Winter Steelhead in Washington: River Run Timing and Flows

Q: When do steelhead run in Washington?

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife describes winter steelhead from Nov 1 to Apr 30; summer steelhead from Apr 1 to Oct 31. Winter fish arrive close to spawning, enter the Columbia and its tributaries from November through April and spawn soon after, from March into June.

Q: Which Washington rivers have winter steelhead?

The rivers WDFW names with steelhead in the river between December and April include the Skagit River, Skykomish River, Snoqualmie River, Nooksack River, North Fork Stillaguamish River, Dungeness River, Bogachiel River, Calawah River and 8 more. Each one is listed below with its agency timing and the source sentence.

Q: When is the peak of the steelhead run in Washington?

WDFW gives these peaks: Dungeness River: early April. Rain and water temperature move the week from one year to the next, which is why the live gauge readings sit beside the table.

Q: Where is the Washington steelhead fishing report?

WDFW publishes the Hatchery escapement reports (in-season, weekly) (weekly), the Winter and summer steelhead smolt stocking (annual), the Quillayute and Hoh winter steelhead creel surveys (weekly), the Dungeness River Winter Steelhead SONAR-based Escapement Estimates: 2019-2023 (annual) and 1 more. All are linked below.

Q: Which Washington steelhead rivers get hatchery fish?

WDFW records hatchery releases or returns on the Skykomish River, Snoqualmie River, Nooksack River, North Fork Stillaguamish River, Bogachiel River, Calawah River and 8 more. The Skagit River and Dungeness River are recorded as wild runs with no hatchery stocking.

Q: How high is the Skagit River running today?

The rivers table reads the latest discharge and water temperature straight from USGS for 16 Washington steelhead rivers with a USGS discharge gauge, the Skagit River among them, and sets each flow beside the gauge's median for today's date from its full record.

Q: Is the steelhead run the same as the fishing season in Washington?

No. A run window is when the fish move, and it is biology. Seasons, licences and river closures are set by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and change inside a year; its current regulations are linked beside the rivers table.

Q: What is the difference between winter and summer steelhead in Washington?

Winter fish come in from the ocean close to spawning, November through April by NOAA Fisheries' account; summer fish enter months earlier and hold in the river before spawning. WDFW describes both runs. The Skykomish River, Calawah River and Wynoochee River carry steelhead in every month.

Rivers and flows

Washington steelhead rivers, run timing and flow today

Each river below is one Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife names for steelhead, with the timing it gives and the sentence it came from. Beside it, the latest discharge from the river’s USGS gauge and the median discharge for today’s date across that gauge’s years of record, so a reading of 150% means the river is carrying half again its usual flow for the day. 7 of the gauges also report water temperature.

