bass fishing competition after winning the 15-18 age-group title in the 2012 Washington’s Junior State Bass Fishing Championship at Lake Washington.

Jones, a member of the Inland Empire Junior Bass Club, will represent Washington State Bass Federation and the Washington National Guard at the National Guard Junior World Championship at Gainesville, Georgia. Aug. 9-12.

Jones weighed in four fish totaling 8.85 pounds to top the other 12 competitors in his division at the state championships April 28 near Seattle.

SALMON FISHING  – Fishing for spring chinook salmon will close on the last two sections of the Snake River at an hour past sunset Today (May 22).

By then, the catch of Snake River spring chinook salmon is expected to reach harvest guidelines based on the most recent estimate of the run size, according to fishery managers at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“The majority of the fish were taken in the lower Snake River, but the catch guidelines apply to the river as a whole,” said Cindy LeFleur, WDFW Columbia River policy coordinator. “For that reason, we had to close the upriver fisheries sooner than expected.”

The two sections of the river set to close Tuesday are:

• Below Lower Granite Dam – From the Casey Creek Canyon Road on the Garfield County shore (approximately six miles downstream of Lower Granite Dam) to the fishing restriction boundary downstream of Lower Granite Dam.
• The Clarkston area – From the intersection of the Steptoe Canyon Road with Wawawai Road on the north shore upriver about 12 miles to the Idaho state line.

The state line runs from the east levee of the Greenbelt boat launch in Clarkston northwest across the Snake River to the boundary marker on the Whitman County shore.

Two other areas of the Snake River below Ice Harbor Dam and Little Goose Dam closed for spring chinook fishing May 18.

“Unless there is a major change in the run forecast, this closure will likely mark the end of the season for spring chinook fishing on the Snake River,” LeFleur said.

Glacier Anglers based in West Glacier, Mont., has scheduled  Fun on the Fly! Youth Fly Fishing Day Camps on June 9 and June 30.

The sessions run from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for kids ages 12-16 at the Glacier Outdoor Center for a fun day of fly fishing and casting at stocked fishing ponds with the Glacier Anglers pro staff. 

Kids will learn the basics of casting, knots, fly selection and entomology while practicing catch and release methods in Glacier Anglers’ stocked ponds. Each day will end with a friendly casting competition and awards ceremony with great prizes.

While kids are participating in Fun on the Fly! Youth Fly Fishing Day Camp, their parents or guardians can spectate or enjoy a discounted half-day raft trip for $32.

 Info and registration: (800) 235-6781.

RESERVOIRS — The level of Lake Roosevelt was 1243.30 at 10 a.m. today as it continues to rise slowly.

“The prediction calls for the level of the lake to be in the 1245-1246 range for this weekend,” the Bureau of Reclamation says. “Next week the level of the lake is predicted to rise less than 1 foot per day resulting in the lakel level being in the 1250-1252 range over Memorial Day weekend.”

Daily lake level forecast by phone: (800) 824-4916.

Better yet, check out this new NOAA site with Roosevelt levels and a list of boat launching elevations on the same page.

SALMON FISHING — The spring chinook fishery will reopen this weekend (May 19-20) for two days of fishing on a section of the Columbia River stretching 163 miles upstream from Bonneville Dam, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this afternoon.

Anglers fishing those waters will be allowed to keep two marked hatchery adult chinook per day. All wild, unmarked chinook must be released unharmed.

Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon agreed to the two-day opening after the run forecast for upriver spring chinook was raised from 202,000 fish to 216,500 fish. (The original forecast recently was downgraded by nearly a third).

Cindy LeFleur, WDFW Columbia River policy manager, said the two states will meet May 22 to consider additional openings – both above and below Bonneville Dam – if the estimated size of this year’s spring chinook run continues to rise.

“All eyes are on the fish counts at Bonneville Dam right now,” LeFleur said. “This run is one of the latest on record, so we really have to gauge from one week to the next how many spring chinook are still coming.”

This weekend, boat and bank anglers can fish from the Tower Island powerlines to the Washington/Oregon state line, 17 miles upriver from McNary Dam. Bank anglers can also fish from the powerlines downriver to Bonneville Dam.

Those waters have been closed to fishing since May 6, pending a run assessment.

• WDFW emergency regulations are posted online.
• Click here for details on Washington fishing seasons and regulations.
• Check the WDFW Fishing hotline for the latest rule information, (360) 902-2500, press 2 for recreational rules. 

SALMON FISHING — The spring chinook salmon fishing season on the Icicle River in Chelan County will open Saturday (May 19), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this afternoon.

The closing date, subject to change, is July 31.

Daily limit:  Daily limit two salmon, minimum size 12 inches. 

Location: Icicle River, from the closure signs located 800 feet upstream of the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam.

Read on for details.

SALMON FISHING —  Snake River spring chinook fishing will close one hour after sunset Friday (May 18) below Ice Harbor Dam and near Little Goose Dam.  

The closure does not affect spring chinook fisheries in the six miles below Lower Granite Dam, or in the Clarkston area. Both will remain open until further notice, according to an announcement just released by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fishery managers.

