Let's Be Honest For a Moment

I was thinking about this latest entry all day and taking inventory on my own fishing life as I did.
I think there is an evolution many anglers go through in their angling pursuit. I know I went through it and am still evolving into the fly fisherman/conservationists I want to be. The emphasis is on conservation for me mostly and while I still dearly love casting a dry fly to some waiting trout or waking a "Bomber" across a pool in hopes of raising a steelhead my first love is wild fish, clean water and everything that entails.
So where are you in your angling journey? Permit me to ask a few questions. This is not a quiz or anything and will not be scored but hopefully it will cause some of you to rethink your outdoor experience especially those tied to fishing. So here goes!
Are you unhappy when you are forced to release a wild trout, salmon or steelhead? Do you insist on having a hero picture taken with every fish you land no matter what condition it is in? Do you exaggerate the size of your fish by holding it way out in front of you?
Do you get uneasy when your bait supply is getting low? This next one is for Pacific Northwest residents primarily...do you fish for chum salmon on river where their numbers are very low? Do you put shrimp juice on your fly in order to catch more cutthroat trout while you desperately try to convince yourself and others that you are a fly fisher? Do you post about the 40 or 50 "trout" you hook but never bother to learn how to identify salmonid smolt?
Is your freezer full of salmon, tuna or sturgeon that is freezer burned? Do you kill fish and then say "I really don't like salmon that much" and give most of it away?
Have you ever said "Well it's good enough to smoke!"
Do you fish for trout, salmon and steelhead when water temperatures are high? Can you be found fishing in the upper river when wild salmon and steelhead are spawning? Does your blood boil when sea lions, Caspian Terns and gill nets are mentioned?
Do you feel the Columbia river Native American tribes are greedy? Well that's it, How did you do? Did you answer honestly?

I know said this quiz won't be graded but I will tell you this much. If you answered "Yes" to even one single question and still make it a habit to practice this thing then you are, in terms of angler evolution or maturity, still a neanderthal. Yes friend you are a knuckle dragging, self centered, half wit that hasn't learned a damn thing! I have nothing but scorn for those of you that never get past the "Me First" ideology that so many are guilty of.
I will also say this. At one time I would have answered "Yes" to most of these questions myself.
I decided to be curious and grow. beyond "Catchin' a nass mess of feesh".Today I can unequivocally say that I will emphatically say "No" to all of those questions.
While this may sound like I am patting myself on the back I'm really not. It proves that an old, broke down fly fisherman like me can still learn and so can you!
Think about it

...and the Beat Goes On

You children of the 60's must certainly remember the old Sonny and Cher song "The Beat Goes On" don't you? Well I thought I would liken it to what the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is doing to wild salmonids in Oregon.
The beating, trampling and mismanaging our wild coldwater fisheries just keeps going on.
Looking back into recent history we can see the blitzkrieg that ODFW has launched on wild salmon,steelhead and trout. I will briefly review what has transpired in just the last 10 or so years as ODFW "beats" on wild fish.
The steelhead broodstock programs is perhaps the biggest blunder these "stewards" have foisted upon the state of Oregon. Ask anyone, who isn't a bait guide, on rivers like those in the Tillamook basin how few steelhead redds they are seeing since this program has gone on.
Then the total mismanagement of chinook salmon statewide. Whether it's the Columbia river or the coastal regions the state of Oregon's salmon populations, specifically chinook salmon, are in serious trouble. Ask anyone who fishes either area and they will tell you just how bad it is. ODFW went so far as to close specific rivers and areas to the retention of chinook salmon BUT they are allowing business as usual on coho salmon. They will even allow the harvest of wild coho in the same rivers where the chinook closure is taking place.
Then there is the "Angling Opportunities" excuse to pillage wild trout and steelhead populations. Sure enough ODFW is once again casting an eye towards the wild winter steelhead on the North Umpqua. In less than two years after first protecting these fish ODFW is going to try to push across a harvest of wild winter steelhead. Doesn't matter that it was only last October that the commission decided against a harvest.
Seems to me that there should be some kind of asterisk after each regulation that protects wild steelhead.
* We at ODFW reserve the right to pull the conservation rug out from any wild steelhead population if it can increase license sales So really nothing is safe these days. Whether it be coastal cutthroat trout, chinook and coho salmon or wild winter steelhead when it comes to being responsible stewards there truly aren't any sacred cows.
The thing is with a looking fee increase on just about every tag or license the state of Oregon is about to price themselves out of the game.
There are few if any "blue ribbon" coldwater fisheries in this region anymore but still the fight for what scraps are left goes on.
Folks it really does suck being such a cynic but reality, being what it is, forces me into this position.
I would much rather talk about the great strides our fish and wildlife departments are making in the preservation of our coldwater fisheries but for every small step forward that Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife makes they take two huge steps backwards.
Groups like Trout Unlimited and Native Fish Society are the proverbial John the Baptists, crying out in the wilderness of failed hatchery programs and disappearing salmon runs.
For those of you that buy an angling license in Oregon and Washington. Don't you think it's time to hold these people accountable for their mismanagement?
Next year the biennium budget process for ODFW will begin anew and it will be your chance to see these bureaucrats in action. Go to a regional budget meeting and ask pointed questions about what this state agency is doing with our money.
The experience is eye opening!

Know Your Coastal Cutthroat Trout - UPDATE

Update - 7/20/09
The biggest fear that we had when ODFW proposed the harvest of coastal cutthroat trout on the north coast is being realized.
Anglers on the various PNW fishing forums are posting that they are hooking 40-50 "trout" in the upper reaches of coastal rivers. They claim these fish are no bigger than 10"
So obviously these are salmon and steelhead smolt and if they are in the upper river they are no doubt wild.
I would venture a guess that the over all harvest of actual cutthroat trout this season is minuscule. The damage to wild salmon and steelhead smolt could be severe and everyone know that these little fish are very aggressive and will take just about anything put in front of them.
The alarming thing is that ODFW staff cannot identify smolt themselves so how are they going to help uneducated anglers.
I am bringing this post back to the front because this is something that ODFW should be doing but are not doing.


