Today, February 3rd, the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board conducted its annual winter meeting. The Board considered a suite of topics, including the Amendment 7 process and a lengthy discussion on how to define ‘bait’ for fishing purposes. The amendment process carries massive implications for the future of striped bass, which are overfished and subject to overfishing and have been for several years now. How the Board moves forward on Amendment 7 will determine the future of striped bass management and the fate of the fishery.
You may remember that striped bass regulations throughout the Atlantic Coast changed last year, due to a declining spawning stock biomass (breeding females) and too many removals (harvests and dead discards). Most states adopted the regulations recommended by the Board: 18 percent reduction in mortality through recreational regulations of one fish per day @ 28-35†for the ocean and one fish per day larger than 18†for the Chesapeake Bay. Several states, however, continue to game the system and circumvented ASMFC’s recommendations through a mechanism called conservation equivalency.
Today, the Board opened consideration of the draft Public Information Document (PID). The PID is the first step in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) roughly two year amendment process. The purpose of the PID is to inform the subsequent public comment period and answer this primary question: “How would you like management of the Atlantic striped bass fishery to look in the future?” Public comment on this document will aid the development of Amendment 7 over these next months. While some questions remain–did the Addendum 6 regs even work and why is the Board moving forward on the Amendment process without the best available data (COVID effect)–it is time to band together and continue advocating for striped bass.
The PID will consider 10 primary issues: Fishery Goals and Objectives; Biological Reference Points; Management Triggers; Stock Rebuilding; Targets and Schedule; Regional Management; Conservation Equivalency; Release Mortality; Recreational Accountability; and, Coastal Commercial Allocation. Obviously, each issue is complex and carries serious implications for the future management of striped bass. For instance, increasing accountability for stock rebuilding efforts and conservation equivalency programs would strengthen management and repair some of the failures of past managerial actions. Conversely, moves to lower the biological reference points or consider Atlantic striped bass as two distinct stocks would threaten long term abundance are clear attempts to ‘lower the goal posts’ and allocate more harvests. Delaware representatives made their intentions to use Amendment 7 to lower the spawning biomass reference point clear.
The Board considered the PID rather smoothly, with only one brief spat. A surprise addition to the document from Delaware, claiming that striped bass reference points may be “unattainable” under the fishery’s current objectives, was met with opposition. Captain John McMurray, Board Member and President of the Atlantic Saltwater Guides Association, was perplexed with the inclusion and considered the sentence conjecture that would ultimately mislead the public. Unfortunately, discussion on the PID was rather limited, whereas discussion on a circle hook exemption went on rather repetitively for nearly three hours.
Over the next several months, your comments will help influence ASMFC determine how to manage striped bass in the future–and how many are swimming. The PID and public comment instructions will be released by ASMFC shortly. Stay tuned for updates on our platforms and from the folks at the American Saltwater Guides Association. Thankfully, for striped bass, much of the recreational striped bass community is passionate about rebuilding and protecting the stock. Think about the recent uproar on social media instigated by Massachusetts’ proposal to add additional days to its commercial striped bass season. That passion and energy will be necessary throughout the amendment process. In the meantime, consider the good ‘ol days, that storied blitz you always hear about, the fall when the bass were so thick you could walk across them, and how great an abundant and sustainable fishery can be for all stakeholders.
The River Spey, a watershed steeped in Scottish Atlantic Salmon fishing and its namesake fly fishing style, is being celebrated by the esteemed Scotch Whisky producer Macallan. The Macallan Estate borders the River Spey, and this special edition scotch whisky honors the estate’s ghillies and its connection to traditional Scottish angling.
Whether you’re a scotch connoisseur or simply a fly angler, you’re sure to recognize the distiller’s and the river’s name. The latest and final entry in their “The Macallan Edition” series will be one that salmon anglers will be trying to get their hands on for years to come.
“The sixth and final release in The Macallan Edition series, Edition No. 6 takes its inspiration from the natural wonders of the legendary River Spey and The Macallan Estate, where each and every cask of The Macallan is matured before being hand-selected for use by our expert whisky makers.
All of the five distinct casks types used to create Edition No. 6 have been hand-picked by The Macallan Whisky Maker Steven Bremner. He drew inspiration from unique stories related to the river and surrounding landscape. The American and European oak casks have been selected to create a flavour profile that will deliver a multifaceted experience; from the appealing rich brass natural colour, to the layers of aroma, followed by the deep and rewarding flavour.
