Discover South Central Washington

Columbia River salmon and steelhead

Take a peek at the 2025 forecast for upriver spring Chinook salmon. Salmon fishing is now open daily from the mouth of the Columbia River to the Interstate 5 bridge under permanent regulations, but spring Chinook usually don't arrive in large numbers until late March and April. 

April 1 marks the beginning of the 2024-2025 license year. Anglers will need to have a current license to take part in fishing opportunities. You can get your updated license in person at the regional WDFW office, online, by phone at 1-866-246-9453, or at any of several hundred license dealers around the state.

Find details about 2025 Columbia River opening dates, locations, limits, rules, and more.

Managers will monitor the fisheries, dam counts, and hatchery returns during the season and adjust as necessary. The run-size update typically occurs in mid-May.

Check the Washington Sport Fishing Rules and see the WDFW website for additional information including emergency regulations. 

The Yakima River spring Chinook forecast is low, and no fishery is expected in the Yakima River for 2025.

Trout fishing

More than two dozen Eastern Washington lakes open March 1 for trout fishing. Find more details in our reports page and our WDFW trout stocking plan. New for this year, the catchable trout stocking reports page is being updated daily instead of once or twice a week, meaning anglers can plan their trips with the most current stocking information available! 

Many of the lakes in southcentral Washington are open year-round, so catchable trout plants begin earlier in southcentral Washington than in many other areas of the state. 

Lakes to be planted are Columbia Park Pond in Benton County; Dalton, and Marmes Pond in Franklin County; Fiorito (North), Mattoon, McCabe, and Naneum (juvenile youth only) in Kittitas County; Myron, Rotary, Sarg Hubbard Park, and the I-82 ponds.  

It is not too early to enjoy catch and release fishing for rainbow trout on the upper Yakima River near Ellensburg. The catch-and-release trout fishery is open year-round on the Yakima River from Roza Dam to Easton Dam under selective gear rules. Fishing is closed above Easton Dam, and on all other tributaries, until the Saturday before Memorial Day.

Walleye fishing

Some of the year’s biggest walleye are caught in the Columbia River in the late winter/early spring. These fish are now preparing to spawn and are nearing their highest weight of the year. Walleye are usually caught this season in Lake Wallula and Lake Umatilla, Lake Herbert G West, and Scooteney Reservoir. Spots to try for walleye in the Tri-Cities area are the Snake River downstream to Badger Island and from McNary Dam downstream to Boardman. 

As the water warms in backwater areas of the Columbia River, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, and yellow perch will become more active along with walleye near Paterson and Crow Butte. 

White sturgeon fishing  

The Columbia River and Snake River above McNary Dam are open year-round for catch and release sturgeon fishing, with seasonal closures affecting several reaches. Please review the Washington Sport Fishing Rules for restrictions on sturgeon fishing upstream of the old Hanford townsite and in the Snake River. Check the current harvest reports and guidelines.

Public access closure at Klickitat Salmon Hatchery

Public access to the Klickitat River through the Klickitat Salmon Hatchery near Glenwood is closed due to construction. The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, with funding from the Bonneville Power Administration, is leading a $35 million effort to modernize the 75-year-old facility and support long-term salmon recovery goals in the Klickitat River basin.

To ensure public safety, all parking areas, river access points, and portage routes on hatchery grounds are closed for the duration of construction. Signs have been posted to notify visitors of the closure. Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2026, with public access reopening once the project is complete.

During the closure, boating or rafting from launch sites upstream of the hatchery is not recommended, particularly due to hazards associated with a low-head dam on the Klickitat River near the hatchery. For more information, refer to the American Whitewater news release.

The Klickitat Salmon Hatchery is operated by the Yakama Nation to raise spring and fall Chinook, and coho salmon. In 2024, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) transferred ownership of the hatchery to the Yakama Nation, which has managed its operations since 2006.

New license reminder

With spring fast approaching, Washingtonians should consider purchasing 2024-2025 recreational hunting and fishing licenses before current licenses expire after March 31. 

New restriction at Yakima Training Center

Spring turkey

The statewide spring wild turkey hunting season begins April 15 to May 31 for the general season, and a special youth only hunt takes places April 1-7. For more information, visit the Wild Turkey hunting webpage.

There are opportunities to learn and be accompanied by an experienced turkey hunter for mentored hunts in northeast Washington. WDFW provides public hunting opportunity not just on Wildlife Area lands but also on private lands enrolled in the Private Lands Access Program. You can also click the hunting prospect link for details.

Small game hunting

The statewide cottontail and snowshoe hare season is open through March 15. For more information, visit the Small Game regulation webpage.

Trapping

Furbearer trapping season ends March 31. For more information, see the Furbearer Regulations (PDF). All licensed trappers must report their trapping activity (regardless of success or whether they trapped or not) by April 20. Annual reports must be made using the Department’s online WILD licensing system.

Sealing requirements for bobcat and otter

All bobcat and river otter pelts must be presented by the person harvesting them to an authorized Department employee for sealing by April 20. Pelts must be presented in a way that the hide can be sealed. Contact the regional office to schedule sealing or jaw collection. 

Hunter education

Hunting seasons are wrapping up (besides spring turkey), so now is a good time to prepare for future seasons by taking a hunter education course. These courses reinforce important firearm and hunting safety principles, hunting ethics, basic survival and first aid, wildlife identification and conservation. 