ODFW is allowing a harvest of 8" minimum coastal cutthroat trout this season. While that is bad enough the potential of the public mistaking juvenile salmon and steelhead for harvestable trout is even worse.
For those of you wishing harvest a cutthroat trout this season and hopefully there are none that read this blog, here are pictures of what to look for.
Instead of killing any wild cutthroat trout how about turning them loose! Not much of a meal to be had with a couple of 8" trout don't you think?
Also remember any cutthroat over 16" with an intact adipose fin cannot be harvested.
Want to kill something? There will be plenty of large hatchery broodstock steelhead youngsters available....just sayin'


This is a typical coastal cutthroat. Note the highlighted areas



This is a steelhead smolt that will be encountered along the coastal streams of northwest Oregon.



This is a coho or silver salmon smolt



This is a Chinook or King salmon smolt

Home Brew and the Metolius

Before we talk about beer, which I'm sure is a subject very near and dear to the hearts of many of you I wanted to share with all of you the good news about the Metolius river. The fight to keep destination resorts and more golf course the hell out of the Metolius basin and it's surrounding areas has been won and the governor of Oregon will sign the bill to protect it into law.

Here is a press release from Central Oregon LandWatch

July 10th, 2009
This coming Wednesday, July 15th, Governor Kulongoski plans to sign House Bill 3298, the Metolius Protection Act of 2009, into law. This historic bill signing is scheduled to take place at the Wizard Falls Hatchery, located at 7500 Forest Service Road 14, just a few miles downstream from Camp Sherman, at 10:30 am.

The event is open to the public, so if you want to see history in the making, we'd encourage your attendance.

Thank you again for your support on this historic campaign, and congratulations to everyone on a momentous victory. We hope to see you at the signing ceremony.-

Erik Kancler
Executive Director, Central Oregon LandWatch


This is fantastic news! I cannot say enough about how special this river and it's watershed are. A magical place is the best way to describe it. There is no need for rich, fat cats to tee up beneath the Cascade mountains of Central Oregon. I believe that anyplace such as the Metolius should forever be protected and there are many such places in Central Oregon.
This is a huge victory for, not just Oregonians, but all who love the few wild and wonderful areas of our planet.

Now on to the home brew portion of this epic entry.
I received, as a gift, a home brewing set-up last Christmas. I've long wanted to brew my own beer but never got around to it.
The first two brews were very popular, as any good beer is bound to be, and I actually got very little of it and do mean very little. I also didn't get back the empty bottles that people swore an oath to return.
So brew number 3 is mine and mine alone. Oh I might begrudgingly share a bit with some of my free loading friends and family but this stuff is mine. It's quite a labor of love to do home brew and I'm sure I could get multiple cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon for the money I spend on putting this all together... but hey it's also cheaper to go to Safeway and buy fish right?
I just wish I could make my own single malt scotch but them "dern revenuers" would come and bust up my still.
Now the bottled brew will sit for a couple of weeks before I try one out. I hope I didn't add too much corn sugar which would cause the bottles to explode.
Have a virtual home brew with me this summer and I wish you could partake with me after a pleasant day on the river pursuing trout on dry flies.
Cheers

‘Expertising’ and critical thinking skills by Erik Helm

Once again my Wisconsin comrade Erik Helm of The Classical Angler has hit the nail on the head and I want to share his wisdom with you not familiar with Erik's blog.
While it might come off as me being lazy for linking some one else's post here on my blog that is not entirely the case.
Erik is a much better writer than me and with this latest entry he, once again, expressed precisely what I have thought for many years since the internet phenomena has gripped every aspect of our lives and created many fishing "Superstars"
Thanks Erik

‘Expertising’ and critical thinking skills

Everyone who has caught a fish on a flyrod is an expert. That is what one would think when visiting online fly-fishing forums. A topic often begins when somebody new to the sport or someone pushing into a new angle of the sport asks a question such as “What line should I use with this new rod?”, or ”Which running line would work best for me?”

The forum then fills with all kind of answers, both good, bad, and ugly. Some ‘experts’ often fail to place themselves in the shoes of the questioner or ask probing questions before bestowing their ‘sage’ advice.
The forums become a sort of ‘catch 22.” On one hand, somewhere in all the answers is probably some sound advice, but on the other hand, how is one to tell the difference?

Critical thinking skills can help here.

First, if you place a question on a forum, in order not to receive inaccurate or superfluous information one must frame the question properly. Give the question structure and do not leave it open-ended. Instead of asking “What X thing should go with my Y thing?”, tell a little about yourself, where you are coming from, and why the question is being asked in the first place. Give some history as to what spurred the question. Detail the tackle you are using and where the applied solution is to take place: which river, lake, etc.

Then comes the fun part, picking your way through the answers. Ask yourself these questions:

One: Who is answering the question and why? Do they have a hidden agenda? Do they represent a tackle company? Are they a guide or on a ‘key employee’ program and get the gear they recommend for free?

Two: How much precedent does the person have? If you ask for opinions on running lines and someone tells you “I use ‘X’ and it works for me.”, has the person used any other line? In other words, gage the depth of knowledge and the width of knowledge of the person answering the question.

Three: Does the person ask follow-up questions in order to clarify the question? Most solid answers and sound advice comes with follow-up questions.

