When I asked "where the fishing is at its best, now?" I was thinking Louisiana, for redfish. But all those good responses got me thinking I need to check more places out.
One thing I will say is that I really like combo trips... "blast and casts" where you hunt a little, and fish a little in the same day or weekend. And for that, I really love Louisiana. Shoot 'dem ducks (or geese) in the morning, catch 'dem redfish in the afternoon... eat 'dat crawfish boil at night. I can't think of any better... Et toi! What do you say?
I want to hear what you think the most epic blast and casts are... pheasants and trout in Montana? Grouse and salmon in Michigan?
If this is true, it is surely a sign that the apocalypse is upon us:
It seems that Ted Williams over at Fly Rod and Reel has "an unimpeachable source (suggesting) that the American Museum of Fly Fishing is going to make none other than VP Dick Cheney its guest of honor at its spring meeting."
I haven't a clue who over there at the AMFF thought it was okay to invite Dick to the party, but apparently they haven't been following the news during the past two presidential terms. I'm sure we could argue politics here until we're all blue in the face, but one thing is for certain - Cheney has absolutely horrible environmental record, particularly with regard to fly fishers in America.
I honestly can't understand this one. Ignoring science and altering water policy to win battleground states shouldn't get you invited to a place who's mission statement says, "promoting an understanding of and appreciation for the history, traditions, and practitioners, past and present, of the sport of fly fishing in order to nurture, expand, and disseminate its rich heritage to a variety of audiences. This is accomplished by collecting, preserving, displaying, studying and interpreting the artifacts, art, and literature of the sport."
Shame on them.
Just in case you were living under a rock the past eight years, here's a small sampling of what Dick has done for our nation's fisheries, courtesy of Ted Williams' blog.
From the Washington Post., read about the biggest fish-kill the West has ever seen, courtesy of the museum’s hero:
“Law and science seemed to be on the side of the fish. Then the Vice President stepped in. First Cheney looked for a way around the law, aides said. Next he set in motion a process to challenge the science protecting the fish, according to a former Oregon congressman who lobbied for the farmers. Because of Cheney's intervention, the government reversed itself and let the water flow in time to save the 2002 growing season, declaring that there was no threat to the fish. What followed was the largest fish kill the West had ever seen, with tens of thousands of salmon rotting on the banks of the Klamath River. Characteristically, Cheney left no tracks.”
“The revelation by a former Environmental Protection Agency official that a member of Vice President Dick Cheney's staff altered the politically damaging testimony of an EPA colleague is only the latest evidence of Cheney's influence and power in shaping the nation's environmental policy.”
Are those of you in Colorado or northern California looking for something to do this weekend? Well, if you cannot get on the water, you might check out the Fly Fishing Show in Denver or the International Sportsmen's Exposition in San Mateo, California. I've always thought the next best thing to actually fishing, was thinking about it... and in both places you'll find plenty of things to capture the imagination, from expert fly tyers, to demonstrations, to destinations, and usually even a few good gear deals. Cost of admission is $15 a day at either show.
I won't be able to make the Denver show this weekend because I'm going duck hunting in Louisiana. But I will be at ISE when it rolls into Denver January 22-25. I'll be leading a panel discussion on flyfishing for carp to include Will Rice, Brad Befus, and Jeff Currier on that Saturday... and also talking about stillwater fishing at other times. Check out the schedule and please stop by and say hi... I'd look forward to meeting you in person.
If you haven't submitted any photos for the Fly Talk photo contest, this is your last day to do so. All submissions after today will not be looked at. When the clock hits midnight EST it's over. The actual contest will take place on the main Field & Stream website in early February after the new F&S website is launched. I know this is a bit later than I had originally promised, but trust me it will be worth it as the new site is promising to be very cool. Information on the contest and submission information is below.
Here's the deal. You send me ([email protected]) what you consider your best fly fishing images, and we'll do an edit and separate the crap from the good stuff. Just after the new year Fly Talk will present our picks on the main Field and Stream website and let you, the viewers pick your favorites. Whoever gets the three highest number of votes will get the three prizes below. Remember, we want some variety here. I'll be really bummed if we get four hundred "grip and grins". I want some humor, landscapes, lifestyle, etc...
PRIZE #1. A Scott, nine foot, four piece, five weight A3 (MSRP $335). We like Scott Rods... a lot. They make sweet rods right here in our home state, are unapologetic about their processes and basically just kill it all the way around. You want this rod, trust me.
Prize #2 Whoa, another Colorado company... Fishpond is also one of our favorites and make righteous stuff. We're giving away the Sawtooth wader mat(MSRP: $49.00) (I keep one in my car always) and a Westwater Boat bag (MSRP: $149.00) together.
Prize #3 A sweet pair of Smith shades. The Interlock Spoiler in Square Tortoise with a Polar Brown lens (MSRP $149) is the perfect fishing pair of sunglasses. Truly, this is the only pair of interchangeable lenses that in my opinion cannot be rivaled. Just twist the stems and pop out the lenses. Check out how the system works here.
I was surprised to learn from this story in the Honolulu Star Bulletin that between December 26th and 29th Yellowstone National Park experienced more than 250 small earthquakes. Scientists wonder if that's a sign of a big volcanic eruption brewing. Yellowstone sits atop a super volcano that, if it blows, would make Mt. Saint Helens explosion seem like a burp (last time Yellowstone erupted, it apparently spewed 2,500 times the ash of Saint Helens).
I wouldn't lose any sleep though, or worry about changing any travel plans. Geologic events transpire over millennia, and eruptions are impossible to predict. Besides, if Yellowstone blows, half the US could be covered in ash 3 feet deep... so I suspect the fly fishing will slow down pretty much everywhere.
We'll start the year off with a little quiz/riddle.
Of all the great flyfishing (not ice fishing) places in America, I'm thinking most are, naturally, almost dormant for the long winter stretch. Oh, to be sure, there are many places where the fishing is okay or good now, but they're going to get a whole lot better in the coming months.
But one place is going off, right now. It's prime time, when the biggest fish of the year are well within range, and when conditions are right, you can catch them in numbers.
Where am I thinking, and what fish are they catching?
And if you know of someplace else that's hot, right now... let us know.
It seems as some of you wanted to see a fish in my video from a couple of days ago. Well, here you go. My good friend Roy Tanami has once again sent me a sampling of video we shot a couple of years ago from around the world that he put together over the last couple of days. Enjoy the last day of 2009 with some gratuitous fish porn.
Oh, and go buy Roy's new book, Angling The Worldjust out on The Lyons Press. It's an impressive book which I was fortunate enough to accompany Roy on one of the chapters (New Zealand) and for some reason he actually used all my images for that chapter as well. Forget your camera Roy?
I was amused to read the results of a recent Southwick survey that asked anglers and hunters (separately) whether or not they would be likely to buy gear from companies that support conservation of wildlife and fisheries resources. (In flyfishing, such companies would include Orvis, Patagonia, Simms, Scott, Sage, Redington, Rio, Scientific Anglers, etc.)
A whopping 67% of hunters and 52% of anglers stated that they are “much more likely” to buy products from conservation-supporting companies, and 22% of hunters and 29% of anglers said they were “slightly more likely” to buy products from such companies.
But my question is, who the heck are the 14% of moron anglers who said that companies’ support for conservation had no influence whatsoever on their purchasing decisions? (Aside from the dopes who didn't care enough to offer an opinion...) Probably the same people who keep everything they catch, leave litter on the side of the river, and complain about the cost of fishing licenses.
