WDFW Lays Out Revised 2024-25 Coastal Steelhead Season Proposals

WDFW laid out an optimistic slate of revised potential Washington Coast winter steelhead fisheries to anglers this evening, one that would allow bait again on many systems in December, reopen a fair portion of the Chehalis Basin and expand boat fishing on the Hoh.

A final determination won’t be made until state managers reach agreements with tribal comanagers and make an announcement in the coming weeks, but after four winters of heavily restricted coastal fisheries, including closures that rankled, it’s “nice to see something shake out in our favor,” in the words of one of tonight’s meeting attendees.

Driving things is this winter’s overall forecast of 36,756 wild steelhead – 11,000 fish more than 2020-21’s “lowest on record” return that set off the restrictions – back to rivers from Forks down to Naselle. But some in tonight’s audience also weren’t comfortable with a more aggressive whack at the fish and wanted to stay a more conservative course. This was the second town hall on the subject this fall.

One of recent years’ biggest hurdles has been getting that agreement with the Quinault Indian Nation. At the risk of jinxing it, two different WDFW staffers suggested things were in a more positive place this year on the Chehalis system, where the forecast and statewide steelhead management plan provide 484 potential sport mortalities on wild steelhead, a figure that would allow for 4,840 total encounters with the highly coveted fish.

“I don’t feel there are any indicators we won’t” reach an agreement there, stated Kelly Cunningham, Fish Program director.

Larry Phillips, now with the American Sportfishing Association and a former WDFW coastal fisheries manager himself, said that odds of encountering that many steelhead in the Chehalis was “very, very low” based on even lower mortality estimates from an early 2000s run that was more than twice as strong as this winter’s forecast of 9,797.

Under WDFW’s “revised” proposal, the Chehalis below the Skookumchuck, Skookumchuck, Satsop and Wynoochee would be open in January and February under selective-gear and single-point barbless hook rules. In December, they would be open for the use of bait, though their winter steelhead are all later timed.

The number of available mortalities on the Humptulips is a lot tighter, but there are some. WDFW would like to open the mainstem below Highway 101 through the first weekend in February, with the same bait and selective gear regs as on the Chehalis. Bait would benefit steelheaders fishing for the earlier-returning winter-run stock headed back to Stevens Creek Hatchery.

Bait would also be allowed for the first time in recent years on the lower Bogachiel and Calawah to tap into hatchery brats headed back to both, while boat fishing on the Hoh below Morgans Crossing would be open every day instead of staggered like last year for a study.

WDFW’s proposal matrix lists a closure date on the Hoh and Quillayute as “TBD.” Asked how a decision might be reached on opening them in April, Cunningham expressed a lot of concern about protecting spawned out steelhead known as kelts that are migrating back to the sea in spring. An angler subsequently suggested laying off the fish in April is one of the reasons for the widespread bounceback. Ocean conditions have been good for a wide variety of steelhead and salmon stocks that returned this year.

And while WDFW hopes to also provide opportunities on the Queets/Salmon for December hatchery fish and later-returning wilds on the Queets/Clearwater and upper Quinault, those will also be the subject of further talks with the QINs.

Next steps include briefing the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Fish Committee – chair Jim Anderson was said to be in attendance tonight – during a special meeting November 21, finalizing fishery plans with the tribes later in the month, an announcement of seasons the last week of November, and a wrap-up meeting with the Fish Committee December 12.