Many Olympic Peninsula rivers are now open for steelhead fishing, state wildlife managers announced on Nov. 27. Most major rivers and key fishing areas will remain open …
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Many Olympic Peninsula rivers are now open for steelhead fishing, state wildlife managers announced on Nov. 27. Most major rivers and key fishing areas will remain open through March 31.
“It’s great to see increased wild steelhead forecasts for most coastal rivers, although we still have work to do to rebuild these runs for current and future generations,” said Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Fish Program Director Kelly Cunningham. “Our balanced approach this season includes earlier closures than initially proposed while providing meaningful fishing opportunities.”
In Jefferson County, these areas include the Hoh River, the South Fork of the Hoh River and the upper Quinalt River.
Also in Jefferson County, a number of rivers are scheduled for a shorter season scheduled to end on March 1. These rivers include: Cedar Creek, Goodman Creek, Kalaloch Creek, Mosquito Creek, Clearwater River and the Salmon River.
Anglers keen to fish the Queets River within Olympic National Park will have to do so before the season ends there on Dec. 16.
Additional emergency fishing rule changes could occur throughout the season. Fishing opportunities in April are currently unlikely, according to agency managers, but are contingent on in-season updates and discussions with co-managers.
Final fishing regulations followed a public engagement process, which included a two-part virtual town hall series this past fall.
WDFW continues to operate under its Statewide Steelhead Management Plan, which requires the department to prioritize the sustainability of wild coastal steelhead runs by focusing on healthy levels of abundance, productivity, diversity, and distribution.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Fisheries) released a report in November in response to a petition to list Olympic Peninsula steelhead under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The report states this steelhead population is “at a moderate risk of extinction” due to factors including warming ocean and freshwater conditions related to climate change, historic habitat loss and hatchery practices during the previous century, and competition with pink salmon while in the ocean. NOAA Fisheries has not yet issued an official determination regarding the ESA petition.
