-
New TU film on Elwha River wild steelhead recovery premieres April 17
Bases-loaded home runs are few and far between in the river restoration game. But for summer run steelhead, those mysterious and long-distance traveling cousins to winter run O. mykiss, that’s what happened when two dams on Washington’s Elwha River were removed over the past decade. While the rebound of salmon and winter run steelhead in…
-
Rising from the ashes
This is a special week for steelhead anglers, and others who care about the magnificent sea-run form of rainbow trout in its native range of the Pacific Northwest. On Friday at 5 p.m. PST, Wild Steelheaders United will launch "Rising from the Ashes," a new film on the resurgence of summer steelhead in Washington’s Elwha…
-
California certifies Klamath dam removal meets water quality standards
On April 7, the long effort to restore the Klamath River and its once-prolific salmon and steelhead runs passed another major milestone when the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) issued its Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for the removal of the Lower Klamath Project. The Lower Klamath Project includes the…
-
Inspiration
Fishing lore, wisdom and humor are an antidote for troubled times.
I’ve long felt that standing in moving water feels purgative. So in troubled times my mind turns ever to fishing, especially for trout, in the clean, cold waters in which they thrive. But I’ve not done any wading lately, in any sort of water, even though it’s possible under California’s “Shelter In Place” rule. Call…
-
Postcards
I didn’t fish the opener of the winter steelhead season this year. Apparently, I have a thing about symmetry as I didn’t fish the close, either. A combination of real-life factors kept me off the water on these dates. I found solace in a petition to the Steelhead Whisperer for on-the-water reports. Thus it was…
-
More progress on Klamath River dam removal
The impacts of dams on anadromous (sea-run) fish are well documented. But today, many dams have outlived their usefulness, or become unprofitable or unsafe. Removing such dams is now a proven way to recover salmon and steelhead populations. Trout Unlimited has supported the removal or retrofitting of dams on a number of high-profile salmon and…
-
Skate punks and disc golf
In praise of urban trout streams The thought occurred to me while I was fishing under the Highway 20 bridge over the lower Yuba River in California’s Gold Country. To reach the water I had crossed a floodplain so altered by quarrying, mining and off-road vehicles that it more resembled a moonscape than a functional…
Author