The Greenest Presidents
The "greenest" president of all time? You're looking at him. A totally unscientific report in Scientific American reports that Republican Teddy Roosevelt takes top spot over fellow green weenie Richard Nixon.
"Rounding out the top three was Jimmy Carter, who gained points for actions like putting solar panels on the White House."
Roosevelt also wins props for best quotes, such as this one:
If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.
Saltwater on our minds
It's getting to be that time of year again where we switch from freshwater to warm saltwater destinations. My friend, Capt. Brandon Henley of Epic Tide Charters 305*340*9863 now makes Cudjoe Key his home where he guides the Lower Key's. Caroline and I love it there and still have friends living the dream Key's style. Might be a trip to the Key's in our future? "Tighten that shir up" I like that and would have used it and very true when it comes to line control
River Code Part II.
 |
| Simply give me a 90 foot cast at 10:30 |
You see, my wife and I escaped the cold and snow of Montana n the Winter of 2005 and headed South to the Florida Key's. Awesome Winter but that's another chapter. I had never caught a bonefish before and my goal that Winter was a bone and if I had just a little more time,, a permit. I hired my first key's guide with a little hesitation of course. I had heard to horror stories and had my ego intact and wanted to keep it that way. Now you have to remember something. I'm a streamer junkie from Montana, really good with a short line while ripping a fly fast. Similar to saltwater, I thought.
I met the guide at Bud n Mary's marina in Islamorada the morning of our trip. We met, exchanged handshakes and I caught a wiff of last nights booze session with a whiskey bottle. I was warned about these Key's fellas. So far, my guide was right on course. Serious raccoon eyes, sunburned, crows feet, leather for skin and reeked of cigarettes and booze. Sweet, this will be fun since I had found the right guy for my first bonefish. He said he had recently spent a lot of time in the backcountry and new where we could find some bones. We started out bayside poling and searching for bones. It was my first time on a skiff and first time in the backcountry of the Florida Key's, I was psyched! At last he spotted a school tailing in some sea grass. I couldn't see them but I took his word for it, until... Guide: "Give me a 90ft cast at 10:30 and work your clouser slow". Me: "OK, it won't be pretty but I'll do just that" I double hauled 90 feet of terrible looking fly line that hit the water so hard I think it spooked every fish between the Keys and Cuba. Guide: "I know where some cobia live and all you have to do is cast a short line and strip fast - you'll do great". Was this really my first bought and payed for bonefish experience?
So I returned to Montana bonefishless and a little better of a guide, sort of. Rather than kicking the cooler, spitting on my boat floor or dropping a mega loud F bomb, I would dig deep and think about Woods and my Key's guide.
River Code Part I.
As a fishing guide, you are eyes and and an ear. Eyes to point out fishy lies and an ear to listen to your client. One thing is for certain, you are not a mouth. They don't want to know about you unless they ask. He or she may be on that fishing trip to escape the stresses of everyday life or escape the pressure of living a life not exactly molding to its design.
I have a client who would often show up early for the fishing and more often late. He was easy to read. "Early" meant a long adventurous day on the river and probably some exploring new territory. Most likely it would be a shot way up high on the Yellowstone, down low on the stone for whatever the river felt like dishing up or over to the Missouri R. Headwaters for the ultra sporty carp. Maybe even a hit or miss jaunt to the Jeff?
If it was getting late, we were sure to be behind the boat traffic and my client probably really just wanted to drink a beer or two, smoke a cigar and slam of few angry browns. On those days when we were on a mission to "Get the job done", it was guaranteed that I would hear some stories and fish were to be caught. I learned a lot about this guy, his business, family, extra curricular activity and the rest will have wait for Part II.
River Nunya
 |
| Jane Blow fishing River Nunya |
I pulled up to East End on the Yellowstone with two of my longtime clients and began rigging rods for the day. We were the first at the launch and were surprised when another guide rig pulled up and even more surprised when he pulled in front of me and launched his boat. There is a thing known as "guide etiquette". I was absolutely shocked as well as my clients. Did this Jack ass really just jump in front of me?
He pulled his rig up and out of the launch and drove away to park his rig for the shuttle people. My team was rigged and ready to go so they walked to the launch while I backed my rig in and unloaded my boat. I backed in and realized this guy wasn't even ready to go yet. I decided to play it cool, kill the D Bag with kindness and make small talk. I had been fishing this stretch a lot lately and been killin' it with streamers for some ginormous Yellowstone pre spawn browns,. "I asked the guide (who's name shall remaain not mentioned) where he had been fishing recently" He replied, "River Nunya". I asked, "where"? He replied, "None ya fucking business". Ok, so much for networking with this asshole.
Later that afternoon we met up again on the river when D Bag's client asked what we were using because everytime we passed them, my boat was doubled up with rods bent. I smiled and graciously said "nunya fucking buiness". This is a true story in the new book, Montana Hold 'Em ready to be published after a little refinement. As the Montana fishing season begins to wind down, I've had the great pleasure of connecting with some of my former guides and listening to stories worthy of a place in their own book.
Drift Boat Drive In
 |
| Drift Boat Drive In @ Headhunters fly shop in Craig, MT |
Burning the house down on the Stone
 |
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.
|
Battle grounds and the front line...
 |
| 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)