If you're one of the many people who think tournament fishing might bring out the worst in anglers, Abel's got a an idea that might change your opinion. Yesterday they announced a tarpon fly fishing tournament that depends on entrants' honesty in reporting catches. All participants have to do is take a digital photo of the caught fish, tape it, and submit the results. But probably the coolest thing is the prize: "'The winner can pick any Abel Reel from our catalog and we will machine, anodize and finish it over about two days. We will host the angler and his or her guest for airfare, transportation to Camarillo, motel, meals, and an extensive tour of the factory,' said Don R. Swanson, Abel general manager." Abel will also host a running "leaderboard" of top catches on their Web site homepage at www.abelreels.com.

Read the extended entry for the full press release.

March 30, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE USE

ABEL TO CONDUCT TARPON TOURNEY

CAMARILLO, Calif. – Ever heard of a Tarpon Tournament that’s conducted when and where the angler wants to fish – with no ceremonies, no weigh-in – operated strictly by honesty and trust?
Abel reels is sponsoring such an “on your honor” tournament, with the winner and a guest flown to California, hosted by Abel, and given the reel of his or her choice. The winner will watch the progression of their personal reel being precision machined, anodized and finished. Value of the prize is approximately $3,000.
All fish must be caught on Abel Reels and released as quickly as possible.
Entrants must forward one or more clear digital photos of the fish, together with the following information –
- Name, address, phone and e-mail of the angler;
- Name, address, phone and e-mail of the guide service or lodge (if any);
- Best guesstimate of the *weight of the tarpon utilizing a recognized formula of length and girth;
- Date of the catch;
- Abel reel model used;
- Location of the catch.
All entries must be posted by July 31, 2007.

“The winner can pick any Abel Reel from our catalog and we will machine, anodize and finish it over about two days. We will host the angler and his or her guest for airfare, transportation to Camarillo, motel, meals, and an extensive tour of the factory,” said Don R. Swanson, Abel general manager.
The “leader board” will be updated weekly on the home page of Abel’s website: www.abelreels.com
Tarpon photos and accompanying required information should be sent to info@abelreels.com

BENNETT J. MINTZ PR/ADV.
22370 Mission Circle
Chatsworth, California 91311
818.718.8566 818.718.1958 fax
bjmintz@socal.rr.com

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to Matt Higgins in The New York Times, there are 20% fewer children fishing today than in 1990. The likely culprits? Working parents and lack of time for teenage kids. Check out the detailed map image which shows where in the U.S. children are even less likely to fish: the west coast and the U.S. mountain regions. Go figure.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As usual, Game & Fish magazine does a thorough job of looking at regional trout fishing opportunities. This time it's New York, and J. Michael Kelly writes about Lime Lake Outlet, Naples Creek, Salmon Creek, Skaneateles Creek, and Ninemile Creek in his summary. Now if they could just get the character encoding right on their Web pages.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Friday Orvis announced that Ray McCready was being promoted from Vice President of Merchandising and Retail to President. It's the first time in the company's 150-year history that someone who is not an owner has been named company president.

Also, Brian Gowen, the company’s Chief Financial Officer will now also take on the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Read the full press release in the extended entry.

The Orvis Company Names McCready Company President
150 Year Old Company also Names Gowen Chief Operating Officer

Manchester, VT- The Orvis Company’s CEO Perk Perkins announced on Friday, March 23 the promotion of Ray McCready from Vice President of Merchandising and Retail to President of the 150-year old company.

Perkins noted in his announcement, which was made at the annual employees meeting in Manchester, VT, that McCready in his role as VP of Merchandising and Retail had been instrumental in the company achieving record profits during his 5-year tenure.

“Ray will be the first President of Orvis in our 150 year history who has not been an owner of the business, so obviously this is not a decision the board of directors took lightly, ” said Perkins. “Ray has a unique understanding of our brand, the loyalty and respect of our associates, and an exciting vision for the future of our company.”

Before joining Orvis, McCready was the Vice President of the International Division at Eddie Bauer where he served in a variety of capacities from 1979 to 2001.

“Orvis is one of the last, true lifestyle brands in America,” said McCready “It is an honor for me to take on this position. I look forward to further building the Orvis brand while respecting the history and the legacy of what brought us this far.”

Perkins also announced that Brian Gowen, the company’s Chief Financial Officer will now also take on the role of Chief Operating Officer. Gowen joined The Orvis Company in 2002 after serving as Co-President and Chief Operating Officer of Garnet Hill.

Perk Perkins will remain as Chief Executive Officer and Dave Perkins remains as Vice-Chairman. The Perkins family purchased the Orvis Company in 1965.

About The Orvis Company

Founded in 1856, Orvis pioneered the mail order industry in the United States, operates a chain of retail stores in the U.S. and England including its Flagship store in Manchester, VT; and maintains a network of over 400 dealers worldwide. Orvis donates five percent of pre-tax profits each year to environmental programs. Learn more about Orvis at www.orvis.com.

