More Winter Steelhead to Watch For in the Next Couple Months

By mid-February the North Umpqua winter steelhead returns are about 30% (one-third) of the total year's estimated runsize through April 30th. This percent does vary based on the timing of the migration over the five-month period due to flows, temperatures, accuracy of estimates, and other factors. Based on the Derby's video actual counts, the update-to-date numbers suggest the wild fish total count will most likely be in the range of 7500-10,500 compared to the recent 10-year period of roughly 9,000 total and significantly higher than the past 3-year average of just over 5,000 wild fish.