I just got some good news for steelhead anglers in the region. I had mentioned that the season may close early in November, but I just got word from Jeff Korth, Regional Fish Manager with the Department of Fish and Wildlife office in Ephrata, that the season will run at least through Thanksgiving weekend. The department will evaluate where we are at the end of the month and determine whether or not to close the steelhead season and reopen it sometime after the first of the year, maybe as late as mid-February. It will all depend on the number of wild fish “encounters” anglers have reported. It is important that anglers report fish that were “in hand” when released, and not “long line” releases. There are very strong numbers of wild fish returning to most of our streams, which increases the number of encounters and accelerates reaching the mortality threshold. This leads to the closure of steelhead fishing. The cold weather that is forecast for the next week or so should help drop area rivers into better fishing shape. The rivers are running clear, but high for this time of year. Cold water in the tributaries pushes fish out into the main stem Columbia and really improves the fishing on the “big water”.