James Hathaway
Communications and Conservation Manager

The Orvis Company, Inc.
www.orvis.com
hathawayj@orvis.com

(802) 362-8525
Fax (802) 362-8851

178 Conservation Way
Sunderland, VT 05250

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Noting that there is "simply no downside to anything that helps our nation's water quality," U.S. senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) introduced legislation yesterday that would create a new fisheries and stream-habitat restoration program as part of the conservation title of the Farm Bill. The new legislation would provide an unprecedented $60 million for fish and riparian habitat.

As Trout Unlimited, which worked diligently with Kohl on the new legislation, reported in their press release: "Kohl’s program would be voluntary, providing cost-share and incentive payments to landowners. A ranking mechanism would be used to prioritize projects and would give priority to those that benefit at-risk species. Existing partnerships, such as Trout Unlimited’s Driftless Area Restoration Effort and the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, could provide invaluable input to guide the program."

Read the full press release in the extended entry.

March 29, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Kohl’s Farm Bill program would aid fisheries and stream restoration

Legislation would provide $60 million for fish and riparian habitat

MADISON, Wisc.—Trout Unlimited applauded Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin, for introducing a bill today that would create a new fisheries and stream-habitat restoration program as part of the conservation title of the Farm Bill.

“Sen. Kohl’s bill would provide $60 million each year to implement important fish habitat and stream restoration projects” said Dan Wisniewski, chair of Trout Unlimited’s Farm Bill Work Group. “This program is a key component of Trout Unlimited’s Farm Bill platform and we are grateful for Sen. Kohl’s leadership and look forward to working with him to make sure his bill is included in the larger Farm Bill reauthorization.”

Scheduled to be reauthorized later this year, the conservation title of the Farm Bill is the single, largest source of federal money for conservation efforts on private lands, which cover two-thirds of the American landscape. Despite its tremendous potential, Wisniewski said, the Farm Bill has not traditionally been a significant source of funding for fishery restoration projects. In fact, he noted, Trout Unlimited’s research has found that only 4.5 percent of current Farm Bill funds directly support restoration of fish habitat. Sen. Kohl’s bill would begin to close that gap.

“There simply is no downside to anything that helps our nation’s water quality. This effort is good for fish and the local economies that benefit from anglers,” said Senator Kohl. “The fisheries community, including anglers who contribute over $116 billion to the U.S. economy annually, has recognized the loss of habitat as a major threat to the health of sport fish populations all across the country.”

“Many of the most environmentally sensitive farmlands are those bordering streams and rivers,” said Laura Hewitt, the Madison-based coordinator of TU’s Watershed Programs. “A new fisheries program would benefit a diverse array of imperiled fish species from brook trout in the Midwest to high-altitude species such as cutthroat trout in the Rocky Mountains.”

Kohl’s program would be voluntary, providing cost-share and incentive payments to landowners. A ranking mechanism would be used to prioritize projects and would give priority to those that benefit at-risk species. Existing partnerships, such as Trout Unlimited’s Driftless Area Restoration Effort and the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, could provide invaluable input to guide the program.

“We certainly hope members of the House and Senate agriculture committees will include this new program in the Farm Bill,” Hewitt said. “This is a winning proposition for sportsmen, fish and landowners.”

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation group. It boasts over 150,000 members from coast to coast.

Contact:

Dan Wisniewski (608) 698-8680
Laura Hewitt (608) 250-3534

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland's passion for practicing the little things may take his team to a national championship this weekend. "'You have to be detailed ... in terms of all the little things that go into throwing a fly, how you mend the line, how you let it float,' he said during the NCAA Tournament West Regional in San Jose last week. 'You're doing it hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times a day. So there's a lot of detail and attention to detail. That's something I enjoy doing.'" Vahe Gregorian in the St. Louis Dispatch.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The bugs are just as happy with high water as with low, but on the Ausable and Pere Marquette, anglers are finding the conditions a bit too challenging. "'We came up to fish the Au Sable Friday, and it was so high you couldn't even get in to wade the Upper Trout Unlimited water' downstream from Grayling, said Roger Warren, a self-described 'trout fanatic' from Bowling Green, Ohio, who came with two friends." Eric Sharp in the Detroit Free Press.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trout bum Randall Sumner ponders whether guiding is in fact the stuff of dreams after all. "Once in a while someone will ask me if I miss the old job, and after some soul searching I must admit I do miss the use of our big company dumpster. It was a beauty." In the Yakima Herald Republic.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparently, if it acts like a Westslope cutthroat, it is a Westslope cutthroat, at least in the minds of the U.S. court.

Siding with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which favored including hybrid cutthroats in the total count of Westslope cuts in determining whether the fish deserves further protection, on Monday U.S. District Judge Emmett G. Sullivan denied the multi-year effort of various conservation groups and noted fly fisher Bud Lilly to gain Endangered status for pure-strain cuts. "'We don't have any immediate plans to appeal it,' said Sean Regnerus, water program coordinator for American Wildlands, a national group based in Bozeman and one of several that sought the listing." From an article by the Associated Press.

