While driving home from the Outdoor Expo in Tri-Cities I was shocked at the level of the Columbia River. The drawdown to aid in the inspection and to reduce the pressure on Wanapum Dam is dramatic. I could see things that I didn’t know where there at normal levels. The impact is clear up the system to Rocky Reach Dam, and I want boaters to know that if they go out on the river it is a different world out there. Everyone is anxious to learn how long the drawdown will last and what impact it will have on salmon and steelhead smolt that are moving downstream. While I was in Pasco there was a walleye tournament and in spite of very cold and rotten weather over 20 boats competed. The big fish was 14 pounds. This big news though was a walleye caught the day before the tourney, which could be the new state record. I have seen photos of it and it is every bit as big as the 20 pounds, 3 ounces that it has been reported to have weighed. Walleye fishing is going well in our region on the Columbia, but obviously Rufus Woods and Lake Roosevelt are where anglers are going.