This will help to sort through all the answers from the ‘experts.’ It surprising how much both good and bad information is out there. When I ran a fly shop, it was common for somebody to come to me with some sort of prejudice due to asking a ‘buddy’ or consulting a forum. Sometimes it was too late to dissuade the customer from an inappropriate decision.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing…

Skagit Master

The Deschutes! You Can Never Have Enough To Say

I've written a lot about this river in the three years that "The Quiet Pool" has been in existence but I can never seem to adequately express my feelings after I visit there.
There is just something about the Deschutes that I find over whelming and intimidating. Part of it must be the imposing canyon walls that stand over me like some sort of brooding giant. In the morning, when the sun first starts peaking over the canyon rim to splash the opposite canyon hillside with light, it's a most awe inspiring feeling. To me it's like I am the only person on this wild river and the dawn is the first time my senses get to gather in what I am seeing. At any given time there might be a couple of thousand river user along the central Oregon river but it never seems crowded and it is one place you can experience real solitude. I've never been on another river where I feel that way.
I've always had a fear of the Deschutes. Not an irrational phobia or a sense of foreboding mind you, just a fearful respect of a place that cannot be grasped. I've been going to the Deschutes since 1974 and there is really no ordinary visit there.Whether it is the wind, which has it's own personality, or the canyon which is unfathomable in it's size. The many formidable rapids on the Deschutes taunt the unwise and punish the inexperienced. I've only float this river a few times and it was always in someone else's boat but those few times made an indelible impression.
Of course there are the legendary "serpents" of the Deschutes but I've never been fearful of them once I learned what to expect. As it is I have had only three encounters with rattle snakes and never was in danger of getting bitten.
My visits to a coastal river are mostly a blur except for the memorable trips that always revolve around steelhead or trout. The feeling when I am on the Metolius river is completely different. The Metolius is like a fantasy river. You want to immerse yourself in all that is around you and while it's is lovely in a different way I do not find it intimidating.
I am not a religious person by any means but is it reasonable to think that the river is a holy place?
As far as the fishing goes it's just another trout river mostly. I've fished more productive streams a lot closer to home. The cutthroat trout rivers near me have certainly yielded bigger fish that come to my fly. Fishing the Deschutes and trying to describe it leads to all kinds of sugary cliches and I won't even go there.
While the Deschutes is visited by countless people who use the river for recreation I would bet that those who care about this river experience something different every time they go.
I am not talking about the casual rafter who see the Deschutes as little more than a set of rapids to float blissfully through.
For those who fish this river of rivers what is the emotional you feel while visiting?
It's futile to try to explain the river. I know that there have been many writers with a lot more talent than me that have been left speechless when trying to convey their feelings on something that moves or inspires them. I cannot claim to be a writer and have probably abused good grammar and good punctuation over the span of this blogs existence so pardon my amateurish prose. All I can say to you that have never been on the Deschutes or the Metolius for that matter. Just go and see what best describes your visit there...you will never be the same I promise.

The Dumbing Down of the Northwest Salmon Problem

As I browse this so called world wide web I am constantly amazed at some of the things I read. The internet is a vast source of information but it's also a vast network of dumb ass people.
I'm no Einstein mind you but my God! Are people really that dumb?
Take the Pacific Northwest for instance. As I read various fishing forums and communities I am hardly ever surprised at the ignorance I encounter especially when it comes to common sense fishing issues.
As I've discussed here more than a few times we have a major catastrophe facing our salmon returns. The fish are just not there and so the great unwashed masses are trying to affix blame for why that is happening. The more learned people realize that ocean conditions coupled with a myriad of contributing reasons are what have us in the situation we have now.
These dumb shits that have somehow figured out how to not only log onto the internet but have actually learned to communicate their ignorance to the masses...thank God for Spell-Check right?
We have those that believe that sea lions are the big culprit in disappearing salmon and the state should allow open season on them by actually allowing the use of high powered rifle to "assassinate" the offending pinnipeds at Bonneville dam. Sheer brilliance huh?
There are those who want to blame every shore bird from Caspian terns to cormorants to mergansers for the missing salmon. Of course with far too many of these idiots the use of firearms is the most simple solution.
Then there is that nuclear physicist from Tillamook Anglers that blames marauding schools of cutthroat trout for devouring all the little salmon and has applauded the killing of these wild trout.
Oh it gets better folks!
From the down playing of the role of dams, habitat loss and other human intervention this mass of seemingly lobotomized "harvesters" has all the solutions to bringing back our salmon and it almost always involves the eradication of some other species.
It's all pretty sad actually. These not only don't get it but I think they are just dangerous. Like I said we should never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. All one need do is look at the effect that conservative talk radio has had on the weak minded hoards.
So instead of solutions all that is happening is a bunch of finger pointing and the wild salmonids of this region lose and so do those of us that are capable of abstract thinking.

The Metolius Now and Forever!

For those of us that love this magical river this is a day to celebrate. For those of you that have never visited the Metolius you owe it to yourself to come here.
The fishing is tough but who cares? To just be there is enough.
Thanks go to all who spent a lot of hours working to protect this rare gem the people of Oregon cannot properly express the appreciation we feel. To those who sent letters and contacted the legislators from their district.....simply thank you.
The Metolius River at Camp Sherman

House Votes to Protect Metolius
HB 3298 designates Metolius Basin as Area of Critical State Concern
SALEM – House Democrats today provided the crucial votes to pass House Bill 3298, which will protect the future of the Metolius Basin. The bill solidifies in law the unanimous recommendation of the Department of Land Conservation and Development to declare the Metolius Basin as an Area of Critical State Concern.

“Many people, over many years, have been waiting for this. Today my colleagues took historic action to ensure that Oregonians will get to enjoy the Metolius River for generations to come,” said Clem, the bill’s author.

