Thursday, February 13, 2025

Upper Columbia steelhead and coho season closed Jan. 20

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PATEROS – The long-awaited fishing season for hatchery steelhead and coho salmon on the Upper Columbia River including the lower Methow River closed effective Jan. 20. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife advisory issued on Jan. 15 included the reason behind the action:

The allowable incidental take (i.e. mortality) of wild steelhead will be at or near maximum limits by Jan. 20. In addition, hook-and-line hatchery broodstock collection efforts for wild steelhead will begin in February.

Following nearly a decade of closure the season opened on Oct. 16, 2024, from the Beebe Bridge on the mainstem Columbia River to the Highway 173 bridge in Brewster and from the mouth of the Methow River upstream to the Burma Bridge at County Road 1535.

Lance Rider of The Outdoorsman in Winthrop said the season started strong and attracted sportfishermen from points far and wide to the Methow because it was the only river open among the other three (Wenatchee, Entiat, and Okanogan) major Upper Columbia steelhead waters.

“It was really crowded but no one seemed to bother about it because they were catching so many fish,” Rider said. “I had four guys in here last weekend (Jan. 11-12) wanting to go steelhead fishing and it was cold out.”

Rider said he was told by a reliable source that two years ago 1.2 million fries were released at the Burma Bridge and that is the reason for the upper Methow boundary.

The Rider said the guides that were coming into his store were almost complaining about the high numbers of wild fish they were catching and then had to release per regulation. 

“They said the run was 50 percent wild,” said Rider. “They like catching the wild fish because they bite hard.”

Hands that held rods and reels now have fingers crossed to see what the 2025 season prospects hold.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media

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