California Trout

10/16/2026

CalTrout decided to design a stream simulation that, unlike the fish ladder from 1956 with its straight edges and deep drops, could allow all native fish, not just the good jumpers, to make their way through. The design mimics a natural creek.

10/15/2026

Cold water spilling over boulder cascades, deep pools waiting in the shade of a basalt gorge. For the first time in decades, salmon and steelhead can follow Ótakim Séwi (Big Chico Creek) through Iron Canyon and on to 8.5 miles of the cold, spring-fed habitat they need to survive.

But this was never just about fish. A healthier creek means a healthier Bidwell Park, Chico's most-loved public space. It means more resilience to drought and wildfire, a stronger food web for the creek's native fish and wildlife, and a place where the next generation can see restoration up close. When a river heals, fish, wildlife, and people all feel it. 🌿

Hear from the people who made it possible, in their own words on what they did, what it took, and what comes next for this creek. The fish are next. Steelhead could be among the first to make the trip this winter. 🐟

Huge thanks to our partners in the Ótakim Séwi Fish Passage Collaborative: Mechoopda Tribe, City of Chico - Government, Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, and to our funders National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Parks California, California State Parks, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Decades ago, a 1956 fish ladder originally built to help fish in Ir...

10/15/2026

🏆 New category this year in the Fish Water People Photo Contest: Best Eel River Watershed Photo! 📸

Our first-ever Eel River winner was chosen by the community. Attendees at the Eel River Expo in Fortuna voted in person for “After a Rain” by Mary Ann Machi.

Mary Ann captured this scene along the Avenue of the Giants one December day, when fall color, stormy skies, and rare winter light came together.

A lifelong Humboldt County local, Mary Ann grew up at Shelter Cove, where her father photographed the community for nearly 40 years. She picked up a camera in her early 20s and never stopped. Flowers are her favorite subject, but she shoots everything from seascapes to macros and is a big fan of intentional camera movement.

“Humboldt County has so much beauty. I aim to capture what I can.”

Congratulations, Mary Ann! 💚 And thank you to everyone at the Eel River Expo who cast a vote and celebrated this wonderful watershed with us.

Thanks to our Fish Water People Photo Contest partners at California Fly Fisher!

🔗 Check out the full list of winners and the stories behind the shots: https://caltrout.org/photo-contest

10/10/2026

This month, join us for Big Springs Community Day! Our teams are getting excited to welcome our community to witness one of nature's most incredible spectacles - spawning Chinook salmon in their natural habitat! 🐟

This is your chance to:
🔹 See salmon up close during their spawning season
🔹 Listen to talks at the water’s edge on the local ecology, nature journaling, salmon life history, and more
🔹 Learn about local habitat restoration efforts
🔹 Connect with neighbors and community partners
🔹 Enjoy a beautiful day outdoors with the whole family and friends

📅 Saturday, October 24 | 10am-2pm
📍 Big Springs Ranch Wildlife Area, E Louie Rd, Montague, CA 96064; Google Maps coordinates 41.588079, -122.441916
💰 Completely FREE!

Who is planning to join us? Share this with anyone you know who might be interested in this event.

Visit CalTrout’s event page to learn more: https://caltrout.org/events/big-springs-community-day-2026/

10/10/2026

👏 Exciting habitat restoration news coming to you from the Shasta River!

CalTrout has received a grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board to restore habitat at Big Springs Ranch Wildlife Area, one of the most important cold, spring-fed reaches in the Shasta River watershed.

Here's what this work means:
🐟 For fish: better spawning and rearing habitat give Chinook, coho, and steelhead a real chance to recover
For water: restoring natural stream processes keeps this critical cold-water reach cooler and more resilient through dry seasons
🫂 For the community: we're working side by side with neighboring landowners, Tribal partners, and the state to build lasting impact in the watershed
🚸 For the next generation: Siskiyou County students will get hands-on with salmon and river science at Big Springs Youth and Community Days

Thank you to the Wildlife Conservation Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Karuk Tribe, Yurok Tribe, and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for making this possible.

🔗 Read more here: https://caltrout.org/news/caltrout-receives-wildlife-conservation-board-grant-to-advance-habitat-restoration-on-the-shasta-river/

10/08/2026

🏗️ 🐟 Restoration in the Shasta-Cascade region just keeps moving and grooving! CalTrout has secured National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding to restore streams and reconnect floodplains along the East Fork Scott, a key tributary to one of California's largest salmon-producing rivers.

This one tributary holds about 60 miles of potential salmon and steelhead habitat, roughly 20% of the Scott River watershed's capacity. But decades of mining, grazing, and water diversions have cut these streams off from their floodplains.

With this funding, we're adding three more years of restoration across the Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve, building on this summer's completed project at Noyes Valley Creek.

And it's not just about fish. Healthy floodplains recharge groundwater and keep streams cool and flowing through dry summers, support beavers and other native wildlife, and give Tribes, students, and local communities a place to connect with the river.

Thank you to The Wildlands Conservancy, Karuk Tribe, and all our partners who make this work possible. 💙
🔗 Read the full story here: https://caltrout.org/news/caltrout-secures-noaa-funding-to-advance-multi-year-restoration-of-the-east-fork-scott-river/

10/06/2026

📸 Meet our Emerging Photographer winner!

Congratulations to Sophie Mori for this majestic shot from the 2026 Fish Water People Photo Contest. Sophie was finishing her evening stroll around a lake, and noticed this Great Egret standing beside her. "For a few minutes before he took off, he stopped and gazed directly at me. After what seemed like a beautiful eternity, he pushed off and flew over the sunset-kissed, golden lake."

👀 🌱 Our Emerging Photographer category celebrates photographers ages 18–25, and if there was any doubt, the future of conservation storytelling is in great hands. 🎣

Thank you, Sophie, for sharing your view with us. We can't wait to see where your lens takes you next!

🙏 Huge thanks to our partners at California Fly Fisher, and to everyone who entered and voted this year!
🔗 Check out the list of winning pics and the story behind them: https://caltrout.org/photo-contest/

10/06/2026

🐟🌸After four years, the instream work for the Iron Canyon Fish Passage Project is complete, restoring access to 8.5 miles of critical cold-water habitat and reconnecting a stretch of watershed that has sustained fish, wildlife, and people for thousands of years! Read more in ChicoER!

A historical breeding ground for chinook salmon and steelhead trout in Chico is finally open after decades of their passage being blocked by non-functioning fish ladders.
Read more below

10/05/2026

Host Dave Schlom is joined by Charles Schneider, a Connectivity Program Manager for California Trout, to discuss the human and natural history of California's third-largest watershed, the Eel River.

10/03/2026

🏆 What a year for the California Trout Fish Water People Photo Contest, hosted with California Fly Fisher! With 370+ submissions, choosing the winners was no easy task. But one shot rose to the top. Our GRAND PRIZE winner, "Fish On!" by Stephanie Skiff, shows the beauty in seeing bears doing what they're supposed to be doing: "hunting for their own food and passing this skill on to their cubs."

🐻 "As you can see, the fish was fighting for its life, flipping back and forth over the bear’s snout. It’s all a very interesting dynamic. The spawning fish are drawing in bald eagles, osprey, mallard ducks, merganzers, bobcats, coyotes and of course the hungry bears that are packing on food for the winter months."

🔗 Check out the link to see all the winners: https://caltrout.org/photo-contest