The legendary River Spey flows through the Estate and is globally renowned as a home to the mighty Atlantic salmon. The Macallan Ghillie is a custodian of the River Spey and advocate for sustaining the wildlife in and around it. On our one-and-three-quarter mile stretch of river, a fortunate few can test their skills in the hope of catching – and releasing – wild Atlantic salmon using Hardy’s incomparable tackle.
Wild Atlantic salmon are at risk of becoming an endangered species. Therefore The Macallan are working with the Atlantic Salmon Trust to help raise awareness of this, and to support vital conservation work on the River Spey and beyond.”
You can learn more about the special edition Macallan No. 6, here!
Over the weekend, a bait-using poacher was caught with a 20-inch Dream Stream rainbow trout tail slapping under his boot by Landon Mayer and a fishing buddy as they walked past. He was caught red-handed using bait and keeping a trophy size fish in the fly fishing only section of the river. Unfortunately for the poacher and his illegal quarry, Landon did the correct thing and called up the local CPW office to have a ranger come check out the suspected poaching activity. Check out how the rest of the incident went down in Mayer’s Instagram post, below:
“After saying hello to Phil Tereyla, Zack Tokach and I headed to the water and started approaching an angler standing alone in the distance. While walking past, we noticed the tail of this trout flapping below his boot in the snow. Sadly with a nightcrawler still stuck in its mouth, the 20-inch trout did not make it. However, after calling Eleven Mile Colorado Parks and Wildlife, our new Park Ranger Makayla raced to the scene and wrote the man a $130.00 ticket for using bait and keeping fish in the Gold Medal Waters at Charlie Meyers WA of the South Platte River. If you ever see poaching on this or any other stretch of catch and release water don’t hesitate to take action and call Park Rangers, Game Wardens, or @coparkswildlife 1-877-COLO-OGT”
So next time you spot someone blatantly poaching on your waters, make sure the individual is doing what you think they are, and then alert the proper authorities for your waters.
Whether you are a new age or an old age fly fisherman, one thing remains true, our fly rods. I mean, I am sure we can all say that the first fly rod we started on was a 9′ 5 weight rod with weight forward line and a tapered nylon leader. A fly rod is a special tool and we like to pick and choose our set ups as we continue to grow with the sport. Maybe you like to mix fly fishing with hiking and camping but just don’t have the space to bring your full set up. This is where you could benefit from a Tenkara Rod, but what is that? Tenkara is a minimal style of fly fishing originating in Japan. It is primarily use for mountain small stream trout fishing. These rods are known for being telescopic and without a reel which may seem totally foreign to you. So how do you set up a Tenkara rod? In this tips a tricks video of the week, Tenkara Rod Co. demonstrates how to assemble the rod from start to finish.
How to Set Up a Tenkara Fly Rod
Take the rod out of the carbon fiber rod tube.
Take hold of the lillian and tie a simple overhand knot towards the end of the line.
Next, attach your line to the lillian by opening the backing loop and pull the running line through the loop.
Slide this loop over the lillian and then carefully cinch the loop down tightly.
Attach tippet to the end of your tippet ring with a simple clinch knot.
Use anywhere from two to five feet of tippet and then attach your fly with a clinch knot.
In order to store the line, you can hook your fly on the line holder and then wind your line around it.
The line holder is made to fit perfectly on your cork handle.
This truly is the most packable and minimal fly rod on the market and is perfect for adventure fishermen out there. If you are looking for a lightweight and fun way to spruce up your hiking trips, grab yourself a Tenkara rod. Best of luck on the water and tight lines!
If you are interested if trying out a Tenkara Fly Rod, click here.
Earlier this summer a monster pike was caught and released in a lake in Italy by Paolo Paccchiarini. The pike measured 143 cm and weighed 43 pounds (19,504 kg). This January the International Game and Fish Association approved the world record with Tippet M-10 kg (20 lb) line class. Talk about a fish of a lifetime, we were able to catch up with Paolo to learn more about the fish.
“I caught this world record pike in an Italian lake, called Centro Cadore Lake. I was using a 9 foot 10 wt. fly rod. The pike ate a custom fly that I tied (see picture below) black with double tails fluoro orange.”
“This world record pike was caught and released on the fly on 20-pound class line. The pike fought hard in deep water for 10 minutes before we were able to land the fish, take some pictures and measurements,s and let it go for another angler to catch. This catch came after a lot of fishing, fishing, and more fishing, pike are temperamental fish, and somedays the angler will get lucky.”
