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 …

Rules for catch-and-release of steelhead

In Alaska, California, Canada, Idaho, Oregon, Science Friday, Steelhead Files, Washington by Nick Chambers

There is no worse feeling than bringing a steelhead to hand and seeing the gills pumping blood.   Such experiences are one of the reasons that anglers have created flies that reduce deep hookings.  Still, fishing is a blood sport, and despite our best efforts, we ultimately cannot eliminate the potential for some mortality.   While we can’t control where the …

Proposed Mine Threatens Methow Headwaters

In Washington by Nick Chambers

The Methow River is one of Washington’s most iconic rivers for steelhead fishing and other outdoor pursuits, and it continues to be a Pacific Northwest mecca for anglers, hunters, recreationists, and conservationists alike. But proposed large-scale copper mining on Flagg Mountain, within the headwaters of the Methow River, directly threatens this investment and poses a serious threat to these fish …

Better buffers mean healthier steelhead

In Oregon by Shauna Sherard

    Last week, the Oregon Board of Forestry met to consider stream buffers as they revise a rule that would determine how close timber can be harvested when next to a stream or river. The riparian rule as it’s called, stands to impact thousands of miles of water in Oregon and as such, important populations of steelhead. Increased buffers improve shade, recruit large …