Dam...

DamNation | Trailer from FELT SOUL MEDIA on Vimeo.

The dudes at FeltSoul did it again. It's a great time to be fly fisherman with the ongoing trend of tearing down dams going on throughout the country. But as they show in the new film, DamNation, there is a lot of work for us to do to free our rivers. 

Please take a moment to go to dowagiacriverkeepers.blogspot.com/ to lend your support to my pet project of a dam removal. In December 2010, a group requested that the town of Niles, Michigan consider removal of the Pucker Street dam in an upcoming vote. The dam has out-lived its usefulness and is in-operable. However, water quality and the dam's structure continue to degrade. Paid energy consultants report that dam restoration isn't economically feasible. Today, funds for the dam's removal are available. Check out the blog to learn the facts and seek lend your support in any way you can.

PS - If you live near Chicago and you are participating in getting this dam removed, then you shouldn't consider yourself a passionate fly fisherman. The Dowagiac River is a jewel less than two hours from you. If this dam is removed the river would eventually rival northern trout streams like the Pere Marquette and the White. That should at least pique your interest in checking out the link to find out why. 

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Fire On The Mountain

Unless you have been sitting under a rock for the last week, you have probably heard that the entire Rocky Mountain West is on fire. This is pretty much accurate, and the High Park Fire near Fort Collins is the big dog of them all. This is the second largest forest fire in Colorado history and spans over 58,770 total acres. It is 50% contained at the time of this post. 

We are already dealing with historical low water levels and now we are dealing with a raging wildfire that has burned over 189 residences. This summer is turning into one of the most devastating years for fisheries since I moved to Colorado. They say this fire may last through the entire summer if conditions were to get worse. 


Keep the people of High Park in your thoughts and if you are interested in lending a helping hand, here are some of the folks to contact. 

coloradoredcross.org

larimerhumane.org/ (for the stranded animals)

salvationarmyusa.org

ACS Community LIFT

Photography by Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

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They're Falling Like Flies...

Much to my dismay.... Singlbarbed has been debarbed. Good luck to Keith Barton in whatever his next adventure may be. I think he couldn't face the fact of being on Hiptothesip's blogroll. The shame was to much to handle. 

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Whoa is me...

                                                   This was me on this day, one year ago...

This is me today....

Whoa is me.....

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Ok... I'll Be The One To Say It...

Okay.... as a precursor.... I will warn you that I am grumpy today. That being said, this is something that has bugged me for a long time. There are some things in the world that I just can't get past, and the "Michigan Mitt" is one of those things.

Almost everyone in the trout community is moving away from abrasive mesh nets for more "fish-friendly" options like rubber netting. This not only helps fishermen keep their hooks out of the net, but also dramatically improves fish mortality. Mesh netting pulls off the protective slime that covers our beloved trout and protects them from bacteria and infection.

So leave it to the rednecks of the world to use that same destructive mesh netting to create a mitt so they can grind on the tails of fish with it. It's ridiculous and about time we start ridiculing the people that use them. Furthermore, it is even more obnoxious when I see people using them on 10 inch fish. Those fish shouldn't even leave the water.

Exhibit A 

Don't be this guy.... you look like an idiot....

Rant concluded

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First Draft of The Bristol Bay Assessment Released

The draft of the assessment report for Bristol Bay was recently released. The entire report can be found here: Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment Report.

It's a very detailed report that is definitely worth the read when you have time, but if you want to see the short and skinny version, here is the executive summary: Executive Summary.

The report paints the dim fate that we all know would be inevitable if the Pebble Mine is not stopped. But our job is not even close to done. Our job now is to convince the Obama administration to act before January 20th, 2013. Please take five minutes to fill out This Online Action Letter that specifically cites the EPA Watershed Assessment and ask the President to initiate the Clean Water Act that will enable the EPA to limit industrial scale mining in Bristol Bay. Please ask your friends and family to do the same.

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Be at The Cleanup... or Mad Dog Will Kill You...

