After a long weekend of fishing all over the state of Colorado, the official results of the 8th Annual 25 On The Fly presented by Orvis Fly Fishing results are in! Big shoutout to the teams that competed, executed on catching a variety of species, and completed the team challenges. This year a portion of the entry fees goes back to Denver Trout Unlimited, to help support the efforts to maintain, conserve, and to improve access and water quality in the Denver South Platte. Check out the results below!
As a community of anglers and people who love the outdoors, we must stand together to protect the unique places that mean so much to our way of life. The more people who get involved and speak up, the more we can support the advancement of long-term solutions to important water issues. In that spirit, Columbia PFG has partnered with Captains For Clean Water to help restore and protect our water resources.
In the Protect What You Love series, we highlight three heroes for clean water and the Everglades, Captain Chris Wittman, Wesley Locke, and Captain Bear Holeman. We hope to inspire you to join the fight to save the Everglades with Captains For Clean Water and to protect what you love, regardless of the waters you call home.Â
Columbia PFG ambassador Bear Holeman and his son Bannon share a tarpon release.
Background:Â
In 2016, massive discharges from Lake Okeechobee were sent south to the East and West coasts of Florida. These discharges led to massive blue-green algae blooms, rapid drops in salinity in coastal estuaries, and traumatic red tides. When this event halted the fishing season and hurt local businesses, Chris Wittman and Daniel Andrews knew it was time to step up to give everyone in Florida a platform to stand on to protect their coastlines.
The organization that was born, Captains For Clean Water, has made incredible strides to help protect the way of life not only for fishing guides but also for local communities who rely on the beautiful coastlines of Florida for business and tourism.
In partnership with Columbia PFG and Captains For Clean Water, we highlight three individuals impacting the future of the Everglades, Chris Wittman, Wesley Locke, and Bear Holeman. Chris, Wesley, and Bear come from different backgrounds and professions, but all share the same desire: to protect what they love. Join us as we sit down with each of these amazing people we are lucky to call our friends.
Bear: My name is Bear Holeman, and I refer to myself laughingly as a wandering vagabond as I spend most of my time on the water “wandering†around looking for fish. I was born and raised in Texas and “grew up†in Oklahoma. I have been so blessed in my life and have had so many incredible opportunities. During my childhood, I got to fish and hunt in some of the coolest places- you could say I grew up in the outdoors. I have a great family, a large contingency of wonderful friends, I live in what many call paradise in the Florida Keys, and I don’t take any of that for granted.Â
Flylords: How have you seen the fishery change over your time as a guide?Â
Bear: Absolutely, yes. Unfortunately, I have seen negative changes to most of the fisheries I have experienced in my lifetime. I have seen change with more people on the water, poor etiquette, misuse of technology, and a general lack of respect for the fish and their future. It saddens me the way some people can be so careless.Â
Flylords: How did you get involved with Captains for Clean Water?Â
Bear: I have known Chris Wittman for many years and really appreciate his concern for the future of our fisheries. When it first started, he asked me to become involved in Captains for Clean Water, and I didn’t hesitate. I have seen first-hand the destruction of Red Tide; the algae blooms on the West Coast; the loss of sea grass in Florida Bay, thousands of dead fish, and many other man-made environmental impacts. All highly visible, all man-made, which will require man-made solutions. The Captains on the water daily know more than anyone about the changing environments, the changes in fish populations, the degradation of the oceans, and the destructive effects on people. It seems logical we would and should take the lead to not only sound the alarms but to find permanent solutions to these problems.Â
Flylords: You and your son were a blast to film with. How many species did he catch that day we were on the water?
