The Last Steelhead

In Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington by Nick Chambers

  Longtime angling author, steelhead aficionado, TROUT Magazine contributor and musician Chris Santella has created a novel way to publicize the plight of wild steelhead.   Santella’s new rock opera, The Last Steelhead, looks at the factors contributing to the decline of wild steelhead runs and “the attitudes surrounding our behaviors and policies that seem to be standing in the …

Businesses We Love: Caddis Fly Angling Shop

In Oregon by Kyle Smith

The Caddis Fly Shop located in Eugene, Oregon has been the focal point of fly fishing in the Upper Willamette Valley for the past 43 years. The shop’s competent and professional staff have been serving western Oregon fly fisherman with all their tackle, fly tying, expert advice, hosted events, conservation issues and guided fishing needs for steelhead, trout, salmon and …

School: The Joseph Rossano Salmon Project

In Oregon by Nick Chambers

We hope you can join us this weekend for two days of films, talks and fish art! Trout Unlimited and Wild Steelheaders United are partnering with local artist Joseph Rossano on a project dedicated to the preservation of wild steelhead and salmon. On Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and 14, Museum of Glass will host a makers event in the …

Run Wild, Run Free for the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

In Oregon by Kyle Smith

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Passed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1968, the Act was created “to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.” Since its passage, the Act has protected almost 13,000 stream …

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Not too hot, not too cold, the ocean must be just right

In Science Friday by Nick Chambers

Two weeks ago we were on the Dean. This week we go even further north, to Auke Bay near Juneau, Alaska, for our next Science Friday post.   The greater Juneau are is home to several rivers that host wild steelhead runs. Auke Creek is perhaps the most important of these feeder streams, as scientists at the Auke Bay Marine …

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The Life Cycle of Wild Steelhead

In Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington by Nick Chambers

Well, it is steelhead season. No doubt. “Septober” is officially underway.   To celebrate the changing season we are re-posing the question that every serious steelhead angler should be able to answer in the affirmative: Do you really know a steelhead?     Think about it, we spend thousands of hours pursuing steelhead, but how much of that time is …

Protecting the Gem of the North Coast: Support State Scenic Waterway Designation for the Nehalem

In Oregon by Kyle Smith

Photo courtesy of Ken Morrish/Fly Water Travel   Later this year, organizations and individuals across the country will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the federal Wild & Scenic Rivers Act.  Thanks to the Act, more than 12,000 miles of wild, scenic, and recreational rivers have been established nationwide including 1,916.7 river miles in Oregon.  These rivers include a who’s who …

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Science Friday: Sand bars, lagoons and moving steelhead

In California, Science Friday by Nick Chambers

Back to back Science Friday posts focusing on California and the unique challenges that steelhead face in the state. This week we pivot from juvenile steelhead coping with ponded pools to a look at juveniles that enter and live seasonally in lagoons at the mouths of creeks and rivers — a phenomenon fairly common in smaller coastal watersheds in California …

Timely & Accurate Fish Counts on Oregon’s North Umpqua River

In Newsletter: The Wild Steelheader, Oregon by Nick Chambers

Knowing exactly how many salmon and steelhead comprise a particular run is crucial for proper fisheries management.  Throughout wild steelhead range, agencies struggle with tight budgets and frequently, monitoring returning adults falls to the bottom of the priority list. Since the 1950’s the fish ladder and viewing window at Winchester Dam near Roseburg, Oregon on the famed North Umpqua river …