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It is time to head to Montana! The Yellowstone is in peak form, so call Yellow Dog to book your trip today. This photo was yesterday.
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Burning the house down on the Stone
Battle grounds and the front line...
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| Yellowstone Cutthroat vs the Lake Trout |
One of the greatest benefits of southwest Montana, Simms headquarters since 1993, is its juxtaposition to Yellowstone National Park. The Park – as locals refer to it – is somewhat of a lighting rod for locals. Some adore its pristine backcountry and otherworldly cauldron of fire and steam. Others stay free and clear of the Park due to its, uh, passionate attention from visitors the world over that can make it feel more like Disneyland than wild lands.
To me, the Park is one of the greatest places I have ever known. Moreover, as an angler and employee of a fishing company, I love that Yellowstone is often seen as a breeding ground for anglers. Just drive the Lamar Valley on a summer day and you find anglers of all abilities tossing large dry flies to Yellowstone cutthroats. It is a wonderful site to behold.
There is a dark side of Yellowstone, however. Some “anglers” have taken to using the Park as their own laboratory. Witness the egregious introduction of lake trout into the cutthroat’s bedroom: Yellowstone Lake. Thought to have happened in the mid-1980s by “bucket biologists” who thought Lewis Lake lakers would be a great addition to Yellowstone Lake, this introduction has hit catastrophic levels. How bad? It’s believed that since lakers have arrived, some 99 percent of all spawning-age cutts in the lake have been wiped out.
Last week, I was fortunate to join Simms’s President, K.C. Walsh, Trout Unlimited, Yellowstone Park Foundation, representatives from Yellowstone’s Fisheries team and bloggers in the outdoor industry for an up-close look into the problem. Simms was the main sponsor of a blogger contest to raise awareness for the native Yellowstone cutthroat, and the prevalence of lakers. How bad has it gotten? Since mid-May, officials working the front lines of eradication have killed 180,000 lake trout! In 10 weeks. That’s an average of 18,000 lakers a week.
To read statistics like this is shocking. To see it up close and personal is staggering. Gill nets with hundreds of dead lakers are pulled up every 45 minutes. Trap nets with hundreds of live (and very large) lake trout dot the lake’s surface. New research is being conducted to work on taking the fight to lake trouts spawning grounds and tracking efforts have increased the knowledgebase on how to combat lakers. All of this is an effort to help out the imperiled Yellowstone cutthroat, brought to the brink by the actions of a few. There is evidence the assistance is helping, but it is a massive mountain and we are only in the foothills. This story won’t end overnight.
After spending a good part of a day on the water witnessing the laker eradication efforts, we left the scene of the crime with bewilderment and a sense of energy. Protecting our native trout seems all more important for me personally…and for Simms as a company. The fight is on and I hope you can help us in the fight.
What can you do as a concerned angler? First of all, support organizations like Trout Unlimited that spearheaded this trip. They are driven by the goal of helping critical native populations of trout. Secondly, as Kirk Deeter points out, it is time to stop foreign introductions of fish. The list of damage done by illegal stocking efforts is long and heart-breaking. Thirdly, become part of the conversation with Simms and others as this story unfolds and you hear much more about this. Finally, embrace Yellowstone and all other angler incubators. It is the next generation of anglers we need to be part of this story.
Cold Beer!
The skinny on sandals
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| Simms new Streamtread sandal |
They spent a day float fishing the Upper Madison known for fast pushy water and slippery cannon ball sized boulders strewn along the course of the river. This is not a flip flop kind of river.
The guide showed up at the fly shop in the morning sportin' one of those trendy straight brimmed hats, hemp necklace and reef sandals. We suspect he smoked the rest of his necklace and twisted up a necklace with the remainder. They launched from the shop and embarked on a journey never to forget or maybe one to be forgotten.
At the boat ramp, gearing up was in full effect and boat was ready to be launched when my friend noticed Harry the hemp head had not changed out of his reefs? Was this dude really going to hit the river in flip flops and "am I really paying this kid to float me down the river" my friend asked himself? Sure enough, it happened, after the kid applied his cocoa butter, they launched - the guide kicked up his feet and sat back only to make a few sweeps on the sticks. Fish were caught but only because my client is an ace fisherman. Top five reasons you should back out of a guided fly fishing trip:
5. Your guide shows up wearing leather sandals and is concerened with getting them wet.
4. Your guides hemp necklace is smoking.
3. You notice your guide has applied cocoa butter for a deep dark tan rather than SPF to fend off harmful sun.
2. Your guide pulls through a Subway sandwich shop drive thru to grab lunches while towing his janky lavro drift boat.
1. Rather than a toe gaurd on your guide's flip flops, he has attached small mirrors for added sun reflection adding to the deep dark tan.
Searching for the hammock-lounging comfort of a favorite sandal combined with the technology of a burly, river-ready shoe? Look no further. Simms’ superhero sandal features a quick-pull system for lightning-fast lace-ups and wading boot outsole technology that conquers rock, concrete, rebar, and the myriad unmentionables of your favorite carp infested waters… as well as the campfire, beach, and back again—all in a day’s work.
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Beaverhead River Sunset Montana
Thing's here in Western North Carolina are great as Caroline and I have been working remotely on finishing up projects we had going on back in Montana. It sounds like some of the fires are now under control and we hope for continued effort and thank all who have helped fighting.
Good friend and Outfitter, Sean Efferson reported a banner day on the Upper Madison yesterday. Fish were caught from ramp to ramp! We call that "Burning the house down" but we choose these words carefully this Summer. It's a cool and comfortable 75 degrees this morning as I write this. There is a lot of work ahead for us but we are loving our new life in North Carolina. Happy 4th to everyone and we promise to keep our Blog updated on all things relevant to fly fishing.
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