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Local News

Upper Columbia, several other rivers to open for hatchery steelhead fishing

By NCBI
Oct 12, 2012

Starting Tuesday, October 16th, hatchery steelhead fisheries will open on the mainstem upper Columbia, Wenatchee, Icicle, Entiat, Methow and Okanogan rivers, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

In addition, the Similkameen River will open to hatchery steelhead retention beginning Nov. 1.

All of these fisheries will remain open until further notice.

Jeff Korth, regional fish manager for WDFW, said approximately 18,000 adult steelhead are expected to return to the upper Columbia River this year - enough to allow the department to open area steelhead fisheries.

However, wild steelhead are expected to return in lower numbers than last year, requiring additional constraints on those fisheries.

"We carefully manage these fisheries to protect naturally spawning steelhead listed under the federal Endangered Species Act," Korth said. "These fisheries traditionally remain open through the winter, but with lower numbers of wild steelhead and tighter allowable impacts on those fish we may have to close early."

Korth said anglers should check WDFW's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/) throughout the season for any regulation changes.

On all rivers, anglers will have a daily limit of two adipose-fin-clipped hatchery steelhead, which must measure at least 20 inches in length. Steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be immediately released unharmed without being removed from the water. Anglers also will be required to release any steelhead fitted with a floy (anchor) tag and those with one or more round quarter-inch holes punched in their caudal (tail) fin.

Anglers on all rivers will be required to retain any legal hatchery steelhead they catch until the daily limit of two fish is reached. After they have retained two fish, anglers must stop fishing for hatchery steelhead.

Selective gear rules apply to all areas where steelhead seasons are open, except that bait may be used on the mainstem Columbia River. All anglers are required to follow steelhead gear rules and restrictions described in WDFW's Fishing in Washington pamphlet, available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/.

Anglers should also be aware that motorized vessels are not allowed on the Wenatchee or Icicle rivers under Chelan County ordinances.

Areas that will open to fishing for hatchery steelhead Oct. 16 include:


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