Steelhead are a form of oceangoing rainbow trout endemic to some rivers draining to the Pacific from North America and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. They are also a metaphor for wonder and optimism.

I don't know about you folks, but I'm sure glad to see the return of more seasonable temperatures. After four or five days of 95 degree-plus temperatures, I was ready to become a statistic — almost.

The wonder speaks to the fish’s epic life cycle — a journey of hundreds of miles to the sea from its natal river, thousands of miles in the North Pacific feeding and growing, and hundreds of miles ...