Fortunately the U.S. west is having one of its wettest years in recent memory. But wildfires can happen anywhere at any time in the Rocky Mountains, regardless of rain and snowpack levels. If you plan on fishing in arid country this summer, take a lesson from the experiences of Larry Garfinkel, who barely survived an April 15 fire while fly fishing with buddies on Colorado's Roaring Fork River. "He was resigned to his fate. But somehow -- Garfinkel said he honestly doesn't know if it was acting on instinct or courage under fire -- he made his way into the shallow water of the creek, then into water deep enough to submerge him. He said he looked up through about 4 inches of water and saw the flames flying past. 'The fire just keeps coming,' he said. 'I came up for air once and then went back down.'" Scott Condon in the Aspen Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Dell and other big corporations are trying to draw the line on employee blogging -- unless it pertains to personal interests. So we're calling on all Dell employees who also fly fish to spend more time blogging about our favorite sport. "'If the subject matter crosses over into hobbies or people's personal lives, 'there would be no rationale for us to get involved in that,' Pearson said in a phone interview Tuesday. Translation: 'If someone is a fisherman and they want to talk about fly fishing outside of work, then that's not our business, it's personal,' said Pearson. 'But if someone is going to talk about notebooks and anything related to Dell, they have to say they're from Dell.'" Anne Broach on CNET News.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While it is only one of three locations under consideration as an alternative to Livingston, Montana, last month Federation of Fly Fishers officials took a close look at his northern Colorado community.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jon Ain and guide Captain Doug Kilpatrick made only a single cast to a permit on day one of the March Merkin Invitational Permit Tournament last week. But by day three (Friday) they had caught the two largest permit as well as tying second place finishers Warren Hinrichs and guide Kris Suplee for the highest number of fish caught (three). Third place went to Michael O’Brien and guide Mark Phillips. 25 boats fished the three-day tournament, which was marked by coolish weather, with many guides competing as anglers in one of the few flats tournaments that allows guides to fish.

All profits from the charity event went to the Don Hawley Foundation and Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited . At the event Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited also announced that The March Merkin had been chosen as their first partner tournament. Further information and pictures of the event are available on www.marchmerkin.com.

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

In the process of cleaning up a large volume of comments yesterday, some comments were inadvertently deleted. If you have commented in the past 48 hours and do not see your comment on the site, please resubmit it. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In what is certain to shake the judicial branch to its core, the Senate will soon debate an amendment which would cap the per-trip reimbursement for trips at $2000. This after some environmental lawyers noticed Justice Scalia toting a fly rod around a high-end Colorado resort with members of a conservative activist group.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Japanese-born fishing guide Toshiya Babe and a wealthy client died in a fire in their nine-bunk wooden hut, owned by the Department of Conservation, in the isolated Waiau Valley in New Zealand.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Good health and joy to MidCurrent readers from all of us on one of the year's most hope-filled days. May peace and happiness be yours this holiday season, and may 2008 take you fishing in places you've only dreamed about.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The British began buying up real estate in the 1880s to lock in fishing rights, and it's not a stretch of the imagination to see the same sequence of events repeating themselves in the U.S., where privatization of fishing water is just now becoming the rage. Our advice, cut to the quick, jump ahead of the curve, and start breeding giant carp. "You can set up a specialist water with big carp, where anglers will typically pay £30 a day or more to fish, or sell larger specimens to another water. A 30lb carp these days is worth around £2,000; a 40-pounder more than double that. A50-pounder is probably the sort of thing to put on eBay with a £10,000 starting price." Keith Elliott in the U.K. Independent.

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

Although some details of the latest version of the US Fish & Wildlife Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation were made available in July, the complete report -- which includes details on the number of anglers and their activities, their expenditures and demographic data -- was just released last week.

