I've been busy scouting the Campbell River for summer steelhead, hence the lack of a recent post. For you see, I was given the opportunity to aid in the release of 28,000 summer steelhead smolts into the Campbell - what a thrill! The smolts were around six inches long and came spewing out of the hose at an alarming rate. I was sporting a pair of hip waders and could feel the bewildered smolts bumping in and around my legs. I knew they were pretty fish, but these guys were magnificent. Their color changed from a sea blue to a light green depending on where the sun caught them. The enhancement project is organized by a group of volunteers and is privately funded through their fund raising efforts. This was the third year, so it is quite probable that the first years release will be finding their way back up the Campbell River this summer. Steelhead were one of Roderick's favorite fish, it is a shame that his home river has been without a summer run for over ten years, however, there is now hope that the Steelhead Society's efforts will change that. To use a quote from the movie, "Finding Nemo" I hope those little guys, "just keep swimming".