The legislation that created Oregon’s land use planning program, Senate Bill 100 (1973), authorizes designation of areas of critical state concern. On April 2, 2009, the Land Conservation and Development Commission recommended to the Legislative Assembly that the Metolius River Basin be designated an area of critical statewide concern.

“The Metolius is truly a state treasure,” said House Democratic Majority Leader Mary Nolan (D-Portland). “Tom McCall is doing cartwheels. Today, we finally realize his dream.”

HB 3298 is supported by Central Oregon LandWatch, Oregon Hunters Association, Sierra Club, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Native Fish Society, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Oregon League of Conservation Voters and Trout Unlimited.

House Bill 3298 cleared its last legislative hurdle today after passing out of the Senate over a week ago. The bill now goes to the Governor for his expected signature.

Happy 50th Trout Unlimited

There is not another conservation organization in this country that has done more for cold water fisheries than Trout Unlimited.
Formed along the Au Sable river 50 years ago TU has made it it's mission to protect all wild trout and salmon and their influence has been felt throughout the country as they work hard for our precious resources and fisheries.
I am a proud life member of TU and when I was contemplating where to best spend my conservation dollar there was no question that it would be with Trout Unlimited.
TU is not a fly fishing club! That fact must be established in order for TU to accomplish it's conservation work. If you are looking for an organization where you stand around smoking you meerschaum pipe while sipping a fine brandy or single malt and discuss the merits of using a Light Cahills on shy browns then TU is certainly not for you. If you desire to see our coldwater fisheries survive many more generations then I urge to give us a look.
Oh sure the various chapters do have social outings where fishing is involved but the impetuous is conservation.
I think we fly anglers cannot owe enough to Trout Unlimited for the work they have done over the last 50 years. I am honored to be a member and I were my TU patch with the pride of knowing my dollars and my efforts are going to something bigger than hooking a bunch of nice trout.
Thanks TU for all you have done!

Hatchery Smolt City...With Apologies to Jan and Dean

Wild Steelhead Smolt



HATCHERY SMOLT CITY (Sung to the tune of Surf City)

I got a 9 foot graphite 4 weight and I call my Burkie

Hatchery Smolt City here I come

I cast my fly into the riffle and the line starts gettinn' jerky

Hatchery Smolt City here I come

Well it's not a cutthroat trout or a wild rainbow so it's off to another coastal river I gooooo!

Well I'm going to hatchery smolt city where it's one to one
I'm going to hatchery smolt city but it's sure not fun
Yeah I'm stuck in hatchery smolt city where it's one to one
I'm here in pellet head city where wild cutthroat trout used to run

ONE HATCHERY SMOLT ON EVERY CAST

The rivers are full of salmon and steelhead smolt. Please handle all wild smolt carefully and pinch your barbs. Please crush the heads of all hatchery smolt, adipose fin clipped, like the vermin they are as you release them back into the river. You'll be doing all wild salmon, steelhead and trout a favor.

Bored Out of My Skull

Here it is the first day of summer and I'm bored to tears! Cutthroat trout fishing sucks! It's too early for Deschutes steelhead and a drive over there for trout is becoming cost prohibitive.
I'm running out of things to bitch and rant about here on this blog so what's a retired old guy to do?
Well there are some excellent clamming tides this coming week and so I could join the rest the Pacific Northwest and dig my 15 razor clam limit but that would require me to actually get off of my lazy ass and make a little effort. Because of a bad back I would take my daughter with me to do the physical stuff with the gun and shovel.
I could also go to the Clackamas and swing some flies for summer steelhead but the chance of actually hooking one are as unlikely as me looking good in a spandex body suit although I could use the practice.
I could fulfill my wife's ultimate fantasy and clean the house or do yard work! Yeah right! Refer back to the spandex remark for the likelihood of that happening.
What a vexing situation I find myself in.
So if any of you are willing to come by and pick me up at about noon, I like to sleep in you know then take me to your favorite, can't miss, trout or steelhead honey hole. Then make sure all I have to do is step out of your vehicle and start fishing then maybe I can get out of this boredom.

It Is Fish We Desire After All!

This entry is a continuation of what I posted yesterday. I thought of all these clever concepts while on the river today not catching any fish.I fished four different rivers in search of cutthroat trout I did manage one small fish.
We fly fishers have a tendency to romanticize our sport a bit and I am as guilty as anyone.
There have been many books written about fly fishing that talk about the beauty and the magic of this type of fishing and I agree with all of it!
Let's face it though, we want to catch fish! We wouldn't travel to rivers like the Madison or the Kispiox if we didn't want to catch fish. We wouldn't travel to exotic locations like Belize o Christmas island if we we didn't want to catch fish.
So I am asking simply this. Is it reasonable for us to expect or even demand our wild fisheries be managed in a way as to insure that there are fish to catch and of course release? Hey I would completely leave certain rivers alone altogether if it mean the recovery of wild salmon, trout and steelhead.
I'm not talking about hatchery fish here either. I wouldn't lose a bit of sleep if every hatchery in the state of Oregon were to not be funded and therefore closed. The state does not owe us fish to kill....remember that!
I have no qualms about calling out the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on their gross mismanagement of our wild salmonids and I will continue to do so in a not so pleasant way.
Remember from my last rant where I am asking ODFW where the hell the fish are? Well I know at least a few people at ODFW look at this blog and I would offer them to comment on anything I say here and would even let them do a post if they so desire.
So while we write and talk about the beauty and "zen" of fly fishing it would be nice to have a few wild fish to pursue wouldn't it?

Where's The Fish?

