2018 Summer Steelhead Dive Announced!
Our 2018 Summer Steelhead Dive has been announced – please join us!
SRF Conference
SRF in Fortuna, CA is this week – an excellent conference for those interested in salmon restoration work. There was a trip up to the Klamath yesterday to tour the work being done on Terwer Creek – we saw the very impressive engineering, design and implementation work aimed at increasing the complexity and resiliency to instream and off-channel habitat for salmon and steelhead. The tour was lead by Rocco Fiori, whose firm did much of the work in collaboration with the Yurok and Green Diamond. Good stuff!
Spring Float
I took advantage of the spring weather (early April, before this last wave of wet), and did a quick kayak run down the lower river. I put in at the goose-bend, and took out at the bridge. The river was running at about 1000 CFS, which made for a pretty nice float. I saw quite a few steelhead rolling in the willows, which was great. As the photo shows, I was not the only one who noticed this (photo credit: Dylan Mattole)!
California Water Bond 2018
The Mattole Salmon Group supports the CA Water Bond of 2018. For more information go to www.waterbond.org.
Pacific lamprey spawning in Mattole headwaters video & pictures
Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus or Lampetra tridentata) spawning in South Fork Bear Creek, Mattole River, King Range National Conservation Area, CA in early June 2016.
httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQas5Mmc1iI
Photo and video credit: Zane Ruddy – Fish Biologist
Juvenile coho salmon in the Mattole headwaters video
Juvenile Coho
Ancestor Creek, Mattole River, CA
June 1, 2016
httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv_fqO-hGdA&sns=em
credit: Zane Ruddy Fish Biologist
22nd Annual 2017 Mattole Summer Steelhead Dives
About the Dives
The 2017 Mattole Summer Steelhead Dive will be Friday, July 7th and Saturday, July 8th. Conducted annually since 1996, this watershed-wide survey is our primary source of information on the abundance and distribution of adult summer-run steelhead, and also provides information on the distribution of other native and non-native aquatic species.
We are excited to host this year’s dives at the beautiful A.W.Way county park. We will have a camp site reserved with limited tent space available for Friday and Saturday night. This year we are asking divers for a $5-10 donation to help us offset the costs of camping and day-use fees. There are flush toilets, hot showers and an awesome swimming hole!
Please RSVP by Friday, June 30th. The RSVP date helps us to make everything run smoother for scheduling, so we appreciate your help in responding as soon as possible.
Complete the RSVP Questionnaire by clicking the link below
Friday, July 7: We will meet at A.W.Way county park (directions below) at 8:00 a.m. Please do not be late. We will have coffee and pastries, and gear for those who have reserved it.
Saturday, July 8: We will meet at A.W. Way County Park at 8:00 a.m. When you are done diving, bring all gear and data sheets back to the park where we will host a BBQ for all of our volunteers!
Tentative Itinerary (Times are subject to change.)
Thursday, July 6th
12:00PM – Overnight camping becomes available at A. W. Way Park
Friday, July 7th
8:00AM – All Participants meet at A. W. Way; Breakfast and Coffee
8:15AM – 9:00AM Welcome, Introduction, Safety Protocol, Gear Distribution, Shuttle Information
9:00AM-5:00PM Summer Steelhead Dives
5:00PM Meet at A. W. Way to collect data sheets and relax at the camp site
Saturday, July 8th
8:00AM – All Participants meet at A. W. Way; Breakfast and Coffee
8:15AM – 9:00AM Welcome, Introduction, Safety Protocol, Gear Distribution, Shuttle Information
9:00AM-5:00PM Summer Steelhead Dives
5:00PM – Collect Data Sheets, Gear, etc.; BBQ at A. W. Way Park for Summer Steelhead Divers.
Sunday, July 9th
12:00PM – Campsite check-out time, A. W. Way Park
Gear:
Gear Needed:
- Mask and Snorkel
- Dive/Wading Boots
- Hood and gloves for colder, upriver reaches
- Wet Suit
- Dry Bag/Waterproof Container for your lunch (IMPORTANT).
- Small Daypack
Please bring your own gear if you have it! Decontaminate any gear you bring prior to arriving for the Summer Steelhead Dives. The MSG does have limited gear, but it is always at a premium for the SSD due to how many great divers we have every year (THANK YOU!). Our gear will be available on a first come first serve basis depending on when you RSVP and sign up. We will let you know prior to the dives if we cannot accommodate your gear needs. If you have extra gear you would be willing to loan to other divers, PLEASE bring it.
If you do need gear, you need to let us know ahead of time by completing the RSVP questionnaire. Please do not show up and assume we will have gear for you.
There is no pre-dive training this year, but please thoroughly read over our training packet attached before you arrive to the dives.
Camping Logistics:
If you are camping please bring your own gear and cooking supplies. Please bring your own lunches for and Saturday in a waterproof container, dinner for Thursday night, Friday night, and any additional food you may need. A light breakfast is provided each day, but please bring additional food if you need it.
To reduce waste, please bring your own drinking and eating utensils and plates for the BBQ.
First-come first-serve camping is also available at the BLM campground at Mattole Beach.
Fill up your vehicle up with gas prior to the dives in either Garberville, Fortuna, or Eureka. There are general stores with gas and some groceries in Petrolia and Honeydew, but hours and selection are limited – come prepared with food and gas.
Directions to A.W. Way County Park:
Coming from the South: on Hwy 101, take the South Fork/Honeydew exit (22 miles north of Garberville) turn left onto the Mattole road, entering Humboldt Redwoods State Park, after 22 miles you will cross a green spanning bridge over the Mattole, take a right after the bridge and follow the Mattole road for another 8 miles, the park is on your left hand side.
Coming from the North: From Ferndale, turn right onto Bluff street/Ocean Ave and your first left onto Wildcat Ave/Mattole road. Take this for 36 miles, the park will be on your right.
I know it will be an amazing time, thank you all for making our annual dive possible, and look forward to seeing you soon! Please don’t hesitate to email me if you have questions!
Feel free to forward this information to anyone you think may be interested in helping with the Mattole Dives this year!
Mattole Salmon Group
Mattole Running High
2016-01-17
This is the kind of high water that rearranges the furniture for the fish.
I dumped 4.1″ out of the rain gauge today.
Here are some photos taken of the lower two miles, just before dark as the flow reached 24,400 cfs at the Petrolia Gauge, by the bridge.
Whole trees are bumping along in the current, careening off recent plantings.
Spring Fishing Estuary Video
Chad Smith, while fishing the lower Mattole, must have sent his soul skyward to record this video. Steelhead, people and seals enjoy a spring day in the river.
Check it out.
2015 Summer Steelhead Dive – July 17-18th!
The 2015 Mattole summer steelhead dive will be Friday July 17th and Saturday July 18th. Conducted annually since 1996, this watershed-wide survey is our primary source of information on the abundance and distribution of adult summer-run steelhead, and also provides information on the distribution of other native and non-native aquatic species. For more information check out our Summer Steelhead Dive page.
We are excited to host this year’s dives again at the beautiful A.W.Way county park. We will have a camp site reserved with limited tent space available for Friday and Saturday night. We will be asking divers for a $5-10 donation to help us offset the costs of camping and day-use fees. There are flush toilets, hot showers and an awesome swimming hole!
For more information and to sign up, please contact Michelle Dow (michelle@mattolesalmon.org).
PLEASE RSVP by July 7th.