WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/ July 19, 2011
Contact: Brett Barkdull, (360) 466-4345, ext. 270
Baker Lake sockeye fishery opens July 23
OLYMPIA - For the second straight year, anglers will be able to fish for sockeye salmon in Baker Lake, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
From July 23 until further notice, anglers can retain up to three adult sockeye salmon that exceed 18 inches in length from the log boom barrier at Baker Dam upstream to the mouth of the upper Baker River. All other salmon, as well as bull trout, must be released.
Brett Barkdull, a fish biologist for WDFW, said this year’s return is expected to meet spawning production goals. As of today, 8,285 sockeye had returned to hatchery facilities at Baker Lake.
"About 3,600 of those sockeye salmon have been released into Baker Lake," said Barkdull. "We expect that number to continue to increase as we approach Saturday’s opener."
Barkdull reminds anglers that the Baker and Skagit rivers remain closed to salmon fishing.
For more information on the Baker Lake sockeye fishery, check the fishing rule change at
https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=1073 . Additional information on Baker Lake sockeye is available on WDFW’s website at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/sockeye/baker_river.html .
