Update: Columbia/Clearwater Steelhead 2026

There were two important dates regarding the Deschutes River steelhead fishery in 2026 and neither provided news any of us wanted to hear.

The first big date was August 15. That’s when the Deschutes closed to steelhead fishing based on the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s mandate that no fewer than 9,900 wild steelhead must pass Bonneville Dam between July 1-31 to keep the fishery open. The next big date was August 31. To reopen the Deschutes steelhead fishery on September 15, the numbers of steelhead passing Bonneville Dam needed to exceed 23,100 wild fish by August 31.

Neither benchmark was met, so the Deschutes’ 2026 steelhead fishery is over. And, depending on how the run trends, restrictions could be placed on the John Day, Imnaha and Grande Ronde rivers, too.

To put it in easy perspective, the steelhead run is about half of the 10-year average with total counts, as of today (Sept 11), sitting at 50,833 steelhead (wild and hatchery) over Bonneville Dam. The 10-year average is 90,954. In addition, the total number of wild steelhead over Bonneville currently sits at 17,469 which, again, is down from the 10-year average of 33,571.

So, is it all tears and despair? If you only fish the Deschutes, you probably have reason to cry. But there are options.

Idaho’s Snake and Clearwater rivers remain open and likely will through the season. The Grande Ronde should be open through the fall, too. Fly-fishers started catching steelhead in the Clearwater way back in mid-July and have been doing so through this late summer season. The numbers of fish in the Snake and Clearwater will continue to build and that goes for the Grande Ronde, too.

While the steelhead fishing will be challenging this year (when is steelhead fishing not challenging?), there are fish to be had and anyone willing to put in the time, and cover as much water as possible with a spey rod and long swings, is sure to get into some fish.

Fly fishing for steelhead is, in fact, a lot like hunting. If it’s all about the kill you’re set up for failure. However, if you go into it knowing that the setting and the potential to hook a 40-inch beast on any given cast is the reward, you’ll be a happy camper.

You can sit back this year, whether you live in Missoula or Bozeman or Spokane or Seattle, or anywhere else, and just say, there aren’t enough fish. But as you do that, realize the gloomy picture that’s often painted isn’t always perfectly accurate. There will be people out there swinging up steel when you, potentially, are sitting on the couch lamenting those numbers. Yes, the numbers are down. And, yes, every single steelhead that comes to hand needs to be treated like treasure and gently released. But there’s opportunity and some people are going to grab it and others aren’t. Which seat will you be in?

Want to cover that water and see what rises to a skated fly? Check out Klaus Frimor’s piece on how he approaches early season steelhead on the Clearwater HERE

And, if you need the tools to effectively fish the Clearwater and Snake’s massive runs, check out Lee Davison’s perfect Clearwater setup HERE