One year ago, almost to the day, I walked into Trout Unlimited’s national office to sit down with the organization’s President and CEO, Chris Wood. Overlooking the Potomac River and Washington, DC, we discussed Pebble Mine, environmental regulatory rollbacks, TU’s membership, and some exciting upcoming projects. Since that January afternoon, daily life and the conservation advocacy landscape has fundamentally changed. A global pandemic continues to impact all aspects of society, and the political dynamic of Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House caught everyone off guard. Follow along to learn more about what TU accomplished in the last year and what’s in store for this year, with added insights from Chris.
A Look Back Over 2020
Last year, Chris highlighted three specific conservation priorities the organization would focus on for 2020: Restoring the Clean Water Act’s protections for headwater streams and wetlands, protecting Bristol Bay from Pebble Mine, and removing the four lower Snake River dams. Each priority unique in scope and scale but equally important for the long-term conservation of cold-water fisheries and habitats, TU began the year with its sights set.
“Everything that we do is in partnership with other entities, groups, communities and engaged individuals. Conservation is always a collaborative effort”
The big victory for the fly fishing community was without a doubt the Army Corps rejecting Pebble Mine’s permit application in November. Â TU had a large stake in that victory. Its offshoots, TU Alaska and Save Bristol Bay, in coordination with many, many other individuals and groups organized a powerful coalition that played a crucial role in standing strong in support of Bristol Bay. But the work is not done yet. The company behind Pebble Mine and Alaskan Governor Dunleavy initiated the appeal process, protesting the Army Corps’ record of decision. Moving forward, there are opportunities to strengthen protections for Bristol Bay. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency can use its authorities to further protect Bristol Bay. “The longer-term challenge is to work with the Alaskan delegation to come up with a plan to permanently protect the Bristol Bay region. We must protect the underlying real estate,” Chris concluded.
A chunky rainbow trout caught on the Iliamna River
Politics impeded progress on reconnecting the Snake River and restoring the full protections of the Clean Water Act. The Snake River dams are preventing imperiled salmonids from reaching hundreds of miles of high quality habitat. Yet, there are legitimate interests and stakeholders that depend on these same dams. Last summer, the government finalized an Environmental Impact Statement on the dams in question and others in the Columbia River system. The government more or less opted to maintain the status quo. This came as no surprise to Chris, who said: “The bureaucracy is not going to remove the dams…The only way it will happen is if we bring the people of the Northwest together.”
TU depends on the responsible and logical interpretation of the Clean Water Act to accomplish much of its cold-water work. The previous administration took quick aim at the Clean Water Act and initiated a rule change that significantly narrowed the law’s scope. With limited avenues to fight back against the Clean Water Act rollbacks, TU is an amici to an ongoing lawsuit to overturn the rule change. However, legal processes take time, and dam removal projects take even longer. Accomplishing one out of its three priorities (Pebble Mine) might appear as missing the target, but TU made undeniable progress on recovering Snake River salmon and restoring Clean Water Act protections. The organization enters 2021 with renewed hope and focus on pushing these remaining priorities and more across this finish line.
The COVID Effect
For the last nine months now, COVID has caused unimaginable devastation across the globe. TU experienced an immediate halt in all activities and financial strains, as the pandemic spread throughout the country. Put simply, Chris said, “COVID rocked us.” But in the optimistic manner he is known for, Chris emphasized the good. For example, TU quickly adapted to the new realities of living in a pandemic and devised plans to safely resume its conservation projects. Additionally, TU launched the Responsible Recreation campaign to help people safely enjoy the outdoors.
COVID had countless negative effects on the fly fishing community: guides and outfitters took a massive hit, travel and tourism became nearly nonexistent, and the trade shows and film festivals were indefinitely put on pause. From a glass half full perspective, however, COVID had several unexpected benefits. For one, fly fishing gained an estimated one million new anglers. “So many people used COVID to rediscover the outdoors this last year. Our job is to activate them as conservation advocates.” TU experienced an almost 10% growth in members this past year. Much of that increase can be attributed to one of TU’s best programs from last year: complimentary memberships for all essential workers. Within a week of opening the program, Chris received over a thousand applications in his email inbox, and he “replied to every freakin one!”
This program, which was heavily promoted on social media, had an interesting effect. TU welcomed thousands of new members because of the program. Also, on average these new members were 22 years younger than the average TU member and more likely to be women and people of color.
The TU Costa 5 Rivers Outreach Program is a great way for young anglers to learn more about conservation
The essential worker membership program has since expired. TU’s Service Partnership, which provides free memberships to members of the medical, fire service, law enforcement, and military communities, remains operational and is planning retreats for service members later this year.
