The Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced some important changes in the steelhead seasons for our region. First of all it is now allowed to keep hatchery, fin-clipped steelhead that are caught with circular holes punched in the tail fin. This is in effect now and will continue through the end of the season, and the season is being closed soon on the Wenatchee River and certain stretches of the Okanogan River. The Wenatchee River will close to steelhead fishing on midnight on Sunday the 28th of February. The wild fish mortality quota will have been reached at that time, so Wenatchee River anglers are done for the season. It was a dandy, too. I will have details on how anglers fared on the Wenatchee for you later. On the Okanogan River, the sections to be closed on March 15th include the areas around the mouths of Omak and Bonaparte creeks. Most anglers who fish the Okanogan are familiar with the closure areas, but to get the fine details, log onto my site, FishingMagician.com, go to the Links Page and click on Department of Fish and Wildlife and click at the bottom of the Recent News item. This will lead you to the Freshwater Emergency Rule changes, and will find the news release with all the details.