For some background on why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opposed Endangered status for the Westslope cutthroat, you can read this August 2003 press release on the FWS Web site, which states: "The Service based its finding on information contained in a 1999 status review as well as a 2003 updated status report prepared by the fish and game departments of the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, and the U.S. Forest Service. That report confirms that westslope cutthroat trout populations currently occupy 33,500 of its historic stream miles (59 percent) in the United States and genetically pure populations inhabit approximately 3,500 stream miles (57 percent of tested stream miles; 10 percent of occupied miles) and may inhabit as many as 12,600 miles of stream in which no potentially hybridizing fishes occur. Many of these genetically-pure populations of the fish are found in habitats protected by natural barriers preventing interbreeding with other trout subspecies."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"A good starting point, especially helpful with roads, is South Carolina County Maps. Organized on a county-by-county basis, it will show you what you need for the three counties -- Pickens, Oconee and Greenville -- that are home to all of the state’s remote trout fishing." Jim Casada describes the hidden treasures of western South Carolina, where a little extra effort can put anglers onto fine fishing around the streams feeding Lake Jocassee and along the Foothills Trail. In South Carolina Game & Fish.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Its a sacred rite for some, the first excuse to dodge domestic duties for others, but there's no question that plenty of fly fishers have opening day on their minds, particularly in New York's Catskills. Ken Moran writes about the opener on the Beaverkill, the East and West Branches of the Delaware River, the Willowemoc and the Bushkill in the New York Post. "Although severe flooding in the Western Catskills significantly altered many trout streams last year, at least one fisheries survey conducted after the event on the West Branch of the Delaware indicated that impacts to the trout population may not have been as bad as first feared."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Other than 2 fish caught more than 30 years ago in South Africa, no one has caught a bonefish as large as Bob Schroeder did last week while fishing out of Islamorada with guide Paul DiMaura. Schroeder put down his fly rod and grabbed a shrimp as the wind began gusting over 20 miles per hour. The IGFA is testing the 10-pound PowerPro line he used on his spinning rod to determine if the catch qualifies as a world record. ''It's additional evidence that you have a spawning situation in the spring, March and April,' said Sandy Moret, owner of the Florida Keys Outfitters fishing shop in Islamorada. 'I've heard of a couple 14-pound fish being caught in the last couple weeks in addition to this one,' he said." Ben Ianotta in the Keys News. (Thanks to reader David Dalu for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bruce Ingram writes about his picks for the top 13 trout fishing spots in Virginia in Virginia Game & Fish magazine. He includes Buffalo Creek, the Pound River, and the South Fork of the Holston in his list. "The South Fork of the Holston has the look of a mountain stream, with rhododendron-covered banks and densely vegetated shoreline, but it lacks the plunge pools of a highland rill."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Though he still believes oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge makes sense, money manager Robert B. Gillam says the idea of letting a Canadian mining company build North America's largest open-pit gold and copper mine in Southwest Alaska's Bristol Bay region is pure foolishness. "He has become the unlikely front man for a band of Native Alaskans, fishermen, hunters, environmentalists and business leaders opposing the project. Gillam, 60, has helped pay for ads, lobbyists and polls to convince Alaskans that the Pebble prospect could be an environmental disaster." Jeff D. Opdyke of the Wall Street Journal.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chico Fernandez is one of true pioneers in saltwater fly fishing (think Seaducer flies, fly fishing for billfish and bonefish, and destination angling) and has spent 50 years teaching the subtleties of the sport. If you've ever been interested in knowing what grain-weight sinking head matches a 9-weight rod, or how long your leader should be when fishing 20 feet down, Chico's "Deep Thoughts" is a good place to start. As always, preparation is the key. On MidCurrent.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Despite the fact that 13 wells drilled in the area since 1990 have come up dry, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is going ahead with an auction Tuesday that may bring more drilling activity into the Beaverhead valley. "Montana Trout Unlimited, the Montana Wildlife Federation and others Friday sent the U.S. Bureau of Land Management a letter challenging the agency’s auction set for this Tuesday in Billings. The groups oppose leases involving about 27,000 acres." Susan Gallagher of the Associated Press.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 4:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charlie Meyers profiles Vladi Trzebunia, who 15 years ago compiled more points in the World Fly Fishing Championship than the next three national teams. "Vladi's way, Dennis said, involves a close-order approach to the trout with constant tension on the line to detect even the lightest strike. 'It seems simple, but there are intricacies of how you hold your wrist, when you pause, how you put the weight on.'" In the Denver Post.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"In "Hunter's Moon," White has outdone himself -- the plot is so far-fetched that it is suitable only for readers with a highly evolved ability to suspend disbelief. The wife of a former American president is dead, killed when her plane crashed during a humanitarian flight to deliver medical supplies to Central America." The Associated Press's Bruce DeSilva reviews Randy Wayne White's latest in the continuation of the Doc Ford series.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Mix beer, chimney soot, walnut leaves and a little powdered alum in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then chill. Dipping any natural materials you're using in this solution prior to tying is supposed to make a tighter, more attractive fly." So says an article in Men's Health magazine by Joe Kita. The question is, are they really better looking or does the beer you drink while tying them add the apparent luster.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After attending a rather chilly L.L. Bean fly fishing demonstration last week, Nick Mills is inspired to consider what makes his own "secret" waters so productive. "'I’ve spoken to anglers coming out of the pool who confided that they had been killing ‘em -- killing ‘em! -- on a Great Golden Goosefly, or somesuch. Size 6. 'They’re going for the big stuff,' they whisper. I nod, head for the pool, and start killing ‘em on size 20 beadhead cream midges." On MaineToday.com.

By the way, Mills mentions listening to Macauley Lord talk on fly fishing for smallmouth bass. Besides being a smallmouth expert, Lord is one of the top casting instructors in the world. You'll find three of his excellent articles on fly casting on MidCurrent: "Beyond Competence, Part I," "Beyond Competence, Part II," and "The Elements of Style."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One thing you learn after scanning the newspapers for articles on fly fishing for four years is that some stories never die. They usually involve sex, suggestive humor and fishing in beautiful places. So we weren't surprised to see Larry Myre's "The Girl, the Trout and the Bikini" appear again -- for the third time -- in the Souix City Journal yesterday. "A girl popped out of the driver's side and she began untying the little craft. She was young, blonde and if I was describing a fly I'd have to say well-tied. I could tell because she was wearing a tiny bikini, a very tiny red bikini." This is a story with legs.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We just received word that four customized Charlton reels and a spare spool were stolen from a cottage at Trace Banderas in Quepos, Costa Rica on February 12, 2007. The reels belong to Ariel and Shya Kane, avid big game anglers, and they each have the owner's first name -- "Shya" or "Ariel" -- engraved on the drag knob. These reels hold great sentimental value and would be very expensive if sold on the open market. The owners believe that the thieves may intend to modify the drag knobs and sell the reels. If you are collector/dealer or simply happen to hear of anything related to reels that might match this description, please contact Shya (Mr.) or Ariel, (Mrs.) Kane at 908-479-6034.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Having been born and partially raised in Charleston, South Carolina, I am not surprised by this story, but you may be. Pierre Manigault, chairman of the local newspaper publishing company, recently announced plans to launch a new magazine called Garden and Gun. "Based on some of the prototypes, Garden & Gun assumes more the feel of Town & Country than Mother Jones. The emphasis is on sports -- the southern staples like duck and quail hunting, but also activities that don't require a rifle, such as fly-fishing -- and there are stories about architecture and natural habitats of the South." Jennifer Saba in Editor and Publisher.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As we noted in January (see "Famed LeTort Spring Run Threatened by Sinkhole"), the local chapter of Trout Unlimited was preparing to organize an effort to find the source of the latest sinkhole to threaten the famed LeTort in central Pennsylvania. The good news is that the work has paid off. Check out the size of the hole they needed to dig to uncover the leaky bedrock. "Conservationists representing Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited and LeTort Regional Authority, using donated equipment and materials, expected to go back to the site this morning to begin constructing a grout plug made of concrete and bentonite, a clay-like substance that expands when wet." David Blymire in the Carlisle, Pennsyvlania Sentinel.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 4:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I once spent a night in the Amazon trying to sleep with the terrifying growls of a jaguar bursting through the silence every 5 minutes. Turned out it was the snoring of one of my clients. Outdoors columnist Mike Jackson writes about the lessons learned in 40-plus years of traveling and writing, among them the fact that no matter how good the booking agent or the lodge, some anglers just can't be made happy. "I personally experienced one well-heeled individual who demanded bottled water for his cabin, just so he could mix it with his $400 bottle of rare Scotch. Purified lake water wasn’t good enough for him. He then went on and found fault with three different guides because, as he put it, 'they only put me on pike that measured 46 inches.'” In Chicago's Daily Herald.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just finished reading Cormac McCarthy's latest novel, The Road (Knopf, September 2006, 256 pages) and though this book is about as far from fly fishing reverie as one can get, it does end with one of the more remarkable descriptions of brook trout we've ever read. I thought we should share:

You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were the vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back.

Readers will find it remarkable that the author is able to render hope from a storyline that is possibly one of the bleakest ever written. McCarthy fans, however, will probably think this is his finest book since Blook Meridian, and it holds enormous poignancy for parents. The Road on Amazon.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

"I greased the stimulator, extended line and shot the fly 20 yards across the water. It landed softly and danced across the riffle, its greased elk hairs glistened. I stripped line, my eyes fixed on the bobbing fly." Brian K. Jones writes about fly fishing Jones Hole Creek, a trout-filled oasis in the Utah desert, in Rocky Mountain Game & Fish.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jack Samson, author of more than a dozen outdoors books, including Permit on a Fly, Fly Fishing for Permit, Saltwater Fly Fishing and the Orvis Pocket Guide to Fly Fishing For Bonefish and Permit, died Sunday of complications related to Alzheimer's disease. Wes Smalling wrote an in-depth biography of Samson for The New Mexican, describing his war service, devotion to fishing, and a life spent doing and writing about doing those things he enjoyed most. "In 1970, he moved to New York City and became managing editor of Field and Stream. Two years later, he became editor-in-chief, a position he held for 13 years. During that time, he traveled the world and wrote 16 books. Many were groundbreaking works on saltwater fly fishing."

Services will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at 10 a.m. at McGee Memorial Chapel, 1320 Luisa St., with burial at 11 a.m. at Santa Fe Veterans National Cemetery. (Thanks to Cam Sigler, Nassim Joaquin and David Dalu for help with this entry.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

NPR just posted a podcast and story on Project Healing Waters, a program started by Capt. Ed Nicholson to help wounded Iraq veterans recover from physical and emotional trauma through fly fishing. "'Everybody that knows me and loves me just noticed a huge difference,' [Capt. Eivind] Forseth says. 'When I started helping with this program, that became my mission. That's just kinda what I started living for, besides my family.'" This stuff is always more potent when you hear the voices of the people whose lives have been changed.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

"Suggested packing list for a trip to a Colorado trout river over the next few weeks: stout rod, flies or lures, wading boots, both warm- and cold- weather gear, up-link to The Weather Channel, Ouija board and prayer beads." Charlie Meyers sums up pre-runoff fishing -- which sometimes become mid-runoff fishing -- in Colorado in March in the Denver Post.

Meanwhile Ed Dentry notes that while anglers are sometimes fooled, the fish know what time of year it is. ""People come in here thinking it's summer, but it's not summer to the fish," said Mitch Vogt of Cutthroat Anglers, hard by the Blue River in Silverthorne." In the Denver Post.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Prior to reading George Black's Casting a Spell, the idea of owning a bamboo rod resided in the same brain space as notions of a new Lamborghini in the garage -- a fanciful reach for someone of my circumstance, and certainly not worth the energy to explore. But whether because Black came to bamboo as a complete neophyte or because he applied the same well-researched storytelling that marks his writing about everything from human rights to Chilean dam construction, by the end of his book my conversion had begun.

The pivot-point of the story in Casting a Spell is Eustis Edwards, who built some of the finest bamboo rods in the world in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Edwards typified the plight of cane rod craftsmen who endure Faustian bargains while preserving the spirit of the craft -- before finally saying "Enough is enough." In "The Rod That Won the West," Black follows Mark Twain, Eli Whitney, Rexall Drugs and Winchester Rifles along a single thread and uncovers the origins of one of the finest bamboo rods -- or I should say fly rods -- ever made. New on MidCurrent.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Following a trend shared by other major Montana rivers, the Bitterroot is showing marked decreases in the numbers of rainbow trout. Whirling disease is the likely cause, according to scientists. "According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist Chris Clancy, rainbow trout at Bell Crossing have a good overall population. However, the rainbow populations have dropped drastically at Darby. Brown trout populations at Darby are stable." Kristin Knight in the Ravalli Republic.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you missed the first airing of HowardFilms's "Location X," a film about fishing a red-hot secret tarpon spot, you can catch it again this Wednesday night at 9PM on Versus. Here's what the new press release says about the film:

"CHASING SILVER: LOCATION X on the Versus Network, March 21, 2007 at 9pm EST

How do you follow up the award-winning mini-series that's garnered popularity at home and abroad? Well, we weren't sure ourselves. So, we spent many months researching the world's fisheries for a sequel.
Chasing Silver: Location X (a one-hour film) is the culmination of that work. 'LX' as we've come to call it, was an angling expedition that involved some faith on the angler's part (Where am I going and why?) and some faith on our part (Where are we going and why?!) We selected three anglers from the southernmost, easternmost and westernmost points in North America and flew them to our tarpon grounds. And we all hoped this tarpon Shangri-la would really have tarpon that ate close and often. (They did!) And as always, when fly rod and tarpon meet -- it was pure mayhem."

By the way, you can now place an advance order for the "Location X" DVD, which is due to go on sale in June, over on the HowardFilms Web site.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Speaking of "Location X," we found an interesting new knot on Tom Rowland's "Saltwater Experience" Web site the other day. It's called the "X Knot" (we think), and was authored by the guide who pushed the boat around in HowardFilms's "Location X" film (we think). Since the folks at HowardFilms and Capt. Rowland are all under gag orders about the film, we can't say much else about the knot or it's creator except that it appears to be an interesting variation of the Sheet Bend, a classic sailor's knot for quickly tying two lines together. It doesn't appear to be a knot designed to provide 100% breaking strength -- there is too much exposed double-line on the finished knot and the knot itself is not actually tied with doubled line -- but it is an interesting idea.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rocky Mountain Game & Fish released another of their extensive regional outlooks this week. Tom Behrens covers the state of Colorado, including prospects for the Blue, Arkansas, Animas, Taylor, North and South Platte, and Rio Grande rivers. If you're thinking of fishing Colorado for the first time this year, it's not a bad place to start your information-gathering.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You'll need a subscription to the online or print version of the Wall Street Journal to read the full article, but in yesterday's edition Jonathan Eig wrote a revealing story about last year's departure of R. L. Winston's bamboo rod team. Glenn Brackett, Jerry Kustich, Jeff Walker and Wayne Maca started their own cane rod shop just across the street from their old haunt, and as Eig writes, both the Boo Boys and Winston CEO, Mike "Woody" Woodard, seem to wish the rift didn't exist. "In Twin Bridges, Mr. Woodard takes a walk every day on his lunch break, going north along the bank of the Beaverhead River, past the Sweetgrass shop. Sometimes he looks in the window and sees Mr. Brackett sitting at his workbench, fingering thin strands of bamboo. The men wave politely at one another." (Thanks to reader John DeVault for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"A short chapter on casting tips has beautifully detailed pictures and explanations on how to pick-up and cast weighted flies. No mean feat, even for accomplished casters. The chapter on presentation shows in great detail casting and fishing techniques that apply to any flowing-water fishing, including trout." Jim Heim reviews Bob Clouser's newest book, Fly-Fishing for Smallmouth in Rivers and Streams (Stackpole, January 2007, 226 pages), which includes flies, equipment, strategies and even commentary from other expert smallmouth anglers. In the Frederick [Maryland] News-Post.

Fly-Fishing for Smallmouth on Amazon.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Flinn writes about leaving all your camping gear at home and taking advantage of the many fishing inns that line forty miles of canyon along the Rogue River. "Most of the lodges date back to an era when fly fishing on the Rogue was en vogue among Hollywood stars. On knotty pine walls hang fading photographs of Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Gregory Peck and Katharine Hepburn, among others, holding improbably large salmon." In the San Francisco Chronicle.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seems Warren Hinrichs and guide Kris Suplee have the magic touch when it comes to feeding permit this year. They followed up their July win of the Del Brown Permit Tournament (see "2006 Del Brown Permit Tournament Results") by catching six fish and taking top honors at this year's March Merkin in Key West. They caught one fish on day one, three on the second day, and two yesterday. Second place went to angler Mark Hoskin and guide Bob Paulson with three fish, and third place went to David Dalu fishing with guide Scott Collins, who caught two fish. Dalu and Collins also won the award for the largest fish: 30.5 inches, 22 pounds.

Hinrichs and Suplee caught the first fish they saw on day one, and hooked their last fish -- a fish so shallow that his back was 1/3 out of the water -- five minutes before the tournament ended at 5PM on day three. "Kris did a great job of finding fish," Hinrichs said, "taking some chances and finding fish in spots that he hadn't fished in three years. It made all the difference."

As organizer Jonathan Ain noted, despite high winds, limited visibility, and fish that weren't terribly hungry, the 19 fish caught during the event show that it's a great time of year to fly fish for permit. "It confirms that if you can handle the wind and changeable conditions, March is the month for big permit on the flats." Ain also noted that during this year's tournament, the event's first female angler, Loren Rea, caught the third largest permit (20 lbs.).

The March Merkin benefits the Don Hawley Foundation, which disperses gifts to Keys flats guides in times of need.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Blue wing olives — or maybe midges — danced on the surface with impunity, the way insects do when there's no danger of trout in the vicinity. I tied on an artificial variation of the insect, letting my fly join the real thing in not getting eaten." Janet Urquhart describes her first day on the water this year as a sartorial disaster, punctuated by a series of mishaps. In the Aspen [Colorado] Times.

Jack Nicklaus must have the same thoughts occasionally, evidenced by a new golf course near some favorite New Zealand fishing spots on the North Island.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 15 miles of river between Green Mountain Dam and the Colorado River have been somewhat protected from fishing pressure due to a lack of public access, but that is all about to change with an upcoming land swap. That's led fly fisher Chuck Obermeyer to lead the push for vigorous protections for this important brown trout fishery. "'Previously, they refused to review the regs until 2010,' Obermeyer said. 'Well, by 2010, the river would be wiped out.'" Ed Dentry in the Rocky Mountain News.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The concept of exact imitation eventually caused Halford to abandon the Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear dry fly. He loved its effectiveness, but it worked with too many different hatches, therefore it wasn’t an exact imitation. Using the GRHE just wasn’t up to his high standards of sportsmanship." Some interesting history here surrounding one of the most popular "early" dry flies, the GRHE, which in the beginning of the 20th century served the same varied purposes as the Adams does today. George Grant on Tri-Cities.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This interview with Club CEO Donny Beaver doesn't touch on the sensitive issue of public access that has ensnarled his club in extended court battles with the state and local fly fishing shops (see "Judge Rules Little Juniata Open to Public"), but it does clue readers in to the thinking behind the Club's strategy of purchasing the lands underlying important trout streams. According to Beaver, it's all about fighting over-development of riparian lands. "We constantly compete against developers who can build 300 retirement condos along a mile-long stretch of trout stream and charge a premium because of the location. This drives the riparian land values through the roof." On HeliumReport.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Author Jeff Hull, whose first book, Pale Morning Done, gathered spring creeks, water rights, romance and fly-fishing nuance into a very well received first novel. David James Duncan called it "beautifully realized." Hull's second book takes an entirely different tack, collecting sixteen essay on topics as varied as knots, blue sharks and camping on Slough Creek. Streams of Consciousness (The Lyons Press, January 2007, 208 pages), subtitled "Hip-Deep Dispatches from the River of Life," gives Hull a chance to speak unguardedly about the things that have mattered most to him: adventure, clarity of vision, and respect for the opportunities given to us as anglers.

Interestingly, Streams of Consciousness slipped into bookstores in January without much fanfare, but it deserves attention, because Hull is one of the most observant and skilled new angling writers around. Here's an example from the chapter entitled "Knots:"

There was a time when I experienced my whole existence as a slow-tightening knot. It felt like coils of life backing over each other and tangling, then slicing into their own surfaces a little as they gripped and refused to back off. I've done a lot of work to loosen some of those coils, and these days generally try to keep my line straight. At least, when I feel a little wind knot, I don't keep casting.

On Amazon: Streams of Consciousness; Pale Morning Done

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Joe Brooks and Madison/Gallatin chapters of T.U. paid for work done last week to improve sections of Armstrong Spring Creek that were flattened by the extensive flooding of the Yellowstone River in the mid-1990s. "The projects focused on creating deeper pools and runs for trout that live and spawn in the creek, said Justin O'Hair, 37, the fifth generation of O'Hairs to live and work on the ranch." There's an interesting bit of history here, too, about how O'Hair's ancester O.T. Armstrong rode all day across the mountains to buy the ranch through which the spring creek flows. Peter Vandergrift in The Livingston [Montana] Enterprise. (Thanks to reader Brant Oswald for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anyone who knows Bob White describes him as self-effacing, intelligent, and highly talented, both as a painter and a fishing guide. Chris Niskanen interviewed him for the St. Paul [Minnesota] Pioneer Press and gets him to speak about how he got into fishing and painting and what motivates him to sit down with brush and canvas. "The sporting artists today are generally selling to collectors or enthusiasts. It feels different to me, although I see a lot of people doing a retro thing today. Modern painters are doing the 1950s sporting art. It's cabin art. It's cool. But the great sporting artists of the past century did art that told a story."

By the way, White did all of the illustrations for the new edition of Tom Rosenbauer's Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide (The Lyons Press, January 2007, 288 pages), which we consider an essential part of any good fly fishing library. White's illustrations are phenomenal -- some of the best illustrations of fly fishing techniques we've ever seen. Bob's art, which has graced the pages of MidCurrent, can be seen on his Web site at www.whitefishstudio.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Collector extraordinaire Dan Basore doesn't buy fishing items in order to make a profit on them. He just loves owning the largest collection of antique tackle in the world, according to an article by Steve Sarley in the Illinois Kane County Chronicle. "One item in Basore’s collection is the first fly rod ever manufactured by the Orvis Company. Orvis wants to buy it, but Basore isn’t even interested in hearing an offer. From markings on the container, he discovered the rod was owned by a soldier who was the chronicler of General Grant’s army battles during the Civil War."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About 15 years ago the large barracuda that dotted the flats around the lower Florida Keys during January and February suddenly began disappearing. A delight for spincasters throwing "tube lures," barracuda were also great sport for fly fishers and one of the easiest fish for beginning fly fishers to hook on the flats. Plus they did jaw-dropping things when hooked: long, greyhounding runs, leaps that would make migrating salmon jealous, and sudden bursts of speed that ranked them number one in knuckle-busting. You never forget the first time you see your fly line going one way, your rod bent at a hard angle against it, and a barracuda rocketing through 18 inches of water in the opposite direction.

So while permit fishing for the last two days in Key West, I was geniunely warmed by the site of lots and lots of 10-20-pound barracuda on almost every flat we fished. "What's next," I wondered, "the return of the mutton snapper?" If you've ever wanted to catch a barracuda on fly, get on the next plane to the lower Keys. It likely won't last beyond mid-April this season, but if the numbers we saw are any indication, the 'cudas are back for good, and you can count on them for next winter. Good stuff.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

"State College and surrounding waters will be the host to the FIPS-Mouche World Youth Fly Fishing Championships in early August. Last year, the competition was held in Portugal and, in 2005, the Czech Republic hosted the event. This will be the first time for the event to be held on American soil." The waters to be fished by competitors are Spring Creek, the Little Juniata River, Fishing Creek and Lake Perez at Stone Valley. Mark Nale on CentreDaily.com.

U.S. coaches are looking for more young fly fishers to make up a second U.S. team for the youth championship, so if you or anyone you know may be interested, coach John Wilson (email: jwilson3@cei.net) would like to hear from you.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The powers-that-be in British Columbia are on the verge of allowing a huge mining operation in the headwaters of the North Fork of the Flathead River, despite strong objections from the State of Montana and despite the fact that the U.S./Canadian Boundary Waters Treaty prohibits the pollution of streams or rivers that flow across our common border with Canada." Todd Tanner writes in Field & Stream about the possibility that B.C. coal mining will pollute one of the more pristine trout rivers in North America. (Thanks to reader Michael Santangelo for this link.)

