Steelheaders up in Washington are buzzing right now, and not just about what’s tugging their line. According to the Confluence Fly Shop, the upcoming Skagit spring catch and release season for winter steelhead is literally hanging in the balance, hinging on whether lawmakers cough up funds for the WDFW’s Quicksilver Portfolio. No funding, no spring steelhead season in 2026—even if the wild fish show up. Locals are rallying, hoping to get Skagit back in play, and hosting Trout Unlimited’s policy ace to break down how everyone can pitch in and make some noise. If you chase steel on the Skagit or dream about it, now’s the time to get involved.
Meanwhile, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources is stirring the pot with a couple new trout regulations on Beaver Creek in Washington County. They’re talking about stretching the catch-and-release artificial fly fishing section downstream, plus moving the upper boundary of the put-and-take section a bit lower. They’re also debating yellow perch limits—either dropping the creel from ten to five or adding a slot limit so only fish between 9-11 inches are fair game. For locals, this means more fly-only water and potentially tighter rules, but also healthier stream populations for future trips.
Weather’s been a wild card in Montana, but Jake Hensley, aka MissoulaFlyGuy, puts it best—spring’s been epic on the Clark Fork, Bitterroot, and Blackfoot. Skwalas, Baetis, and March Browns have kept guides busy, and with runoff a little slow thanks to cool temps, savvy fly anglers are enjoying some magic solo sessions during the tail end of spring. If you make it out to Montana before the crowds vanish and the water muddies, you might hit one of those legendary bug hatches with the river to yourself. Worth the gamble in Jake’s book.
Not to be overlooked, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just dropped four new proposals to revise Endangered Species Act regulations, bringing back the 2019-2020 framework. They’re streamlining habitat designations, ditching the blanket 4(d) rule, and highlighting species-specific plans for threatened fish, which matters for anglers keeping tabs on what’s open and what’s closed. For fly fishers chasing native trout or worried about local ecosystems, these changes could decide where you can legally cast next season.
That’s a wrap for this week’s fly fishing news—action in the statehouses, new river rules, spring glory, and policy shifts that could shape your favorite runs and holes. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure to come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.
For more
http://www.quietplease.aiGet the best deals
https://amzn.to/3ODvOtaThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
