Stu Apte Starts Sailfish Tournament
The first Stu Apte Stu Fly Fishing Sailfish Tournament will be held this week at Golfito Sailfish Ranch in Costa Rica.
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January 30, 2006
January 29, 2006
Bamboo Fly Rods: Glenn Brackett Audio Interview
FlyFishRadio.com presented this interview with bamboo rod guru Glenn Brackett last week. Though a large download (33MB), it's a fascinating opportunity to hear one of rodmaking's modern legends talk about his life and experiences with rodbuilding. For example, Brackett points out that his first visit to R.L. Winston happened as an 11-year-old. (From there, of course, he went on to become an owner of the company, most recently he decided to leave the company because of differences with management.) He also talks about a bunch of interesting stuff, including the myth of the fragility of bamboo, the differences between bamboo and graphite performance, and about learning to build bamboo rods.
January 28, 2006
L.L. Bean's Phone Number Mixup
This has not been a good week for the folks responsible for L.L. Bean's Spring 2006 Fishing catalog, which has given new meaning to the word 'hotline.' If you dial the number they print as their "Fishing Hotline" on page two, you will be greeted with something less than quaint: an actress introducing an explicit phone sex line.
If you want to call the correct number for the fishing hotline, which connects you to one of their fly fishing experts, it's 800-347-4552.
Willful Ignorance Threatens Carmel River Steelhead
Apparently deciding that nature does not know best, a group of fisherman decided this week to open a direct channel through a sandbar at the mouth of the Carmel River in California. "Instead of angling the direction of the channel to slow its current, they cut the breach directly out to sea, creating a swift flow of water that could sweep young steelhead into the ocean." Chris Counts in the Carmel Pine Cone.(Thanks to reader Sherelyn Campbell for sending this link.)
January 27, 2006
Fishing Flies: Cubism Anyone?
"There are several schools of fly-tying in a way similar to various movements in modern art. Minimalism, super realism, post modernism and, of course, impressionism. I find the older I get, the more minimalist my ties are becoming. For example, I rarely use dubbing on my mayflies, just thread to form the bodies." Randall Sumner wonders how fly tying might have changed had Pablo Picasso been born in Livingston, Montana. In the Yakima (Washington) Herald Republic.
January 26, 2006
...And How Easy (or Hard) You Can Make It in Guatemala
Want to feel really small? Check out the video in this article on CBSNews.com showing Jeff Morrow catching a sailfish on a fly rod from his kayak — during a tournament, no less. There's some really remarkable, if slightly out of focus, footage here. "It was a very exciting form of fishing. I was frightened and so was the fish. My eyes would look right on the fish's eyes, he was so close to me. And I could feel his fright and he could probably feel my fright."
January 25, 2006
Product Review: Pentax Optio WPi
A new entrant on the water-resistant digital camera scene gets a thorough preview on Steves-Digicams.com. "The amphibious OptioWPi digital camera features 6.0 megapixels of resolution and a 3X optical zoom lens and captures high quality images both on land and up to three feet underwater without an additional waterproof housing."
"The Moon of the Fly Tier"
Less biorhythmic than circumstantial, late winter, more than any other time of year, is associated with the peak of the fly tying frenzy. Ed Dentry notes that the perfect opportunity to feed the beast occurs at the annual International Sportsmen's Exposition in Denver, which this year features several great tiers tying their favorite flies, "[f]rom the salt-water flies of Coloradan Pete Parker to ants tied by Jack Dennis and a realistic mouse by Don Ordes, of Fantasy Fly Co. in Casper." In the Rocky Mountain News.
January 24, 2006
When is a Rainbow Not a Rainbow?
Answer: When it's a Ferrari.
This excellent audio segment from NPR discusses the mysteries of steelhead biology and the issues surrounding federal protection of the species. The segment samples the voices in the debate over the endangered species act and characterizes the actions developers are taking against its use to protect rainbow trout and steelhead. (Thanks to reader David Dalu for sending this link.)
Ernest Schwiebert's Son Writes Tribute
Yesterday Erik Schwiebert sent MidCurrent the tribute he wrote recently for the Ernest Schwiebert Chapter of Trout Unlimited. "Ernest Schwiebert has made a major contribution to wild trout and salmon, their genetics and habitat in his writings, in lectures to conservation and fishing organizations and to educational institutions. This work, combined with his research into fishing-relevant stream entomology, has given generations of anglers and fisheries professionals new insights into the importance of wild salmonids."