Among the more interesting information in the report, which is likely the least-biased measures of fly fishing participation in the U.S.:

-- 3,012,000 anglers over the age of 16 fly fished in 2006, participating for an average of about 10 days per person
-- "Although the number of all anglers declined 12%, their expenditures for fishing equipment (rods, reels, etc.) and fishing trips increased 5% and 7%, respectively. There were drops in expenditures for auxiliary equipment (special clothing, tents, etc.) and special equipment (big ticket items such as boats) by -14% and -12%, respectively." (Quoted from the USFWS Web site.)
-- 67 percent of all anglers (including non-fly-fishers) engaged in some form of catch-and-release fishing, while 20% always released their fish
-- Anglers spent $5.3 billion on "fishing equipment, such as rods, reels, tackle boxes, depth finders, and artificial
lures and flies" and $1 million on magazines and books (compare this to the $4.6 billion spent on land leasing and ownership related to fishing activities)
-- Saltwater fishing accounted for a little less than one-third of the total participation and related expenditures that freshwater fishing did

Lest you think 3 million fly fishers is an enormous number, the report also indicates that 1.7 anglers participated in ice fishing. On the other hand, fly fishers make up 10% of all U.S. fishermen (3 million of just under 30 million total anglers).

If you'd like to download the entire report, you can find the 4.2MB, 174-page document here.

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

Fly Fishing Trade publisher Joe Daniels -- who also publishes Wild on the Fly, a magazine for destination fly fishers -- has agreed to an acquisition of his three-year-old trade magazine by Angling Trade, which will print its first issue just before the Fly Fishing Retailer show in September. Angling Trade will be edited by former Fly Fishing Trade editor Kirk Deeter. We're guessing Deeter, whose name some may recognize as the co-author of two very well done books out of Willow Creek Press, Tideline and Castwork, will bring a boatload of skill to the new publication.

For more information and the full press release, read the extended entry.

Continue reading "Angling Trade Magazine Acquires Fly Fishing Trade" »

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A Canadian fly fisher drowned last Friday on Idaho's Clark Fork when his float tube overturned. Apparently he was belted into the U-shaped tube and was unable to release the belt or right himself. It's something to think about if you are a float-tuber and are not thoroughly familiar with your gear.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Diego Padres manager Bud Black believes in non-traditional kinds of team building. Perhaps that's why he had his players engage in a fly fishing contest at spring training.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 4:22 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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

The oddest thing in this story about permissable evidence in the case against a Massachusetts trout hatchery owner and his employee is that it seems to involve the use of great blue heron decoys. We've never heard of using great blue heron decoys to lure eagles into shooting range -- or even that such things are made -- but if you have, please let us know.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Flyfisherman magazine and its Web site will be sold to private equity investment firm Intermedia Partners LP, along with 17 publications and related Web sites, including Guns & Ammo, Game & Fish, Florida Sportsman and In-Fisherman for $170 million in cash, according to Businessweek magazine. Intermedia is led in part by Leo Hindery Jr., the former president and CEO of AT&T Broadband and cable television distributor TCI. In June, Intermedia also acquired Thomas Nelson, a leading publisher of Bibles and Christian inspirational products.

Hindery and Intermedia were also recently reported to be in the hunt for Time Inc.'s outdoor titles, which include Field & Stream and Outdoor Life.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

"'I decided to get out of there and go home but suddenly they all ran towards me waving bats and blocks of wood, shouting, "Get her'" 'I was jostled and they smashed my fishing rod.' As she broke away from the melee, Miss Belson saw another woman being punched in the face and several cars being vandalised." Nigel Bunyon of the UK Telegraph reports on an incident in which activists assaulted several fly fishers at England's Bank House fishery.

Another Telegraph columnist accurately points out that these thugs are not animal-lovers, but people-haters.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Milwaukee Sentinel Journal reports today that the victims of the fire at the Bighorn Trout Shop have been tentatively identified Linda Kopp, 58, Kopp's husband Edwin G. Gohlke, 60, and their friend Susan Koeppe, 53," all of Glendale, Wisconsin.

A short video including the fire scene was also posted on Milwaukee's TMJ4 News site.

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

Tragically, three people died in the fire that burned the Bighorn Trout Shop to the ground in Fort Smith, Montana early Sunday morning. As Ed Dentry notes in the Rocky Mountain News, "Eight of 17 lodging units burned. The Yellowtail Market, a grocery and general store next door to the Bighorn Trout Shop, also was destroyed." The Yellowtail Market, the social hub of this tiny town with the only gas and groceries for 30 miles, has been a central meeting place for Bighorn River anglers for many years.