Here I sit early in the AM in anticipation of another fishing trip to the north coast in pursuit of coastal cutthroat trout.
You may remember my lamentations about my previous two unsuccessful fishing trips. My expectations for tomorrow are low.
When we fought the battle to prevent the harvest of cutthroat trout ODFW fish biologist Robert Bradley made claims about how numerous these trout were and how their populations could sustain a limited harvest of two fish a day with an eight inch minimum.
One Oregon Clam Diggers Association, who lobbied heavily for the proposal, member invited me to come with him and see this huge bio-mass of trout that were in the coastal rivers. We heard all about the trout killing heritage these folks wanted to pass down to their grandchildren. We heard from Tillamook Anglers about the ravenous cutthroat trout that devoured huge numbers of salmon and steelhead smolt.
So in 2009 we have this new regulation that allows this harvest. All the pieces were supposedly in place to bring back angler interest on the backs of these wild trout. ODFW's claim of increased angling opportunities and the chance to let juvenile anglers kill their catch because after all that is what will get them excited about fishing in Oregon and buy fishing licenses.
Well guess what friends? The cutthroat trout are safe! Why? Because they aren't there! As Clara Pell, of the old Burger King commercial, would ask "Where's the beef?" I'm asking where's the fish?

I know where to go to find these fish and I have not found them and neither have others. I've found large numbers of hatchery smolt who seem to inhabit the various pools and riffles that in years past held cutthroat trout but I've found no cutthroat trout in these places.
The early season is usually not prime time to fly fish for cutts but if you know where they are you can hook a few before the water gets too warm. That has no happened this year.
I saw the numbers decline and so did a lot of other people but ODFW, desperate to sell tags and licenses, basically cooked the books to convince the commission that this kill fishery was a good idea.
Did they lie? I won't go that far but I will say the population estimates were misleading and exaggerated at best and misrepresented deliberately in order to get this harvest approved. I also think a bit of it was payback against the conservation organizations and various individuals that have made ODFW look foolish over the years.
My last trip out I got the chance to vent to a young ODFW fish checker who made the mistake of asking me how fishing was. I told her that the harvest of these trout was a horrible idea from a state agency who has had it's share of bad ideas over the last 20 years.
I assured her that I did not blame her but she still got an earful.
So this pot of gold at the end of the angling rainbow that was dangled like a carrot in front of the nose of the imaginary angling hordes has not happened. Where are the cutthroat trout? Where are the happy kids with their stringer laden with their prized catch of two dinky fish?
Maybe the public wasn't clamoring to kill a few trout after all and that is why the coastal rivers are deserted and maybe, hopefully someone is paying attention to what ODFW is doing with our cold water fisheries!

There Is Beauty in Fly Fishing

I know you are probably tired of looking at my ugly mug so meet April Vokey of Flygal

April is the real deal in fly fishing and, in case you haven't noticed, she is easy on the eyes. She can actually catch fish without having to smear shrimp scent all over her fly in order to do it!
Besides her great website here is a link to her blog April's Blog

VICTORY!!!!!

I won! After a long and protracted battle I can finally claim victory! After many months of misery and the outpouring of a lot of money I can now savor the fruits of victory.
What is it I am victorious over you ask? I finally found and repaired the annoying leak in my favorite pair of breathable waders. Hey it might not mean anything to you but after countless wet pant legs and many tubes of expensive Aquaseal I pinpointed the leak and declared a jihad on it with more Aquaseal. I water tested these old Dan Baileys and the result was as dry as some of my dumb jokes.
I know some of you can identify with a favorite pair waders that you just can't let go and that was what these waders are to me.
These waders walked up the Deschutes canyon many time and fell into the Nestucca,Wilson,Kilchis and Trask rivers with me many more times, much to the amusement of various fishing buddies I might add, and those prat falls we what probably gave me the leaks in the first place.
So my other pair of waders can breathe a sigh of relief as they will get a break from keeping my fat ass dry.
The old Baileys will live to fight another day!

Using the Good China by Erik Helm

The following was written by my friend and fellow blogger/fly fisherman Erik Helm from Wisconsin . You can find Erik's blog at The Classical Angler....enjoy!


Years ago I remember an inspirational speaker on NPR talking with great humor about her mother and her habit of saving the "good stuff" for later or guests. She kept a beautiful set of china well polished and cherished in a separate cupboard which was rarely if ever used, and reserved for very special occasions and important guests. After her mother died, the speaker was dissolving her mothers possessions and came upon the "Good China" in perfect condition and began to pack it away. "Wait a minute" she thought, life is too short...USE the good China.

Aha.

What a motto to live by. Yes, life is too short. Eat the melon when it is ripe, pick the daisy, suck the marrow out of life. Use the good China.

I am an orphan, and have lost both parents in recent years, and in dissolving first the family home, then Mom's possessions, and then finally Dad's possessions I came across that saving mentality again and again. Both parents were of the depression generation, so they saved everything. I mean EVERYTHING. This is a generational trait but got out of hand. Some of the most treasured objects were rarely if ever used. They were too good to be used. So they never got the joy of actually using the good China.

Recently when going through my reels I came across a 31/2 " Hardy Bougle' MK IV. I had put it away years ago because I did not want to get it nicked or scratched. There it sat with no line on it, much like Dad's rifles that were never shot and hand built rods that were never fished. I pulled out a little backing and listened to the pleasant click as the reel happily sang a tune. Then I had an epiphany. I have boxes full of precious spey and dee flies that I dare not fish. Why? Why not? What am I saving them for? Why not use the good China? Why save all the treasured possessions so that when I am old and gray and full of sleep I can look back on memories that were missed, but treasure an unscratched reel or a fly that never was tested or swam?

No...

Use the good China. Tempus Fugit. Ars Longa Vitae Brevis!