Meanwhile, Blaine Harden writes in the Washington Post that the Bush administration is unhappy with the Canadian response. "The North Fork of the Flathead, which the federal government says would quickly be contaminated with heavy metals and other mining pollutants, forms the western boundary of Glacier Park. It then flows south into Flathead Lake, often described as the largest pristine lake in the nation and a major recreation site."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This story is a timely reminder to those planning on fishing tailwaters where periodic releases cause rapid water rises. In Scotland, an angler on the River Tummel near Pitlochry died when the shallow water where he was fishing suddenly became a torrent of 1380 cubic feet per second.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Even as it moves toward installing a massive wall inside the longest portion of the leaky Wolf Creek Dam, the Army Corps of Engineers confirmed yesterday that it's also considering an alternative plan -- replacing that part with a new concrete structure." James Bruggers in the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

William Yardley writes about how melting glaciers and the increase in stormy weather has the planners at Washington state's Mount Rainier National Park taking dramatic measures to handle overflowing rivers and creeks. “'Do we just move the sign up the road?' Lee Taylor, who runs two visitors’ centers, asked as she watched the creek churn out of the woods and into a culvert installed in a hasty effort to keep the water from rushing over a road. 'We don’t really know where this creek is going to stay yet.'” In The New York Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Despite book and Internet advice to the contrary, Chester Allen plays the cards as they are dealt and discovers that the fish don't often care what the experts say. "All the magazine writers said the same thing, and so did the famous anglers on the steelhead videotape I rented. But there was a nice summer steelhead tipping and sipping away. My head actually started hurting. I couldn't believe that that steelhead was ignoring the facts on steelhead behavior." In Olympia, Washington's Olympian.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“'Mullet, barracuda, mullet,' he said, not bothering to point out the fish he was seeing but keeping muy serio about locating a bonefish or two in the thigh-deep water. It’s all in a day of fishing around the southeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, well away from the tourist-addled area known as the Mayan Riviera." Dave Buchanan fishes with a stoic young guide out of the village of Javier Rojo Gomez, also known as Punta Allen. Buried in the story is one possibly alarming note: Mexico is planning on expanding cruise ship facilities southward from Cancun. In the Grand Junction, Colorado Daily Sentinel.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture is combining the efforts of universities, conservationists, state agencies and scientists who want to identify and end threats to native brook trout in the U.S. You can read about it in detail on the Trout Unlimited Web site. "The strategy identifies a set of aggressive range-wide and regional targets, including the protection of highest quality habitat, improvements to 30 percent of the impacted brook trout watersheds and reintroduction of brook trout to 10 percent of the watersheds where they have disappeared." Scott Parrott in the Hendersonville [North Carolina] News.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Norm Zeigler writes about the myriad sights to be found in the wilds of southwest Florida's Ten Thousand Islands in The New York Times. "Especially from the post-Civil War era to the early 20th century, the maze of waterways and islands provided haven for commercial fishermen and solitude lovers, as well as for poachers, scoundrels and outlaws on the lam."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Scientists and in-the-know anglers say recent high-precipitation years could mean Maine brook trout numbers will be higher this year, according to Ken Allen on MaineToday.com. "Several fisheries biologists have told me that high water for the past two years has created excellent spawning conditions, so little brooks and streams abound with brookies and invertebrate forage."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Time magazine writer Claire Smith covers the story of former Chilean banker Andres Ergas's "Nomads of the Seas" operation in Chilean Patagonia, a unique enterprise that takes fly fishers on an ecosavvy tour of coastal fisheries. The price -- $15,000 per week -- is perhaps partly explained by the crew that mans Ergas's $20 million ship: "The staff of 33 read like a Who's Who of Chilean military and academia: the captain once commanded the Chilean Navy SEALs, the expedition leader was in command of Augusto Pinochet's bodyguards, and Gian Paolo Sanino, the scientist who leads the ecotours, wrote Chile's new law on whale and dolphin watching."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Fly-rodding is not quite an art, but the fluid motion and seemingly effortless casts made by experts do seem a style of modern dance, almost a performance art where form meets function." Frank Sargeant goes down Lefty's list of the essentials in good fly casting, including keeping a straight line, making a good backcast, and keeping the elbow low. In the Tampa Tribune.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seems peasant uprisings don't occur only in Montana. According to an article by Mary Jacoby in the Wall Street Journal, locals are referring to the 13th century Magna Carta -- one of first written proclamations of civil liberty -- to challenge the 12th Duke of Devonshire, Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish's claim to a 12-mile stretch of the River Blackwater. "The family has held Lismore through turbulent times. When Ireland established its independence from England in 1922, its leaders considered radical land reform that would have driven out the British aristocracy. Instead, the leaders allowed property owners to keep hereditary estates. That benefited Fred Astaire's sister Adele. She lived at Lismore from 1932 to 1944 after marrying Lord Charles Cavendish, Peregrine's great uncle." (Thanks to reader John DeVault for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for something completely different? U.K. conservation group The Wild Trout Trust (www.wildtrout.org) is adding an interesting twist to the time-honored practice of raising money through auctions: they're putting it all up on eBay. More than 212 items are featured in the auction, which you can reach by going to the WTT Auction Page. As they note on their site, "Apart from a wide variety of fishing in the UK, Eire, the US and Chile, you will find fishing tackle, flies and fly boxes, shooting, DVDs, trees, roses, Harry Potter, Ferrari and Red Arrows collectibles, literature and art. Guide prices range from £5 to £4,500 so there's something for everyone."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Outdoors Web site GORP just added a fly fishing list to their "Top Ten Lists" -- favorite parks, base camps, scenic drives, etc. --- and we find it