Washington steelhead rivers named by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, with the latest USGS discharge and water temperature and the median discharge for today’s date over each gauge’s record.
River	Run timing	Hatchery	Flow now	Median for today	Water temp
Skagit RiverNorth Puget Sound The largest wild winter steelhead river in Puget Sound, managed under a federally approved plan that ties any fishery to a wild return above 4,001 fish. WDFW source USGS gauge 12200500	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Wild run	Loading	Loading	Loading
Skykomish RiverNorth Puget Sound (Snohomish basin) WDFW released about 140,000 winter and 118,000 summer smolts here in 2025, and is building a wild summer broodstock program to replace the old Skamania stock. WDFW source USGS gauge 12134500	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr; Summer steelhead, Apr to Oct	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Loading
Snoqualmie RiverNorth Puget Sound (Snohomish basin) The Tokul Creek early winter program ended in 2024 and WDFW is moving to an integrated broodstock built from native Snoqualmie fish. WDFW source USGS gauge 12144500	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Nooksack RiverNorth Puget Sound WDFW now counts Nooksack steelhead in real time with sonar and video, and releases winter smolts at Kendall Creek. WDFW source USGS gauge 12213100	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Loading
North Fork Stillaguamish RiverNorth Puget Sound One of the five Puget Sound watersheds where WDFW has stepped up wild steelhead spawning surveys, with about 91,000 winter smolts released in 2025. WDFW source USGS gauge 12167000	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Dungeness RiverStrait of Juan de Fuca WDFW sonar shows wild winter fish from February, the most in March and April, and the run over by mid June; the early hatchery program here ended in 2024. WDFW source USGS gauge 12048000	Feb to mid JunPeak: early April	Wild run	Loading	Loading	Loading
Bogachiel RiverNorth Coast (Quillayute basin) Home of the Bogachiel Hatchery early winter program; WDFW is testing a new early winter stock built from wild Quillayute fish that return January to mid February. WDFW source USGS gauge 12042800	Jan to mid Feb (natural origin broodstock window)	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Loading
Calawah RiverNorth Coast (Quillayute basin) A Quillayute tributary that gets both winter and summer smolt releases, joining the Bogachiel near the hatchery. WDFW source USGS gauge 12043000	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr; Summer steelhead, Apr to Oct	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Loading
Hoh RiverNorth Coast One of the four big Olympic coast rivers where WDFW surveys winter steelhead anglers weekly through the run. WDFW source USGS gauge 12041200	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Queets RiverNorth Coast A glacial Olympic coast river inside WDFW's coastal management area, with winter releases at Salmon River in the Queets basin. WDFW source USGS gauge 12040500	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Quinault RiverNorth Coast Carries the largest winter smolt release on the coast, about 256,000 below Lake Quinault in 2025. WDFW source USGS gauge 12039500	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Wynoochee RiverGrays Harbor (Chehalis basin) The main Grays Harbor steelhead river, stocked with about 176,000 winter and 63,000 summer smolts in 2025. WDFW source USGS gauge 12037400	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr; Summer steelhead, Apr to Oct	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Naselle RiverWillapa Bay The southern anchor of WDFW's coastal area, with about 72,000 winter smolts released in 2025. WDFW source USGS gauge 12010000	Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Cowlitz RiverLower Columbia By far the biggest steelhead release in the state, over 600,000 each of winter and summer smolts at Blue Creek in 2025. WDFW source USGS gauge 14243000	Nov to Apr (Columbia basin window)	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
North Fork Lewis RiverLower Columbia A lower Columbia river with both runs, stocked with about 149,000 winter and 264,000 summer smolts in 2025. WDFW source USGS gauge 14220500	Nov to Apr (Columbia basin window)	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Klickitat RiverMiddle Columbia The upstream edge of winter steelhead range on the Washington shore, and a summer run river with about 90,000 summer smolts released in 2025. WDFW source USGS gauge 14113000	Apr to Oct at Bonneville Dam	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Loading

Run calendar

When steelhead are in Washington rivers

The months WDFW gives for each river, laid on a July to June year so a winter run reads as one bar. The statewide winter run is Nov 1 to Apr 30. Rain and water temperature move the weeks inside those months from one year to the next.

Skagit RiverNorth Puget SoundWinter steelhead, Nov to Apr
Skykomish RiverNorth Puget Sound (Snohomish basin)Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr; Summer steelhead, Apr to Oct
Snoqualmie RiverNorth Puget Sound (Snohomish basin)Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr
Nooksack RiverNorth Puget SoundWinter steelhead, Nov to Apr
North Fork Stillaguamish RiverNorth Puget SoundWinter steelhead, Nov to Apr
Dungeness RiverStrait of Juan de FucaFeb to mid Jun
Bogachiel RiverNorth Coast (Quillayute basin)Jan to mid Feb (natural origin broodstock window)
Calawah RiverNorth Coast (Quillayute basin)Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr; Summer steelhead, Apr to Oct
Hoh RiverNorth CoastWinter steelhead, Nov to Apr
Queets RiverNorth CoastWinter steelhead, Nov to Apr
Quinault RiverNorth CoastWinter steelhead, Nov to Apr
Wynoochee RiverGrays Harbor (Chehalis basin)Winter steelhead, Nov to Apr; Summer steelhead, Apr to Oct
Naselle RiverWillapa BayWinter steelhead, Nov to Apr
Cowlitz RiverLower ColumbiaNov to Apr (Columbia basin window)
North Fork Lewis RiverLower ColumbiaNov to Apr (Columbia basin window)
Klickitat RiverMiddle ColumbiaApr to Oct at Bonneville Dam

Winter steelhead
Summer steelhead
Nov, the current month

Washington steelhead months by river, from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Fish in the river across all year.

The runs, in WDFW’s words

Winter steelhead, Nov 1 to Apr 30. Winter fish arrive close to spawning, enter the Columbia and its tributaries from November through April and spawn soon after, from March into June. Winter steelhead enters the Columbia River from November through April and spawn from March through June. Source
Summer steelhead, Apr 1 to Oct 31. Summer fish, mostly east of the Cascades, come in from late spring through fall and hold in the river over winter before spawning the next spring. Summer-run steelhead migrate higher in river networks, entering freshwater between late spring and fall, and overwinter before spawning the following spring. Source

Winter-run Steelhead return from the ocean at age 4 or 5 years, and travel to their spawning grounds from November to April.
NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Region

Two hatchery workers standing in a cold river below a snowy rock slope, one holding a large mesh net and the other a white fish tube — Winthrop National Fish Hatchery staff collecting wild steelhead from the Methow River in Washington for broodstock. Hatcheries take their spawning adults from the returning run itself. “Winthrop NFH collecting steelhead Methow River”, Brandon Pasley/USFWS, Public domain

Reports

Washington steelhead reports and counts

Where WDFW publishes the current picture: fishing reports, weir and hatchery counts, and creel surveys, each with how often it is updated.

Hatchery escapement reports (in-season, weekly)WDFW, hatchery return, weeklyThe Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) In-Season Hatchery Escapement Report is posted weekly, usually each Thursday.
Winter and summer steelhead smolt stockingWDFW, hatchery return, annualThe majority of the adult returns from these releases are expected during the 2026-2027 winter and 2027 summer seasons.
Quillayute and Hoh winter steelhead creel surveysWDFW, creel, weekly
Dungeness River Winter Steelhead SONAR-based Escapement Estimates: 2019-2023WDFW, weir count, annualSince 2018 WDFW has operated a stationary multi-beam SONAR unit in the lower Dungeness River to enumerate and gather run-timing information on Dungeness steelhead.
2026 joint staff report (OR/WA): stock status for spring Chinook, summer Chinook, sockeye, steelheadWDFW, hatchery return, annualThe 2025/26 forecast is for 17,400 wild winter steelhead (equivalent to last year) returning to the Columbia River mouth.

Close view of a steelhead head and gill plate in shallow water inside a black mesh net, a thumb resting lightly on its back — A Methow River steelhead in spawning colour, held in the water in a hatchery crew’s net. The red gill plate and band come on as the fish nears spawning. “Steelhead breeding colors Methow River”, Michael Humling/USFWS, Public domain

Elsewhere

Steelhead run timing in other states

Questions about Washington steelhead

When do steelhead run in Washington?

Which Washington rivers have winter steelhead?

When is the peak of the steelhead run in Washington?

Where is the Washington steelhead fishing report?

Which Washington steelhead rivers get hatchery fish?

How high is the Skagit River running today?

Is the steelhead run the same as the fishing season in Washington?

What is the difference between winter and summer steelhead in Washington?

River timing from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife pages, each linked beside its river. Flow, water temperature and the daily median from the USGS Water Services. Compiled September 21, 2026.

Washington salmon run timingThe chinook and coho runs on the same rivers, in the months before the steelhead.Washington trout stockingThe same species as a freshwater fish, stocked on a schedule.Washington river levelsEvery USGS gauge in the state against its own record for the date.