You can read the full tribute, which contains extensive biographical detail, in the extended entry.
Ernest George Schwiebert (known as ‘Ernie’ by many) was a writer, artist, architect, entomologist, fisheries biologist, conservationist and legendary fly-fisherman. As his son, he was larger than life because he had all this in his head and was all of these people at a very deep level. In the timeless movie, A River Runs Through It, one brother says to the other: “I want to be a professional fly-fisherman.” His brother replies: “You can’t do that, there is no such thing.” I want to believe that my father was as close as anyone can become without endorsement deals. It is his body of work that speaks for itself. Although no longer with us in body, he is with us in spirit and is wading the celestial stream in search of the stout trout, or, as he put it, “the mythic sword” that leaps from the river in search of its prey or while in the fight. He is with you as your Trout Unlimited chapter (that bears his name in tribute and remembrance) moves forward. Keep it moving forward and protect the New Jersey streams that he loved and that continue to fight against sprawl and unwanted impurities. My father cherished this TU chapter and was honored to be a part of it and have his name associated with it. Trust and know in that.
Ernest Schwiebert made scholarly contributions throughout his full and storied life in disciplines from writing in all forms, to architecture and planning, to the art and science and pursuit that is fly fishing for trout and salmon (and, on occasion, other game fish from fresh and saltwater). He wrote over 15 books about fly-fishing and architecture. In these two disciplines (and in the many others listed above) that he loved and pursued with passion, he was an independent thinker to the last. He was a complete philosopher and a champion of long-term vision from every angle, every side and every scenario.
My father was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 5th, 1931. His father, Ernest Schwiebert, Sr., Ph.D., was a noted historian on the life, times and teachings of Martin Luther and The Luther Reformation as an academic movement. He grew up following his parents from academic institution to institution, mostly in the Midwest. His family summered in Colorado and Michigan, where he was introduced to fishing. Ernest Schwiebert became a serious angler at the age of five when one of his first casts into a Michigan Creek surrendered a twelve-inch brown trout caught with a Light Cahill. He attended high school at New Trier, north of Chicago. He garnered a B.A. degree in architecture from The Ohio State University in 1956 and was heavily involved in the planning and building of The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO from 1956 to 1958. He was in the Air Force ROTC and commissioned with the Air Force during his time in Colorado at the Academy during its inception. Before he was thirty, my father had fished the major rivers of Europe and South America as well as the waters of the United States and Canada and gained worldwide recognition as an authoritative writer, conservationist, artist and angler.
Schwiebert was the Lowell Palmer fellow in architecture at Princeton University from 1958 to 1962 and received a Master’s degree (M.A. in Fine Arts in Architecture) and dual doctoral degrees (Ph.D. in Fine Arts in Architecture and Planning and a Ph.D. in the History of Architecture) from Princeton. His thesis dissertation, The Primitive Roots of Architecture, encompassed all of these degrees and was 5 volumes in length. He has been the subject of and has written countless articles in newspapers and magazines. His first book, Matching the Hatch, published in 1955 during his undergraduate years is considered a classic and was followed by many important books. These included (but are not limited to) Salmon of the World, Remembrances of Rivers Past, Nymphs, his monumental two-volume Trout, Death of a Riverkeeper, and a River for Christmas among selected others. As evidence of further competence and respect, Ernie has over twelve references in Arnold Gingrich’s book, The Fishing in Print and fourteen references in Paul Schullery’s American Fly Fishing, A History. Gingrich considered Schwiebert’s position impregnable as the leading angling author of our time and that he had an impressive ability to absorb entomological detail and convert it into pleasing prose for his readers. During this time, my father practiced architecture and planning (specializing in airport and military airbase design) for almost 15 years with a firm in New York, NY. His architectural work took him to places such as Chile, Pakistan, Tibet, Malaysia, Australia, and Argentina. He often took his fishing tackle with him.
