Fishing for salmon and all game fish is closing Oct. 24 in many rivers and tributary streams across Washington’s Coastal Region due to low water conditions from the ongoing drought as well as lower-than-expected returns of coho salmon, a news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) stated.
Closures begin Saturday, Oct. 24, for Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor river systems, including the Chehalis, Humptulips, Willapa and Naselle rivers. Elsewhere on the coast, the Moclips and Copalis rivers are also closing to fishing on Oct. 24. Marine areas 2-1 and 2-2 excluding the Ocean Shores and Westport boat basins will close to fishing on Oct. 24.
Several rivers in the North Puget Sound Region, including the Snohomish River, closed to fishing earlier in October.
“Rivers across much of Western Washington are at near historic low flows following minimal precipitation during the summer and early fall,” Chad Herring, WDFW’s coastal region fish program manager, said in the release.
“Drought conditions are impacting salmon migrations and causing serious conservation concerns,” Herring said. “To ensure enough fish make it to their spawning areas, WDFW is closing recreational fishing on several major rivers until flows increase or salmon monitoring information suggests they are successfully migrating upstream. This necessary action supports Washington’s salmon conservation goals and future fisheries.”
The Dungeness River on the North Olympic Peninsula opened to salmon and game fish angling on Friday, Oct. 23, as scheduled. The salmon retention limit is reduced to two hatchery coho due to environmental conditions and to support conservation goals.
Fishery managers will continue to evaluate river conditions and salmon migration throughout the closed watersheds and may reopen fisheries if conditions improve.
The Washington state Department of Ecology declared a statewide drought in April 2026. As of mid-October, severe drought conditions persist in most Washington counties, according to the news release. Information on river flows is available from the National Weather Service’s Northwest River Forecast Center.
WDFW and treaty tribes have discussed the concerning low river conditions and the status of 2026 coho returns, which are significantly under-performing compared to pre-season forecasts across many Western Washington rivers, according to the release. Several tribal co-managers have made significant reductions to their proposed fisheries planned during the annual North of Falcon process, including closure of fall fishing, the release stated.
In April, during North of Falcon meetings, WDFW shared concerns that low water conditions could impact freshwater recreational fisheries and salmon migration in late summer and early fall 2026, especially in rivers flowing off the Olympic Peninsula and other coastal areas.
As climate change impacts Washington’s watersheds and ecosystems, WDFW stated in the release, the department is closely monitoring environmental changes and at times needs to adopt in-season salmon fishery management changes to address conservation concerns.
