November 2011
2 posts
3 tags
Clean Water Act under attack
Good Op-Ed in the NYT this morning:
The American economy has performed well over the past four decades: real per capita income has doubled since 1970 and pollution is down even with 50 percent more people. The choice between a healthy environment and a healthy economy is a false one. They stand, or fall, together. We’ve been blessed in the United States with abundant water resources. But we...
5 tags
Temperature gauge on the Wilson
It’s always been a pet-peeve not having access to any realtime (or otherwise) water temperature data on the Oregon coast. Sure, one can deduce from air temperature, but that only goes so far.
Well, watching the Wilson hitting floodstage today (it’s risen 7’ in the past 24 hours), I noticed that the gauge has been upgraded and now includes temperature, which is a balmy 47F right...
October 2011
3 posts
3 tags
Watch Condit Dam removal live
Condit Dam, and century old fish passage barrier on Washington’s White Salmon River, is being removed today. The blast event will be broadcast live on the interwebs, so if you like large explosions and dam removal, you should probably check ‘er out.
The dynamiting commences between 11am and noon, PST.
http://www.whitesalmonriver.org/live_feed.php
1 tag
Sage Customer Service - Wow
Sage bowled me over with their excellent customer service this week. I broke a 6126 ZAxis in BC last month, and sent it in a few weeks ago for repair. Last Thursday it dawned on me that I’d be heading back up to BC in a week and still didn’t have my rod. I called them up, Rebecca from their customer service department was able to find my rod in their receiving department (I had only...
4 tags
Call on BPA to reject the proposed Klickitat...
Please take 2 minutes to send a letter off to BPA, calling on them to reject the new Klickitat hatchery being proposed in the “Klickitat Hatchery Complex DEIS.”
Sign the Petition!
The plan, as written, would seriously harm already fragile runs of wild summer and winter steelhead and spring Chinook.
Public comment period ends on October 12th, so it’s imperative that you get...
September 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Avenue of the Giants
There are a select few places in this world where all the right ingredients come together to grow truly giant lifeforms - The Redwoods of Northern California, Sequoias of the Southern Sierra, and Humans of Houston, TX, to name a few. The Kispiox River in Northern BC is another such place, and grows a super-race of steelhead unlike any other in the world.
At first glance, the Kispiox...
5 tags
The 10 minute guide to dying fly tying materials
Tying steelhead flies is problematic. At every turn, you discover some new material that’ll revolutionize your tying and fish catching abilities, and you just have to have it in every possible color. One day you’re dropping $50 on seal dubbing, only to discover you love Alec Jackson’s spade body and now need $100 worth of ostrich. Guinea, schlappen, no, wait, saddle hackle,...
August 2011
1 post
6 tags
The Klickitat needs your voice
The Bonneville Power Administration is planning for a massive increase in hatchery production on Washington’s Klickitat River. This would include the construction of a new hatchery at Wachkiacus (river mile 16) and an acclimation facility at RM 70.
This is deplorable.
The Klickitat is one of few undammed rivers in the Columbia Basin, and still supports decent runs of wild fish....
July 2011
2 posts
4 tags
The Elwha Debacle
Will Atlas, Kurt Beardslee and Rich Simms have penned an OpEd in the Seattle Times on the forthcoming shitmess stemming from the Elwha Dam removal.
Each year, Washington state releases hundreds of millions of juvenile salmon and steelhead from hatcheries to supplement sport and commercial fisheries. These releases are known to be harmful to wild stocks: interbreeding with wild fish, altering...
3 tags
Nice to find some Chrome
Barring two trout trips, I took most of April and May off from fishing, waiting for the steelhead to start pushing up the Columbia basin. I went out two weekends ago and with very few fish coming over the dams, didn’t have high hopes. But within just a few hours my hopes were lifted. I was only into the fish for about two seconds before he tore off downstream in the swollen river, opening...
June 2011
7 posts
1 tag
Feather Fashion has officially gone mainstream
#1 most emailed article in the NY Times today.
In an improbable collision of cutting-edge chic and a hobby that requires drab waders, fly fishing shops around the country are suddenly inundated with stylish women looking to get in on the latest trend: long, colorful feathers that are bonded or clipped into hair.
Hell, even Coachella looked like a fly tying expo this April:
I’ll take...
2 tags
Bull Trout coming to the Clackamas next week
In 2002, the ODDFW identified the Upper Clackamas as a prime candidate for reintroduction of Bull Trout. These fish once thrived in the Clackamas, but like Bull Trout everywhere, were seen as a nuisance and were extirpated from the basin by the mid 1960’s.
