Steelhead are showing signs of a surge at Bonneville Dam

STEELHEAD FISHING — Although this year’s big flows have delayed the migration of this year’s adult steelhead run UP the Columbia River, the surge has begun at Bonneville Dam — the first dam the fish hit as they come inland from the ocean.

Within a week or so, the trickle over upstream dams, including Lower Granite Dam downstream from Clarkston, should improve to more of a flow.

Last year at this time, around 200 steelhead a day were climbing over Lower Granite, the last Snake River dam before the fish head into Idaho or the Grande Ronde River.

This year, fewer than 10 a day are being counted at Lower Granite.