Braggin’ Rights Photo submitted by Amanda West Amanda Davis, Lonna West and TC West, all of Leavenworth, at Brewster with sockeye and king salmon. They were fishing with Shane Magnuson of Upper Columbia Guide Service. (Send your Braggin' Rights photo and information to editor@leavenworthecho.com.)

INSIDE INFORMATION ON THE OUTDOORS 9/2/10

Photo by Dave Graybill Greg Thomas, of Butte, Mont., struggles to hold up this huge king he caught while fishing with Shane Magnuson, Upper Columbia Guide Services. They were fishing above Wells Dam on the upper Columbia River. Wednesday, Aug. 25 I jumped on board Shane Magnuson's boat the other day, and joined his two clients for a day's salmon fishing on the upper Columbia River. I wanted to tape a segment on the fishing for my Fishing TV Show, so he saved a seat for me. We hit a great day to be on the water. It was sunny and calm the entire day. He headed for the spot known as Pelican, which is around the corner from the mouth of the Okanogan River, and we had a fish in the boat before it was light enough to video the action. After trolling here a bit long without any action, he headed down and around the corner to try off the mouth of the Okanogan. We didn't have the bait in the water more than 15 minutes when a rod went down. The fish appeared to be solidly hooked, but we didn't get it to the boat. Shane grew impatient with the fishing here, we only saw one king landed, so we head for the launch and a new area. He put the boat in above Wells Dam and went back to work. The move paid off. We put two more fish in the boat, one weighing about 37 pounds! Thursday, September 02, 2010 More...

Funding let to rehabilitate damaged farmland

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funds are being made available to farmers and ranchers in 14 states to repair farmland damaged by natural disasters in 2010. "USDA is committed to helping farmers and ranchers restore conservation measures on farmland devastated by the recent floods, tornadoes and other disasters," said Vilsack. "These funds will help producers recover from several potentially devastating events, and further USDA's ongoing efforts to maintain a healthy agricultural economy that conserves our environment." Wednesday, August 25, 2010 More...

Fires grow slowly in Icicle Canyon

Three fires believed to have been started by lightning grew in activity over the weekend, while trails and campgrounds remain closed. The Eightmile Lake Fire, 13 miles southwest of Leavenworth, picked up activity late Friday afternoon, according to Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Public Affairs officer Susan Peterson, who added the fire is burning in a mosaic pattern that will ultimately create more diverse habitats. Wednesday, August 25, 2010 More...

Inside information on the outdoors 8/24/2010

Friday, Aug. 20 I was called away to Anaconda, Montana for a few days, and it was good to see a lot of family while I was there. I did manage to sneak away for a few hours of fishing, and saw some beautiful water. I fished Flint Creek, which flows from Georgetown Lake, and Warm Springs Creek, which runs along the highway on the way up to Georgetown. Flint Creek is a beautiful, meandering stream, but was colored from the thunderstorms that blew through the day before. It was a joy to fish, and produced a few small brown trout for myself and my fishing partner Tom Vershuren. Warms Springs Creek is a very small and fast running stream. I was directed to some likely spots by my brother in law Ed Heim of Anaconda, and surprised me with some great fish. The first day I landed a 14 ½-inch cutthroat that I hooked in a small pocket of water. I think this is the largest cutthroat I have ever caught on a small stream. It was gorgeous. The next day I got one of about 12 inches in a small riffle. I want to thank Ed for sharing his home waters with an out-of-stater. Tuesday, August 24, 2010 More...

INSIDE INFORMATION ON THE OUTDOORS 8/11/10

Friday, Aug. 6 Everyone had a great time fishing for sockeye again at Lake Wenatchee. Traffic was down considerably from last season's opening day. Only about half the number of boats turned out, which leaves hope that there would be an extension to the season. Some suspect that the huge run of sockeye on the Columbia River had satisfied many anglers who needed a sockeye "fix." Having a limit of six fish per day on the Columbia could have also contributed to less interest in the Lake Wenatchee fishery. There are a lot of distractions this time of year. The walleye and bass fishing on our region's lakes is going great guns. Salmon fishing is finally really getting in gear on the Columbia River, too. Catches have improved for those who are fishing at Wells Dam and off the mouth of the Okanogan at Brewster. Sockeye are still being caught in terrific numbers here, too. The pattern with local guides is to be on the water before daylight, catch a couple of kings and then fill out their limits with sockeye. I am glad to hear that the salmon fishing has picked up. I haven't had a chance to get out yet, and it sounds like my timing is right. Tuesday, August 10, 2010 More...