The fate of stranded post-spawn adult steelhead

Editor’s note: The following first appeared on the Wild Steelheaders United blog. By John McMillan One significant way in which steelhead differ from salmon is that O. mykiss have the ability to survive spawning and try to make the journey again. This behavior is referred to as repeat spawning. Repeat spawner rates are highly variable…

Bringing back the Big Wood

Eroding banks along the Bridge to Bridge project area By Chris Wood The sign behind the two-person Trout Unlimited office in Hailey, Idaho, reads, “Parking for Trout Unlimited only. If towed, call Dick York Towing.” It is an inside-Hailey joke as Keri York’s Dad ran Dick York Towing—the only towing business in the Big Wood…

Saving salters

By Chris Wood I admit that I am a bit of a freak about salter brook trout. You consider yourself a seasoned and knowledgeable angler, only to learn of these furtive coastal fish that occupy saltwater habitat and can grow four inches in a single winter in the salt. Daniel Webster is purported to have…

TU Takes Out Cannondale Dam After 25 Years of Trying

Driving home after removing the Cannondale Dam on my home river, the Norwalk River in Wilton, Conn., my back aching from swinging a sledge hammer, blisters on both my hands and a big grin on my face, I was reminded of Morgan Freeman’s quote from the Shawshank Redemption afterTimRobbins’ characterescapes from prison. Geology is the…

Partnership, persistence take out dam on Ausable

The Quarry Dam blocked fish passage on the Ausable River for decades. Jeff Yates/Trout Unlimited. By Jeff Yates Quarry Dam was a non-functioning concrete and wood dam rendered useless for years. The dam did nothing more than impede trout migration and warm impounded water on the world-renowned West Branch of the Ausable River in the…

‘One TU’ in Action on Vermont’s Mettawee River

What makesTrout Unlimited such a powerful force in conservation across the country is not our expertise in river restoration, led by the world’s best and most committedstaff. It’s not our 420 local chapters and state councils, led by over 4,000 passionatevolunteers who marshal our 300,000 members and supporters to take care of local streams, engage…

Voices from the River: Regulations as conservation

A recent proposal to do away with regulations on the San Juan could have impacted the fishery and the experience for anglers. Thankfully, the proposal to drop the regulations was rescinded. Trout Unlimited photo. By Toner Mitchell A rumor recently surfaced that the New Mexico Game and Fish Department was planning to eliminate two heavily…