I have a piece of property in Nahahum Canyon (just north of Cashmere) and have been very interested in opening the Wenatchee. I usually fish Icicle Creek when I am over there, or hoof it to some lakes. But the closing of the Wenatchee has been an issue for me.
About a year ago some locals started a petition drive, and I have no idea what happened with that now that people are focused on the proposed research tunnel under Cashmere Mountain on the Alpine Lakes Wilderness boundary. But, it seems odd that WDFW opens the Methow for some steelheading and a trout fishing, and nada, zip, zero on the Wenatchee and most of its tribs, but Icicle. My guess is that many of the local anglers have not gotten too politically active, like the Methow folks did (and also it helped that lots of rich west side Methow Valley landowners also got involved in calling WDFW who closed the Methow at the behest of NMFS now NOAA).
In talking to some local folks it sounds like the local TU chapter folded (does anyone know about that?) over in the Wenatchee area. I noticed the trout casting pond in the park in Leavenworth has not been tended for years...which was part of a TU project. There is no local fly fishing stores like there is in Mazama (Scooter was instrumental in working with WDFW in keeping parts of the Methow open) and the only outfitters I know of include fishing as part of horse packing trips into the Alpine Lakes (in other words, they do not depend on the Wenatchee for clients like Mazama Troutfitters did for the Methow). But it would help, I think, if fly fishermen from all over the state started questioning WDFW on why the Wenatchee is not open.
Sorry this was long....clearly a burr under my saddle.
---Kim McDonald