Bear: We had so much fun. He caught triple tail, snook, jacks, trout, redfish, hardheads, and jumped dozens of tarpon. The kind of day people have on their bucket list and never get to experience. It was a heck of a day for any angler, but especially a 10-year-old. I am so glad we will share that with you and your folks. Thank you and Columbia PFG for allowing us the opportunity.Â
Flylords: Did he get that roar when he is hooked up to a tarpon from his dad?Â
Bear: Yes, more than likely. We get excited when we hook a fish and tend to be expressive. Each fish is special, and we appreciate each fish for the opportunity. I think it has to do with our Native American blood. Â
Flylords: How important is it to ensure your son has a strong fishery in the future?
Bear: It is extremely important not just for him but for every generation now and to follow. Fishing has provided me with a wonderful life, and everything out there is special. I want to help ensure we do our part to preserve our fisheries for him and future generations. I have made friendships doing this work that are indescribable. Some of the finest people I know are part of this industry, and to destroy our fisheries would be an incredible shame and a crime.Â
Flylords: What does Protect What You Love to mean to you?Â
Bear: It means everything we do now should have a positive impact. It is as simple as picking up trash when you are on the water, being a good steward of the fishery, getting involved, and helping fight the battles that come our way. People don’t think of their impact whether they are on the water or not.Â
Overfertilization, leaking septic systems, overdevelopment, and poor water redirection are all leading to the destruction of the Everglades. The list goes on and on of what is leading to habitat loss. We must continue to work together to influence our legislators and leaders to take these problems seriously and to come up with meaningful solutions. That is what Protecting What I Love means to me.Â
Protect What You Love: Wesley Locke
Flylords: Who are you, and where are you from?Â
Wesley: My name is Wesley Locke; I’m a native of Boca Grande, Florida, known as the “Tarpon Capital of the Worldâ€. Growing up with a dad as a tarpon guide, it was not a surprise that the apple did not fall far from the tree. To this day, my life revolves around tarpon whether it is hosting tarpon tournaments out of Boca Grande, competing in tournaments in Islamorada, or fighting to protect tarpon habitat.
Flylords: You say in the piece “The West Coast, and the fish that run these highways shaped meâ€, can you tell us about what that means to you?Â
Wesley: I grew up on the SW coast of Florida in Boca Grande and was raised in a loving household with a fly fishing tarpon guide as a father, so the Silver King was always another brother around the table and fishing was our way of life.
Flylords: How did you get involved with Captains For Clean Water?Â
Wesley: In 2018, Boca Grande got hit with one of the most intense red tide blooms that I’ve ever experienced. I ran the Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce at the time, and the harmful nutrient-enhanced algae bloom not only cut off tarpon season at the knees in June (after a large Lake O discharge) but inhibited the island’s/coastlines’ entire flow of business and activity. Nobody wanted to go outside, much less come rent, shop, and eat at our local businesses. That helplessness is a feeling that still haunts us. That bloom lasted a year and a half.
Rather than wait for it to send our community into another deficit, I decided to get involved with Captains For Clean Water to become a part of the solution instead of being an idle part of the problem. Five years later I couldn’t be more proud of Captains’ impact and their dedication to Everglades restoration that aims towards a healthy future for the Everglades National Park and the state of Florida. As a Columbia PFG Athlete, I can’t tell you how much it means to see their platform and voice used to shed light on this impactful environmental cause.
Flylords: What is going to be the biggest factor in making sure we can keep these fisheries alive?
Wesley: Continued public pressure. In our society, even a devastating Hurricane can become last month’s news if you aren’t living in the wake of the storm. So when dealing with a cause that takes time and a political process, the people need to stay informed and diligent when faced with countless hurdles that seek to unravel the Everglades Restoration Plan. We often think, “What difference could I make as one person?†but in this fight, it takes all of us knowing our voice counts in the collective to maintain progress.
Flylords: What was your favorite moment when we were out filming, and you and Christina got to share the boat?
Wesley: Honestly, the whole day was filled with equally special moments. Christina Legutki and I met fishing the Ladies Fly Tarpon Tournament (Islamorada) in 2019 and are both from the West Coast of FL. It was our first tournament, and we were nervous, so we found comfort in our friendship quickly. Since then we’ve only got to spend time together during tournaments and briefly in between, so the opportunity to spend an entire day with her on the boat was long overdue.
