If you haven't seen it yet, WDFW issued a news release this morning announcing that the Skagit and Sauk Rivers steelhead CNR season won't be open this Feb. - Apr. The reason is the low preseason runsize forecast of 3,963 steelhead. That is below the 4,000 minimum required for a season under the Resource Management Plan developed by the state and tribal co-managers and approved by NMFS in 2018.

It's sad, but given the extremely low returns of hatchery winter steelhead thus far this season, it's not surprising that wild steelhead runs would be below average this year as well.