Tag Archives: Steelhead

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As it happens every year in the spring, the Gualala River is closed at the river mouth by a big sandbar. Rick and I went to Gualala Point Regional Park to photograph it.

The closed Gualala River (Large) A sandbar closes the ualala River' (Large)

Once the river is closed, the mouth of the river is called a lagoon. When the river is open it is called an estuary. With the river closed it is a very safe river to kayak.

To rent a kayak on the Gualala River, here is the website for Adventure Rents: http://www.adventurerents.com/

The river will remain closed until we receive storms in the fall. Any Steelhead in the river are now trapped in luxury.

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We've had early rains, enough to fill the Gualala River to the brim.You can see that the river is almost breaching the sandbar. This sandbar closes the river every year after the rains stop and creates a lagoon.  The photo below was taken on November 19th.

Another storm hit on the evening of the 20th and when Rick and I went to the Gualala Bluff Trail to take a look on the morning of the 21st, the river was open and draining out to the ocean. The lagoon is gone, replaced by an estuary.

The Gualala opened at the northernmost portion of the sandbar. Muddy water can be seen in the ocean. Any fish, including Steelhead, that were trapped in luxury during the months it was closed were swept into the Pacific Ocean to continue their journey.

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Peter Baye was visiting friends whose deck overlooks a tributary of Fuller Creek. There he saw several large, adult Steelhead.

Steelhead are Rainbow Trout, an ocean-going fish. They are compelled to spawn in fresh water, including the reaches of the Gualala River. Native to the tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, this fish has been introduced in many other parts of the world, sometimes to negative effects. Here on the Mendonoma Coast we celebrate their appearance.

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Thursday was such a lovely day on the Mendonoma Coast. Rick and I, with Huckleberry, our Golden Retriever, walked the Gualala Bluff Trail. We were amazed to see the level of the river had dropped so low. It was, however, still open to the Pacific Ocean. And the river was so clear that Rick saw a Steelhead swimming towards the river opening.

 A couple was sitting on the sandbar when this squadron of Brown Pelicans approached.

 And "Debbie" is obviously loved! This is river bottom, usually covered with water.

 Some of the flowers currently blooming along the beautiful Gualala Bluff Trail.

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The Gualala River has the perfect color for fishing (catch and release) of Steelhead. Just look at the green color!

 Steelhead was caught earlier this week. However Saturday the river was closed to the Pacific Ocean.

 And there were thousand of Gulls and a few Brown Pelicans enjoying the sunny weather. Those in the river are washing off - you can almost hear the sounds of their flapping!

We have a storm coming in for today. It should reopen the river so the Steelhead can once again make their way into the river.