Russian River: Restoring Endangered Salmon


Endangered coho salmon returning to the Russian River, California
Photo by Nick Bauer

By Deborah Seiler and Mariska Obedzinski

The Russian River watershed once supported tens of thousands of coho salmon, attracting anglers from around the world. By the end of the last century, their numbers had dwindled. . .

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Orvis/TU 1,000 Miles: George Creek


George Creek culvert prior to replacement. Note width of outflow pool and overflow pipe, above right.
Photo by NNWC

George Creek Culvert Project – Nestucca River, Oregon

The Nestucca River on Oregon’s North Coast is a major producer of wild salmon (chinook, coho, chum) and trout (winter steelhead and coastal cutthroat). George Creek is a critical spawning and rearing tributary to the lower Nestucca used by all of these species.

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Western Environmental Law Center: Protecting Wild Fish


A Beautiful School of Chinook Salmon
Photo by Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Orvis Guest Blog
By Pete Frost, Attorney, Western Environmental Law Center

Protecting Wild Fish in Partnership with Orvis

“Salmon ran in runs so thick you couldn’t see the bottoms of rivers, so thick people were afraid to put their boats in for fear they would capsize, so thick they would keep people awake at night with the slapping of their tails against the water, so thick you could hear the runs for miles before you could see them.”—Derrick Jensen

This scene —a West Coast stream teeming with wild salmon—was once commonplace.

But now, everything has changed….

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Photo of the Day: Maya’s First Salmon


7-year-old Maya proudly displays her first two sockeye salmon.
Photo by Glenn Cain

How soon should kids learn to fish? Take a page from Glenn Cain’s playbook! Glenn sent us the following message as well as this great photo of his budding angler: . . .

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A 1,000 Miles Campaign Update from Idaho’s Pole Creek

Written by:  R. Chad Chorney


Steelhead must travel hundreds of miles to reach Pole Creek. TU and Orvis are helping to ensure
that these gorgeous fish reach their spawning destinations.
Photo courtesy TU

[Editor’s note: Here’s an update on one of many projects being funded by the Orvis/TU 1,000 Miles Campaign.]

In Idaho, chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout have all been listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act. That’s the bad news.

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An Upstream Journey: Dispatch #3, the Salmon of the Columbia River


Bob Rees displays a hatchery salmon that is a sad replacement for the wild fish that once swarmed up the Columbia River.
All photos by Paul Moinester

[Editor’s Note: Paul Moinester has embarked on a six-month, 20,000-mile adventure to exploring the upstream battle to protect wild fish and their habitat. He will be posting dispatches on the Fly Fishing blog throughout his journey.]

As the rain pelted down and the boat raucously shook in the choppy Columbia River, young Cole weathered the elements and fought the spring-run Chinook salmon tooth and nail. With Cole’s rod doubled over and the salmon thrashing right below the river’s grey surface, Bob dropped his net into the water and pulled up a. . .

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Video: The Good Ol’ Days in Alaska’s Katmai National Park

Here’s some great old footage, from the IGFA archives, of fly fishing in Alaska’s Katmai region. When I guided on the Alaska Peninsula back in the mid-1990s, I often wondered what things were like in the “Good Ol’ Days,” and this video offers a glimpse into that period before there was a real fly-fishing industry in the bush. I especially love the narrator’s exhortations to the angler who has hooked a big rainbow on a Dardevle spoon: “Ride him, fella! Ride him!”

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