Columbia River steelhead run tracks toward historic low

What's biting

What's next

With counts already tracking historically low, we don't expect a sudden turnaround in daily Bonneville tallies over the next few days, though steelhead runs can still produce short pulses tied to flow and weather shifts upstream. Anglers planning around this weekend should treat any steelhead outing as a numbers game this fall, prioritizing time on the water over a specific window.

Early October typically marks the start of the fall transition on the Columbia, so continued tracking of Bonneville Dam counts over the coming weeks will tell us whether this run stays historically low or shows any late recovery.

Context

A run this far below average by October 1 is unusual for the Columbia system, where fall typically brings building steelhead and salmon activity as water cools. Right now the region sits in that fall transition window, but this year's numbers suggest the season is running behind the pattern anglers would expect, rather than simply arriving late. Steelhead have long been one of the defining fall target species on the river, which is why a run this far under historical norms draws attention this early in the season. Check current state regulations before targeting steelhead, as seasons and harvest rules shift with run strength.