The goal is to establish a self-sustaining population of 300-500 adults over the next two decades, and the Metolius/Billy Chinook -...
4 tags
Fukushima and PNW fallout
Many articles have been written on the Fukushima disaster, but this piece in today’s Al Jazeera illustrates just how disastrous of an event this is. Not only has the radiation release surpassed Chernobyl - by an order of magnitude or more - but the consequences are being felt here on the west coast as well.
In the US, physician Janette Sherman MD and epidemiologist Joseph Mangano...
2 tags
Nope, the globe is still warming
I posted a few days ago on an interesting piece about changing behavior of the sun and the potential for a mini ice age. A piece out today by New Scientist is making hay about this, stating that human induced temperature change will outweigh any mini ice age.
There’s a simple problem with this claim. Let’s assume that grand minima really do cool Earth’s climate: not every...
3 tags
The globe is warming! No! It's freezing!
Interesting read in The Register today:
What may be the science story of the century is breaking this evening, as heavyweight US solar physicists announce that the Sun appears to be headed into a lengthy spell of low activity, which could mean that the Earth – far from facing a global warming problem – is actually headed into a mini Ice Age.
The big consequences of a major solar calm spell,...
3 tags
Seeing is believing
I returned to Portland after a week in San Francisco late on Friday night, and couldn’t wait to get out on the water. Six days in SF makes leaves me a bit frazzled, and the vast sea of green outside of the Boeing window had me breathing a sigh of relief. Home.
Six hours later I was back on the road, under-caffeinated and under-rested, with Chinook on the mind. By the time I arrived at...
3 tags
Call on WDFW to discontinue their Snider Creek...
WDFW is taking public comments on the future of their Snider Creek hatchery, which produces winter steelhead for the Sol Duc. Take five seconds, and call on them to discontinue this hatchery program.
Sign the Petition
May 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Keep Patagonia Wild
An environmental review commission in the Aysén region of southern Chile has made a potentially disastrous decision, voting to approve the construction of five hydroelectric dams, two on the Baker River and three on the Pascua. The damage these dams would do to the environment is tremendous, and their construction — in a largely unspoiled natural haven — would open the way for further...
7 tags
Eastern Sierra
It was 9am and the wind was already ripping off the Eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. So it goes in the Owens River valley, where the Great Basin meets the tallest mountain range in the continental US (sorry, Colorado). When the wind isn’t ripping at 40mph, you’re dealing with an angler every 50 yards, and when you aren’t dealing with an angler every 50 yards, well, you get...
April 2011
8 posts
4 tags
Wild Steelhead presentation at Tigard Orvis this...
Bill Bakke and I will be giving a presentation at the Tigard, OR Orvis store this Saturday, April 30th, and 10am. Bakke will be discussing dry line steelhead techniques, why he can hook 63 summer fish in a day and you can’t, and his theory of using wee flies for summers. We’ll also be raffling off a couple of his favorite summer patterns that he’s developed over the years.
...
2 tags
WSC Event - Hatchery steelhead impacts in the...
The Wild Steelhead Coalition is sponsoring an event in Seattle next week that will cover the impacts of hatchery steelhead on wild steelhead in the Skagit and Sauk.
If you live in the Seattle area, you should definitely check it out, looks very interesting. I’ve been particularly interested in the impacts of juvenile hatchery fish as of late, and this is an area that is often overlooked by...
2 tags
Rob Russell on the Lance Fisher radio show
I got a call last week asking if I would do an interview for the Lance Fisher show regarding Sandy River hatchery issues. Lucky for me, I was about to hop on a plane to Coachella, so I passed the buck to Rob Russell, knowing he’d do a far better job than me anyways.
Rob is not only one of the fishiest guys in the PNW but he’s also a steadfast advocate for wild fish, the NFS River...
3 tags
Sandy River hatchery program headed to court
The Sandy River hatchery program appears to be headed to court, as the Native Fish Society and the Pacific Rivers Council have filed a 60 day notice against the ODFW and NOAA Fisheries over numerous violations of the Endangered Species Act. Before a lawsuit can be filed under the ESA, the plaintiffs are required to issue a “60 day notice,” essentially giving the defendants two...
1 tag
Kauffman's Streamborn - RIP
Unfortunate turn of events for one of the oldest remaining fly shops in the PNW.
Thread going on over at westfly with the details.
