Columbia steelhead run tracks toward record lows this fall

What's biting

What's next

With a full moon overhead, look for steelhead activity concentrated in low-light windows, dawn and dusk, when fish move through tailouts and travel lanes rather than midday under bright conditions. The spread between the cool tributary reading near 54°F and the warmer mainstem reading near 67°F reflects typical early-fall stratification for the basin, and further cooling through late September should push more fish to hold in deeper, slower water as flows ease off summer highs.

Given the historically low run size Hatch Magazine describes, anglers should expect a tighter window of fish moving through on any given day. Plan trips around the full-moon low-light periods rather than counting on steady numbers throughout the day, and check current Bonneville Dam counts before committing to a long run upriver.

Context

Late September sits at the front edge of the fall migration phase for Columbia basin steelhead, when cooler tributary temperatures typically start drawing fish out of the mainstem. This year's run is arriving into that seasonal window well behind typical volume, making early fall 2026 a notably lean start even though the seasonal timing itself is on schedule.