We may see an early closure to some of our steelhead waters here in Central Washington this season. There are a few factors that contributed to this possibility.

We've had fairly mild weather that has allowed continuous fishing since the opener. Typically many of our rivers are frozen by now. There was a higher than normal return of wild fish. This is good news and bad news. It is a positive in terms of recovery, seeing so many wild fish. On the other hand it means that anglers are going to encounter them at a higher rate, which means we get to the mortality quota faster.

There has also been an increase in angler numbers and success as more people get out after steelhead in our region and they are getting better at catching them. I don't expect to see all of our rivers to close early, so there will be some water available to anglers for an extended period of time, but keep an eye on my reports and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife site for announcements. There should be something out fairly soon, but don't put away your steelhead gear. As I say there will be water open for fishing in the region.