What’s On Tap This Year
Much has changed over the last year, but removing the four lower Snake River dams and restoring the Clean Water Act’s protections remain atop TU’s agenda. The vastly different political landscape of 2021 upends what was previously thought of as a long shot and gives promise to what can be accomplished. TU’s three primary priorities this year are: rolling back the rollbacks; removing the four lower Snake River dams through a collaborative agreement; and, advancing common sense climate measures that protect people, communities, and natural resources.
“The values that drive our non-partisan conservation efforts here at TU are the same values that can repair our increasingly nasty political divisions.”
Opposing Pebble Mine displayed the power of the collective fly fishing community. But more importantly, it showed that seemingly impossible objectives can be accomplished when opposing factions coalesce and work together. TU has a remarkable opportunity to help the country unite and heal through conservation, a consistent area of bipartisanship. And to that, Chris said: “There is nothing that resonates more to anglers than something that involves their local waters.” Pivoting membership strategies to emphasize local opportunities and conservation initiatives is one way TU can help the country heal and, at the same time, improve watersheds.
A Clean Water Rule rally in downtown Denver, CO.
Collaboratively Restoring Snake River Salmon
The four Lower Snake River dams are causing the extinction of salmon and steelhead. A collection of renowned salmon scientists agree: “It is our collective opinion, based on overwhelming scientific evidence, that restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River is essential to recovering wild Pacific salmon and steelhead in the basin.” The only hope to recover these fish is by removing these dams, which will only happen by bringing all the Snake River basin stakeholders to the table. “We can figure out how to move the irrigation infrastructure or transport grain,” Chris noted. “We can tap into so much creativity and ingenuity to address all the issues behind removing the dams. The one thing we cannot fix is the fact that salmon need a migration corridor.” Removing these dams is a necessary step towards the long term recovery of these fish, and Chris remains optimistic on making tangible progress towards that this year.
Rolling Back The Rollbacks
The Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda was no secret. The effects of which are negatively impacting fish and wildlife all over the country. A huge priority for TU, therefore, is to roll back the rollbacks. Building on last year’s efforts, restoring the Clean Water Act’s protections remains a high priority. On the matter, Chris pleaded, “It doesn’t have to be this contentious. We all just want to bring the Act back to how it was applied for its first 30 years.” The prior interpretation of the law, where small seasonal streams were protected, was an essential component to TU’s cold-water conservation work.
A key motivation behind conservation is passing along clean rivers and abundant fish to future generations
In addition to the Clean Water Act, TU hopes the Biden administration will restore the Roadless Rule protections in the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass is North America’s largest intact temperate rainforest and a wild salmon powerhouse that significantly contributes to southeast Alaska’s economy. Without the Roadless Rule protections, large tracts of temperate rainforest are open to road development and logging operations. This has a direct impact on some of the world’s most productive salmon habitats and an indirect impact on climate change through the loss of carbon sequestering trees. The environmental and outdoor recreation communities are now lobbying the new Biden Administration to restore these protections through the regulatory process.
Advancing Commonsense Climate Measures
Climate change is among the greatest threats to our fisheries–let alone the planet. Oftentimes, the scale and magnitude of climate change can discourage action. There are, however, all sorts of opportunities to protect people from the effects climate change and improve fish habitat. Again, because of a different political landscape, more progress on conservation and climate action is possible. Today, one of the most realistic ways for TU to convert good ideas into laws is through a looming–and massive–infrastructure package. Some ideas that Chris highlighted and is very optimistic about include:
Empowering the Federal Emergency Management Agency to improve watershed resilience BEFORE major weather events, to protect people and communities while maintaining quality fish habitats.
Creating incentives for organizations to clean up abandoned mines
Passing the Public Lands Renewable Energy Act, which would create a revenue stream for fish and wildlife habitat restoration and climate work.
“This is going to be a really big legislative vehicle, and we are going to have a great chance to move a bunch of these longstanding TU priorities very quickly,” Chris commented. According to The Hill, “Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed enthusiasm for a potential infrastructure package under the Biden administration.” So, keep an eye out for an infrastructure package–it could improve miles of fish habitat and strengthen your community’s climate change resiliency.
“As conservationists, we have been trained to say ‘no’ to projects. Being trained to become problem solvers is a different animal, but that is the future of conservation.”
