Snohomish Basin salmon, steelhead fisheries closed to protect wild Chinook
To support Chinook conservation, an emergency fishing closure announced in June 2026 closes salmon, steelhead, and game fish seasons, including previously planned fisheries for Chinook returning to the Wallace River Hatchery and steelhead returning to the Reiter Ponds Hatchery.
Conservation and recovery of wild Chinook salmon returning to the Snohomish River and its tributaries — including the Skykomish and Snoqualmie — was an important issue the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and tribal co-managers evaluated and discussed with anglers, guides, and advisors during the 2026 North of Falcon process.
In 2026, fewer than 3,500 natural origin (or wild) Chinook are forecasted to return to the entire Snohomish Basin.
Given the need to protect and conserve these endangered Chinook, the mainstem Skykomish, Snoqualmie below Snoqualmie Falls, and several other rivers in this watershed will be closed to fishing in summer and fall 2026 to support Chinook conservation. The Skykomish River closure overrides salmon, steelhead, and game fish seasons listed in the 2025–2026 Washington Sport Fishing Rules, including previously planned fisheries for Chinook returning to the Wallace River Hatchery and steelhead returning to the Reiter Ponds Hatchery
Refer to WDFW’s emergency fishing rules or Fish Washington® mobile app for details.
Proposed 2026–2027 fisheries for Puget Sound rivers were posted in April to WDFW’s webpage. Additional updates and outcomes from North of Falcon, including perspectives from Fish Program Director Kelly Cunningham, are available in The Salmon Fishing Current blog: North of Falcon 2026 edition, as well as in WDFW’s news release.
Conserving Snohomish Basin Chinook
Both wild and hatchery-origin Chinook salmon return to the Snohomish Basin and its tributaries beginning in late-spring and continuing through September. These Chinook typically spawn in September and October.
For many years, this watershed hosted popular fisheries for hatchery summer Chinook returning to the Wallace River Hatchery near Gold Bar, hatchery summer steelhead reared at the Reiter Ponds Hatchery near Index, fall coho salmon in the Snohomish, Skykomish, and Wallace rivers, as well as light-tackle spinning and fly fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout in the Snoqualmie, Skykomish, and their many smaller tributaries.
“WDFW understands the value many anglers and guides from various backgrounds and their families place on these fisheries given their accessibility and popularity for summer recreation,” said Edward Eleazer, WDFW’s North Puget Sound Region Fish Program manager.
We also acknowledge the dedicated work of state and tribal hatchery staff in this basin, and the importance of these fisheries for local fishing guides and tackle shops. We know there will be impacts from fishing closures to the communities and residents of King and Snohomish counties.
In 2023, 2024, and now again in 2026, several factors necessitate fishing closures and the careful conservation and management of the vulnerable Snohomish Chinook stock, including:
- 2026 return forecast modeling showing low numbers of Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed wild Chinook returning to the Snohomish,
- projected impacts on these Chinook during fisheries outside of Washington state’s management areas,
- and new guidelines implemented as part of the 10-year Puget Sound Chinook Harvest Management Plan submitted to federal fisheries managers in 2022.
As a result, most salmon, steelhead, and trout fisheries in the Snohomish, Skykomish, and Snoqualmie rivers — and certain tributaries such as the Wallace, Pilchuck, Tolt and Raging rivers — will be closed unless opened in-season through emergency Fishing Rule Changes.
In-season updates and background resources
Please stay tuned for further updates or in-season fishing rule changes. We suggest signing up for WDFW’s email list for the latest information.
For more background information on Puget Sound salmon conservation and recovery efforts, watch WDFW’s short video “Sound Management: Conserving Pacific Northwest salmon through cooperation”.
Or learn about ongoing salmon habitat projects including restoring Puget Sound estuaries and removing fish passage barriers.
