Baker River sockeye salmon season and counts

Baker sockeye management is a collaboration between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Puget Sound Energy (PSE), and the Upper Skagit and Swinomish tribes. Together we are supporting a sustainable resource and providing iconic and cherished salmon fisheries.

Baker Lake sockeye fishing — Photo by Hermes Adrada

The Baker sockeye run has been recovering from a low of fewer than 100 fish in 1985 to a record return of more than 65,000 sockeye in 2023. More information is available in this joint blog post by WDFW and Northwest Treaty Tribes.

Baker sockeye are native to Baker Lake and the Baker River, a tributary to the Skagit River near the town of Concrete. Each year, sockeye returning to the lake are trapped below two dams on the lower Baker River before they are transported above these facilities where they are placed at artificial spawning beaches, used for production at WDFW and PSE's hatchery facility, or released into Baker Lake to spawn naturally or be caught by anglers.

Natural spawning takes place mostly in seeps and springs at the head end of the lake and in the upper Baker River above the lake, although some sockeye may also enter other tributaries. Fry from the artificial spawning beaches and from hatchery production are released into Baker Lake and Shannon Lake, where they rear naturally.

At the smolt stage, sockeye are captured at both the lower and upper dams and released downstream for their seaward journey.

Skagit River and Baker Lake sockeye rules

The 2024 sockeye forecast for the Baker River is 56,750 fish and the state harvest split on sockeye for Baker Lake and the Skagit River is 75/25 percent respectively.

Skagit River Rules

The Skagit River from Mount Vernon Memorial Highway Bridge to the Dalles Bridge at Concrete opens for sockeye June 16 through July 15. Minimum size is 12 inches. Daily limit is four sockeye salmon.

Night closure in effect. Selective gear rules are not in effect for salmon. See the emergency Fishing Rule Change for further details.

Baker Lake Rules

Baker Lake is scheduled to open July 6 through Aug. 31 with a four-sockeye daily limit. Fishing opens July 6 regardless of the number of sockeye present in the lake. See tentative proposed seasons posted on this webpage. Final regulations will be published online and in the printed pamphlet in June 2024.

Minimum size is 18 inches. Daily limit four sockeye. Release all salmon other than sockeye. Each angler aboard a vessel may deploy salmon angling gear until the salmon limit for all anglers aboard has been achieved. Two-pole allowed with license endorsement.

Additional information

Selective gear rules remain in effect for gamefish. If anglers are not following selective gear rules, all species other than sockeye must be released. Please see pamphlet for gamefish rules in these sections.

The fishery will be actively monitored by WDFW. Anglers are asked to cooperate with creel personnel collecting catch information. Monitoring and evaluation of fisheries is an important part of ensuring we are meeting our conservation goals for salmon.

Tribal co-managers will conduct sockeye fisheries in the Skagit River and lower Baker River as well as nearby marine areas. For information on tribal fisheries, please see the List of Agreed Fisheries (LOAF). We ask recreational anglers to give tribal fishers space and respect if they encounter each other during these and other fisheries.

There may be periodic closures to prevent conflicts during tribal fisheries. In-season closures will be announced as soon as possible. Consider downloading the Fish Washington app or signing up for fishery change notifications by email as well as checking our webpage where emergency Fishing Rule Changes are listed.

Puget Sound Energy employees operate and maintain facilities at the Baker River Project guided by WDFW and tribal co-managers. These facilities not only include the hatchery and spawning beaches, the upstream trap-and-haul facility, fish transport equipment, and floating surface collectors for out-migrating juvenile fish at Baker Lake and Lake Shannon.

Hatchery broodstock and natural spawner schedule

Fish that return to the Baker trap are prioritized to first meet our hatchery broodstock needs. Once the hatchery goal is met for the week, all remaining fish are transferred to Baker lake for the recreational fishery and to meet natural spawning goals in the lake.