“Because wild salmon in the run are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, these fisheries must be managed within the ESA guidelines,” said John Whalen, WDFW’s eastern region fish program manager. “Based on the most recent chinook run estimate, the catch rates we are seeing, and the projected harvest, the allowable salmon catch for the Snake River will be reached sooner than we estimated.”

Read on for the details about the season closures:

FISHING – Sign-up is underway for limited openings in a two-session fishing clinic for adults who haven’t been introduced to the sport.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council are teaming to teach non-fishing adults age 16 or older. 

The clinic involves an evening session on June 7 followed by a session at an area lake on June 9, which is free fishing weekend in Washington – no fishing license required.

Sign up: 892-1001 or email teamspokane@dfw.wa.gov.

Read on for more details.

SALMON FISHING — Fishing for spring chinook on the lower Snake River could close after fishing hours on Friday because of the downgrading of the forecast from about 314,000 to 220,000 fish up the Columbia.

Anglers have been catching springers in the Snake, and they may be close to their quota given the reduced numbers of fish coming upstream.

Look for an announcement, possibly late today, that would close the Snake from Little Goose downstream on Friday night.

Fishing upstream in the Snake would likely close after the weekend, according to John Whalen, regional fisheries manager, who said fish managers would be meeting Monday to go over the numbers again.

FISHING IN YOUR DREAMS — Alaska Airlines and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute on Monday unveiled the world’s largest king salmon. Stretching nearly 129 feet, the fish-themed design will adorn a Boeing 737-800 this fall.

The new “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II” design is derived from an earlier version of the paint scheme Alaska Airlines unveiled on a 737-400 in 2005, which was re-painted with the carrier’s traditional Eskimo livery last year.

The new design is about nine feet longer than the original ’salmon plane’ and also features fish scales on the winglets and a salmon-pink colored “Alaska” script across the fuselage.

“This airplane celebrates Alaska Airlines’ unique relationship with the people and communities of Alaska and underscores our air transport commitment to the state’s seafood industry,” said Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines’ regional vice president of the state of Alaska.

Last year, Alaska Airlines flew nearly 25 million pounds of seafood from Alaska to markets in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

And it flew a lot of fishermen back and forth, too.

SALMON FISHING — Two sections of the Yakima River will open this week to fishing for hatchery-reared spring chinook salmon, under regulations announced late this afternoon by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Wednesday, May 16, the lower Yakima River will open to fishing for hatchery spring chinook from the Interstate 182 Bridge in Richland to the Grant Avenue Bridge in Prosser.

Saturday, May 19, the salmon fishery will expand to the upper Yakima River from the Interstate 82 Bridge at Union Gap to the railroad bridge below Roza Dam.

John Easterbrooks, regional WDFW fish program manager, said the lower river is expected to remain open through June 30, while fishing in the upper section will likely continue through July 31.

“The springers are running late this year, but they’re finally moving into the Yakima River,” said Easterbrooks, noting that fishery managers are predicting a return of approximately 5,000 adult hatchery chinook to the Yakima River.

Read on for details.

FISHING — Coeur d’Alene attorney Denny Davis will share photos and stories from his trip to Russia starting at 7 p.m. May 16 at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave.

Davis’ free program, “Moscow and Fishing in the Russian Far East,” is one in a series of Novel Destinations programs sponsored by the Library Foundation as an opportunity for area residents to share photos from unique places around the world.

TOURNAMENT FISHING — Mark Kendall, teamed with Doug Wood, caught the 34-inch tiger musky (above) to top the 11 anglers Saturday in the Silver Lake Mountain Muskies Tiger Musky Tournament in Spokane County.

The second place team of Herb Zielke and Don Grove wwere just a half an inch shy with one musky measuring 33.5 inches

Those were the only two tigers the 11 anglers caught during the day-long tournament, reports Douglas Wood, president of the local Mountain Muskies chapter of Muskies, Inc.

Both of the fish were released.

“Many more were seen, but not caught,” Wood said.

OUTDO – A group of anglers is trying to get all Spokane River anglers speaking the same legal language about the fishing restrictions designed to protect the struggling native redband trout.

The group has worked with the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department to tanslate important rules into Russian for signs to be posted along the river.

The issue is about fish conservation, but the fundraising event to raise money for the signs is all about art and painting.

The Tipsy Muse event, set for Saturday (May 19), 1 p.m.-4 p.m. at Arbor Crest Winery, features participants getting  chance to work on a painting alongside a professional artist.  The participants get to keep their painting and everybody enjoys sipping wine and bidding on fly fishing trips, casino packages and other items.

For years, concerns have simmered about illegal fishing among Eastern European-Russian immigants, said Tyler Comeau, an Eastern Washington University student. Comeau has been working on the project with the Spokane Falls Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Fish and Wildlife police confirm that language barriers often are given as excuses for poaching activity on the river.

Cost: $45 (includes tasting fee) or $10 for spectators (non painting, but also includes tasting fee)

Limited tickets are available online only: