North Umpqua Steelhead Fishing To Close Aug. 10 Amid Low Wild Returns
Steelhead fishing on the North Umpqua River will close Aug. 10 through Nov. 30 after fewer than 1,000 wild summer steelhead passed Winchester Dam. ODFW says low returns, warm water and low river flows prompted the emergency closure.
ROSEBURG, Ore. - Steelhead fishing on the North Umpqua River will close beginning Monday, Aug. 10, as wildlife officials respond to low numbers of returning wild summer steelhead and increasingly stressful river conditions.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the emergency closure will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 10 and remain in place through Nov. 30, 2026.
The closure covers the North Umpqua River from its mouth upstream to the marker below Soda Springs Dam.
ODFW said fewer than 1,000 wild summer steelhead have passed Winchester Dam so far this year. Biologists do not expect the run to reach the agency's "critical abundance" threshold of 1,200 returning wild fish.
That threshold is used to identify when a population could face increased conservation concerns if declining numbers continue.
River conditions are adding to those concerns. Low flows and water temperatures approaching 80 degrees in portions of the lower North Umpqua and mainstem Umpqua rivers can place additional stress on summer steelhead and make the fish more vulnerable to disease and mortality.
Officials also point to conditions in the Pacific Ocean as a possible factor in this year's low return. Warmer ocean temperatures and last year's marine heat wave can affect the availability of prey as well as the growth and survival of steelhead while they are at sea.
ODFW said low summer steelhead returns are also being observed in other parts of Oregon, suggesting the problem may extend beyond the North Umpqua.
Similar conditions led to fishing closures on the North Umpqua in 2021 and 2023.
Following the particularly low returns in 2021, ODFW developed a fishery management framework specifically for North Umpqua summer steelhead. The framework outlines when conservation closures may be needed to protect the population.
Wild summer steelhead numbers are tracked using video counts of fish migrating past Winchester Dam.
ODFW said it continues to work with partners on projects aimed at improving streamside and in-river habitat, cooling water temperatures and increasing streamflows to improve conditions for native fish.
The steelhead angling closure remains in effect through Nov. 30.
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