Apparently the owners intend to continue operation out of a modular building. Neither of the other two shops in Fort Smith -- Bighorn Angler and Bighorn Fly and Tackle -- were damaged.

"Two women and a man, all in their late 50s and from out of state, were staying at the hotel and died in the fire, according to Terry Bullis, Big Horn County coroner," said Mike Stark in the Billings Gazette.

Phil Gonzalez, one of the pioneers of Bighorn fly fishing and owner of Bighorn River Lodge further downriver, says of the shop and owners, "They turned it into a nice place. It is the cornerstone of the Bighorn in terms of fly shops. Those guys [Steve Hilbers and Hale Harris] are well-respected. They did a lot to develop the fishing industry on the Bighorn River. It was really important to them to do things right and they did."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

FishingJones points to a fine article on the upside of solitude by Newsweek writer Anna Quindlen, who finds that "eating Raisin Bran for dinner on the porch instead of bothering with a starch, a stove and a napkin" ain't all bad, even if it's not 100 percent politically correct.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's little doubt that as time passes, those fish that never quite made it to the the net or the hand are the ones most remembered. For me, there are too many to count, but one or two stand out. Like the bonefish that swam by the boat during a big tournament; had I been faster on my feet, I would have netted that fish before he had another chance to go get tangled in the mangroves and we would have been the first team in the history of the tournament to catch a grand slam on fly. There are even fish not cast to because they were so large they didn't look like our quarry. Sad but true. And there were fish that I was glad not to land, like the 500-pound blue marlin that broke a custom-made fly line. All still vivid pictures in memory.

In his Virtual Fish blog, Nick Mills recites a quote from Lord Gray of Fallodin's 1899 book, Fly Fishing: "It is our lost fish that I believe stay longest in memory...." And he recounts a few stories from his own memory bank, like an Androscoggin rainbow that shook his brother's composure. On MaineToday.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Children teach us that the most simple and abundant pleasures of fishing can come from reinventing a basic skill, like jigging. I'm reminded of this all the time when I hear someone's story of a brand new fly or a secret fishing spot. But with kids, there's no worry over authorship, no whispering or vows of secrecy. It doesn't matter if they are relearning something practiced thousands of years ago or sharing something they just figured out that morning.

C.J. Chivers describes a summer tale of perch fishing in southern Finland and the magic of falling under fishing's spell. "In fishing terms, Mick is teaching himself to jig. Granted, yellow perch are not the most game of game fish, and jigging — a form of tricking fish that can be traced to prehistory — is not exactly Mick’s invention, although he thinks so. But important things are happening here, which can give a life part of its shape." In The New York Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A landmark fishing store housed in the Chelsea Hotel in downtown Manhattan is moving to less pricey digs after 42 years of selling tackle to the notable and the notorious. "'Sid Vicious used to come in here with Nancy Spungen,' said Richard Collins, 51, a former clerk who has owned the store for the past 32 years. Mr. Collins, who is known as Richie, makes this statement as if he were describing Sheriff Andy Taylor dropping by with his young son, Opie, on 'The Andy Griffith Show.'" Anthony Ramirez in The New York Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While fishing with MidCurrent reader Chris Miller in Biscayne Bay a few weeks ago, our guide, Bob Branham said many things that brought back memories. Among the stories about wealthy but penurious clients, Bob inserted a veteran guide's truism: "There are easier ways to make money." Add to that the fact that there are many more direct ways for a person to go connect with fish than to depend on someone else to do the catching, and you begin to sense the rarified atmosphere in which a guide who has worked for ten, or twenty, or thirty years has learned to operate. Bob Rosner's blog on ABCNews.com reminded me of this and of something I said to myself -- many times over -- during my first year of guiding: "Damn, this is hard work." As Bob observes: "Fly fishing, sex, working in your yard, photography, cooking … [fill in the blank with one of your favorite ways to pass the time]. Now I'd like you to take that favorite activity and do it for eight hours starting on Monday. Then do it for another eight hours on Tuesday. And for good measure, do it 40 hours a week, 50 or so weeks a year."