Ernest Schwiebert has made a major contribution to wild trout and salmon, their genetics and habitat in his writings, in lectures to conservation and fishing organizations and to educational institutions. This work, combined with his research into fishing-relevant stream entomology, has given generations of anglers and fisheries professionals new insights into the importance of wild salmonids. My father was a pioneer in the fishery conservation movement and was involved in the founding of Trout Unlimited, the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, the Federation of Fly Fishers, and the establishment of the American Museum of Fly Fishing. He has served as a Director of both Theodore Gordon Flyfishers and the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and on the scientific advisory boards of TU, FFF and The Nature Conservancy. He was founder and president of the Henryville Flyfishers in Pennsylvania and a life member of the Spring Ridge Club of Pennsylvania among other angling clubs including the Anglers Club of New York and the Flyfishers of Boston. In recognition of his contributions, a Trout Unlimited Chapter in New Jersey, the Ernest Schwiebert Chapter of TU, is named for him. He cherished this chapter and his membership in these many important clubs and federations immensely.
His “Elegies and Epilogues” address as banquet speaker at the Wild Trout IV Symposium in September 1989, reported in the Symposium’s Proceeding, was eloquent and gave special meaning to scientific and management efforts for wild trout. Here, he was given the Aldo Starker Leopold Memorial Award from The National Park Service which he treasured immensely. My father was honored with numerous awards. Among them were the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects, The Arnold Gingrich Literary Prize, and life memberships in numerous fishing institutions.
In 2005, he gave two important speeches to the opening of the American Museum of Fly Fishing at its new home in Manchester, Vermont and to the FFF Conclave in Livingston, Montana. They ended similarly and they are characterized best by letting my father do the talking:
I will conclude with a story.
My obsession with fishing began in childhood, watching bluegills and pumpkinseeds and perch under a rickety dock, below a simple cedar-shingled cottage in southern Michigan. My obsession with trout began there too, when my mother drove north into town for groceries, and took me along with the promise of chocolate ice cream. We crossed a stream that was utterly unlike those near Chicago, fetid and foul-smelling, or choked with the silts of farm-country tillage. It flowed swift and crystalline over the bottom of ochre cobblestones and pebbles and like Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River,” it mysteriously disappeared into thickets of cedar sweepers downstream.
And a man was fishing there.
The current was smooth, but it tumbled swiftly around his legs. It was a different kind of fishing, utterly unlike watching a red-and-white bobber on a tepid childhood pond, with its lilypad and cattail margins, and its callings of redwinged blackbirds. His amber line worked back and forth in the sunlight, and he dropped his fly on the water briefly, only to tease it free of the current, and strip the moisture from its barbules with more casting. It seemed more like the grace of ballet than fishing.
And then the man hooked a fish.
My mother called to the angler, and gave me permission to run and see his prize. I remember getting my feet muddy and wet, with a Biblical plague of cockleburrs at my ankles, but it did not matter. The fish was still in the man’s landing met, and he raised it dripping and shining in his hand. It was a brook trout of six inches, its dorsal surfaces drak with blue and olive vermiculations, and its flanks clouded with dusky parr markings. Its belly and lower fins were a bright tangerine, with edgings of alabaster and ebony, and it glowed like a jeweler’s tray of opals and moonstones and rubies. I had witnessed something beautiful, and I wanted to be part of it.
People often ask why I fish, and after seventy-odd years, I am beginning to understand.
I fish because of Beauty.
Everything about our sport (and our cause in terms of TU) is beautiful. Its more than five centuries of manuscript and books and folios are beautiful. Its artifacts of rods and beautifully machined reels are beautiful. Its old wading staffs and split-willow creels, and the delicate artifice of its flies, are beautiful. Dressing such confections of fur, feathers and steel is beautiful, and our worktables are littered with gorgeous scraps of tragopan and golden pheasant and blue chattered and Coq de Leon. The best of sporting art is beautiful. The riverscapes that sustain the fish are beautiful. Our methods of seeking them are beautiful, and we find ourselves enthralled with the quicksilver poetry of the fish.
And in our contentious time of partisan hubris, selfishness, and outright mendacity, Beauty itself may prove the most endangered thing of all.
-- Ernest Schwiebert, Closing of Speeches to the American Museum of Fly Fishing and to the Federation of Flyfishers in 2005.
