Asotin Creek – WDFW update

In Idaho, Science Friday, Steelhead Files, Washington by steelheaders

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, …

The Green Mile

In Washington by steelheaders

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 …

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Steelhead in Orlando ICAST/IFTD report

In Steelhead Files by steelheaders

Each year in Orlando the entire fishing industry gets together for their trade show,  ICAST/IFTD. It’s the place where everyone who makes a living off the tug on the end of a hook gathers to see what is new, take orders from dealers and learn about trends in the industry, including conservation issues.   With so many industry professionals present the …

Rivers of Resilience – Wind

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

The Wind River, a tributary to the Columbia River just above Bonneville Dam, is, at only 224 square miles, a substantially smaller drainage than the Yakima. It receives more precipitation and thus is dominated by forests and industrial timberlands. The Wind River has had some habitat restoration but nowhere near the extent of the Yakima, but that is also because …

Rivers of Resilience – Yakima

In Science Friday, Steelhead Files, Washington by Nick Chambers

It can be hard to maintain faith in the steelhead world.  As noted in the recent article by Bill Herzog, it seems like we are losing wild summer runs faster than we can recover them. I would hedge that many, if not most, anglers feel the same.   Steelhead are not disappearing for lack of effort though. Frankly, it’s amazing …

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 …

Catch and Release is not a Crime

In Washington by Nick Chambers

Occupy Skagit April 30, 2016 Howard Miller Steelhead Park Rockport, WA   Drift boats full of steelhead anglers plying emerald green waters are a common fixture of Northwest Rivers in late winter and spring.   However this is no longer the case in Puget Sound where spring steelhead seasons have been closed for nearly a decade.The Skagit River was arguably …

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 …