Watching her launch the boat, ride out in the morning, and Guide me to Tarpon… was like watching someone settle into their favorite chair. She found her calling in guiding women and encouraging the love of fishing we both share.
Flylords: What Does Protect What You Love Mean to You?Â
Wesley: In life, you have two choices: 1) Let “life†happen to you or 2) Make sure “you†happen to life. I choose the 2nd option. If you love something, whether it be a person, activity, career, or place, I believe that you should expel all your energy making it feel loved, protected, and heard. So, to me, protecting what you love is a mindset and a lifestyle where you give as much as you take – honestly, we should all give a little more if we are able.
Protect What You Love: Chris Wittman
Flylords: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?Â
Captain Chris Wittman: Where do I start? I am a Southwest Florida native, growing up on Sanibel Island off the coast of Fort Meyers. Growing up on an island, my life has always revolved around water, whether I was on it, around it, or under it.
Captain Chris Wittman, Co-Founder of Captains For Clean Water.
In 1999 I decided I wanted to share that passion I had for the water with others. This led to me becoming a fishing guide that year, guiding mostly the waters off of Fort Meyers. When I wasn’t guiding, I spent almost all of my time in the Everglades or the Keys fishing and scuba diving.
Then in 2016, Daniel Andrews and I co-founded Captains For Clean Water. In 2017 I quit my guiding job and started working on Captains For Clean Water full time.
Flylords: What made you hang up your guiding hat?Â
Chris: I had just come back from filming the first year of an outdoor show in 2015. I remember all my friends in the Keys were telling me about this massive seagrass die-off that was causing the fishery to collapse. This was something that hit home for me because I spent so much time down in the Keys when I wasn’t guiding out of Southwest Florida.
Then in 2016, we had massive discharges from Lake O to the East and West coasts which led to massive blue-green algae blooms, red tide, and killed off a lot of the seagrass and oyster bars around Sanibel. Not only was this water mismanagement impacting our fishery and the fishing business, but also hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses at the peak of tourist season. This was when we decided something had to be done. We didn’t know what role we had to play there, but we knew we needed to do something.Â
We realized that we had an opportunity to get others like ourselves involved in the effort to save our way of life, and it wasn’t long before we had to make the decision to walk away from our guiding careers to focus all our effort on saving our fishery. This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a decision that could leave an impact that would outlive Daniel and Myself.
Flylords: You say in the video “The Everglades isn’t just a famed fishery, its waters have created passion, a career, a purposeâ€. What does that mean to you?
Chris: The Everglades shaped me into the person I am today and provided the foundation for a successful career. As I said earlier, the Everglades is one of the places I chose to spend most of my free time exploring when I wasn’t working. Because of this, I feel it is my responsibility to do everything I can to help save the Everglades.
I am not the only person that feels this way which is why Captains for Clean Water provides a platform for more people to join and fight. My job now is to give them something to plug into without having to give up their guiding job or business. Everyone has a sphere of influence and some guides have made this part of their daily routine similar to what they have been doing for their clients for years. Some guides have figured out how to make the biggest impact in the movement and have plugged this into their daily routine by educating everyone around them and setting the example of how to support conservation issues that are important to you. It is more than putting a sticker on your truck and paying a $35 membership fee.Â
Flylords: What do partnerships like the one with Columbia PFG enable Captains For Clean Water to do?Â
Chris: The key to CFCW’s impact in the effort to save the Everglades is bringing new people into the effort through education and providing an opportunity for them to use their voice. Partnerships with industry leaders like Columbia PFG add significant volume to our voice, and by utilizing their platforms as an extension of Captains For Clean Water we are able to reach millions of new people and bring them into the movement to save the glades!