My father had battled and had overcome prostate cancer during these appearances. Not long after the FFF Conclave speech in August 2005, he fell very ill to a second, separate and fatal primary renal cancer. He died on December 10th, 2005, at his home in Princeton, N.J., surrounded by his books, books of others, and his many original drawings and with his wife, Sara, his son, Erik, and his brother-in-law (a true brother that he never had), Tom Mills. He was 74. He is survived by the above, by a daughter-in-law, Lisa (the daughter that he never had) and two wonderful grandchildren, Elisabeth, 6, and Turner, 4.
However, Ernest Schwiebert has more to say. Nymphs II is in the publishing pipeline with Lyons Press and The Globe Pequot Press in Connecticut. His entire family is collaborating on a book of his original drawings. Late in life, he also had other literary projects that are finished and ready for publication of subjects of his interest unrelated to fishing.
My father will be with us always. His son would ask that you go catch a stout trout or salmon for him at your earliest convenience (or any other game fish that is convenient now for the time and the weather. With a well-dressed and well-presented fly preferably. Have a thought for Ernest Schwiebert when you perform this task. His son also believes that his Dad would wish that all people approach his or their cherished disciplines with an open mind, with independent thought, and with a long-term view. And, by being mindful to the art and the science and the beauty of all things.
And, I would like to think that he earned a Ph.D. in fly-fishing to go with his dual Ph.D. degrees in architecture. He was both people and them some, and he pursued both disciplines fully.
January 23, 2006
Popular Lake To Be Swallowed Up in Wyoming Real Estate Deal
The appropriately named "Monster Lake," where 7-, 8-, and even 9-pound trout are not uncommon will probably be closed to public access after billionaire Tim Blixseth begins development of another high-end private resort near Cody, Wyoming. "Monster Lake is famous for yielding giant trout prized by fly fishermen from around the world." Ruffin Prevost in the Billings Gazette.
January 22, 2006
The Blessed Curse of the Fly-Fishing Retailer Show
James R. Babb delivers a typically astute assessment of the failures and achievements of the annual Fly-Fishing Retailer show, which he notes is as important for its culture as its intended purpose: introducing new products. The piece also gives a list of the Gray's team's favorite products for the year. "Speaking of which, Diamondback has a couple of new split-cane rods at graphite prices that look and feel surprisingly like the wonderful old Jim Payne 98 and 198 models. Wind River has a nicely portable first-aid kit meant to keep the incautious angler intact. Fish Pond has a new waterproof gear bag meant to keep the incautious angler's necessities intact, not to mention organized and handy." In Gray's Sporting Journal.
January 21, 2006
The Real Distances in Fly Fishing
Out of curiosity I once calculated that on an average "good" day (with reasonable visibility) of guiding for permit or tarpon I poled my skiff 13.5 miles. Don Oliver finds a similar surprise when his sore arm prompts him to calculate that he casts an average of 2.18 miles per day. "As I was applying heat to my sore shoulder and arm, as I didn't want to waste the ice for my after-fishing scotch on something as trivial as sore body parts, I began to wonder, 'Just how much line do fly fishermen cast in a day?'" In the Farmington (New Mexico) Daily Times.
Loony Tubes
David Foster finds bird behavior less than enchanting when a loon decides to contest his catch. "Back and forth we fought. It would gain line and then I would gain line. Once it came rushing toward the tube so fast I couldn't reel rapidly enough to hold tension." In Gray's Sporting Journal.
January 20, 2006
Jason Borger on "A River Runs Through It"
"Borger also had a penchant for writing and illustrations. His father, Gary, then editor of Fly Tyer magazine, published one of his 9-year-old son's articles. And the youngster's illustrations would soon appear in his father's books. Jason Borger's first book, Jason Borger's Jason Borger's Nature of Fly Casting: A Modular Approach
Guides' Day Off
This article on the recent Islamorada Invitational Flyrod Sailfish Tournament is notable for two reasons: one, it proves that it is still possible to catch sails on fly in Florida (note the difference in catch rates between the fly and non-fly tournies though: about 100 to 1); and two, it was an opportunity for noted Key guide Tim Klein and his brother Robert to prove that they know more about fishing than how to push a skiff around. (Thanks to reader David Dalu for this link.)
