Native Coastal Cutthroat and steelhead water on a coastal rainforest stream

About This Site

This webpage is all about fly fishing for native salmonids, which include trout, salmon, char and their relatives. These fish exhibit an incredible amount of biodiversity and I have done my best to document it here. While there are numerous books and websites with illustrations and information on trout and salmon, there are relatively few that include actual photographs. On my trout and salmon page I have compiled pictures as well as information on species and subspecies of trout and salmon that I have caught. My blog features the adventures behind collecting these photographs, as well as news about the native trout populations and their conservation. This site also features information on a variety of fly-fishing destinations, as well as tying instructions for some of my favorite flies. All the pictures on this page were taken by me or my friends unless otherwise stated. It is my hope that this site will help to raise awareness of the biodiversity found in our native salmonids and the threats that they are facing, so that we may be better stewards of these beautiful fish.

Me with a native Coastal Rainbow Trout caught as part of a research project

About me

Fishing has been a part of my life for about as long as I can remember. I have lived in the Puget Sound region of Washington State in the USA for my entire life and as such I have been fortunate to be surrounded by amazing fishing opportunities. In 2003 I started my quest to catch and photograph as many native trout and salmon as possible and I continue to pursue this quest to this day. My passion for native trout has been a driving force in my life and has led me to pursue a career as fisheries researcher and biologist. From 2013 to 2017, I took a hiatus from my native trout quest to attend graduate school at the University of Washington. While at the University of Washington, I got my master’s degree doing research on the interactions between resident Rainbow Trout and juvenile steelhead on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I spent 11 years as a fisheries scientist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, specializing in issues surrounding hatchery wild interactions for salmon and steelhead, and steelhead life history and marine survival patterns. In 2022, I joined Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative as their Steelhead Science Advisor.

Updates

This site and its companion blog will be updated periodically, so be sure to check back from time to time.

  • September 18, 2024: I have added the two new naturally occuring hybrid species to the Trout and Salmon Page, the Chumook (Chum x Chinook) and the Chumpy (Chum x Pinks (aka Humpy).
  • August 4, 2024: I have added the Wood River Redband Trout to the Trout and Salmon Page.
  • September 29, 2023: I have added a page for the Greenback Cutthroat Trout with pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of their native range.
  • September 1, 2023: I have added the Greenback Cutthroat to the Trout and Salmon Page (write up for the Greenback Cutthroat to be added in the future). I have also added a page for the Colorado River Cutthroat Trout with pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of their native range. Additionally, I have added new pictures to the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout and Green River Cutthroat Trout pages.
  • August 17, 2023: I have added a page for the Green River Cutthroat Trout with pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of their native range.
  • August 9, 2023: I have added the Upper Skagit River Rainbow Trout and San Juan Cutthroat Trout to the Trout and Salmon Page (write up for the Upper Skagit Rainbow Trout to be added in the future). I also added a page for the San Juan Cutthroat Trout, which include pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • July 13, 2023: I updated the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout page, with new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • May 19, 2023: I added a page the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. It includes new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • April 28, 2023: I have added a page for the Bear River Cutthroat Trout with pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of their native range.
  • December 23, 2022:I have updated the Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat Trout page with updated information on its status and life history, additional pictures and a new interactive google map of their native range.
  • December 17, 2022: I added a page for the Neoboreal Westslope Cutthroat Trout. It includes new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range. I have also updated the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout page with updated information on its status and life history, additional pictures and a new interactive google map of their native range.
  • November 3, 2022: I added a page for the Salmon River Westslope Cutthroat Trout. It includes new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • September 28, 2022: I added a page for the North Fork Clearwater Westslope Cutthroat Trout. It includes new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range. I have also added additonal pictures to the Clearwater-Eastern Cascades Westslope Cutthroat Trout page of the fluvial life history form.
  • July 28, 2022: I added a page for the Missouri River Westslope Cutthroat Trout. It includes new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • July 20, 2022: I have added the Quinn River Cutthroat, Bonneville Cutthroat and Tiger Trout to the Trout and Salmon Page (write up for Bonneville Cutthroat and Tiger Trout to be added shortly). I also added a page for the St. Joe Westslope Cutthroat Trout and the Quinn River Cutthroat Trout. They include new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range. Additionally, I have updated the page for the John Day Westslope Cutthroat Trout with new pictures of the stream resident form.
  • January 11, 2022: I added a page for the Clearwater-Eastern Cascades Westslope Cutthroat Trout and the Coeur d'Alene Westslope Cutthroat Trout. They include new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • December 10, 2021: I have updated the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and Humboldt Cutthroat Trout pages with updated information on their status and life history and a new interactive google map of their native range.
  • November 24, 2021: I added a page for the John Day Westslope Cutthroat Trout. It includes new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • November 22, 2021: I added a page the Clearwater Headwaters Westslope Cutthroat Trout. It includes new pictures, information on its status and life history and an interactive google map of its native range.
  • October 26, 2021: I have updated the Coastal Cutthroat Trout page with updated information on their status and life history, additional pictures and a new interactive google map of their native range.
  • September 28, 2021: I have updated the White River Redband Trout page with pictures from a recent trip. I have also updated the Columbia Basin Redband Trout page with new photos, updated information on their life history and status and a new interactive google earth map.

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Last Updated September 30, 2024 4:23 PM