Local Projects To Keep An Eye On
Last year, much of the prime restoration season was lost due to COVID’s initial lockdowns, but TU pushed forward on many community-driven projects. One project that Chris highlighted last year was theBattenkill Home Rivers Initiative, an “ecosystem-based approach to prioritize reconnection, restoration and protection throughout the watershed.” In coordination with state and local partners, TU accomplished a lot in the Battenkill’s watershed, including replacing harmful culverts, stabilizing stream banks, planting trees, and reintroducing meanders into streams. “We analyzed historic aerial photos to discover where the historic meanders were. Then we literally went in with backhoes and reconstructed how these streams originally flowed,” Chris said. The Battenkill work will continue progressing this year, but Chris is also looking forward to some other new projects for 2021.
Gallatin River: “In 2021, TU is teaming up with Simms Fishing Products to launch a Gallatin River Home Rivers Initiative in southwest Montana. Simms has committed $240,000 over the next three years to support the effort, and TU plans to hire a Gallatin River project manager early in 2021 to lead it. Our goal is to improve trout populations and fishing opportunity on the Gallatin by protecting instream flows and resilient water supplies, restoring and reconnecting critical fish habitat, and engaging local communities in citizen science and angler stewardship programs.”
Bald Mountains Project Area: “TU developed a new project area in Tennessee, where we will reconnect native Southern Appalachian brook trout habitat on two tributaries to the French Broad River by replacing culverts blocking aquatic organism passage with fully passable structures, and inform future decisions in the watershed by crowd-sourcing data collecting throughout the project area using TU’s Community Science Program and the Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership’s Stream Barrier Assessment Protocol. Through these efforts, connectivity will be restored to 3.5 miles of native brook trout habitat and 28.5 miles of small stream network, allowing genetically distinct, endemic populations of brook trout better access to headwater sections that provide breeding habitat and thermal refuge, and a watershed-scale decision framework will be created that allows partners to implement future restoration to maximize native fish recovery.”
Brook Trout Portfolio Mapping in the Great Lakes: “TU launched a project to map all brook trout habitat in the Great Lakes basin in a manner similar to the mapping completed for brook trout in their eastern range, which uses broad-scale GIS information to characterize the general habitat condition and vulnerability of brook trout patches.”
Bear Creek Greenback Cutthroat Trout on Bear Creek outside of Colorado Springs, CO. Greenbacks tagged and released at Zimmerman Lake north of Fort Collins, CO in Poudre Canyon.
TU and its partners stood strong in the difficult year that was 2020 and accomplished a lot for our cold-water fisheries. As you can tell, 2021 will be another busy year for the organization. And through one month of the new year, TU and its staff are brimming with optimism as to what they can accomplish this year. However, much of this work cannot be done by just TU’s staff alone. Volunteers and local chapters remain the lifeblood to TU. If you are not already, become a TU member and get involved with your local chapter today!
Like many anglers, one of the major satisfactions that I get from fly fishing is being out in the wilderness or on a stream with nothing but flora and fauna in sight. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case in the winter. Winter poses many obstacles for fly anglers who don’t let snow and frozen rivers keep them at home. Knowing how to manage your gear through wet, cold conditions is typically only half of the battle. Finding water that’s not completely iced over or lined shoulder-to-shoulder with other passionate anglers can be an even bigger challenge.Â
I personally look forward to taking long hikes to remote waters compared to fishing some of the more pressured tailwaters that are known for big fish but often compromise in the winter months. Finding a balance of productive fishing while still avoiding crowds can be a challenge. Following a few general guidelines can help expand your fishing opportunities and lead to new crowd-free experiences.Â
#1 Location
In many states, angling opportunities are limited in colder months due to many freestone rivers and smaller tributary streams icing over. Spring creeks and tailwaters present the best options for the angler looking to pursue trout in the winter months. The most well-known and easily accessible stretches of water are bound to be flooded with anglers year-round and even more so in the winter. Â
Fishing famous pressured tailwaters when the temperatures plummet is a great way to find solitude.
While I’m generally interested in online fishing reports to identify the most productive fishing at any given time, in the winter I use the information in those reports a bit differently. Rather than heading to the rivers that are fishing the best based on fly shop reports, I’ll pick a different river that isn’t as “hotâ€. In a world where so much information is at your fingertips, it’s important to remember that everyone else has the same information.Â
While the numbers might not be there, quality fish can still be caught on cold days.
Choosing a location that isn’t producing as many fish based on forecasts can lead to more water for you to explore and target fish that haven’t been as heavily pressured in recent days or weeks. This may mean fewer fish, navigating ice flows, and trudging through the snow but thinking outside the box is a great way to find some solitude even if you risk getting skunked every now and then.Â
#2 Weather
Fishing on cold, dreary, overcast days has produced some of my best fish.
