By John McMillan Should we invest in dam removal? It’s a question that many communities, businesses and policy-makers are facing these days — partly because of aging infrastructure and financial liabilities, and partly because of legal obligations to protect water quality and recover declining salmon and steelhead populations. To that, I say: let the fish tell us what works. One …
Science Friday: The latest from the longest running steelhead monitoring project in British Columbia
Thank goodness it’s Friday. Fall is in the air and it’s time to get on the river! But first, let’s give our steelhead IQs another booster shot with a new Science Friday post. This week we have a guest writer and scientist, Colin Bailey, a PhD student studying fisheries science at Simon Fraser University under Jonathan Moore (Moore …
The Last Steelhead
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
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
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
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 …
Not too hot, not too cold, the ocean must be just right
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 …
The Life Cycle of Wild Steelhead
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
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 …
Science Friday: Some come early, some come late: Genetics of Dean River steelhead
There are a handful of rivers that every steelheader wants to fish. Among these is the Dean River in British Columbia, perhaps the most revered wild steelhead river on the planet. Not only is this river remote and beautiful, it is also home to some of the hardest fighting steelhead anywhere. The Dean’s fame as a wild steelhead fishery …