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Oregon South Coast Management Plan Proposal Nearing Completion

In Oregon, Proper handling, Steelhead Etiquette by Kyle Smith

In order to continue with the opportunity to harvest wild steelhead in southern Oregon, we need better science. If we continue down the path of harvesting wild steelhead without better understanding of population and harvest levels, we could watch those populations decline to unfishable levels within our lifetime. Here’s our update on the latest…

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Meet the team: Dean Finnerty

In Meet the team, Oregon by Kyle Smith

Home town:  Cottage Grove, Oregon.  It’s a perfect location to launch steelhead trips from.  The upper Willamette and its tribs are minutes away as is the McKenzie.  The Umpqua and tons of coastal rivers are 45 minutes to an hour away.  The N.U. is about an hour away as well.  Home waters: The North Umpqua and mainstem Umpqua are my …

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Last Chance to Support the John Day Steelhead Project

In Columbia River, Oregon by Kyle Smith

We’ve seen unbelievable support from the Wild Steelheaders United community for our John Day Steelhead Project fundraiser over the past three weeks. We blew past our $10,000 goal in the first two weeks of the campaign and we’re well on our way to $15,000. All funds raised above our $10,000 goal will help our research partners purchase more acoustic tags, …

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The Science Behind John Day Steelhead Migration

In Columbia River, Oregon, Snake River, Steelhead Files by Kyle Smith

On Monday, we launched the John Day Steelhead Project raising funds for a study being conducted by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and a number of other partners. We’ve been impressed with the response to the crowdfunding campaign, with friends of Wild Steelheaders United coming together to fund $3400 towards our $10,000 …

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Support the John Day Steelhead Project

In Columbia River, Oregon, Snake River by Kyle Smith

The John Day Steelhead Project is raising funds for a collaborative research project between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, graduate students at Oregon State University, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and other partners seeking to better understand John Day steelhead migration patterns and how Columbia River dams may be impacting the health and abundance of these fish.

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Wild steelhead harvest in Oregon

In Oregon by Kyle Smith

Southwest Oregon is one of the only places in the United States where you can legally kill a wild steelhead. Regulations used to allow for one wild steelhead harvest per day, up to five per year, but in 2018 bag limits were reduced to one per day and three per year following a petition from a group of southern Oregon …