Hatchery Fish Car History
John Leonard wrote this well-researched, photo-illustrated retrospective on the use of railroad cars in the late 19th century to transport fish across the U.S. "In 1879, for example, [Dr. Livingston] Stone successfully shepherded a shipment of striped bass from New Jersey to California. During the lengthy train journey, the milk cans containing the fry were cooled by ice." From CatskillArchive.com.
Of course at that time the prevailing opinion was "more species in more places is better." (We now know that non-native fish displaced huge populations of other less-vigorous, now-endangered species.)
January 18, 2006
2006 IGFA Record Book Out
If you're an IGFA member, your 2006 copy of their book of world records will arrive shortly. Gene Miller of The Washington Times thinks it's the cat's meow. "The 2006 edition, published by the nonprofit IGFA, delivers on its promise to be the most reliable and complete source of international fishing records and fishing-related reference materials."
Atlantic Salmon Season in Maine?
The Atlantic Salmon Commission wants Maine to reinstitute a short season on Atlantic salmon, thinking it will cause the public to reconnect with the endangered fish. The reaction is mixed. Dave Sherwood on MaineToday.com.
Val Kilmer Opens Ranch to Fly Fishers
"'We pour you the first one, after that it’s pour your own,' [ranch manager Pam] Sawyer said." Garrett VeneKlasen is the head guide and booking agent for Kilmer's New Mexico ranch, which includes 7 miles of the Pecos River. And if you have a spare $14 million you can buy the part of the ranch that contains the fishing operation. Phaedra Haywood in The New Mexican.
January 17, 2006
Fly Fishing Gear: Peak Rotary Vise Review
FlyFishingMaine.com reviews a moderately priced fly tying vise from PEAK Fishing of Colorado, calling the Peak Rotary Vise Package PRV-G2 "one of the best values out there, coming in at $129.95 with a lifetime warrantee. We highly recommend this vise to new tiers who are getting started or looking to upgrade their beginners vise to one that will last you a long, long time."
January 16, 2006
Hawaii For Bass?
Apparently Kauai can provide decent fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and peacock bass — a fact U.S. anglers are just beginning to appreciate. "The Japanese don't visit Hawaii as often anymore, but U.S. fishermen do, and they are learning two things: There is a peacock bass fishery available in an all-American paradise popular with their spouses; and it's cheaper than a trip to the not-always sanitary South American tropics." Bill Monroe in The Oregonian.
School for Fly Fishing the Persian Gulf
"Situated at the hotel on a dramatic stretch of coastline adjacent to the Hajar Mountains, the Fujairah Salt Water Fly Fishing Academy" is probably a first of its kind: a school dedicated to fly fishing the Persian Gulf, or more specifically the Gulf of Oman.
Fly Fishing in Winter On New Mexico's San Juan
Get out the fingerless gloves and forget about the normal summertime stealth tactics, says Patrick Meitin. Winter is all about finding an uncrowded spot and using dual rigs for a higher hookup rate. "Since the dual rig is also very much part of San Juan du jour, I still attach a tiny thing on a dropper. But while fishing dirty water, this normally includes a sparkle wing to grab attention." In Rocky Mountain Game & Fish.
January 15, 2006
Fly Fishing for Florida Sailfish
Pat Ford gives an excellent overview of the challenges of attempting to catch cagey Florida sailfish on flies. "Atlantic sails are smaller, but infinitely smarter. They can be teased up with a hookless bait, but usually only stay on the scene long enough to make one pass at the fly. In other words, everything has to go perfectly. Pacifics, on the other hand, will sit behind the boat and chew on a rubber squid forever." In Florida Sportsman.
Water Rights for Fish
Juliet Eilperin describes the subtle but powerful change in perspective influencing water rights discussions in the U.S. west, where urban growth and demand for natural resources is coming into conflict with accepted practice. "Such battles have spread nationwide as groups from Florida to Nebraska squabble over farmers' voracious water use, but nowhere are the stakes higher than in the fast-growing West. Rivers and streams there occupy just 5 percent of the land but sustain nearly half of the fish and wildlife species." In the Washington Post.
