Friday September 18, 2026
Hatch —
This year’s Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is shaping up to be historically bad. Since the fish counting at Bonneville Dam started only July 1, fisheries managers have tallied just over 52,000 fish above the dam. This makes the 2026 steelhead migration the smallest ever recorded.
So far, the run is averaging about 43,000 fewer fish than the 10-year average, and the run is a fraction of the 2025 run. Last year, by this time, managers logged more than 128,000 fish above Bonneville Dam. In response, fisheries managers in both Washington and Idaho have reduced the steelhead harvest for anglers in both states. In Oregon, fisheries managers closed both the Deschutes and John Day Rivers to steelhead fishing for the entire 2026 season after steelhead return counts at Bonneville Dam failed to meet minimum benchmarks.
In Washington, the limit in the Snake River from its confluence with the Columbia to Lower Granite Dam will drop from three hatchery fish to one (hatchery fish have a clipped adipose fin — unclipped fish are considered wild and must be returned to the river immediately). Above Lower Granite Dam the limit will be two hatchery fish. In response to the latest data, Idaho Fish and Game reduced the statewide limit to two fish per day, and, on the Clearwater and its open tributaries, anglers can only keep one hatchery fish over 28 inches. The normal daily harvest in Idaho, starting Sept. 1 each year, is three fish.