Is there anything special about a winter steelhead redd in late May? Perhaps not, in general, but sometimes if we look more closely some interesting details might emerge.
Cheaters, Liars, and Whiners: The Washington Coast Wrap-up
Wild Steelheaders United ambassador Lee Geist shares his perspective from a season chasing steelhead on Washington’s coast under new fishing regulations meant to reduce angler encounter rate.
Update: Emergency closure for some winter steelhead rivers and the Quileute Tribe’s perspective
It has been a tough stretch for wild winter steelhead on the West End of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Now, several months into the season, some of these runs appear to be even weaker than forecast. Given the alarmingly low returns of coastal wild winter steelhead so far this year, it’s not a surprise WDFW had to take additional action to protect these fish.
An unfortunate reality: Depleted Olympic Peninsula steelhead and emergency conservation measures
Last week, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) enacted new regulations coast-wide with the stated goal of reducing our encounter rates on these last, best wild runs here in Washington. This includes some serious changes to the way we fish for steelhead.
Elwha River update: habitat restoration on Little River
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has completed a two-year restoration project of Little River recently, making it more salmon and steelhead friendly. We go in-depth with this part of the tribe’s Elwha River watershed restoration work.
The Elwha: Rising From the Ashes
2020 has been noteworthy in many ways. Some of this year’s offerings (megafires, Covid-19) have been unwelcome. But for steelhead anglers and advocates, one highlight was the release of a new film in April documenting the return of summer steelhead to Washington’s Elwha River.
Meet the Team: Lee Geist
Next up in our Meet the Team series is Wild Steelheaders United ambassador Lee Geist. You may know Lee from his Instagram profile (@lee_geist) or from his frequent presence on the waters of the Olympic Peninsula. Lee contributes blog and social media content for Wild Steelheaders and makes the rest of staff jealous with the amount of time he spends …
An update on the Skagit steelhead fishery and implications for the Olympic Peninsula
By John McMillan Although winter steelhead season has begun, between the rain and snow those of us living in Washington haven’t had much of a chance to hit the rivers. That is by definition winter steelheading, however, and we wouldn’t love it so much if the weather and river flows were perfect all the time. Whether drifting or banking it, …
The General Practitioner
By: Sean Dahlquist Today’s post was graciously provided by Sean Dahlquist. Sean lives on the Olympic Peninsula, where he loves fishing for steelhead and trout, and of course, tying flies. Not only is Sean a fine tier, but he is also a historian on the topic. Check out Sean’s Instagram @sean_dahlquist page for more great patterns and examples. …
The Elwha Files: My oh my, what have we found
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 …