Flylords: We have to hear the story about the fishing day and the tarpon you caught when we were out filming with you. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Chris: Any day spent fishing the Everglades comes with the possibility of an experience that will be remembered forever. The day we were out filming was absolutely one of those days. Feeding flies to 100+ pound tarpon in inches of water… it’s not something you will ever forget once you experience it. I used to spend over 200 days a year sight fishing Tarpon but now those days are few, and far between. The majority of my time is spent fighting to ensure those opportunities exist in the future.
Flylords: What Does Protect What You Love Mean to You?Â
Chris: It means we can’t sit back and watch the slow death of a national treasure like the Everglades, and hope that someone else will save it. No one is going to fight harder to protect places like the Everglades than the ones who love those places. It’s simple, I love the Everglades and will do everything I can to save it.
Thank you to Chris for spending a day out on the water with us and showing us why you are so passionate about protecting what you love. Stay tuned as this page will be updating with more incredible individuals standing up for the Everglades.Â
Get involved in the fight for the Everglades with Captains For Clean Water, CLICK HERE. To learn more about Columbia PFG, CLICK HERE.Â
This article is part of a paid partnership with Columbia Sportswear Company. This partnership does not change any of the views expressed by the Flylords team expressed in this article.Â
In this week’s “How to Tie†video feature, InTheRiffle ties a crab fly that every angler should carry in their flats box, the EP Micro Crab.
Learn About This Fly:
Difficulty: Intermediate
Whether on a plate or in the ocean, crabs are a meal that few will pass up. From the coast of Maine to the flats of the Florida Keys, there are happy tailing fish gorging themselves on these crustaceans. Sight fishing can offer some of the most exciting chances at fish and you should always be prepared with the right arsenal. Fishing the flats often requires multiple variations of shrimp flies and crab flies, and the EP Micro Crab is one pattern that should be at the top of that list.
There is no doubt that Enrico Puglisi changed the tying game with his synthetic EP fibers. These fibers are easy to work with and can be used to tie countless patterns. Using the pre-made dubbing brush allows for an even simpler process, allowing novice to intermediate tyers the ability to hit consistency in a batch of flies. Change the colors to match the crab species in your specific waters and watch the EP Micro Crab do what it does best.
Depending on the depth of water you’re fishing may require larger eyes to increase sink rate. Pairing this fly with an intermediate or sink tip could also be the correct course of action, but you will have to gauge your specific waters and fish to make that call. Be patient when tying and fishing, as flats flies require the right profile and presentation while fishing. For your next trip on the flats, don’t forget to bring a variety of EP Micro Crabs as it might be the ticket to a successful outing.
Introducing the fly fishing gear vending machine, no candy bars nor any Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups; get your fishing gear any time of the day with the vending machine located at Natives Fly Shop in Fairmont, West Virginia.
This packed fly-fishing-related vending machine has all the gear you need to get out on the water, no matter if Natives Fly Shop is open. This vending machine contains different fly lines, strike indicators, fly boxes, Chocklett’s Game Changers, and more. Whether you’re mousing late at night and forgot some flies or headed out early in the morning before the fly shop is open, get your gear while you can. Check out the post below!
Bluefish are typically considered second-class citizens to striped bass in New England. Unlike stripers, they are less of a food delicacy, sometimes thought a nuisance breaking lines and eating lures, and have fewer restrictions on keeper limits and size. Yet these fish are thrilling to fight and land on the fly, epitomized by an early May day in Rhode Island when I fished with Joey Manansala of Woozy Fishing.
Coming off of a day with more striped bass than we could count, we fished early again and landed a few bass but found they were less active than the day prior. We headed further into Narragansett Bay. Despite being early May, the weather was a balmy 65 degrees, heating up to 73, with no wind and glassy calm seas. As we hummed along the bay looking for signs of fish, a tail peaked out of the water, and we saw a large swirl, and we knew it was game on.
