Struggle For The Snake, 1971 Edition

Originally posted on the Chum it appears that the lower 4 Snake River dams have been in question since the beginning

What strikes me is the exact same attitude that the builders of the dam had then mirrors what it is now.  In the face of opposition and science, they do what they want to do.

Spokane Premier of Our Two Hands

Our Two Hands Kickstarter Campaign Teaser from BLOODKNOTS on Vimeo.

Man alive, I am fired up!

Join the Wild Steelhead Coalition April 27th for the World Premier of OUR TWO HANDS in Spokane at the Lincoln Center

Filmed and produced by Bloodknots, it's a film 3 years in the making that examines what's really going on in salmon and steelhead management

Here's the film description from the makers themselves

Society has an intimately complex and perilous relationship with salmon and steelhead. The current management paradigm has failed, and the status quo solutions for restoring impoverished wild populations have proven elusive. "Our Two Hands" is an examination of the underlying cause of this decline, as well as the innovative voices in the angling community and general public fighting for a wild fish future in the Pacific Northwest.

The event is going to be amazing.  We already have companies, craftsmen and guides lining up to donate to what's going to be a very robust raffle and auction all with the goal of raising a pile of cash for the Wild Steelhead Coalition.   If anyone has come to our events in the past when we've shown films the likes of Low and Clear and Waypoints you know it's going to be a great community building event that has everyone leaving smiling.

We are also partnering with other great conservation and community non profits like Save Our Wild Salmon, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited, Spokane Women On The Fly and more to give you ample groups to get to know and see how you can help them as well

Stayed tuned with the event by joining the Facebook Event Page as we will be updating it continually with added raffle items and groups joining in on the fun

Hope to see you there!

TBT...Bobber Ninja

Facebook and it's reminders of the past.  This one took me right back to river.

The indicator, errr....bobber slammed down as we were about to drop into a pretty good rapid. Fighting a fish through the frothing mess is nothing short of a rodeo.

We eddied out and brought the fish to hand.  The hatchery hen inhaled the egg pattern and into the box she went for a later date with the smoker.  Dad and I shared a happy moment, a pull off the flask in celebration of success in our favorite place in the world

What a world away that was.

Before I was seduced by 2 handed casting.  Before diapers, soccer practice and Kindergarden.. Before my 30's, management,  grey overtaking my beard.  Before down and across, scandis and scagits and 1307's.  Before conservation and public land fights.

Before all that, I was a bobber ninja.....and I loved every minute of it.

Big Problems With The Deschutes

The Rapid Decline of the Lower Deschutes River from Deschutes River Alliance on Vimeo.


The Lower Deschutes is facing some serious problems

Elevated summer temps, algae, loss of bug life, dirty water and much more all caused by the change in how the river is supplied with water from the Pelton Dam selective water withdrawal tower

Looks like the experiment is failing.

Get more information on this problem and join the Deschutes River Alliance who is working to fix this issue and return the river to it's former glory.

Advanced Level Spey Casting Video

Hilarious.

All that comes to mind is all the times I've had a fly whoosh past my face and somehow not imbed itself in my skull while spey casting.

You havent lived until you've buried a hairwing into the palm of your hand or almost pass out when a dumbbell eye intruder hits the soft spot in the back of your head.

Just a small reminder to go out there and have fun.  Laugh a little even.

A Public Lands Victory In The Midst Of A Public Lands War...

After Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz bowed to the pressure that public land advocates and sportsman's groups put on him for House Bill 621 and killed his bill, a friend called me and asked if the threat to public lands was now over.....

Oh no, no it's not.

Republican lawmakers, especially the anti public lands contingent from Utah including the aforementioned Chaffetz and Rob Bishop have only begun their assault on the America's heritage of public land ownership.

TRCP has identified the top 10 threats to public land that are on the table right now.   The legislation is coming down so fast that it's hard to keep your head straight but the formula to beat HB 621 is a roadmap to letting your elected officials that this horseshit will not stand.

Listen up congressmen, women and senators....take our public land and we'll take your jobs.

Keep the pressure on them, let them know how you feel about this violation of the public trust.  

Stay #publiclandsproud

Swing The Fly- "Mentors"

The Winter edition of Swing The Fly Magazine is out and available at your local fly shops....

And with that, I am honored to have been chosen to share a few words in print with an article I have titled "Mentors, Sharing The Wealth"

If you havent picked up Swing The Fly yet, and you love 2 handed casting, salmon, steelhead or just fly fishing in general you really owe it to yourself to subscribe.