1 tag
Something different
I haven’t been writing on WFCJ as much as usual over the last month, as I’ve been up to my ears working on a new app for the iPhone and iPad. The app launched today, and while I generally keep this blog very focused on fish issues, I think this is worth sharing.
The app is called Showyou, and it’s a gorgeous and novel way to discover and share videos on your iPad or iPhone,...
3 tags
Guides speak out in support of Sandy wild fish
In today’s Oregonian, seven Sandy River fishing guides have authored an Op-Ed in support of wild fish on the Sandy. Read it.
If ODFW does not give these wild fish the same chance to recover, as our larger community has already initiated, Oregonians are headed for the kind of widespread fishery closures that would devastate the businesses that sustain our Northwest communities and...
4 tags
Gasland
When Bush left office in 2008, many questioned what his legacy would be. I just watched the movie Gasland, and I think it does a pretty fine job of exposing this legacy. In 2005, oil and gas companies were exempted from environmental regulations including the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act in order to fast track “hydro fracking” natural gas wells across the country. In the...
March 2011
3 posts
6 tags
A river, wild
Winter just isn’t long enough.
Having grown up in Tillamook - rain capital of the world - I never thought I’d utter those words. But here we are two days into spring and I’m wishing we could turn the clocks back a month. The coastal tributaries will be closed in a week, and the mainstems will be winding down over the following weeks. It’s been a phenomenal winter and I...
4 tags
Shifting the baseline and avoiding the ESA
I’ve previously seen references to the 1997 Sandy Basin Plan, which established an Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) to recover wild winter steelhead on the Upper Sandy to 4,900 fish. I’ve never been able to find the original plan, however, and since that plan, this goal has been reduced to 1,730 fish in 2001, and then down to 1,515 fish this past year.
This morning, I was able to...
4 tags
Four days on the coast
Our optimism was ebbing and flowing with the water level predictions, but when Friday finally arrived, the Holy Water was dropping right into shape. Niall and Philippe, two longtime buddies from UofO had flown into town, and we headed out to the coast with one thing on the mind: winter steelhead.
We arrived just after daybreak to a river that still had a ways to drop, but this particular...
February 2011
8 posts
4 tags
And the magic number is 12.8%
One of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on the impacts of hatchery salmonids was published today, and the results should give pause to everyone who advocates on the behalf of hatchery programs.
The paper, “Reduced recruitment performance in natural populations of anadromous salmonids associated with hatchery-reared fish,” was written by Mark Chilcote of NOAA Fisheries...
4 tags
Low and cold
The flows on the big river looked too high. The other rivers a bit low. I drew the wildcard, and set out on my least favorite drive to one of my favorite coastal streams. Daybreak was just rearing her face when I set off into the mountains. Within minutes, the roadside snow was showing up, and within a few more miles I was driving through 6-8” deep snow ruts, a rare sight on the...
7 tags
Mainstem Columbia summer steelhead fishery
An article in The Seattle Times has been making the rounds today, discussing a joint effort by the ODFW, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association (NSIA) and Travel Oregon on promoting summer steelheading fishing opportunities on the mainstem Columbia River.
The full press release from the NSIA can be read here.
NSIA representatives included major retailers such as Fred Meyer and...
5 tags
Can fertilizer help recover wild salmon runs?
From the Vancouver Sun:
Young steelhead and salmon showed a dramatic growth in streams seeded with sacks of slow-release fertilizer, a method that shows real promise to help rebuild collapsed salmon and steelhead spawning populations, according to B.C. biologists.
The method has proven effective at improving steelhead growth and survival in Vancouver Island streams in programs dating back to...
3 tags
Save Sandy Salmon - Sign a Postcard
If you make it to the Fly Fishing Film Festival in Portland tomorrow night, be sure to stop by the Native Fish Society table and sign a postcard in support of recovery the Sandy River for wild fish. Mark Sherwood and myself will be manning the table, with a few other volunteers as well. Drop by and say hello.
These postcards will be going out to Governor Kitzhaber and the seven members of the...
5 tags
Super Bowl Funday
Bright hatchery fish
Unable to name a single player on the Packers or Steelers (I’m impressed I even knew who was playing), I decided to get on the water yesterday afternoon. In theory, pressure should be light on Super Bowl Sunday, but it always seems to turn out that every other fisherman has the same theory.
After fishing through some crowded water at a County Park and never quite...
5 tags
A story of two rivers
Smolt trap on Scappoose Creek.