Casting out towards the visible tail, the fish immediately took the fly and ran out hard. Immediately feeling the weight of the fish, I thought this was a giant bass. The fish started to make another hard run but broke the leader. Devastated, I buried my anger at losing a big bass. We quickly tied on another fly and cast to another tailing fish. Two casts, and bam, another bite, another big fish, but the line was cut again. We then realized these were bluefish with sharp teeth cutting through our leaders.
As we drifted further into the bay and the sun shined above, we found ourselves surrounded by tailing and laid-up bluefish. Swirling, rolling, and lazily flopping on their sides. It was a sight to see! The fish were rolling and tailing all around us. Big silver tails were sticking out proudly, with the light glistening off their points as they broke the glassy water. We felt transported from the not-so-distant memories of the cold New England winter to a day of Florida flats fishing.
Casting out, this time with a steel leader and chartreuse deceiver, we hooked up quickly. The fish went off, diving deep and swimming out. I cranked up the drag, but the fish kept pulling hard and took us for a ride. Taking the line quickly into the backing and turning towards the boat, I reeled as fast as possible. After getting the fish in close, it lept into the air, flying its mouth to the sky, dancing its tail on the surface, crashing its body on the water, then diving under again. The blue took multiple long runs before finally tiring out.
We landed the beast, a good-sized bluefish over 10 lbs, and spent the next 3 hours chasing fish by sight casting to the innumerable tailing blues. Watching them follow the fly close to the boat and refuse to eat, spooking fish by casting too close, and missing a big wake by casting just too far were common occurrences. Fish were popping up all around us, and we could see their bodies shining in the water. Many fish refused to eat, but the others that did took us for a ride. We lost count of the hooked fish and eventually were worn out. As the bite slowed, the fish could still be seen lazily tailing under the surface and flopping on their sides as they rolled about.
As the summer goes on, the blues will continue to travel in schools and chase bait. But a day like we had, where these muscular monsters are sunning themselves in big schools, laid up and tailing just at the surface, is rare in the Rhode Island waters we were fishing. A magical day and a reminder of our gratitude to fish the splendid New England ecosystem.
Catching a tarpon is one of the most difficult things you can do as a fly angler. Good thing the Huge Fly Fisherman put together these 10 Steps for catching Tarpon.
In this Video of the Week, we take a break from the high water of the west to bring you a very real and very serious matter—River Safety with Huge Fly Fishermen. Ben breaks down the severity of how quickly things can happen and how being prepared for the worst-case scenario could possibly be the difference between going home that day. With a big winter and a significant push of runoff happening across the country, this video is a great reminder to take a step back and evaluate your safety precautions in your boat and also a great reminder to have patience. Our watersheds needed this water, but in order to enjoy the amazing summer & fall fishing that this water is going to provide, it requires us anglers to be patient & smart with these current river conditions. In Ben’s words, “Please respect the power of the river and Stay Huge.”
Ben puts it bluntly; “I want you to go home at the end of the day.” Wear your PFDs, have an extra oar, and don’t row out of your comfort zone without the proper equipment and research. At the end of the day, “a 14-inch trout is not worth losing your life or losing your friend.”
In lighter terms make sure to check out more of Ben’s videos here @HugeFlyFisherman.
“It was a beautiful day as my daughter Kendall and I set out for a day of fly fishing on the local river. We had been planning this day for a couple weeks and were excited to spend some quality time together in nature. As we waded into the river, we could see the browns swimming right around our feet just under the surface. Kendall was determined to catch her first brown trout, and I was eager to help her achieve that.”
“After an hour or so of missed hook sets, the bobber dunked once again and the line went tight. She had finally hooked up and the rest was history. I helped her manage the slack and get the fish to the reel. At that point I knew the moment needed documented so I pulled the camera out to record and with some kid friendly instruction, we were able to sway the fight in our favor to eventually net her first brown trout! The moment was picture perfect. We both gained a core memory that day. On our trek back to the truck at the end of this day I remember Kendall kissed my hand and thanked me for taking her fishing. It was so precious I nearly teared up. The privilege of being a father is something unique and special. I am incredibly proud of Kendall.”
