Steelhead Beach
By Brenda Adelman
The name of the park, Steelhead Beach, conjures up visions of fishermen crowding the beaches in anticipation of their catch. Steelhead runs were legend on the Russian River and are all but gone now. And so are most of the fishermen. No longer do you see the river crowded with men (and some women) in hip boots, throwing their long lines into the running waters, hoping to snag a beautiful fish that they knew were just waiting for them. Fish stories were abundant prior to the 1990’s at King’s Bait and Tackle, and Pat’s Restaurant nearby. But times have changed.
How ironic. For years fishermen and recreationists clamored for more public river access, since about 90% of the access is privately owned. Yet about two years after the park opened (around 1997), Steelhead trout populations were declared threatened by the National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS). That happened about the same time that Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park grew by leaps and bounds, along with their water demands and their wastewater discharge needs, and new wineries burgeoned like mushrooms.