Steelhead Fisheries on the Skagit & Sauk Rivers to Close April 11

An angler holds a wild steelhead caught and launched within the Skagit River system through the 2025 fishing season. Photograph: Marcus Reaves

The Washington Division of Fish and Wildlife has introduced that the Skagit and Sauk rivers will near all fishing on Friday, April 11, as a result of lower-than-anticipated returns of untamed steelhead. The final day open for steelhead fishing will likely be this Thursday, April 10.

In-season catch surveys, take a look at fishing, and different fisheries monitoring by the WDFW and Skagit co-managing tribes has led fisheries managers to downgrade the 2025 steelhead forecast to five,151 wild steelhead. The preseason forecast was 7,019 steelhead.

Given the considerably decrease estimated return and excessive ranges of fishing exercise, the fishery is closing to guard spawning steelhead, reserve remaining steelhead impacts for spring salmon fisheries, and guarantee pointers within the Skagit River Steelhead Useful resource Administration Plan (RMP) are met.

Click here for more info on the closures from WDFW