ODFW asks anglers to report tags now
Rogue-South Coast winter steelhead fishing season ends today (April 30)
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife news release
Today is the last day of the Rogue-South Coast winter steelhead fishing season and ODFW asks anglers who purchased a paper wild winter steelhead harvest tag to report their tag now, even if they didn’t harvest a steelhead.
Anglers using paper tags are encouraged to report their harvest tag now rather than before the next season begins Dec. 1. Those using electronic tagging on the ELS app have already reported and do not need to do anything else.
Anglers who chose a paper harvest tag have several options to report:
Report online by logging into your ODFW account.
Drop the tag at any ODFW office .
Call any ODFW office to report.
Mail the tag to ODFW, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. SE, Salem OR 97302.
A temporary restriction on wild winter steelhead harvest was placed on this year’s season with no wild harvest on the Illinois and Rogue rivers and just one wild steelhead could be kept on the lower Rogue. The harvest restriction was a conservation trigger adopted in the Rogue-South Coast Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan.
“We appreciate anglers’ patience and understanding of the restrictions this year, and we’re happy to report there will be no restrictions for the 2025-26 season,” said Steve Mazur, District Fish Biologist in Gold Beach.
Tag reporting gives ODFW information on where harvest took place and the number of wild fish harvested. Wild steelhead harvest estimate are available online in the RSP Wild Fish Monitoring Summaries. These estimates indicate that wild steelhead harvest rates are consistently below limits identified in the RSP.
In the Rogue and South Coast rivers, regulations – including a harvest tag and reporting – established a winter steelhead season of Dec. 1 – Apr. 30. ODFW and public stakeholder teams developed this season and its requirements during the Rogue-South Coast Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan process.
Anglers fishing for steelhead on the Rogue River from May 1 – Nov. 30 do not need a Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation and are reminded that wild steelhead harvest is prohibited during this period. Steelhead angling regulations vary by location within this area, so be sure to check requirements for specific water bodies you want to fish.
Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation and harvest tags will be available Nov. 1, 2025.
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Contact: Meghan Dugan, 541-315-6629 meghan.c.dugan@odfw.oregon.gov
