By Mark Taylor First came the stench. A putrid, heavy, disgusting aroma. Dead fish on a hot summer day. There is nothing quite like it. On rivers with heavy salmon runs it’s expected, coming after the fish complete their one-time spawning run, in death providing nutrients to ecosystems that will support their soon-to-hatch fry. But…
Doug Ouelette, Sagebrush Trout Unlimited Chapter board member, with a 21-pound Lahontan cutthroat trout caught at Pyramid Lake in Nevada. Courtesy photo. By Brett Prettyman If you dream of landing big trout chances are you have heard of the mighty Lahontan cutthroat of Pyramid Lake in Nevada. While the native fish approaching 30 pounds are…
Recently NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency responsible for recovering marine and anadromous fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act, released new recovery plans for spring and summer Chinook salmon, and steelhead, in the Snake River. The Snake is the largest tributary to the Columbia River. Its runs of salmon and steelhead have declined dramatically…
The North Fork of the Smith River. Dean Finnerty knows good steelhead water when he sees it. Finnerty, a lifelong resident of Oregon and longtime fishing guide, says the headwaters of the fabled Smith River are “some of the best habitat for wild steelhead, anywhere.” Indeed, the remarkably lucid green waters of the Kalmiopsis region…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2022 Media Contacts Brian Johnson, Trout Unlimited — bjohnson@tu.org; (415) 385-0796 Curtis Knight, California Trout — cknight@caltrout.org; (530) 926-3755 Mark Rockwell, Fly Fishers International — mrockwell1945@gmail.com; (530) 559-5759 Klamath River: Federal Environmental Review Confirms Prior Analyses that Dam Removal Benefits Far Outweigh Risks Washington, DC—Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission…
April 24, 2018Tomorrow the U.S. House of Representatives will take up a bill, H.R. 3144, which would undercut the prospects for salmon and steelhead recovery in the Columbia River basin in the Pacific Northwest. HR 3144 offers a regressive response to the challenge of keeping the Columbia’s legendary salmon and steelhead runs viable while ensuring…
The author has waived the white flag. The dandelions win. By Chris Hunt As I shoved the back of my fishing rig full with the last of the gear the other day, I had that ominous feeling that I was being watched. I turned around quickly, only to see my neighbor disappearing into his garage,…
One of our first rainbows in Alaska. I now find it hilarious we took a picture of this teeny little buddy. By Jenny Weis “I forgot people even target fish that small,” a veteran Alaskan guide quipped while paging through an intro level fly fishing instruction book with a photo of a colorful but small,…
Lady Anglers! Join JHTU and many partnering organizations this Saturday, August 4th at WorldCast Angler’s free instructional and informative fly fishing day at the Snake River Sporting Club. From 11 am to 4pm choose from Fly Casting, Knot Tying and Rod Rigging, Fly selection/Entomology and Drift Boat/Raft set up and trailer tips from instructors and…
The author shows off a bright steelhead pulled from a Great Lakes tributary. By Chad Tokowicz Fly fishing is more than a hobby. The sport has allowed me to develop a closer relationship with the various places I have called home. Fly fishing helps me align with the rhythm of the natural world, providing a…
High water rolls over a low water bridge on the Roanoke River. Damage to the bridge has resulted in the access road being closed, which will impact trout stocking plans this fall. (Mark Taylor photo)
By Mark Taylor EDGEMONT, N.C. — The Wilson Creek area of Caldwell County continues to grow in popularity as more people discover the area’s rugged beauty and recreational offerings. On Nov. 3, several hundred people gathered at the Wilson Creek Visitor Center throughout the day to celebrate the area on the occasion of the 50th…
By Mark Taylor EDGEMONT, N.C. — The Wilson Creek area of Caldwell County continues to grow in popularity as more people discover the area’s rugged beauty and recreational offerings. On Nov. 3, several hundred people gathered at the Wilson Creek Visitor Center throughout the day to celebrate the area on the occasion of the 50th…
Each week, dozens of volunteers head afield in the East as part of Trout Unlimited’s citizen science efforts. In the mid-Atlantic region much of the effort has been focused on TU’s shale gas and pipeline monitoring efforts. Jake Lemon, who heads that program, recently reached out to three dedicated volunteers to find out what drew…
Trout Unlimited applauds Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Peter DeFazio and Jared Huffman for their leadership and commitment to protecting Oregon’s fisheries and public lands from activities that could harm salmon, trout, and steelhead populations and world famous angling opportunities. Last week, these lawmakers sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke…
Trout Unlimited has received funding from the U.S. Forest Service, through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, to plant nearly 17,000 trees along coldwater streams in Michigan. The project, “Reducing Runoff in the Rogue River Watershed,” aims to address stormwater runoff that pollutes, erodes, and warms the important western Michigan trout fishery by planting trees at…
Join us January 6 for a brown bag discussion about bringing back fishable and resilient populations of salmon and steelhead to the lower Snake River. Presenters: Rob Masonis, vice president western conservation, Trout Unlimited Helen Neville, senior scientist, Trout Unlimited When: Jan. 6, 12 pm PST Register in advance: Email sstephenson@tu.org for call in info For…
Stakeholders gathered for the last of three meetings in the Tri Cities Monday night to discuss recovery of Snake River salmon and steelhead. The meetings were part of the Washington Lower Snake River Stakeholder Process. Rob Masonis, vice president for western conservation at Trout Unlimited and one of the panelists told the crowd of nearly…
Last week Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) turned up the volume on the issue of recovering Snake River salmon and steelhead. Not that the issue wasn’t front and center for him before. He has been battling to find ways to bring back Idaho’s dwindling salmon and steelhead populations for years. But now that a long-anticipated Draft Environmental Impact Statement has outlined a “business as usual” approach – indeed, the preferred alternative does…
The Snake River has, by far, the greatest potential for wild fish recovery of any watershed in the Columbia Basin. Historically it produced about 40 percent of the spring/summer Chinook salmon and 55 percent of the summer steelhead in the Columbia system. Annual run estimates prior to the 1850s exceed two-million fish for all…
