Action: Postpones opening of fishing seasons in upper areas of the Skagit River and Cascade River and temporarily closes all fishing in the Skagit River from Gilligan Creek east of Sedro-Wolley to the Dalles Bridge near Concrete. This rule also reduces the salmon daily limit, prohibits bait, and requires single-point barbless hooks in the Skagit River from the mouth to Gilligan Creek.
Effective date: Sept. 14, 2026, until further notice.
Species affected: All species, coho salmon.
Specific locations and rules:
Skagit River from the mouth to Gilligan Creek:
- Salmon: Minimum size 12 inches. Daily limit two coho. Release all salmon other than coho. Bait prohibited and single-point barbless hooks required.
Skagit River from Gilligan Creek to Marblemount Bridge:
- Closed to fishing for all species.
Cascade River from mouth to Rockport-Cascade Rd. Bridge:
- Closed to fishing for all species.
Reason for action: With the combination of low river flows and greater than average Chinook encounter rates during the coho fishery in the lower Skagit River that opened on Aug. 16, including misidentified Chinook being retained, this action is necessary to preserve coho opportunity in October when the majority of the largest forecasted wild coho return in decades is expected to be in the river.
Preseason regulations were designed around efforts to increase opportunity and harvest of hatchery coho within Chinook encounter guidelines that have been sufficient in the past. As of Sept. 11 nearly half of the available Chinook impacts have been used weeks ahead of the normal mid-point of the coho fishery. This rule will shift focus from catching more hatchery coho to preserving opportunity for retaining wild coho later in the season. These measures will preserve harvest opportunity over 29 miles of river with a non-selective daily limit of two coho, wild or hatchery.
Additional information on sport fisheries: Dolly Varden/bull trout are closed, and a night closure is in effect in Skagit River from the mouth to Gilligan Creek.
Fishery managers encourage anglers to sign up for Fishing Rule Change email notifications and to check for emergency rules on the WDFW website before fishing. Refer to the Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet for current regulations. Download the Fish Washington® mobile app to stay up to date on the go.
Information contact: North Puget Sound Region, 425-775-1311.