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Lower Snake plan: An opportunity, not a solution

In Idaho by Shauna Sherard

Last month, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration released the final environmental impact statement for future operations of the Columbia River System, including four dams on the Lower Snake River.

Arguing over crumbs in Idaho

In Idaho by Shauna Sherard

By: Michael Gibson The decision by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission to open harvest of hatchery steelhead despite record low returns may seem like a good thing for anglers, but it surely presents challenges for wild fish. In the upper Columbia Basin, we are arguing over the crumbs while the cake gets eaten downstream. In this metaphor, the crumbs …

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Stand up for the Methow

In Washington by Shauna Sherard

    Dear fellow anglers, I am writing to urge you to use the attached link to access a petition letter from our coalition partners “Methow Headwaters”.  This letter with signatures will be printed and submitted to the USFS as a part of the comment period for the 20 year mineral withdrawal in the Methow Valley.   A proposed copper …

Putting back the Pahsimeroi, piece-by-piece

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

By Matt Green In September 2016, Trout Unlimited partnered with the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game to rehabilitate 0.8 miles of the mainstem Pahsimeroi River to improve salmon and steelhead habitat. Over a century of irrigation, which dewatered the streams for much of the year, has left the upper Pahsimeroi and …

Smith River gets additional layer of protection

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

The DEQ voted unanimously to give the North Fork of the Smith Outstanding Resource Waters designation, which will protect the river, its tributaries, and associated wetlands from any activity that could degrade water quality. The rule will become state law effective immediately, but requires approval by the Environmental Protection Agency to take effect under the Clean Water Act.   It …

Finding solutions on the Snake River Dams

In Idaho by Shauna Sherard

  By Rob Masonis   Lonesome Larry was the only sockeye to make it from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho’s Redfish Lake in 1992. That was only one year after Larry’s fellow Snake River sockeye salmon were protected under the Endangered Species Act because they were on a path to extinction.   Despite the passage of almost three decades and …

Washington Regulations Change Due to Low Columbia Returns

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

By Jack Pokorny This summer, 130,700 steelhead are projected to return to the Columbia River system, the lowest number since 1980 according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.   Due to these projections, parts of the Columbia, Drano Lake, Lewis, Wind, Cowlitz, and White Salmon Rivers are subject to new angling regulations. Through July 31, anglers will be …

Conservation funding and steelhead

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

    By Sam Davidson The California Coast between San Francisco and the Oregon border has been a magnet for steelhead anglers for more than half a century. Legendary steelhead waters like the Eel, Klamath, Garcia and Gualala Rivers remain wild steelhead sanctuaries today, despite decades of pervasive habitat decline due mostly to dams, timber harvest, marijuana cultivation and drought. …

Tying: Stainless steel shank intruder

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

By Dean Finnerty Tying the “Intruder” with a homemade shank Over the last decade the “Intruder” style flies have probably accounted for more spey rod steelhead than any other pattern. There are as many spin-offs of the intruder fly as there are variations of the traditional hair-wing style steelhead flies.   When I was taught to tie the Intruder, we …

Bill to honor WWII Veteran and steelhead advocates advances

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

      Sportsmen and women stand behind protections for North Umpqua Washington D.C. — The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee marked up a bill that would protect more than 100,000 acres of habitat important to North Umpqua steelhead in Oregon. The Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Bill, S. 513, honors World War II Veteran, Frank Moore and …