But then, as some folks who've managed to turn their passion into an avocation will tell you, there's much to be said for taking this route in life. Somehow surviving the disappointment of having the things you love to do turn into a chore is transforming. Number one, being forced to learn to enjoy something all over again teaches you aspects of your passion that you can't learn any other way, if only because you have to look for confirmation in things other than your own psyche: people, places, events. Two, you find, perhaps decades down the line, that you have been gifted with opportunity to truly know something at your core. It's not a privilege everyone can claim.

So "draining?" Yes. Rewarding? Like nothing else.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been a long time since the fly fishing industry has enjoyed an "upside surprise" in any participation research. Still, it's worth digging into the most recent numbers a bit, if only because data can be skewed by weather events and sampling techniques. (Note, for example, that bicycling showed an even larger decline in 2004-2005 than fly fishing, this in a year that Lance Armstrong won his 7th Tour de France and bicycle retailers reported increased sales.) Perhaps the numbers say something about buying habits: sports that require "technical" gear are on the decline. We think it also says something about time management; activities that require an overnight commitment are also losing participants.

But here it is: the annual Outdoor Recreation Participation Study done by the Outdoor Industry Foundation was released on June 19 and shows that between 2004 and 2005, participation in fly fishing decreased by 20 percent. Overall, total outings decreased by 11 percent. Trail-running and snow-shoeing showed the largest increases in participation. "'The Outdoor Recreation Participation Study confirms trends that emerged last year: participants are focusing on low-commitment activities, especially those that can be done in a day, in locations near their homes and with limited technical equipment.'"

Interestingly, if you look at the OIF data for the past 5 years, the trend in fly fishing participation is still up. Since 2004 was a peak year, with 18.2 million participants, 2005's 14.7 million participant count looks like a big drop, but it was still higher than participation in any of the three years prior to 2004.

You can read more details of the study on the OIF Web site.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A landmark of Catskill fishing, the Antrim Inn was being renovated as a lodge and restaurant when it was ruined by fire yesterday morning. "For nearly three decades, beginning in the 1950s, the Antrim Lodge was as much a part of the area's rich fishing tradition as the famed tributaries that surround it. Sportswriters like columnist Red Smith would take part in the annual 'Two-Headed Trout' roundtable on the eve of trout season. President Jimmy Carter, a fly-fishing enthusiast, once ate there." Victor Whitman in New York's Times Herald-Record.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maybe my Wranglers will finally get a pocket large enough to hold a fly box. The CEO of the world's largest jeans maker -- VF corporation -- mentions Orvis as a possible acquisition target in Forbes this morning. "[Mackey] McDonald won't comment on Eddie Bauer, which is up for sale, but mentions hunting-and-fly-fishing supplier Orvis, which also makes clothes. 'It may not be fashionable to some, but it will be to others,' says McDonald." Article by Suzanne Hoppough.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It had to happen sooner or later: thieves have begun regularly targeting vehicles at boat launch sites and recreation areas around the country, most notably in Tennessee and Oregon. Some anglers are getting fed up about wondering what is happening to their rigs while they are fishing and have started to form patrols at trouble spots. "'We want to do something about tweakers (meth addicts) breaking into our cars,' said Steve Crook, a Eugene fly-fisherman and RAT member. 'One out of five people I talk to has been affected by this.'" Rebecca Nolan in the Oregon Register-Guard.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At almost any age, fly fishers tend to think of themselves as indestructible. And we are, mostly. At least until multiple events conspire to make us feel like idiots. One of those events that causes anglers to go down the path of no return most often is falling into cold water, and this excellent piece on cold water survivability in Yachting World gives anecdotal and scientific info that will make you shiver. (Originally posted on Dan Blanton's bulletin board.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Like many of his fellow anglers in the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing, Navy Lt. Joel Stewart thought an afternoon of casting on one of Saddam Hussein's lakes could make him feel as though he had escaped the war and was back in his native Montana, fishing for trout." Article by Aamer Madhani of the Chicago Tribune.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seems like everyone loves a big shark story, if you noticed the play Dr. Martin Arostegui's 385-pound lemon shark on fly got this past week. Of course even Europe finally took notice, sort of. Finlay Wilson gives a Scottish perspective on the catch and world records in general on Scotsman.com. "On Tuesday, the International Game Fish Association certified Arostegui's latest catch as a world record and the largest documented fish caught on fly tackle, eclipsing a 356lb goliath grouper caught in 1967."