We all know a fair-weather angler or two. The ones who wait until jackets aren’t required and the hatches are consistent. Don’t be that angler, especially in the winter. As a weekend warrior, my angling is typically limited to Friday through Sunday and I’ll often choose to go fly fishing on the worst weather days. Cold, cloudy, snow-filled days have produced some of my best fish without any other angler’s insight on what would otherwise be a crowded stretch of water. Cold days can add extra complications like iced over guides and frozen leaders but if andwhen you do find some willing fish, the reward will be that much sweeter.
#3 Timing
Crowds are far and few between on cold, early mornings.
Timing may be an obvious aspect to consider when planning a fishing trip but it can be even more important in the winter. Throughout the winter, fish are less likely to feed in the early morning as they become lethargic with plunging overnight air and water temperatures. Cold overnight temperatures paired with early sunsets decrease the prime fishing window to a few hours in the afternoon.
Constantly adjusting your fly selection and depth is crucial when conditions are less than ideal.
This is information common to many which is why many rivers are typically swarmed between 11 am-3 pm throughout the winter. Getting out early in the morning or late in the evening can still produce fish with far fewer crowds. Don’t be afraid to vary up your fly selection and tactics if you’re fishing at less than optimal times of the day in order to draw reaction strikes from the fish.
Finding Your Solitude
Long drives, early mornings, and less-than-ideal weather typically sum up my winter fishing experiences. I’m willing to spend more effort getting away from convenient local streams and often risk being less comfortable on the water in favor of avoiding crowds. Targeting foul-weather days, fishing at less than optimal times, and fishing stretches of water that aren’t as “hot” are a few surefire ways to find some solitude while fly fishing heavily pressured waters throughout the winter months.
Article by Evan Garda, he is on the Content Team here at Fly Lords. He can be found chasing trout throughout the west with his trusty fly rod. Check out his adventures at @evangarda.
I first learned this way of making fish from the Argentine grillmaster Francis Mallmann (I wrote the book Seven Fires with him). In the years that followed, I would salt-bake a fish and bring it over to the Orvis store in Manhattan each year. They’d get a winery or liquor company to donate something to drink, and we’d all have a fine old time.
If you ever want something different for a big family meal at Christmas or Easter (or whenever), this is as dramatic a presentation as any turkey or standing rib roast. Encasing the fish in wet salt seals all the moisture in so it’s pretty hard to dry out the fish.
Prep Note:Â
If you don’t have an oven big enough to hold the whole fish, you can cut off the tail and/or the head and wrap the ends of the fish in tin foil. Then, when you roast the fish, put a large sheet pan under your roasting pan so if the wet salt bubbles over, you won’t get it all over the oven. For a bigger oven, you can put the fish, vegetables, and salt on a large sheet pan and then line the lower oven rack of the oven with tin foil to catch any spill-over.
When it’s all cooked, you crack open the salt crust. Do this right next to the sink. Spread out some newspapers. Put the roasting pan on the newspaper and then crack open the salt and toss it in the sink. You can run the water in the sink from time to time to dissolve the salt. Invite your guests to stand nearby while you de-mummify the fish and vegetables. Watching this happen never fails to delight and amaze folks.
Don’t be freaked at how much salt this takes. Compared to what you spend for an average rib roast or turkey, it’s not a wallet-breaker. The salt doesn’t affect the flavor of the fish at all. It simply seals in moisture and cooks everything evenly.
An added benefit; you don’t have to scale the fish. Just gut it.
This is what fish for 300 looks like before you cover with salt.
Salt-Baked Big Fish and Vegetables Ingredients (8-10 servings):
Five 3-pound boxes kosher salt
4 cups water
1 cleaned, unscaled 8-pound whole fish (redfish, salmon, weakfish, or bluefish)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Make sure to check current fishing regulations when keeping a fish.*
8 carrots, trimmed, brushed clean, and wrapped in foil
6 medium potatoes
6 medium sweet potatoes
Salsa (see the following recipe)
Directions:
Wrap the carrots in foil to make a sealed bundle and set aside. Heat the oven to 500 degrees (or 450 degrees if that’s as high as your oven goes). Pour all the salt into a very large bowl or the sink. Add 4 cups of water and toss the salt to dampen it. The consistency should be like spring snow, slightly wet and lightly clumping. If necessary, add more water.