It's not a standard mag, the best way to describe it is as a coffee table quarterly.  It's full of killer photography, great articles and information about our sport

In short, it's got the juice.  It's full of soul.

Subscribe either in print or with digital downloads.

If you read my article, let me know what you think.  Thanks for reading.

Fishing and Politics Belong Together

Politics and fishing don't belong together

Bullshit.

If you hold clean water, public lands, public access, wild spaces, salmon and steelhead, trout, cold water fisheries and or the thousand other items being threatened right now under the current administration....you have to start blending your politics and your outdoor passions

You want your kids to be able to enjoy what we have now and improve it for them, the same goes for this.

You cannot stand on the sidelines any more.  You cant burry your head in the sand and expect things to work out and be ok.

It's time to grab a bucket, fill it with water and throw it on the encroaching flames.

Spending 3 days in the nations capital lobbying for the Land and Water Conservation Fund really solidified this with me.  We have the power in the collective to make change happen.

Take the death of House Bill 621, which was set to instruct the disposal of 3.3 million acres of public land.  The bill's sponsor announced yesterday that in an overwhelming response in opposition has convinced him to "kill the bill"

Days before thousands of people flooded the Montana Capital Building in Helena to take their constitutional right to let their elected officials know what they were mad about.

Which brings me to a brilliant piece from the Chum written yesterday.  Read it, absorb it and then look inside yourself and find a way to get involved.  Wild lands need you.  Public Lands need you.

Dont sit on the sideline and watch Rome burn.

From Moldy Chum, 2/1/17

Whether we like it or not, fishing and politics are inextricably intertwined. That may be an anathema to you. It might boil your blood that our favorite pastime is immersed in politics these days. Fishing is supposed to be an escape from the troubles of our world, not something that sucks us deeper into its turbulent waters. Trust me, I’m just as angry and disappointed as you are.

When I started fly fishing, I was an emotionally burned-out senior political aid working in Congress. Fly fishing was my escape from the frustrations that enveloped me on a daily basis – frustrations that hit me like a ton of bricks the moment I set foot on the marble floors of our nation’s capitol. Every day, I would sit at my desk with an insatiable itch in my feet to rip off my cognac-colored dress shoes, replace them with felt-soled wading boots, and wander with a peaceful heart and carefree mind through the wild waters and woods of Virginia.

Regularly escaping the insanity of our crazy world is something we owe ourselves and is something we desperately need for our wellbeing. We need to find solace on vast public lands. We need to delight in the sheer ecstasy of tarpon jumps and the blistering runs of chrome steelhead. And we need to cleanse our souls with the cold, clean waters of a mountain stream. But these days, it is not enough to just enjoy these resources. It is even more important to fight for them.

I wish it were not the case, but our public lands, waters, and fish are experiencing unprecedented partisan political attacks that threaten the future of these shared and cherished American resources. That is not an alternative fact or my opinion. It’s the God’s honest truth. And if we are going to enjoy these resources in the future, we need to join together today and get political, no matter how distasteful that may be to you.

You may believe that politics and fishing should stay separate, but politics does not stop at the water’s edge. It shapes the very foundation of our sport. It determines if our rivers are clean enough to support the fish we chase. It determines what lands we can fish on and whether we can access them. And it even determines how expensive our gear is.

So to suggest that our industry needs to bury its head in the sand is shortsighted. To threaten to boycott any company, organization, or media outlet that takes a political stance is self-defeating. Even worse, to demand that our industry stops publicly engaging in the political process that shapes the bedrock of fly fishing is to be complicit in our collective demise.

Yes, this is politics, but it does not have to be partisan politics. What we’re talking about is protecting our shared values as sportsmen. These values do not divide along party lines, but rather are fundamental American values we all share. When we put those values first and speak up for them, we can become a powerful force that has a real impact on our political system.

That means that we need to be willing to call out any politician that threatens these values and to support any politician that strengthens them, regardless of party. Equally important, we need to celebrate and support companies, conservation organizations, and media outlets that have the character to speak up on behalf of our collective interests and that have the courage to wade into murky political waters. Last but not least, we need to encourage and empower our fellow anglers to get involved, speak up, and fight tirelessly for these values.

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said that, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Those are profound words that still ring true today. If we stay silent and refuse to speak up, if we stay angry and divided, and if we do not hold our politicians’ feet to the fire and demand they fight to protect our resources, the things that matter most to us will die, and we will be the ones to blame. Silence and division are no longer options. We need to pave a new path forward