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

66-year-old Sam Crutchfield was back on the water after being attacked by an alligator while wade-fishing last month. He comments rather plainly, "'I don't know what the odds are, maybe a million to one, but you can throw those odds out the window when one bites you in the [butt] like it did me.'" As an article by Tim Povtak in the Orlando Sentinel points out, the later-than-usual mating season -- when gators are particularly hungry -- may be responsible for this and other attacks that have claimed the lives of three women in the past few weeks.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alligator populations have been on the increase in Florida for decades, and it's not unusual to see 10-footers lining the backs of popular fishing spots. According to Sam Crutchfield of Fort Pierce, who was attacked Monday while wading in Lake Istokpoga, "'They've gone through the fish, and then they started eating smaller alligators. Now all that are left are the big ones. All I know is that I won't be back on Istokpoga for a long time.'" Fortunately Crutchfield was only badly bruised in the attack. Lorna Jablonski in the Okeechobee News.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ever seen a 15-pound bonefish? It looks more like a silver football than a real fish. Carl Navarre recently submitted one that he caught in Islamorada for the new IGFA 20-lb. tippet record. Meanwhile, down in Key West, Dr. Martin Arostegui landed an enormous lemon shark while fishing with Ralph Delph, who has done much to pioneer release techniques for large fish. In the New York Post. (Thanks to reader Thomas McGuane for this bit of news.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While the groom waited for the pastor to arrive, he and his fully equipped fly fishing fiancee passed the time by, of course, catching a few fish. Monina Wagner on WKYC.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That's the motto of the Reel Divas, a group of women who wowed the Federation of Fly Fishers with fishnet stockings and tiaras at the annual FFF conclave in Livingston, Montana. "They're dedicated to the art of flyfishing, the power of play, and that all women are queens — if they say they are. In addition, the Reel Divas are committed to helping others as active participants in Casting for Recovery, which provides fly fishing retreats at locations around the United States. Retreats are specifically designed for women who have or have had breast cancer." Fred Lowe in the Baxter (Arkansas) Bulletin.

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

By permission of the International Whaling Commission, native Bequia islanders in the southeastern Caribbean are still allowed to practice a trade learned from 19th-century Yankee whalers — hunting humpback whales with harpoons. "On his left leg, there's the scar of a rope burn that went right down to the bone. His eyes, bloodshot from age and the glare of the sun, focus on a point just above my shoulder and about 500 miles distant." Sebastian Junger in Outside magazine.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It takes only seconds to get into serious trouble if you're wearing waders. "'He had hooked a fish and, in an effort to dislodge it, dropped his pole, slipped and lost his footing,' Fish, Wildlife & Parks Game Warden Bryan Golie of Cascade said. 'Then his waders began to fill up,' Golie said. 'But they float, and they're on the surface, holding your head down.'" Eric Newhouse in the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune.

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

That's the kind of thing being used to lure new members into the high-end "destination clubs" popping up around the U.S., including some dedicated to fly fishing. "Flyfishing Destinations, based in Sandy, Utah, will be even smaller. Plans include five lodges in fishing hot spots like the Madison River in Madison Valley, Mont., and the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho." Michelle Higgins in The New York Times.

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

In trying to draw tourists to Utah, it's Out with creative subtlety and In with Marketing 101 ("the only things that sell are greed, sex and fear"). "'Gov. Huntsman wanted something hip, young and different,” said Mark Hurst, president of the victorious ad agency W Communications. 'And, hey, what’s more hip, young and different than naked girls in hip waders?'" D.P. Sorenson in the Salt Lake City Weekly.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Acrefair, England angler ended an all-night carp fishing expedition by almost losing his eye to a heavy lead weight. "He flicked his 12 foot rod and the line broke free which caused the heavy weight to shoot out of the water and fly into his face. It went into his left eye socket, smashing his cheekbone and lodged in his face." Sue Austin in the Shropshire Star.

