Pacific Northwest
Oregon and Washington: salmonflies, and the steelhead and salmon runs the state agencies time. Each row is charted only for the months its source gives; where a source names an insect but gives no months, it is not charted. Conditions vary by water and year: use this to plan, then ask a local shop.
- 10sourced rows
- 6sources
- 2states
Month by month
- Hatch
- Fish run
- Season or closure
| Event, where, source | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SalmonflyHatch · Deschutes, Rogue and Klamath rivers, Oregon[1] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Winter steelheadFish run · Hood River, Oregon[2] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: no | February: yes | March: yes | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Spring ChinookFish run · Umpqua and Rogue rivers, Oregon[3] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: yes | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Spring ChinookFish run · Umatilla River, Oregon[4] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Summer steelheadFish run · Oregon (statewide)[5] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: yes | August: yes | September: yes | October: yes | November: no | December: no |
| Summer steelheadFish run · Lower Deschutes River, Oregon[2] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: yes | August: yes | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: yes |
| Fall Chinook and hatchery cohoFish run · Umpqua, Rogue and other Southwest Oregon rivers[3] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: yes | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: no |
| Summer steelheadFish run · Northeast Oregon zone (Grande Ronde, Imnaha and other NE rivers)[4] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: yes | February: yes | March: yes | April: yes | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: yes |
| Winter steelheadFish run · Oregon (statewide)[5] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife | January: yes | February: yes | March: yes | April: yes | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: yes | December: yes |
| Coastal steelhead fishing season (2025-26)Season or closure · Washington coastal rivers (most major steelhead areas)[6] Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife | January: yes | February: yes | March: yes | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: yes |
- Salmonfly MayHatch · Deschutes, Rogue and Klamath rivers, Oregon · [1] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Winter steelhead February to JuneFish run · Hood River, Oregon · [2] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Spring Chinook April to JulyFish run · Umpqua and Rogue rivers, Oregon · [3] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Spring Chinook April to JuneFish run · Umatilla River, Oregon · [4] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Summer steelhead May to OctoberFish run · Oregon (statewide) · [5] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Summer steelhead July to DecemberFish run · Lower Deschutes River, Oregon · [2] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Fall Chinook and hatchery coho August to NovemberFish run · Umpqua, Rogue and other Southwest Oregon rivers · [3] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Summer steelhead September to AprilFish run · Northeast Oregon zone (Grande Ronde, Imnaha and other NE rivers) · [4] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Winter steelhead November to AprilFish run · Oregon (statewide) · [5] Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Coastal steelhead fishing season (2025-26) December to MarchSeason or closure · Washington coastal rivers (most major steelhead areas) · [6] Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
What each source says
The source's own words behind every row, so you can see exactly where the months come from.
- Salmonfly, Deschutes, Rogue and Klamath rivers, Oregon (May):
Every May these magnificent bugs emerge from the Deschutes, Rogue and Klamath rivers to breed a new generation of bugs, and fly anglers are there to take advantage of the resulting feast for trout and steelhead.
[1] - Winter steelhead, Hood River, Oregon (February to June):
The nearby Hood River has the state’s eastern-most winter steelhead run from February to June.
[2] - Spring Chinook, Umpqua and Rogue rivers, Oregon (April to July):
Look for good spring Chinook runs on the Umpqua and Rogue rivers from April through July.
[3] - Spring Chinook, Umatilla River, Oregon (April to June):
Spring Chinook begin to arrive at the Umatilla River in April and fishing will continue through June.
[4] - Summer steelhead, Oregon (statewide) (May to October):
Summer-run steelhead return to freshwater between May and October and require several months to mature and spawn.
[5] - Summer steelhead, Lower Deschutes River, Oregon (July to December):
The lower Deschutes, a tributary of the Columbia River, hosts one of the most famous summer steelhead runs in the state. Early fish enter the river in July and anglers will still be catching steelhead as late as December.
[2] - Fall Chinook and hatchery coho, Umpqua, Rogue and other Southwest Oregon rivers (August to November):
Fall Chinook and hatchery coho will return to these and other rivers beginning in August through October or November.
[3] - Summer steelhead, Northeast Oregon zone (Grande Ronde, Imnaha and other NE rivers) (September to April):
The summer steelhead season opens on Sept. 1 and generally peaks in October or November. Summer steelhead remain in the rivers until March or April, and there’s often quality steelhead fishing through the winter and into early spring, depending on weather and water conditions.
[4] - Winter steelhead, Oregon (statewide) (November to April):
Winter-run steelhead return to freshwater between November and April and spawn shortly thereafter.
[5] - Coastal steelhead fishing season (2025-26), Washington coastal rivers (most major steelhead areas) (December to March):
Most major steelhead fishing areas are scheduled to be open from Dec. 1 through March 31.
[6]
Use it on the water
Pick flies with the fly finder, check an insect with the fly identifier, and read the flow and temperature on each water page before you go.
- Oregon watersWater pages
- Washington watersWater pages
Sources
Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.
- The Salmonfly Hatch (Beaver State Podcast, Episode 12) Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
- Central Zone Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
- Fishing in Southwest Oregon Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
- Northeast Zone Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
- Steelhead Fishing Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
- WDFW announces 2025-26 coastal steelhead regulations Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
Other regions
- Northern Rockies8 rows
- California19 rows
- Southwest and Colorado8 rows
- Alaska8 rows
- Driftless19 rows
- Catskills and the Northeast17 rows
- Southern Appalachians27 rows
- Ozarks3 rows
- Great Lakes10 rows