The Skykomish River flows from the slopes of the Cascade mountains north of Seattle, west along Highway 2 to join with the Snoqualmie River forming the Snohomish River just south of the town of Snohomish.
The Skykomish River is very important to Seattle area salmon fishing as it boasts returns of salmon and steelhead year-round and 4 species of pacific salmon return to its un-dammed water.
Skykomish River Winter Steelhead Fishing 2024-2025
The demise of steelhead in Puget Sound rivers is truly one of the tragic outcomes of ignoring land use impacts and a multitude of other factors over decades of decline.
The Skykomish River is one of the last remaining bastions where one can catch and keep a steelhead due to the hatchery fish raised on the river and enough “sport impacts” available from the wild populations to allow the fishery.
Updated Status of returning hatchery Winter Steelhead on the Skykomish River
Once steelhead start returning to the hatchery and get reported by WDFW, this graph will automatically update, typically on Thursdays.
Historical Run Timing of hatchery Winter Steelhead on the Skykomish River
Winter Steelhead will typically be caught from the Skykomish River in late November, but the run won’t peak until right around New Year’s and sometimes later into January.
Forecast for 2024-2025 Winter Steelhead Fishing Season on the Skykomish River
Note: Smolts planted in the 2023 year will predominantly return as 3-year fish in the 2024-2025 winter steelhead season or in the case of summer steelhead, the 2024 summer steelhead season.
The 2023 smolt plant total for the Skykomish River system is around 165,000, which is a return to a better number, in line with 2017. Hopefully, this results in a better season in 2024-2025, as returns have been quite lean lately.
Let’s take a look at the escapement history trend as well:
2024 in the above graph corresponds to the 2023-2024 return year.
While there was for sure a difficult stretch of years return-wise due to ocean conditions and other factors, 2022 represented a modest bounce back…With steelhead smolt plants being reduced in 2021, 2022-2023 escapement was seriously down.
There has not been a bounce back in the 2023-2024 return corresponding to the increased smolt plants in 2022, which is not encouraging for what 2024-2025 might produced.
With other steelhead runs returning in much greater number in the 2023-2024 seasons and expected to be even better in 2024-2025 it raises questions about outmigration mortality for Skykomish River winter steelhead.
This is a serious concern due to the number of harbor seals and smolt-eating birds present in all Puget Sound rivers, though, and a likely principal driver in the decline of all Puget Sound Steelhead runs.
How to fish for winter steelhead on the Skykomish River?
I highly recommend you start with some of the great content on this site and our YouTube channel (PNW Best Life).
Here’s my link to how to read water for winter steelhead, and how to fish for winter steelhead.
You can also check out two of my recent videos on the topic:
Outside of the basics, I would say, given the very low numbers of steelhead expected to return, your best bet is to fish right below the hatchery.
Get there early and if bait is allowed, use a 1/8 oz jig under a float, tipped with a little bit of prawn.
Skykomish River Salmon Fishing 2024
Hatchery chinook salmon tend to appear in the Skykomish River earlier than in other rivers and are considered a “summer chinook” run vs the typical fall runs. Often peaking in July, but continuing to show up at the hatchery into October.
Coho salmon will appear in the Skykomish River in the typical timeframes from September to November.
Pink salmon return in great abundance, but only on odd years.
Chum salmon have been prolific in years past but the run needs to rebound from some slim return years. This page will primarily focus on chinook and coho opportunities.
Unfortunately, there will be no salmon fishing on the Skykomish River in 2024.
What happened to our salmon season on the Skykomish River?
For a full explanation of why there’s no salmon season on the Skykomish in 2024 you should read this article titled “What happened to our Skykomish Chinook season?”
The short version is that fishing is closed down to protect a struggling natural origin run of chinook on the Snoqualmie River that fishing on the Skykomish River could have some impact on.
Updated status on hatchery summer chinook returning to the Skykomish River
The above graph will update every Thursday typically.
When to fish for summer chinook on the Skykomish River?
Typically, the season would open up around Memorial Day weekend and go into August, eventually shutting down to protect the natural origin spawners which typically show up later. The last few years though as previously mentioned there has not been a season.
Forecast for 2024 Skykomish River Summer Chinook
Another very solid year of chinook we cannot fish for was expected for 2024.
Updated status on hatchery coho returning to the Skykomish River
The above graph will update every Thursday typically.
When to fish for coho on the Skykomish River?
Unfortunately, due to concerns about the low abundance of chinook natural spawners in the Skykomish River, there won’t be a coho season on the river itself. Fishing the Snohomish River or the Wallace are your other options for these coho.
Forecast for 2024 Skykomish River Coho
The Skykomish River coho run is expected to be good in 2024 (likely similar to 2022), so targeting this run on the Snohomish or Wallace is a good option.
Fishing Regulations on the Skykomish River for 2024-2025
| Species | Date | Additional Rules |
from mouth to 2,500’ downstream of the boat ramp below Lewis St. Bridge at Monroe CRC (844) |
||
All species |
Nov. 1-Nov. 30 |
Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. |
Dolly varden/bull trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
Other trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
Other game fish |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
from 2,500’ downstream boat ramp below Lewis St. Bridge at Monroe to the boat ramp CRC (844) |
||
All species |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Fishing from any floating device prohibited. |
Nov. 1-Nov. 30 |
Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. |
|
Dolly varden/bull trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
Other trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
Other game fish |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
from the boat ramp below the Lewis St. Bridge in Monroe to Wallace River CRC (844) |
||
All species |
Nov. 1-Nov. 30 |
Night closure. Anti-snagging rule. |
Dolly varden/bull trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
Other trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
Other game fish |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
from Wallace River upstream to Hwy. 2 Bridge CRC (844) |
||
All species |
Nov. 1-Nov. 30 |
Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. |
Dolly varden/bull trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
Other trout |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
Other game fish |
Nov. 1-Jan. 31 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
from Hwy. 2 Bridge to 1,000’ Downstream of Reiter Ponds outlet CRC (844) |
||
All species |
June 15-July 10 |
Anti-snagging rule. Selective gear rules. Night closure. |
Dolly varden/bull trout |
June 15-July 10 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
|
Trout |
June 15-July 10 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
|
Other game fish |
June 15-July 10 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
from 1,000’ downstream of Reiter Ponds outlet to 1,500’ upstream of Reiter Ponds outlet CRC (844) |
||
All species |
Fishing from any floating device prohibited. |
|
June 15-July 10 |
Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. Selective gear rules. |
|
Dolly varden/bull trout |
June 15-July 10 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
|
Trout |
June 15-July 10 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
|
Other game fish |
June 15-July 10 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
from 1,500’ upstream of the Reiter Ponds outlet to confluence of North and South forks CRC (844) |
||
All species |
June 15-July 10 |
Selective gear rules. Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. |
Dolly varden/bull trout |
June 15-July 10 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Min. size 20”. May be retained as part of trout daily limit. |
|
Trout |
June 15-July 10 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”. |
|
Other game fish |
June 15-July 10 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
Nov. 1-Feb. 15 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
Please refer to WDFW’s emergency rules page for a full list of rules that are in effect.
It’s your responsibility as the recreational angler to know ALL of these rules, not just what is discussed here on the blog.
