Steelhead fishing will be allowed beginning Saturday on parts of the Skagit and Sauk rivers.

The season will run through April 15.

State and tribal fishery managers estimate 7,019 wild steelhead will return this year to the Skagit River and its tributaries.

That number hits the benchmark — 5,000 fish — that allows the state to open a recreational fishery.

The estimated return is an increase from a low of 2,502 fish in 2009.

The fishery was closed for eight years before restarting in 2018.

Most recently, the fishery was again unable to open in 2020 and 2022 due to low numbers.

Last year, 5,215 wild steelhead were expected to return, and managers ended up estimating that a total of 7,307 fish completed their journey.

While the estimated population is still a fraction of historical numbers, it’s a sign that the steelhead population is enduring for now, said state Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Biologist Andrew Fowler.

“We’re basically holding steady,” said Fowler.

“If you’re looking around, comparing it to other (river) systems — I’m happy we’re holding steady.”

Fowler said there is a lot that fisheries managers do not fully understand.

“It takes quite a few years,” Fowler said, to know which way a fish run’s population is trending.

For now, fishers are celebrating the small increase.

“There is a slight uptick in the forecast for winter steelhead (this year), which on a positive note will provide harvestable fish for the state and tribes on the Skagit this year,” said Upper Skagit Indian Tribe policy representative Scott Schuyler.

“Steelhead is culturally significant, as the formerly large runs historically sustained our people throughout the long winter months. Rebuilding the steelhead runs has been, and will continue to be, a priority for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe.”

Fishing will be allowed on the Skagit River from the Dalles Bridge to Cascade River Road, and on the Sauk River from the mouth to Sauk Prairie Road.

Fishers must catch and release wild steelhead, but can keep two hatchery steelhead.