Was this year's steelhead run good?

I'm curious whether this year's season was an improvement or if there are still declining. Also, is the part of the Wilson river above where the south fork enters open to steelhead fishing?

Fred said:

I'm curious whether this year's season was an improvement or if there are still declining. Also, is the part of the Wilson river above where the south fork enters open to steelhead fishing?

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You will get different answers depending on who you ask. Younger guys that haven’t been fishing long might think that it was really good while older veterans might say it was just alright. Fish returns are fickle and many different factors can play a role. If this year was thought to be better than last year that doesn’t mean the fish are rebounding. The next year could be terrible. Most find the steelhead returns to be somewhat cyclical. It’s also my opinion that other returns such as coho are not a good indicator for steelhead. Anybody that cares about steelhead should get involved with at least one organization. As long as there are gill nets in rivers steelhead will be on a decline.

The south fork closed on 3/31. The main stem is open up to the south fork.

I'm not familiar with the Wilson. But this is copied directly from the reg book. Hope that this helps.

Wilson River (Mainstem) Hwy 101 bridge to South Fork
• Open all year for hatchery steelhead.
• Open for hatchery spring Chinook salmon Jan 1 - Jul 31.
• Open for fall Chinook salmon Aug 1 - Dec 31 (North Coast Wild Chinook Aggregate Bag Limit applies).
• Use of bait allowed.
• Closed to salmon angling above Jordan Cr (RM 21.9) Aug 1 - Dec 31.
Tributaries and river sections not listed are closed.

Wilson River, Little North Fork
• Open for hatchery steelhead Jan 1 - Mar 31 and Dec 1-31.

Wilson River, South Fork Mouth to marked deadline near MP 1
Open for hatchery steelhead Jan 1 - Mar 31 and Dec 1-31.
Tributaries and river sections not listed are closed.

It was a pretty solid year for me. Not my best, but maybe slightly above average. I caught steelhead on 7 different streams and mostly had double digit days. I did have two single fish days and one skunking. Last year I was flustered by high water more often than not, so I took a few days off to target prime water conditions. That helped a lot. I agree with the comments above that catching does not necessarily correlate with overall steelhead abundance.

The Wilson is closed to all fishing above the south fork. The south fork and little north fork closed on March 31. The maintsem is open.

"mostly had double digit days. I did have two single fish days and one skunking"

Wow and were they all 20+ pounds??

1 nut in the water said:

"mostly had double digit days. I did have two single fish days and one skunking"

Wow and were they all 20+ pounds??

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You read my mind. However the new age fisher person that travel and fish in large groups they count all the bobber downs between the group. It’s hilarious ?

Thanks for the replies guys.

One thing I've noticed is the runs seem to be coming later. I feel like the run is peaking for me right now. I know the salmon runs are down in my area. Way less fish than in the recent past but the biggest factor to not catching as many steelhead down here is the number of fishermen. It's hard to believe how busy the rivers are. I'm guessing that the fishing is peaking for me because most of the boats are gone. Covid 19 will likely have a positive affect on future runs due to less pressure.

Ha! I wasn't going to get snippy and fire off a rude response, but after rereading my post I see the problem. I meant MULTIPLE FISH days, not double digit... Minor mistake, right ; )

I did indeed "mostly" have multiple fish days this year, but sadly no double digit days. And no 20 pounders.

o clarki said:

Ha! I wasn't going to get snippy and fire off a rude response, but after rereading my post I see the problem. I meant MULTIPLE FISH days, not double digit... Minor mistake, right ; )
I did indeed "mostly" have multiple fish days this year, but sadly no double digit days. And no 20 pounders.

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LOL...looks like you had a good year. Anytime I get 1 I feel like I had a good day.

It's been pretty consistent with my catch rate from last year. Just haven't been fishing as much as last year..........for obvious reasons.