In a large roasting pan, tamp down a 1-inch layer of moistened salt. Place the fish on top of the salt, diagonally in the pan. Arrange the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots snugly around the sides of the fish. Insert an ovenproof (not instant-read) meat thermometer in the thickest part of the fish and leave it there so that you can monitor the temperature of the fish. Add more damp salt to cover everything, making a thick layer over the fish and vegetables. Tamp the salt down just like when you bury someone in sand at the beach.
Place a sheet pan in the lower third of the oven to catch any spillover and then put the roasting pan on top of it. Bake until a thermometer reaches 140Ëš degrees, about 55 minutes.
If you want to go full-on fire, it’s quite a show. We did this for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
ShowTime! Invite your guests to watch as you take the roasting pan from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Tap the salt crust with a hammer or mallet until it cracks. Discard the salt. The plumes of steam that escape are pretty impressive. Remove the carrots. Brush any remaining salt from the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fish; then lift off the fish skin.
To serve, use two large spoons to lift pieces of fish and plate them. Put some carrot, potato, and sweet potato on each plate. Pour salsa over the fish, and , while you’re at it, baptize the vegetables too.
Salsa Recipe:
1 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1/2 cup fresh oregano
Zest of two lemons, diced or grated
Flaky salt to taste
Cracked black pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Cover and set aside until you’re ready to serve.
This recipe as well as many more are featured in the new edition of Fly Fishing For Dummies To purchase this cookbook click the link here.
Peter Kaminsky is a long time fly fisherman and author. His Outdoors column appeared in the New York Times for more than 30 years. He was a contributing editor to Field & Stream. Among his fishing books, the classic The Moon Pulled Up An Acre of Bass. He fishes New York Harbor a lot. Be sure to check out his most recent book, Fly Fishing for Dummies below.
In this week’s edition of Video of the Week, we catch up with Wild Fly Productions and the boys from Blue Line Co on their most recent trip to Ennis in search of aggressive browns and a duck or two. October, a month congruent with streamer weather, the duck opener, and unpredictable weather. The boys had this trip planned far in advance and the one thing they were hoping to count on was the weather. Well, as fly fishermen we all know how that goes. Montana gave them a bitter taste of winter, but the boys prevailed through and stuck to the gameplan. Check out the video below for some frozen boots, a few missed shots, and a fish or two.
A whiskey shooter or a few, the chance at a big mean fired up brown trout, and an empty river kept the boys headstrong on the goal. Winter fishing may not be for the faint of heart or for the fair-weather angler but the opportunity to share the river with good friends no matter the temperature is always a good time!
Free-flowing rivers are becoming increasingly rare. Centuries of human activity have altered channels leaving us now with the huge challenge that is reconnecting vital pathways for our migratory fish. New research published recently has shown that there is on average one barrier per mile in Europe’s rivers, choking off life in these critical arteries.
Photo: ALVARO SANTILLAN
The term connectivity is used to describe how connected a river is and the main cause of connectivity loss are manâ€made structures, such as dams, weirs, and culverts for road crossings. These structures act as physical barriers for migratory fish species (salmon, steelhead, brown trout, shad, etc.). Frustratingly, they are often old and no longer in use, relics of an industrial past. Removing barriers provide unprecedented opportunities for restoration. However, one of the biggest tasks for scientists and conservationists tackling this problem can be finding, documenting, and building an inventory of these barriers.
Dam in the SoÄa River (Slovenia) (Jan Pirnat). The SoÄa River, in the Slovenian Alps, like others in the Balkans, represent some of the last relatively unfragmented rivers in Europe but are now threatened by dams
Thus, a robust understanding of the number and location of barriers is essential to prioritize restoration efforts and to focus funding and mitigation works to key obstructions. The impacts of barriers can be variable, from short delays to complete blockages often depending on things like water flow conditions, swimming capacity of the fish, and timing of migration. One of the most pressing issues faced by managers today are impassable barriers that can reduce or fragment species distributions completely. Barriers like this result in diminished populations that are increasingly genetically isolated and at greater risk of significant population decline or extinction. For example, a study earlier this year found that populations of migratory freshwater fish have declined by 76% globally since 1970, with an even greater decline in Europe, a staggering 93%. The decline in many of these populations has been directly attributed to river fragmentation caused by man-made barriers.Â
Big and Small barriers
We are all aware that artificial barriers, like large dams, are one of the biggest threats to rivers and can completely change a river system. What many people may not be aware of is that almost all barriers no matter how small have some effect on river life and more often than not they can have a direct effect on the migratory fish that we will love to catch. Even small barriers can prevent fish from traveling up or downstream to complete their lifecycles and can stop the natural flow of sediments which is vital for rivers. New research published recently in Nature has found that at least 85% of barriers on European rivers are smaller structures such as weirs, culverts, fords, and sluices less than 2 meters in height. These smaller barriers are often overlooked although their cumulative impact can be significant.Â
National databases are in existence for large dams and hydropower structures however researchers working on rivers have noted that databases have an almost complete omission of small or unusual barriers. In the European barrier survey scientists surveyed about 2,700 km of the river network in 26 countries. The researchers recorded each barrier, location, size, and whether it was abandoned or still in use. None of the 147 surveyed rivers was found to be free of obstructions, a concerning observation. The research stemming from this search for barriers found that Europe’s rivers have an estimated 1.2 million instream barriers meaning Europe has some of the most fragmented rivers in the world. The study detected thousands of large dams, but also a myriad of smaller barriers such as weirs, culverts, and sluices which had been disregarded and are the main culprits of fragmentation.
