FISHING -- The first half of October has produced good fishing for chinook salmon on the the Hanford Reach of the Columbia.  Here's the Oct. 1-14 creel report just posted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

WDFW staff interviewed 659 anglers from 276 boats  with 353 adult Chinook and 167 jacks this past week.  An estimated 1,548 adult fall Chinook and 732 jacks were harvested (1.9 chinook per boat).  A total of 2,890 anglers trips were made to the Hanford Reach to fish for fall Chinook this past week.  All areas continue to report strong catches.

For the fishery, August 1 through October 14, an estimated 8,451 adult Chinook and 3,567 jacks have been harvested. 

The current in-season run forecast for the Hanford Reach estimates the 2012 fall Chinook return at 69,000 adults.