Dear Barbara,

wild, majestic river mouth
wild, majestic river mouth

I wish you could have seen the San Lorenzo River displaying its wild and majestic side last Friday morning.The river mouth was wide open due to the season high tide and storm. The water rushed upstream, scrubbing the river clean of the last  toxic algae levels from early Nov., tugging the tule under a blanket of waves.

wave blanket
wave blanket

The few brave COMMON GOLDENEYE by the Trestle bridge nonchalantly maneuvered the rowdy currents by diagonally crossing the river. All the other river birds had taken the approach of least resistance and gathered at the Riverside Ave. bridge, where the water had calmed its turbulent exuberance.

Since nobody seems to fish above Water St bridge I bet you didn’t know that Steelhead fishing season opened. Down here I am busy talking to any angler unless he is standing hip deep water. So far I haven’t seen or heard of any angler landing a fish. Two weeks ago an angler was floating 3 ‘ above ground, jubilating that a huge amount of Steelhead and Salmon had just passed under the Riverside Ave. bridge, heading towards the ocean. Then an angler repeated previously heard news: Coho had been fished from the river this year. A few days ago a worried angler grumbled that some Steelhead and Coho- devouring Striped Bass traveled upstream. Meanwhile the OSPREY is feeding itself quite well from the river.

feeding OSPREY
feeding OSPREY

What I find confusing is why the San Lorenzo River got opened up again for Steelhead & Coho fishing, when all these Federal/ State/County/City efforts are made to stabilize the endangered, fragile fish population. Clearly I am missing some facts/data why the fishing season wouldn’t undermine the hard work of these agencies.

I am also confused about your much appreciated head up for the Pump Track in the sensitive nature Benchland. Not being sure about the exact location of the proposed Pump Track, it’s hard to figure out if construction would be necessary, causing the Calif. Coastal Commission to weigh in. Isn’t that area boggy, which could cause the Pump Track to shift/sink? How many kids can use the Pump Track safely at the same time? Is there any data/info/reviews about kids staying engaged with this activity? I am looking forward to gathering more info. and let’s keep each other in the loop about our findings.

Always changing river greetings from jane

3 thoughts on “NEW RIVER SEASON

  1. Thanks for this close-up description of outflow of our watershed!

    The interaction between the river and the ocean is fascinating and overwhelming. The river mouth is the membrane between two worlds,which, for a short while is interpenetrated. The force of the river pushing back the ocean is amazing!

    The life of the river and its inhabitants depends on that thin membrane and it’s cyclic changes.


  2. No, I didn’t know all that about the anglers! So glad you are keeping us all informed on this front. And as for the elephant in the living room, i.e. fishing for an endangered species, I think it is all about industry and recreation trumping wildlife protection. Nobody gets to kill the endangered marbled murrelets because they aren’t a money-maker. Who is the state protecting – the fish or the fishermen?


    1. That is the “Gretchen” question, isn’t it? I’ll be doing some more exploration on that topic & will share what I discover( or not).
      As I said= I am confused about this issue since I don’t understand how/why fishing season opening gets determined. So much to explore & know about the river…endless.


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