Root River weir passes 1,386 Chinook and 2,306 coho as the run slows

Wisconsin DNR crews worked the Racine Root River Steelhead Facility for the eighth time this fall on Oct. 26, in 57-degree water.

Season totals now stand at 1,477 Chinook captured, with 1,386 passed upstream, and 2,443 coho captured, with 2,306 passed and 139 used for spawning. Crews have also handled 8 rainbow trout, 6 of them passed, and 19 brown trout, all passed.

The river is running low at about 65 cubic feet per second, with water temperatures in the upper 50s. The DNR says fewer salmon are moving upstream, though rain forecast for late this week could bring fresh fish.

The next weir processing days are tentatively Thursday, Oct. 29, and Monday, Nov. 2.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Wisconsin DNR — Root River Report (Oct. 26, 2026).