Sandhill Crane Festival

The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival is March 21-23 This event celebrates the annual migratory stopover of nearly 35,000 sandhill cranes in the Columbia Basin. Presentations, bird tours, food and vendors make for an enjoyable weekend. Sandhill cranes are large, prehistoric-looking birds that migrate through the Pacific Flyway, stopping to feed and rest in the Columbia Basin on their way to nesting sites in Alaska. Snively Road in West Richland is also a great place to view cranes near Tri-cities March through April. 

Spring Bird migration 

Spring brings lots of bird activity as they migrate to breed. Birds travel thousands of miles, using instincts and clues from their environment to guide them. Viewers can see flocks of birds flying to their breeding spots. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a dashboard showing real-time summaries of bird migration at night across the United States.

Avian influenza “Bird Flu”

WDFW is seeing a resurgence in cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu.  Avian influenza occurs naturally among wild aquatic birds (ducks, geese, swans, gulls and terns, and shorebirds) and can infect poultry and other bird and animal species. The virus spreads among birds through saliva, nasal secretions, feces, and contaminated surfaces. Do NOT touch or move sick or dead animals. Attempting to nurse a bird back to health or transport it to a wildlife rehabilitator can spread the virus to areas where it didn’t exist before. 

Please report sick or dead wild birds. Reporting sick or dead birds or other wildlife to WDFW’s online reporting tool can help the Department monitor the spread of viruses and notify members of the public to take precautions. Recent information on HPAI in Washington can be found in WDFW’s blog Avian influenza cases increase in Washington.

Don’t feed wildlife

While WDFW feeds elk at wildlife areas to reduce impacts to farmers, we discourage residents in urban and suburban areas from feeding wildlife in their yards. Although some people see this type of feeding as helping these animals, it can hurt them and cause illness and death for animals. Check WDFW’s page on wildlife feeding for more information. The combination of feeding and fencing together help WDFW limit elk movement into adjacent agricultural lands, thus reducing crop damage.

Shed antlers 

Early spring can be a difficult time for deer and elk, and we recommend that shed hunters collecting naturally shed deer and elk antlers postpone until May.  Winter closures are in effect through May 1 in areas surrounding feed sites at the Oak Creek, Wenas, and L.T. Murray Wildlife Areas. This includes strict closures for all access including shed hunting. If antler hunters descend on an area before wintering animals have left, the disturbance can impact their survival and push elk onto adjacent private property causing damage to fences and crops. Public lands across the state may have restrictions, so antler hunters should do their homework before going afield.

Wildlife area closures

If you enjoy the snow at the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area in Kittitas County on the Yakima River Unit outside of Easton, be aware that snow grooming of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Road 41 will be limited this year due to damage to the bridge at Cole Creek. The bridge is closed as it is not safe for vehicles currently. Snow will only be groomed from the Easton reload area (the parking/unloading area for trucks with trailers) to the east side of the bridge. Grooming on the west side of the bridge ends at Stampede Pass. This grooming plan is for public safety and resource protection. Winter recreation on ungroomed trails is at your own risk. Please do not drive to the bridge as there is little space to park or turn around.

Bull Pasture Road, about nine miles north of Selah, is closed to vehicles until May 1, 2025, to protect wintering wildlife and prevent road damage during the wet season. Bull Pasture Road will be closed starting at the junction of Durr Road/Sheep Company Road and ends where it intersects with Bell Tell Road. The closure is for motorized use only; the area will be open to walk in, biking, horseback riding and other non-motorized use. This will be an annual closure. The area is used as winter range for approximately 500 elk and provides cover for upland birds, mule deer, Townsend Ground squirrel, burrowing owls, and many songbirds.

Leave wild babies wild

Spring is a busy time for the birth of baby animals. If you find fawns, baby birds, or other young animals, please leave them be, even if they appear to be orphaned or abandoned. Most animals have a parent foraging or hunting nearby. Read our blog to learn about what to do if you encounter certain species.

Practice bear awareness this spring

Black bears look for high-calorie foods that are easy to obtain when awakening from hibernation. These may include garbage, bird feeders, fruit trees, and pet food.

Food sources provided by humans, whether intentionally or not, can attract bears. Removing these attractants is the best way to encourage bears to move along and focus on natural food sources. Details about living with bears is available on our website.

Planning a spring-cleaning of an outdoor space? Here’s a few tips to support the wildlife! 

Where possible, leave snags and fallen trees to provide habitat, incorporate logs into your landscaping for wildlife shelter, and save cleaning up the leaves and other yard debris until after our first full week of 50° weather – this allows beneficial overwintering insects to hatch or awaken.

To read reports published prior to 2023, visit the Biweekly Wildlife Program activity reports page.

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Photo by WDFW

Mike Livingston, the South Central Regional Director (Region 3) grew up fishing, hunting and playing in the forests of southeast Michigan. He received a bachelor’s degree in Conservation from Northern Michigan University, a bachelor’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Michigan State University and a master’s in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University.

Since 1996 Mike has worked in eastern Washington and held wildlife biologist positions with the Army’s Yakima Training Center, the Yakama Nation, and WDFW as District Wildlife Biologist in the Tri-Cities. In 2012, he was promoted to his current position as WDFW’s Region 3 Director. As Regional Director, he oversees operations in the region and gets to work on big collaborative conservation projects such as the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. When not working, you can often find him outside with his: family, friends, dog, shotgun, fishing rod, and/or backpack.