The Myth of the Self Healing River: Asking whether Western trout rivers can still recover on their own
- Kevin Wolfe
- Dec 8, 2025
- 3 min read
This piece is part of Sunday Cast, a weekly op-ed published in Casts That Care—our daily fly fishing newsletter. Each subscription helps support fly fishing charities, with 50% of fees donated every month. Join us HERE!
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By Kevin Wolfe | Casts That Care
For generations one idea has shaped how anglers think about their home waters. The belief that a river, given time and space, will heal itself. High water cleans the channels. Cool nights lower the temperature. Sediment settles. Vegetation returns. The river corrects, recovers, and moves forward.