Dick May, California Conservationist
"As the architect of the organization California Trout, May is the chief individual responsible for California's Wild Trout Program, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the saving of Mono Lake and restoration of Rush Creek." May was inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame on Saturday at the San Mateo International Sportsmen's Exposition. Other notable fly fishers and conservationists receiving votes were Yvon Chouinard and the late Bob Nauheim. Tom Stienstra in the San Francisco Chronicle.
January 14, 2006
The Angler's Coast and Other Hidden Gems
In what must certainly seem an odd twist for the authors, those books with the least hauteur and the most genuine sense of personal adventure form the heartwood of angling literature. The most underappreciated, least-referenced writing often makes the best reading. A couple of favorites are Russell Chatham's The Angler's Coast
January 13, 2006
Fly Genus/Species Reclassifications
It's no secret to those those who endorse entomology as a path to greater understanding of flies and fishing that genus and species reclassifications have become commonplace in the past few decades. One enterprising fly fisher in Washington state took up the challenge of listing, in a single table, all of the modern mispellings and reclassifications he could find at the U.S. government's Integrated Taxonomic Information System site. Here it is, provided by Pat Donoghue on his Nova Scotia fly fishing site. (Thanks to MoldyChum.com for digging this one up.)
January 12, 2006
Fly Fishing for Guatemalan Sailfish
"Thorpe slashes the rod hard left and down on the water. It's a classic hook up. The big sail feels the sting of the hooks, makes a short run and does what these hard fighting gamers are known for - getting some air." Robert Sloan describes the drill for hooking sails and the standard faire for fishing offshore in Guatamala. In the Beaumont, Texas Enterprise.
Guide Bill Curtis at 80
Any flats guide worthy of holding a pushpole will tell you that Bill Curtis was a pioneer in their profession, guiding folks to Biscayne Bay bonefish long before the advent of graphite fly rods, narrow-wire hooks and smooth disc drags. Not everyone has known — not even some of his clients — that he's been guiding since the 1950s with only one eye. What's he doing now? Turning to reef fishing, according to Susan Cocking of the Miami Herald.
Fly Rod & Reel on Schwiebert
Editor Paul Guernsey's note about Ernest Schwiebert, who passed away on December 10, includes mention of the status of his rewrite of the classic Nymphs: "Schwiebert's publisher, The Lyons Press, confirmed that Nymphs II would be published posthumously. However, at the time FR&R went to press, Lyons was unable to confirm whether the book would still be released on its original October, 2006 publication date."
January 11, 2006
Poppers for Stripers: The Noisier the Better
You can easily customize commercially made popper bodies to create unique sounds and actions, as John McMurray points out in this article about catching finicky stripers under New York's Verrazano Bridge. "For additional sound, I add a 5mm glass rattle by hollowing out the pre-made hole in the middle of the foam popper body with a pair of fly tying scissors and just push the rattle chamber in there, sealing it with epoxy." In Shallow Water Angler magazine.
January 10, 2006
2006 Spring Fly Fishing Shows in the U.S. Northeast
"Over the years, I've watched everything from Lefty Kreh's fly casting demonstrations at the International Fly Fishing Expo in Wilmington, Mass., to demonstrations of hero casts with huge saltwater flies at the Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough." John Corrigan names all of the top fly fishing shows coming to New England this spring. In the Concord (New Hampshire) Monitor.
Where to Fly Fish in the U.S. West
Kirk Deeter, Ted Leeson, Keith McCafferty, and John Merwin combine opinions in this big list of the best places to go fishing in the U.S. west. Beyond noting locations of some of the best hatches in the country, they also list places to "Teach Your Children," "Get Eaten by a Grizzly," and "See a Fistfight" (the latter is most likely on the Bend Pool of the Fryingpan River in Colorado). Note: it's not very obvious, but you need to click on the state names to get to the actual place details. In Field & Stream.
January 9, 2006
Lawsuit Argues Against Cutbacks in Bull Trout Habitat
A new lawsuit filed last week aims to add back the nearly 2/3 of waterway mileage removed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife in 2002 from the original designation. "Two Montana conservation groups have filed a lawsuit demanding the Bush administration restore cutbacks in critical habitat for the bull trout, a threatened species whose demands for clean and cold water conflict with logging and mining." From the Associated Press.
