You may have heard about a water quality warning issued by the Washington State Department of Health about Rufus Woods Reservoir. Apparently there is a heavier than normal bloom of algae in the reservoir. The levels of algae could be harmful if ingested in large quantities. The warning cautioned people to avoid swimming in the reservoir and also concerns about cattle that may use the reservoir for watering.

However, it was pointed out that fish caught from the reservoir and properly cleaned are not affected. Essentially, there is no reason not to continue to take advantage of the good triploid fishing on Rufus Woods. Anglers I have spoken with recently have indicated that the triploid fishing at the lower end of the reservoir isn't as good as it was a month or more ago. Even fishing at the upper end has slowed slightly, but there are still very good numbers of these fish available. I have had excellent fishing for triploids below Chief Joseph Dam.

During the recent salmon derby in the Brewster Pool anglers trolling for salmon with herring were catching double digit numbers of them. Remember, the special season for triploid fishing below the dam at Bridgeport to the dam at Brewster will come to an end on Aug. 31.