Steelhead trout drift in an Oregon stream.

JOHN DAY — Angling for steelhead will be closed in the mainstem John Day River above Tumwater Falls (and tributaries above this boundary) from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31, 2022, due to low projected returns, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced this week.

Wild steelhead returns, the smolt to adult return ratio, and the proportion of hatchery fish straying into the John Day are all considered when developing seasons. To meet minimum abundance thresholds for John Day wild steelhead, counts of wild adult steelhead over Bonneville Dam must exceed 35,000 from July 1 through Aug. 31. Actual wild steelhead counts over Bonneville this year during that two-month timeframe were approximately 26,200, or about 75% of the goal.

“Wild steelhead returns were looking more positive earlier this summer,” said Stephan Charette, ODFW John Day district fish biologist. “Unfortunately, we have since seen wild passage slow down, though numbers are still improved from the record low return observed last year.”

Anglers are reminded that retention of steelhead also remains closed from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31 in the following locations:

• John Day River from the mainline railroad bridge at the mouth upstream to a marker ¼ mile below Tumwater Falls.

• Umatilla River from the Highway 730 Bridge upstream to Three Mile Falls Dam.

• Walla Walla River from the Oregon/Washington border upstream to the confluence between the South and North Forks.

The criteria for opening the Deschutes River to steelhead fishing is not as restrictive as the John Day River so the Deschutes remains open to steelhead fishing and retention.

For more information on steelhead management including the frameworks used in decision-making, go to myodfw.com/articles/steelhead-management-columbia-snake-river- basins.