Spool up that Bougle' laddie... the river is a callin!

It's My Fault...and Yours Too!

I am walking alone along the deep green canyons of a lush coastal rain forest and while I should have felt joy at being here and enjoying the beauty of this river all I felt was discouragement and sadness.
I should have felt lucky to be able to fly fish in this pristine place but I just couldn't feel that way.
As I watched the multiple aquatic insect hatches of the evening I should have seen the surface of this small coastal river come alive with trout rises but there were none.

The coastal cutthroat trout that I sought were not there! In the early season I should have had several hook ups but all I could manage was a few hatchery smolt.
So who is to blame for dismal early coastal trout season? I am of course and so are you!
It would be easy to blame ODFW for their mismanagement of this wild trout population but who was it that sat by silently while this state agency appointed incompetent people to be stewards of these wild trout? We did!
It would also be easy to blame profiteering internet fishing forum owners who made money off of these wild trout but gave nothing back but who is it that populates these personality cult forums and send money to them? In the past I certainly did and I'll bet a few of you did too!
I've gotten a few "atta boys" for my work last year in trying to stave off a wild coastal trout. It did wonders for my ego but in reality someone should have said "Hey Shane, where the hell were you 15 years ago when we started to see the demise of these trout?" That would have no doubt offended me at the time but in reality I would have had nothing to say.
When I first came to the Pacific Northwest some 36 years ago I was rabid to catch as many fish as I could. I was obsessed with it and thought the notion of conservation and especially catch and release were for nut jobs like Bill Bakke.
Little did I realize that all these years later I would admire Bill as a pioneer in wild salmonid conservation.
I would bet that even a man like Bill Bakke would say he wishes he could do more.
I was perfectly satisfied with killing my limit of salmon or steelhead and thought little of the warning signs that the enlightened folks of the time were telling us about.
So here we are in 2009 and our cold water fisheries are in serious and quite possibly irreversible trouble!
We didn't do enough when all this damage could have at least been slowed and because of our apathy we are where we are today. Face it folks we blew it! I think I can safely speak for all of us in saying that. We can take a bit of satisfaction in knowing we did realize what was happening to our fisheries but was it too late?
I can't say except there is damage that cannot undone all I know is I waited too long to get involved. Are you involved? Did you wait too long?
Folks I would like to be optimistic about the future of our wild salmonids but reality is a harsh mistress and it cannot let me be hopeful.
Can we, at least, sustain what we have and avert further damage? Absolutely we can but it should not take an old fool like me to motivate.
Look around and see what needs to be done! Attend meetings and make your voice heard!
Bitching about the lack of fish to catch on an internet forum will do nothing.
If you have the means to support groups like Trout Unlimited or Native Fish Society then please do so.
The bottom line is, and I've said it before, apathy will kill more fish than any incompetent fish and wild life biologist, gill netter or hydroelectric dam will.
By doing nothing we become nothing more than enablers.

What Are You Smoking?

I gleaned this wealth of wisdom from a popular Pacific Northwest Fishing Forum and just could not resist a retort.

The following quote is from one David Johnson, a popular bait guide on the north coast. So to make sure that David's reply is in proper context let me post here the post that got his goat. The whole thread deals with the closure of the Nehalem river to fall chinook angling but I want to focus in on some specific statements David Johnson makes.

I didn't mean to imply that the guides were the sole problem to the Nehalem. If you read my earlier post I said that the guides can have a negative effect on all of the river systems that we are having declining runs on.

It almost seems like ODFW is managing the fishery for the guides.

If you attend any of the meetings it is clear that ODFW has a very special relationship with the guide lobby.


Here was Mr.Johnson's reply


I wish I did drugs because I'd ask for what you're smoking.

ARE YOU KIDDING?

The ODFW Commission is about as unsupportive of the guide industry as they could be. Have you seen how many times they have bent us over in the last several years?

Some people just don't get it. If there are few fish in a run then there are going to be few fish caught. It's not like guides are going out and still catching 20 fish a day.

And when the runs are low and less fish are caught because of it then the pressure is down and less fish are harvested. In effect it's self regulating.

The bios know that there are less fish caught when these runs are down but they have to close it for political reasons more than anything.

BTW, the bios in Tillamook have their act together. They do know what they are doing. They do have the fishes best interest in mind and they do know when and if a there can be a fish harvest on different systems.