2023 Hatchery Broodstock collection (9,500)

Week	AI Goal	Beach Goal	Total Broodstock
6/3 - 6/9	0	0	0
6/10 - 6/16	16	9	25
6/17 - 6/23	217	121	338
6/24 - 6/30	674	375	1,049
7/1 - 7/7	1,309	730	2,039
7/8 - 7/14	1,705	950	2,655
7/15 - 7/21	1,145	638	1,783
7/22 - 7/28	621	334	955
7/29 - 8/4	262	159	421
08/5 - 08/11	92	51	143
8/12 - 8/18	36	20	56
8/19 - 8/25	23	13	36
After 8/25	0	0	0
Total	6,100*	3,400	9,500

*Includes 1,000 AI increase (5,100 to 6,100) for Baker broodstock.

Sockeye returns

Adult Baker sockeye enter the trap from mid-June to mid-October. Numbers of returning fish peak in mid-July. Spawning occurs from mid-September through December, peaking from late September to late November.

2024 daily counts

Date	Baker Lake	Broodstock	Spawn Beach	Total
6/1 - 6/12	0	0	0	0
6/13	0	7	0	7
6/14	0	1	0	1
6/15	1	8	9	18
6/16	26	0	0	26
6/17	0	17	0	17
6/18	0	26	0	26
6/19	0	33	0	33
6/20	0	99	0	99
6/21	0	61	42	103
6/22	166	0	60	226
6/23	172	0	0	172
6/24	0	165	0	165
6/25	0	351	0	351
6/26	0	158	140	298
6/27	84	235	0	319
6/28
6/29
6/30
7/1
7/2
7/3
7/4
7/5
7/6
7/7
7/8
7/9
7/10
7/11
7/12
7/13
7/14
7/15
7/16
7/17
7/18
7/19
7/20
7/21
7/22
7/23
7/24
7/25
7/26
7/27
7/28
7/29
7/30
7/31
8/1
8/2
8/3
8/4
8/5
8/6
8/7
8/8
8/9
8/10
8/11
8/12
8/13
8/14
8/15
8/16
8/17
8/18
8/19
8/20
8/21
8/22
8/23
8/24
8/25
8/26
8/27
8/28
8/29
8/30
8/31
9/1
9/2
9/3
9/4
9/5
9/6
9/7
9/8
9/9
9/10
Total number of fish transferred to Baker Lake				449
Total number of fish transferred to Broodstock				907
Total number of fish transferred to Spawning Beach				505
Cumulative total number of fish				1861

** Total includes trap harvest

Baker River sockeye salmon trap counts

On desktop/laptop, move the cursor over a data point to see the exact date and count. To zoom in or out on the chart, use the mouse scroll wheel. Click and drag the graph to pan the data left or right.

On touch devices, tap the data point to see the exact date and count. To zoom in or out on the chart, spread or pinch the chart area. Tap and drag the graph to pan the data left or right.

To view and compare counts from previous years, click/tap the year in the legend below the chart to toggle it on or off.

Baker River sockeye salmon trap counts by year

Year	Trap Count
2023	47,358
2022	25,947
2021	26,808
2020	15,896
2019	13,016
2018	17,609
2017	16,703
2016	24,986
2015	32,736
2014	14,176
2013	12,534
2012	28,410
2011	27,195
2010	18,809
2009	6,486
2008	3,211
2007	2,763
2006	8,325
2005	3,192
2004	9,113
2003	20,236
2002	4,023
2001	4,942
2000	10,404
1999	4,654
1998	13,187
1997	7,099
1996	7,769
1995	2,181
1994	15,991
1993	3,818
1992	2,443
1991	480
1990	1,977
1989	536
1988	818
1987	683
1986	542
1985	99
1984	358
1983	735
1982	1,869
1981	208
1980	499
1979	865
1978	2,716
1977	1,707
1976	1,518
1975	1,303
1974	3,611
1973	3,656
1972	10,031
1971	2,931
1970	821