2006 San Mateo ISE Show Opens January 12
This year's International Sportsmen's Exposition in San Mateo, California boasts some big names and a variety of interesting presentations. Among those on the schedule: Jack Dennis on "The Best Spots to Fish Before You Die," Mike Lawson on "Spring Creeks & Tailwaters," and Gary Borger on "Really Matching the Hatch."
January 8, 2006
Au Sable River Museum Hoping for Funds
Proponents of the museum in Grayling, Michigan want to show how, among other things, logging and other land use led to the decline of grayling in Michigan. "Charlotte Bloomquist, another member of the hatchery's steering committee, said she dreams of an aquarium at the museum to hold live grayling from Montana. 'So people can at least see what a grayling looks like,' Bloomquist said." Sheri McWhirter in the Travere City Record-Eagle.
January 7, 2006
Stripping Baskets: "The Bucket"
Sea Level FlyFishing's "line management system" has plenty of cool features, like knobs that keep your coiled fly line from tangling in the bottom of the bucket, and a convenient rod-holder set up at the top to leave the rod at ready.
Mastering the Double Haul
Peter Kaminsky's notes the highlights of a day learning the secrets of the double haul — and efficient casting — from Ed Jaworowski, then suggests a Latin motto: "Omnino physicus iactus muscarius"" ("All fly casting is physics"). "With a motion no more forceful than my 30-foot cast on a trout stream, Ed Jaworowski, the fly-casting theorist and recently retired Latin professor, let fly 100 feet of fly line." In The New York Times.
January 6, 2006
Careless Boaters Damage Thousands of Acres of Florida Sea Grass
The irony hidden in this report about propeller damage is that a much greater impact on seagrasses is caused by excess fresh water being dumped into Florida Bay and Florida coastal estuaries. But when lawmakers re-examine water management policies and impacts, they look at them in isolation. "In 1995, using aerial photographs, the park service determined that 30,000 acres of 1.5 million acres of seagrass beds in all of Monroe County had been damaged by boats. About 10,000 acres of those seagrass beds were located in the Florida Bay, Szymanski said." Jennifer Kay of the Associated Press.
January 5, 2006
TU Releases Report On Importance of Roadless Areas
Yesterday Trout Unlimited issued a report on the importance of preserving roadless areas in Colorado, noting that without significant access to roadless public lands, species preservation becomes impossible and the entire hunting and fishing industry is threatened. Their report appears in the "TU In the News" column on the homepage of the TU Web site.
You can also read Bill McKeown's analysis of the debate over roadless area access in the Colorado Spring Gazette."Jim Bartschi, president of Montrose-based Scott Fly Rods, said Colorado’s roadless areas support a hunting and fishing industry that brings in nearly as much each year as the state’s often-vaunted ski industry. He said that in 2002, not a particularly good year for tourism, hunting and fishing generated more than $1.5 billion for the state’s economy."
A Tailwater, Sort Of
Don Oliver and friend find that Colorado tactics don't always translate well into Montana winter strategies as they tackle the Madison River below Ennis Lake. "When the salesman suggested two nymphs, I immediately went to the fly bin in search of flies sized 22 and smaller. When I couldn't find anything that small, the professional walked over, picked out a big-ugly nymph (size 12), and a small trailer (size 18)." In the Farmington (New Mexico) Daily Times.
January 4, 2006
Colorado Fly Fishing Show Stronger Than Ever
"Some samples, from The Fly Show's exhaustive assemblage: 'Fly Fishing the Tail Waters,' by Ed Engle, Colorado Springs resident and field editor of Fly Fisherman magazine; 'Fly Fishing the Four Seasons of Colorado,' by Brad Befus, of Montrose, author and professional fly tier; and 'Matching the Naturals,' with fly- tying virtuoso and author A.K. Best, of Boulder." Ed Engle tells why the January Fly Show in Denver — starting this year on January 6 — continues to capture the interest of western U.S. fly fishers. In the Rocky Mountain News.
White House Fly Rod Humor
Dave Letterman decided to poke fun at presidential choices in room decor in his monologue Monday night: “They were talking about the kind of stuff that the President receives during the course of the year. He receives thousands and thousands of dollars of gifts. Were you aware of this fact? That President Bush gets a lot of gifts. I guess a