Why do I feel the need to reply you might ask? I've spent a few years trying to combat the adverse effect the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, specifically the Tillamook regional headquarters of ODFW, have had on wild salmonids.
Case in point is the steelhead broodstock programs on the Nestucca, Siletz and Wilson rivers. These rivers are all coastal tributaries in the Tillamook watershed and the broodstock programs have had an adverse effect on the wild steelhead populations. This is a fact and is undisputed except for ODFW and the bait guides, like Mr.Johnson, who are absolutely orgasmic over this program. Why do they love it so? It gives them a late winter season to run their guided trips that in the past they never had.
Yes these bait guides lobbied hard for this program and yes ODFW fell all over themselves to provide these GUIDES this late season bonanza of hatchery steelhead and why is that? Simply put it benefits these bait guides the most! No ifs ands or buts. They get to give their clients a chance at the returning broodstock hatchery steelhead at a time of year when in the past only wild steelhead were present. This is all at the expense, of course, of those wild winter steelhead. You know how I've railed on this blog about the steelhead broodstock and if you haven't then simply go my entry on 02/25/09 called "The Great Broodstock Boondoggle AKA Bait Guide Welfare" for the details of this program.
These bait guides also could book trips for the collection of those wild steelhead to harvest eggs and milt to make wild fish into hatchery fish and all in the name of helping wild fish they would claim. In fact one of these bait guides thought it was just wonderful that these returning broodstock HATCHERY steelhead could spawn with wild steelhead and therefore there would be an increase in the wild steelhead population. Wonder where this bait guide got his info? Could it have been one of those great biologists from the Tillamook office?
Everyone was supposed to be happy right? Well they didn't expect that this program to be detrimental to the wild steelhead on the above listed streams.
So Mr. Johnson can say that he and his fellow bait guides friends care about wild fish when in fact it appears that they are harming them. Intentionally? That is not for me to say but I will say this much. Angling for wild winter steelhead has been terrible the last couple of years and why is it?
David Johnson is one of the best bait guides at getting his clients into fish. That is an undisputed fact! He is second to none in putting hatchery steelhead in the box. However I think he misses the point in what the poster said that Mr. Johnson reacted so strongly to.
ODFW has accommodated bait guides like David Johnson to the point that they have hurt wild fish.
I am not making this stuff up folks! ODFW gave the bait guides of the north coast what they thought would be a wind fall. It was indeed just that the first couple of years but numbers of harvestable hatchery broodstock returnees have spiraled downward. Not only are the broodstock fish missing but so are the wild fish that pay the price of this folly.
The bottom line is this. ODFW biologists do not have the best interest of fish in mind but absolutely, especially wild winter steelhead. They have accommodated guides like David Johnson and others! So David I would have to ask what are you smoking because it is evident that your have a different take than what is really happening So don't "Bogart That Joint" dude! I would invite David Johnson or any north coast bait guide to rebut everything I've written here.


On another note your favorite blog "The Quiet Pool" turned three years old today. Thanks for reading.

Is ODFW Using A Magic 8 Ball To Manage Our Wild Fisheries?

What a fun bunch the people at ODFW (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife) are. These crazy guys seem to just make up native fish management as they go along. Did you hear the latest? ODFW regional biologists claimed that there is an abundance of coastal cutthroat trout. The rivers were full of these wild trout and having a harvest on them wouldn't make a dent it their populations they claimed. Doesn't the thought of eating a few of these coastal beauties make your mouth water?
On opening day the ODFW conducted a coast wide creel survey and guess what!?!?!? Fishing was abysmal! So where were all these fish? I was skunked for the first time ever on every one of my favorite early season runs....hmmmm! Those of us that intimately know the status of the cutthroat trout population were screaming about the dangers of a harvest years ago. WE told them in 2000, we told them in 2004 and we told them in 2008!
Oh it gets better folks.
ODFW is predicting a huge return of wild coho salmon on the coast and is going to allow a harvest of these salmon for the first time since the mid-nineties. Meanwhile the wild coastal fall chinook returns are in the proverbial toilet and so ODFW is going to tighten regulations in order to protect these fish to the point of closing some major fall chinook rivers this fall.
Okay let me see if I have this right. We're closing rivers to protect dwindling chinook populations but allowing a slay-fest on wild coho salmon in these same rivers and at the same time! Sheer brilliance!I could fill pages with the foibles of this state agency charged with protecting and enhancing our cold water resource.
How about this one. ODFW has planted hatchery rainbow trout in the Yamhill river for the first time in many years. This river has a very fragile wild coho, steelhead and cutthroat trout population and in fact you could probably count the returning adults on one hand the numbers are so minuscule.So hell yes let's dump a bunch of hungry pellet head trout in the midst of these wild fish.The biologist claimed that the wild smolt would have left the system by the time of these plants! Where did he get his degree? From ebay? I am beginning to think that the powers that be at ODFW are using one of those magic 8 balls to plot their strategy for fishery management.

All kidding aside friends. This agency is run by a bunch of people who are trying to justify their existence and conjure up ways to invigorate lagging license sales and by allowing the exploitation of wild salmonids to accomplish that goal. So I believe it's time to ratchet up the heat on ODFW. I want to see those creel surveys from Memorial Day weekend and I want to know where the countless thousands of these phantom cutthroat trout are. I want to know how ODFW intends to manage both a restrictive Chinook fishery and a kill fishery for wild coho at the same time in the same rivers?
Come on ODFW shake that magic 8 ball and let's see what kind of answer you come up with.
More on these topics as time goes on but I am seeing people motivated to hold ODFW accountable like never before. Will it do any good? Hell yes it will!

Some Thoughts on Angler Etiquette

Courtesy of The Red Shed Fly Shop

"TREAT OTHER ANGLERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED"

"RESPECT OTHER ANGLER'S FISHING SPACE,DO NOT LOW HOLE"

"ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION TO SHARE A RUN,START BEHIND OTHER ANGLERS ALREADY FISHING"

"WHEN FISHING A RUN WITH OTHER ANGLERS MOVE DOWN A COUPLE STEPS AFTER EACH CAST IS FINISHED"

"AFTER YOU LAND A FISH GET OUT AND GO BACK TO THE TOP OF THE RUN"

"HELP A NEW ANGLER IF IT'S OBVIOUS THEY ARE HAVING TROUBLE, OFFER USEFUL TIPS, SHARE A FLY OR TWO"

"WHEN FISHING CATCH & RELEASE USE TACKLE HEAVY ENOUGH TO LAND THE FISH WITHOUT A PROLONGED FIGHT"

"RESPECT PRIVATE PROPERTY, ASK FIRST,LEAVE GATES AS YOU FOUND THEM"

"PROTECT THE RESOURCE, DON'T LITTER"

"REPORT GAME LAW VIOLATERS"

"RELEASE ALL WILD TROUT and STEELHEAD"

"LIMIT YOUR KILL, DON'T KILL YOUR LIMIT"

That's the Ticket

Today is opening day of the 2009 coastal and high lakes trout season here in Oregon.
Despite the obvious defeat we suffered last fall at the hands of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife commission concerning coastal cutthroat trout I intend to double my efforts to save wild fish.
What do I have in mind? I will legally "harvest" legal size and adipose clipped "trout". So those over sized hatchery broodstock steel...I mean "trout" smolt that I encounter while pursuing cutthroat trout for catch and release? They will die!!! If legal size (eight inch minimum)I will harvest up to two a day. Those same "trout" that are smaller and adipose clipped I will gently release...ah yeah that's the ticket.
I would encourage all of my Oregon fly fishing brethren to do likewise.

