Skagit should be managed wild

In Oregon by steelheaders

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 …

What happened to my summer runs?

In Science Friday, Steelhead Files, Washington by Shauna Sherard

    Editors note: This is the first in a multi-part series looking at both the decline and recovery of wild steelhead runs.    By Bill Herzog Here I am, as far into the corner of eastern Washington as you can get, waist deep in the mighty Snake River, two hander whooshing around me every few minutes. I’m immersed, literally …

What “once was” may still come for steelheaders

In Oregon by steelheaders

As steelheaders, we’re all familiar with conventional wisdom about steelhead fishing.   The fishing isn’t what it used to be.   You should have been here 50 years ago.   Stories of huge fish and numerous multiple fish days, of fishing places that no one else had fished for weeks, or months. Tales of what once was, all centering around …

Happy Birthday Wild Steelheaders United

In Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington by Shauna Sherard

By Shauna Sherard We made it. One year. 365 days passed. 365 steps toward a better future for steelhead. One year down. So many to go. There are those who thought we were crazy. Crazy in what we believed. Crazy in our attempt to unite anglers, to try to solve allegedly unsolvable problems that had plagued steelhead rivers for decades. …

Finishing the job

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

By Rob Masonis Darn lucky. That is what I consider myself for having been able to make a living for more than two decades protecting and restoring the great steelhead and salmon rivers of the Pacific Northwest. The muscular, jaw-droppingly beautiful rivers themselves have provided plenty of inspiration for my work. But the wild steelhead that swim in their waters …

The Wild Steelheader September

In Steelhead Files by steelheaders

     September 17, 2015 Hello,At last, the most wonderful time of the year is upon us – the season of wild steelhead. After a scorching summer, we are seeing rain and cooler nights and a renewed sense of urgency among anglers. It’s time to start patching waders, sorting tackle, fixing reels – time to keep one eye to the …

Wild vs Hatchery in WA: A followup

In Washington by Shauna Sherard

    This week, Trout Unlimited’s John McMillan got a chance to talk steelhead with Seattle’s King 5 network this week. At the top of his list was the debate over wild steelhead and hatchery plants and the proposal that will designate certain rivers in the Puget Sound area as gene banks. Gene banks are rivers managed for wild fish …

Recommend the Skagit, Elwah and Puyallup/White a Steelhead Gene Bank

In Live Action Alerts, Washington by steelheaders

TAKE ACTION The opportunity to make major progress toward rebuilding abundant, fishable wild steelhead populations does not occur often, but that is precisely the opportunity before us between now and August 13th. During that period the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will receive public comment on which rivers to designate as “wild steelhead gene banks” – rivers that will …

Our WDFW Gene Bank Testimony

In Washington by steelheaders

On July 21st in Seattle, Rob Masonis VP of Western Conservation at Trout Unlimited made the following testimony at the WDFW Puget Sound Gene Banks Meeting.  We encourage you to use this in information for either your online or your verbal testimony.  For more information Go Here   “Let me start by applauding the Department for moving forward with WSGB …