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

Yesterday the IGFA did confirm to us that there will be a new class of records that is based on length and requires that fish be released alive. In an email, Jason Schratwieser, Conservation Director, said: "IGFA is in the process of developing a new and distinct record category that is based on length. This category of records will also require mandatory release of all fish entered. However, when saying this, I always like to point out to people that many of the fish entered for our 'traditional' record categories are released alive due to the fact that anglers can weigh their fish using certified, portable hand scales. The new length category will most likely start out small, with 60 freshwater and 60 saltwater species that are amenable to anglers obtaining measurements and then releasing them alive. It will also not have line classes, but will be for the longest fish of each of the approved species. We currently do not have an activation date for the new category."

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

We haven't been able to get confirmation from the IGFA, but it looks like the organization responsible for recording world fishing records is introducing a class of records that requires only a length measurement (with a photo). The theory, I'm sure, is that this will allow larger fish to be released alive. Currently it is very difficult if not impossible to weigh a large fish and have it survive. Here's an article by Scott Doggett in yesterday's Los Angeles Times describing some of the angling community's reaction.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reader Steve Wood sent us this story of a big Georgia brown caught by angler William Davis some weeks back. When his thumb slid into the fish's mouth, the release became more of a bloody affair than William had planned:

"I had been aiming for stripers on the Chattahoochee for several weekends. I really wanted to take one on a flyrod. That particular morning I decided to get to the river before sunrise. The river was unusally high and slightly silted. Visiblilty was low due to extreme fog, making for interesting fishing conditions. There was one other person out striper fishing as well. I was throwing white streamers against a rock wall for an hour or so with a 7wt. rod with no luck. I laid the flyrod down for a few minutes and switched to a baitcaster rigged with a large white bucktail jig. The first cast resulted in an enormous strike. I thought it was a striper for a few seconds but realized it was something else. After a few minutes of battle, trying to get the fish around the anchor line, the fish rose whereupon I realized it was a very large Brown trout. The other fellow came rushing towards me in his boat armed with a big gaff offering his services. I politely declined. I was able to gently lift the trout up for a few quick photos. After getting him situated just so, he decided to make a meal out of my thumb. He bit down with razor sharp teeth. You can see from the grimace on my face that he was having some success in shredding my thumb. After a few seconds he succumbed to few seconds of photography and measuring then was quickly released safely back to the river. 29 inches! What a fish! The other fellow was stunned. He couldn't believe I'd release such a fish. He almost looked angry. He sped off shaking his head. I wiped the blood from my hand, smiling as I did so, knowing that the fish had gotten the better of me. It pleases me to know that there are such fish only minutes from Atlanta."

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

As a follow-up to last week's story about three fly fishers being struck by lighting in Montana's Paradise Valley, Scott McMillion interviews Chip Rizutto, who took the direct hit. "When the cloud appeared overhead, a bolt of lightning struck a ridge a quarter mile away, Himes said. The men started for their vehicle and made it about 300 yards when lightning struck Rizzotto, the tallest of the three at 5'10"." In the Bozeman Chronicle.

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

Team France was the clear winner in the 25th Annual FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships which wrapped up in Lycksele, Sweden yesterday. The competition saw 21 teams competing on the Juktan, Logde and Rodingtrask rivers. Frenchman Bertrand Jacquemin also won the individual championship. The top three finishers for the U.S.: Pete Erickson (34th), Ryan Barnes (64th), and Jim Hickey (71st). You can find all of the team and individual results on the French International Federation of Sport Fly Fishing Web site (click on "News").

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three anglers on Mill Creek in Paradise Valley were struck by lightning Wednesday as they tried to escape an oncoming storm. Scott McMillion in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. (Thanks to reader Phillip Gaboney for sending this story.)

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

According to recently released results of the annual study conducted by the Outdoor Industry Association, the only category of outdoor enthusiasts to show considerable growth over the past 6 years is fly fishing.

So why does it seem to many manufacturers that the market is shrinking? Perhaps a deeper look at the results is needed: "People who recreate the most are described as 'enthusiasts,' who, in 2004, were more likely to be white, male, younger than the median participant population (36) and moderately affluent." Is the marketing for major fly fishing products manufacturers targeting this younger set? Do they visit fly shops as often as those of us who are "outside the profile" do? Are they as susceptible to "nostalgia marketing?" I wonder.

Sarah Toland in the Boulder, Colorado Daily Camera