ODFW release - ROSEBURG, Ore. – North Umpqua River steelhead angling will close at 12:01 a.m., Aug. 10 through Nov. 30, 2026 from the mouth upstream to the marker below Soda Springs Dam. Low numbers of returning wild summer steelhead prompted state fishery managers to enact this targeted angling closure. The current count of wild summer steelhead that have passed Winchester Dam is below 1,000 fish. ODFW biologists project the run will not meet the “critical abundance” level of 1,200 returning wild fish. Critical abundance is the point where conserving the population could be in jeopardy if a downward trend continues and is defined in the Coastal Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan. Low river flows and water temperatures approaching 80 degrees in the lower North Umpqua and mainstem Umpqua rivers also play a role in this emergency angling closure. These conditions can make summer steelhead vulnerable to disease and mortality. Ocean conditions may also affect summer steelhead populations, specifically warmer oceans and last year’s marine heat wave, both of which affect prey availability and fish growth, and survival. Some populations of summer steelhead in the state are also experiencing low returns, which indicates a region-wide issue. Similar conditions and low returns closed fishing in this area in 2021 and 2023. In response to the low returns in 2021, ODFW developed a fishery management framework specifically for North Umpqua summer steelhead. The framework established criteria and processes to evaluate the need for a conservation closure to protect these fish. ODFW is continuing to work with partners to improve riparian and in-stream habitat to help cool water and provide better conditions for native fish. Work is also being done to increase flows in streams to benefit fish. Wild summer steelhead counts are determined from video counts of migrating fish at Winchester Dam.