Small Barriers, Big Problems
-Surely a fish can get over that small barrier!? What harm can a small weir really do?Â
These are questions often asked by trout and salmon anglers I meet on rivers…
First off, all life stages need to move, from a 4cm fry to 100cm adult. Therefore, even small barriers can cause a lot of harm depending on the particular life stage moving within the fragmented river.
Photo: ALVARO SANTILLAN
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Imagine a scenario where an adult brown trout is moving upstream and is faced with numerous barriers – the first weir is passable and after 4 attempts the trout moves past. The second barrier encountered takes a little longer and eventually after a few days of failed jumping attempts the trout finally makes it past the weir, exhausted, the trout then encounters the third obstacle, a shallow culvert, after numerous attempts it proves to be too much as the fish has used up all its surplus energy and simply can’t kick through the shallow water running through the culvert, the trout falls back downstream to sub-optimal spawning habitat instead of making it to the optimal gravels upstream.Â
Photo: ALVARO SANTILLAN
Research is beginning to show that barriers may be selecting for smaller fish! What this means is that smaller fish may be more likely to make it through the shallow water running over certain barriers (more tail in the water to help kick through). Barriers such as culverts and weirs often have a thin layer of water running over the face or through the structure. These shallow water barriers may be stopping bigger fish from getting upstream as the water is just too shallow for them to kick through, as a result, we lose these fish along with their big fish genetics from the spawning gravels upstream.Â
Another important point is that fish may get held up as they move downstream at small weirs and dams, the ponding effect upstream of even small barriers can often disorientate fish especially smolts moving downstream. This can make these sites predation hotspots, losing more fish before they make it to the sea is the last thing we need when their marine survival is so bad at the moment.Â
The cumulative effect of obstacles encountered can slowly chip away at freshwater fish populations but will often go unnoticed. Just because we see the occasional fish ascend a barrier does not necessarily mean a barrier is completely passable. Obstacles may well be stopping a proportion of fish moving upstream and also causing problems for fish moving downstream that we simply will never see.Â
What can we do?Â
It is not all bad news. Mitigation efforts to improve river connectivity may not be as complicated as some fear, since many of these smaller barriers are obsolete and be easily taken out or removed.Â
There is an increased awareness of barriers and blockages in rivers and this has been helped greatly by the excellent documentaries like Damnation and Blue Heart by Patagonia and the excellent Rising from the Ashes by Trout Unlimited with the focus being on the damaging effect of large dams. There is now hope that this new study will bring increased attention to the significant role that smaller barriers may play in disrupting a river’s ecosystem.Â
It makes sense to focus some of our attention on small barriers that are easier to take out in comparison to a large dam that can often be quite politically divided. The science can help to direct restoration efforts and ensure we connect good habitat with other good habitats, not bad ones.Â
The river-barrier atlas for Europe is an excellent accomplishment, but more efforts like this are now needed. After all, river barriers and their effects are not confined to Europe, and information on river connectivity tends to be even scarcer in many other parts of the world.
The increased public and angler awareness can really help. There are now apps available on phones where you can report the presence of small barriers by simply taking a picture. Action is now being taken by many restoration groups who understand the damage even small barriers can cause. The next time you are on your home water, why not keep a note of any barriers you see, speak to your local fishing or conservation group, and help to raise the issue. This is a movement we must continue for the sake of our migratory fish.Â
James Barry, Ph.d is a Research Officer on the Climate Change Mitigation Research Project with Inland Fisheries Ireland which aims to assess the impacts of climate change on stream habitats and fish communities. Check him out on Instagram @Riffle_to_Reef.
