Columbia River 2026 summer/fall salmon and steelhead seasons announced

CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Oregon and Washington fishery managers have finalized preseason planning for 2026 Columbia River summer and fall recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries.

Forecasts for summer steelhead, sockeye, fall Chinook, and coho returns will allow opportunity for anglers to target these fish. The planned 2026 fall-season fisheries are primarily limited by the expected harvest of upriver bright fall Chinook which is subject to catch-sharing agreements with the Columbia River treaty tribes under the U.S. v. OR Management Agreement. As has been the case in recent years, added protections are also necessary for ESA-listed lower Columbia River (LCR) fall Chinook and summer steelhead.

SUMMER SEASON (June 16–July 31) 
For the summer season, retention of jack hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead will be open starting June 16 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA. Due to the low summer Chinook forecast of 40,700 adults and allocation guidance, adult Chinook retention will be closed in summer season fisheries downstream of Priest Rapids Dam.

The sockeye return is forecasted to be 274,900 fish. While this is lower than the recent 10-year average return of about 314,000 fish, it still provides room for a couple weeks of fishing, including the July 4 holiday weekend. Retention of sockeye will be allowed June 23–July 5; all sockeye are considered adults in the bag limit. When open to sockeye retention, the daily adult bag limit is two salmon/steelhead, but only one may be a hatchery steelhead. When sockeye retention is closed during the summer season, the daily adult bag limit is one hatchery steelhead. Anglers must stop fishing for jack salmon after taking a daily limit of adult salmon or steelhead.

Anglers should be aware that a seasonal angling closure will be in effect at Tanner Creek, near Bonneville Hatchery, in order to protect returning sockeye from a new Wallowa Lake sockeye reintroduction project. This project, jointly managed by ODFW, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, is rearing and releasing Snake River stock sockeye at Bonneville Hatchery and uses the returning adults for reintroduction.

FALL SEASON (Aug. 1–Dec. 31) 
This year's adult fall Chinook forecast of 636,500 fish is lower than last year's actual return of 685,512 adult fish. The Columbia River coho forecast of 358,700 adults is also lower than last year's return of 471,411 fish. Chinook and coho retention seasons start Aug. 1 and vary by river section, please see the preseason summer/fall Columbia River fishery regulations and the WDFW-ODFW Columbia River summer/fall fishery plan for details.

New this year, limited retention of unmarked coho will be allowed in some areas. This year's regulations include mark-selective retention rules for Chinook during a portion of the Buoy 10 fishery and salmon/steelhead angling closures upstream of west Puget Island when Chinook retention is prohibited. These measures are intended to help manage fishery impacts to ESA-listed stocks and to increase the stability of the planned season structure.

"While expected catches of upriver bright fall Chinook limited the planned fisheries again for 2026, we have been able to work with our co-managers and the public to build off of the fishery approaches developed over the past couple of years to craft some excellent fishing opportunities for this fall season," said Jeff Whisler, ODFW's Columbia River Fisheries Manager. "If an in-season review of the upriver bright Chinook stock indicates a return higher than the preseason forecast, we may be able to provide Chinook opportunity beyond the preseason plans."

SUMMER STEELHEAD 
While steelhead returns are challenging to forecast, the 2026 forecast for upriver summer steelhead is poor and fishery managers are planning for another low return. In recognition of the expected low abundance, anglers will see conservative retention regulations again in 2026 summer and fall fisheries, similar to recent years. Even at these low returns, some hatchery fish are still available for harvest; regulations are meant to reduce harvest of hatchery fish and incidental mortalities of wild fish from what would be allowed at typical abundances. Hatchery steelhead retention will be allowed through July 31 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to The Dalles Dam and through Aug. 31 from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA, with a reduced bag limit of one fish.

After retention of summer steelhead closes in each area, it is expected to remain closed through the end of the year. However, winter steelhead retention will open under permanent regulations beginning Nov. 1 downstream of The Dalles Dam.

Protective regulations for steelhead will also include Thermal Angling Sanctuaries in Eagle Creek, Herman Creek, and the Deschutes River as well as in the Columbia River near the mouths of these tributaries (see maps and detailed descriptions of these sanctuary areas). The John Day Arm (lower John Day River, downstream of Tumwater Falls) will also be closed to angling for salmon and steelhead from Sept. 1 through the end of the year.

The low forecast may also impact steelhead fishing on tributaries like the Deschutes, John Day and Grand Ronde. Tributary fishery managers keep a close eye on actual summer steelhead returns over Bonneville Dam starting July 1 and will take appropriate action in keeping with management frameworks if actual returns come in at critically low levels. For more information, visit the Columbia Basin steelhead management page. Anglers are reminded to check the Regulation Updates page for in-season changes to permanent regulations for tributary fisheries.

Regulations are subject to change based on in-season information on abundance and fishery performance. Anglers should always check for in-season regulation changes before fishing, see updates in the ODFW Recreation Report.

Summer and fall season regulations will also be posted on the Regulation Updates page before the seasons begin.