The Sandy River originates on the flanks of Mount Hood and flows for 55 miles before reaching the Columbia. Along the way, it is joined by the Bull Run, Little Sandy, Zig Zag, and Salmon rivers. The watershed encompasses an area of 508 square miles. Every year it receives over 1,250,000 hatchery salmon and steelhead, and decade after decade the runs of fish...
4 tags
Sandy River concerns: spring chinook, coho and...
February 2, 2011 Ed Bowles Fish Division Director Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 3406 Cherry Ave. NE Salem, OR 97303 Dear Mr. Bowles, On January 12th ODFW sent a memo to over 300 citizens who had expressed concern over the management of the Sandy River’s native salmonids. The letter made clear that the agency is doing its best to help restore these fish, and has taken steps that reduce...
January 2011
15 posts
3 tags
Sad
You’ve probably heard by now that all the rivers of Puget Sound are closing to angling again this year on Feb 1. Rivers like the Stillaguamish that once hosted 80,000 winter steelhead are now down to the triple digits. The Osprey has a good writeup of the situation that is well worth reading.
All this is a painful reminder that without healthy wild runs there is no possibility of even...
2 tags
How hatchery programs can reduce wild fish...
If you read this blog much, you’ve probably realized that I’m not the biggest fan of hatcheries. While hatcheries can be managed to minimize impacts on wild fish, this frequently is not the case as such management is often costly and can reduce “angler opportunity.”
Unless you’ve taken the time to read through any number of published research papers on the impacts...
2 tags
Aftermath of the Sandy Flood
Photo by The Oregonian
You probably saw the video. Here’s an aerial aftermath shot and article on the cleanup.
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Ray's Boathouse no longer serving wild steelhead
From their executive chef:
Dear Spencer,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. We are no longer serving Steelhead. We will continue to work hard to find truly sustainable sources for our products and appreciate your comments at any time. Thank you for your time and passion on this very important issue.
Kudos to them on making the right decision.
4 tags
Sandy River op-ed hits The Oregonian
From The Oregonian:
Over the past decade countless organizations — including Portland General Electric, the city of Portland, Western Rivers Conservancy and The Freshwater Trust — have spent more than $75 million on Sandy River habitat restoration with a long-term goal of recovering wild fish. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, on the other hand, continues to show more...
5 tags
2 tags
Call on Ray's Boathouse to remove Steelhead from...
This same issue came up last year with Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market. Within just a few days of hitting forums and blogs, Pikes Place removed steelhead from their menu.
Now Ray’s Boathouse, also in Seattle, is serving ESA listed wild steelhead. You know the drill…
Email rays@rays.com and let them no that there’s no place for wild steelhead on their menu.
6 tags
Depends on your definition of reduction
In ODFW’s response to the 301 Sandy River letters that have gone out in the past two days, they state that coho stockings have been reduced. I’ve read through every Sandy River Hatchery Genetic Management Plan (such joy!) over the past few weeks, and this claim seemed suspicious to me.
The Sandy HGMP only covers stocking up to 2004, but I was able to dig up data through 2009 in the...
6 tags
ODFW Responds
Assuming you can call this a response. The fact of the matter is they’re in violation of the Native Fish Conservation Policy that Bruce touts.
The #1 goal of the NFCP is to “prevent the serious depletion of native fish.” They have failed to meet this goal, and their massive hatchery program simply precludes such a goal.
7 tags
164
Do you think ODFW likes their inbox looking like this as much as I do?
Over the past 24 hours, 164 people have sent letters to the ODFW, NMFS and Governor John Kitzhaber on behalf of Sandy River wild salmon and steelhead.
Between 10am and 3pm an average of one letter was being sent every three minutes.
That is a powerful message, and I want to thank all of you for letting ODFW know how much...
4 tags
A near miss
Mark and I headed to the coast on Sunday in search of chrome. We were graced with morning snow, spring like conditions mid-day, and frigid rain in the late afternoon.
Fished a lot of new water, and found some amazing swinging runs. The water was fairly cold and clear, but pressure was minimal and the cutthroat were grabbing occasionally.
On the last run of the day the rain kicked in for about...
8 tags
Sandy River salmon and steelhead need your help!
NFS steward Pete Donahower with a Sandy River wild steelhead. Photo by Josh Linn.
Call on the ODFW to end their harmful Sandy River hatchery program.
If you’ve been following this blog lately, you’re no doubt familiar with the situation on the Sandy regarding endangered winter steelhead. I’ve been staying up way too late every night the past few weeks digging up more info,...