The first year I did the South Platte River Cleanup we cleaned up an underpass that was covered in empty cat food cans (food for Mad Dog, I presume), empty cans of 4Loko, naughty magazines and human feces in it. It had a spray painted sign over the top of it that read "This is Mad Dog's House. Don't Touch Mad Dog's Stuff or Mad Dog Will Kill You!" Well, Mad Dog was probably not happy when he came home to find nothing left but his feces (every river cleanup person has their limits). The South Platte deserves better than to allow Mad Dog ruin it. So if you ever plan on carp fishing on the Platte, or just want to help our coldwater fisheries, then join us this Saturday for the cleanup. Here's the info:

Help Clean Up the South Platte River and Bike Paths April 21, 2012 at Union Avenue Put In.
This is an Earth Day event in conjunction with the Greenway Foundation where volunteers picked up trash along the South Platte River and Bike Paths. We usually have between 150 and 250 volunteer rafters, kayakers, cyclists and pedestrians. In past clean ups we successfully removed an average of 1.5 TONS of garbage from the river and bike path each year. The event garners local and regional media coverage on Fox News and 9 NewsTV channels, as well as appearing in the Denver Post newspaper. We start at the Union Ave Put In, raft, kayak, bike and walk 6 miles of the S. Platte River and Bike Path finishing at Habitat Park.

Please contact the event coordinator: John Kahn, Confluence Kayaks,jkahn@confluencekayaks.com, 303-433-3676 for information about sponsorship, contribution information and details on how to get involved.

2012 Event
When: 4/21/12
Registration starts at 9 am
Clean Up: 11 am - 3 pm
After Party: 3 pm - 5 pm
Where: We will be starting at the Union Ave Put In, rafting, kayaking, biking and walking 6 miles of the S. Platte River and Bike Path finishing at Habitat Park. Put-In/Start: Union Chutes, On W. Union Ave. just west of S. Sante Fe Dr.
Take-Out/Finish: Habitat Park, S. Jason St. & Exposition Ave, Denver, CO 

What: If you’ve got a raft, bring it we will find people to float with you, bikes and your own feet are other ways to be involved. Please see our personal gear checklist for suggestions on how to be prepared for a float trip in April. 

At this time we do not have a sponsor who is providing shuttle service, so please plan accordingly.

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Sometimes We Need A Hero

Asian Carp are the biggest threat to the Great Lakes fishery there is. In these dire times, we need some heroes to step up and save humanity... The Peoria Carp Hunters may just be those heroes. Eradicating Asian Carp, one sword swipe at a time. We owe you a debt of gratitude, gentleman.

For those of you lacking in sword fighting ability, num-chuck skills, or just cant stay up on water skis, do your part by visiting freshwaterfuture.org to learn what you can do to stop these bastage fish.

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New Mejico Can Kiss My...

Ask anybody, New Mexico has some pretty cool fishing. There is a lot more to the place other than the San Juan, but right now, I am hating them. I got a ticket for not wearing my pfd in the boat (I had it in the boat, just not on) and now they want me to come back down from Denver to go to court. Aztec, NM is over 7 hours away from me. Are these people insane?

Furthermore, they have their priorities completely effed up. Here are the possible fines differences between my ticket and RECKLESS DRIVING!

No PFD = $500 and/or 180 days in jail. 

VS.

Reckless Driving = $300 and/or 90 days in jail. 

Something is soooo messed up about that. I'm not trying to belittle the importance of water safety, but for crying out loud,is wearing a pfd more important than stopping people from endangering others with reckless driving? 

But They do have this....

So they have that going for them... which is nice. 

I may be bringing my next post from a jail cell in Aztec. I hope they treat me well. 

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It Will Be All Frozen Over Soon

It will all be frozen over soon. The crappie pond, that is. Soon the flat water littered with popping crappie will turn into a hard skating rink. The ice fisherman will be dragging their sleds filled with augers, buckets and minnows onto it's hard surface. It will be their time then, but now, right now it's my time. Fall is well set in and I don't hit the crappie pond as often as I did in July. So I will take advantage of my 1wt and spiders. I will take advantage of these beautiful speckled fish that fry up so delightfully. Right now... right now is my time.