By now, you have probably heard steelhead returns to the Columbia are well below the most recent ten-year average. As a result, places like the Methow River will not be open to steelhead angling this fall. In short, that is a bummer. There has been much speculation about the causes for the decline and potential fear that changes …
Juvenile steelhead doing what it takes to become a smolt: You grow in summer, I’ll grow in winter
Another Friday, another blog post on the science of steelhead. We love this day of the week! Our topic this week is the growth of juvenile steelhead. Did you know that the growth rate of steelhead can vary depending on the season of the year? This variation in growth rate can be considerable. There are a number of reasons that …
Steelhead biology for anglers
One thing you will notice about anglers who have spent a lot of time on the water, and I mean a potentially unhealthy amount of time on the water, is they catch fish. This can be frustrating to new anglers who are just learning to steelhead fish and spend many fishless days casting. There is no substitute for time …
Time to rethink what you thought you knew about steelhead
John McMillan I bet we all think we know what a steelhead is: a rainbow trout that goes to the ocean and returns to spawn in freshwater. I agree. But, new research indicates that the definition may not be so simple. Jason Hall, a researcher with NOAA in Seattle at the Montlake Lab (Northwest Fisheries Science …
Asotin Creek – WDFW update
By Ethan Crawford, Fisheries Biologist – WDFW Asotin Creek Project An earlier blog post described the great resiliency of wild steelhead in Asotin Creek and noted that this resiliency is in part due to a combination of a variety factors: improved habitat quality, increased spill at hydroelectric facilities, good ocean conditions, and a great reduction in hatchery origin steelhead spawners, …
Life history diversity: dispersing risk
By Brian Hodge Just as investors diversify their portfolio of assets to minimize financial loss, fisheries managers may diversify their portfolio of conservation strategies to minimize species loss. Another fishy analog for the “portfolio effect” comes from the steelhead—it reduces risk of extinction by displaying a diverse array of life histories, or pathways from hatch to spawn. My colleagues and …
Fire and Steel
By Tim Frahm The Soberanes Fire on California’s Central Coast offers some lessons for protecting and restoring steelhead habitat before and during wildfires California’s central coast is world renowned for its rugged, scenic beauty. But relatively few know of the technical steelhead angling found here, in streams such as the Carmel River and San Carpoforo Creek that tumble out …
The Green Mile
The Green Mile By Bill Herzog Every steelheader greedily guards their favorite stretch of water. A smile inducing section that – more than anywhere – measures up to your ideals. This guy is no different. My cold weather place is always my first choice on gas burning day. Top of the list daydream inducer. The distilled definition of my winter …
Yakima Basin Integrated Plan presents next step in steelhead recovery
By Justin Bezold, Project manager, Yakima, WA No easy, one-size-fits-all solution to steelhead recovery exists in Washington; the state’s western third is often wet and lush, seemingly with water to spare year-round. The eastern two-thirds are arid and sparse, with dry streams common during critical steelhead migration and spawning periods. While part of the underlying cause to low …
Skagit should be managed wild
Wild Steelheaders United, call for Skagit River watershed also to be managed for wild steelhead CONTACT: Rob Masonis, 206-491-9016, rmasonis@tu.org John McMillan, 360-797-3215, jmcmillan@tu.org SEATTLE – Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited praised the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s decision, announced today, to designate the Elwha and Nisqually Rivers as Wild Steelhead Gene Banks. The groups strongly urged the agency also …