ODFW sez...Kill 'em and Grill 'em

The day that I have long dreaded will become a reality this Saturday. Anglers will be allowed to harvest two wild coastal cutthroat trout beginning that day.
A lot of us worked our asses off tying to get the commission to see the folly in this harvest but it was to no avail. "Angling opportunity" won the day and it will be a sad and shitty day this Saturday.
Will I ever see a day that I can just enjoy fly fishing? A day when one won't have to worry about a state agency, that was charged with protecting our wild fish, doing everything they can to destroy wild salmon trout and steelhead? I know there won't! There will always be those that cannot see beyond saving their own miserable ass among the bureaucrats and fish biologists wannabe at ODFW. There will always be those who only see a wild fish as something to kill and it will always be up to those who are willing to do more than lip service to protect these wild fish.
So to those of you that care, and I know there are many that read this blog who truly do care and I consider you my friends and comrades in fight for this wild resource.
To those of you that are salivating like Pavlov's dog at the thought of a few tasty trout all I can say and putting it as bluntly as I can you are the enemy. You are just as complicit as ODFW is in the destruction of this last wild coastal trout.
To those of you that just don't care and could not be bothered you are the worst of the lot because you stand for nothing and the thought of you actually have to make sacrifice for wild trout is too much for you to fahtom.
Yes folks those wild coastal cutthroat trout are so abundant that the ODFW commssion decided to ring the dinner bell! Man oh man the thought of a couple of tasty eight inch cutthroat trout makes my mouth water doesn't it make yours water too?
Hey while we're at it let's kill a few wild winter steelhead on the North Umpqua too! I need to pound my chest a little and make sure the world knows that the hunter/gatherer instinct is still there.
I know this all sounds silly and sarcastic but in truth that is what is being said amongst the various bureaucrats and suits at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. These harvest regulations are now reality. With chinook salmon populations crashing and the Columbia and Willamette closed for angling for spring chinook and a general malaise statewide about the current condition of our fisheries ODFW has the audacity to forward a harvest on declining wild fish populations? The pro-kill crowd will tell you that the wild winter steelhead in the Umpqua system are in such great numbers that the system can indeed sustain a kill fishery! Wasn't it just last fall that they said otherwise and shut down the harvest of wild steelhead? Which is it?
So it boils down to who you have faith in? ODFW, who is in desperate financial straits and needs to sell licenses to make up for budget shortfalls, or do you believe the scientists and unbiased fish biologists who have nothing to gain by saying a wild population should not have any harvest?
I believe I'll make the right choice and choose to believe those who really care about the resource and I hope you will also.

Save The Metolius Postcard Campaign

I've written many times on this blog about the Metolius river and the area around it. I've written about what a truly magical place it is and how lucky we are in the state of Oregon to be blessed with such a place.
I've also written about those that look at the Metolius as a means to make money. Those folks certainly have no soul in my opinion.
Please print out these post cards and send them in if the Metolius means anything to you.


SAVE THE METOLIUS

Click on the link above and then click on "sheet of support statements". You print out the postcards, fill them out, put them in an envelope and mail to the address listed. It's very easy, and if each of us can get a few signed, it will be a HUGE statement to our legislators!! The postcards (or sheet of support statements) will be hand delivered to Salem and shown to the appropriate legislators in the House of Rep's and the Senate. It is also still VERY important to continue to write to these legislators too. The Friends of the Metolius have created a wonderful website to link you to all the appropriate email addresses etc.

A Few Stolen Moment

A few years ago I decided that for my birthday I would treat myself and a friend to a few days in Maupin, Oregon for some fly fishing on the Deschutes during the legendary salmon fly hatch.
We stay at the Imperial River Company which has the most comfortable beds of any hotel/motel I've ever stayed in.

The weather has not been very cooperative the last two years but it's just a nice time to get away to the river that I love so much.
This year my oldest son will join me. He and I have not been able to do something like this for many, many years and I am excited to be sharing this time with him.
I've found that trips like the upcoming one and others to various fishing or vacationing locales is like a stolen moment of paradise. Your main focus is fishing or relaxing and the time spent is so much different from the daily routine. I have always dreamt of being able to step out my door and walk down to a river for a morning or evening of fly fishing and those who are fortunate enough to be able to do that are truly blessed.
Oh to live at Camp Sherman or Maupin or along some coastal stream where the trout and steelhead are my neighbors.

I doubt that I would ever really want to live in Maupin or even Camp Sherman but to have those moments of time, whether they are for a few days or a few weeks, where you are a river "resident" are precious. To spend it with my son makes it even more special.
I turned 55 on Tuesday and while I am not ancient I do feel my age at times. I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to spend time like this with my son again...I sure hope that I do. I would like to spend time like this with him and my grand kids in the future if my timeon earth allows it.
As I approached the age of 50 I did so with some trepidation because my own father died just a few months past his 51st birthday. I thought about it a lot actually and now I have out lived him. I obviously wish that I could have spent some times with my dad as I grew up but it was not to be. So I hope my son is looking forward to this time together also.
I don't know how many of you are able to still spend "a few stolen moments" with your aging parents but I encourage you to do so.