Halfpounder steelies hanging with wild Chinook in the 12th Street Pool on the lower Eel (PHOTO: Eel River Recovery Project/Willits News)
Wild Chinook salmon runs on Northern California’s Eel River have been making a great comeback and this fall’s run looks to be the largest one since the 1950’s!
Before the first significant rains of the season, over 10,000 are estimated to have entered the Main Eel and, since fresh fish enter the system all the way into January, biologists figure the final number could hit the 20,000 to 30,000 mark!
Read the entire story at the Willits News
tom says
JD,
This is great…..it looks as though the plan implemented by the DFG and USFS are showing positive results. A combination of sound managemanet, water, spawning escapement and improved ocean conditions all have an impact on the fishery.
It seems like a short time ago when we would make an annual late Novemeber trek to the Eel’s south fork for some good, if not great salmon fishing…hard to believe it was almost 30 years ago. Here’s to the future….long live the Eel River Kings.
Ron says
The Puyallup and Green rivers would have great runs except the over netting done by the tribes…… I have seen hundreds of nets in the river some with only 5 feet in the center to allow their boats to pass…
Shawn says
Why?