Angler Story of the Week from Luis Trevino, be sure to follow Luis on Instagram @luistrutta. To all the fly fishing dads out there, thank you for being our mentors, our partners in exploration, and our best friends on the water. Happy Father’s Day!
I’ve always had a lake in my backyard. Obviously, not literally in my backyard, but just about. Flaming Gorge Reservoir is less than 5 minutes from my house, and I used to spend just about every night there as a child.Â
My mom used to work at the restaurant most nights when I was a kid – long before I had a little sibling – and, like a good father, my dad took me bass and crawdad fishing every evening that my mom worked. That being said, my mom was still there to enjoy every adventure with the messes my family got in.Â
One of these times, when I was a young girl – eight, maybe – our family went fishing with our uncle on the lake. A beach was nearby, and naturally, we stopped at it. Being a child with an active imagination, I was resistant to getting back on the boat when the time came, and I wanted to stay on the beach just a little bit longer.
I had made a new friend, a lizard I named Lizzy, and I wasn’t ready to end our new friendship so soon. So, like the “strict parents,†they are, my mom and dad left me to play on the beach by myself and drifted a meter or two out into the water to fish from my uncle’s Pontoon boat. This may seem like a story about me, but it’s not. It’s about my little brother and my mother.
While I don’t have a first-hand account of the story because I was on the beach in my own world, I have heard this story many times. My uncle and dad crushed small bass with a popper dropper rig as I played in the mud, ruling my kingdom of sand and water. A large foam Cicada trailed by a small micro streamer had the fish sipin’. Well, thinking it was a good idea, fun old Uncle Gene had given my three-year-old baby brother one of the fish he had caught. When he was little, my brother loved binkies for a long time, and he commonly mistook the everyday lake bass for one of his binkies when Uncle Gene gave the fish to him. After a few seconds of my brother enjoying a bass-flavored pacifier, my mom noticed something was fishy. Quite literally.Â
“Mason, what’s in your mouth?†she had asked to my brother’s turned back. In response, he turned around to face my mom, the still-alive bass’s head in his mouth, spines up, and tail wiggling. She screamed so loudly, even I heard her on the beach. “GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!†She screeched. The sound echoed in the mountains. My uncle and dad laughed about it forever until they came to pick me up, and they were still laughing.
We still talk about it occasionally, even with Uncle Gene gone. Another time, a little over five years ago, my dad found “The Maze†– an obscure hike in the mountains. We named it “The Maze†because of the twisting, adventurous path needed to get in, through, and back out. This is an unusual hike and not for the faint of heart. It takes climbing, communication, fitness, and a sense of adventure to get through. Not to mention a good guide who can guide the vast rocky mountain trail. Such a person as skilled and experienced as my dad.
While I can’t tell just one story, I can speak of the various mishaps and funny moments on our adventures in “The Maze.†I remember one of the times we adventured through the mountainous maze; there was a rock where we had to ascend a large boulder to go through a small trench in the rocks. There were some bat droppings in the little nooks of one of the rocks. We all steered clear of our hands. Well, almost all of us. My cousin, already in a bad mood, planted her hand into the bat waste as she climbed over the rocks. She was in a double evil mood after that. Though our laughing didn’t help at the time, we’ve always joked about it ever since.Â
At a different time, in the same spot, I had a bloody nose (Maybe that place is just unlucky). Blood makes me dizzy, and I could feel myself passing out. That was also when I achieved my greatest fear: having a bloody nose in a place I couldn’t take care of. My dad taught me the incredible trick of clotting a bloody nose, and I’ve used it every time, even if I’m in an area I don’t need to clot it. Fortunately, I didn’t pass out from the blood, but my hoodie had blood on it for the rest of the adventure. The last time we traversed the labyrinth, half our squad was accidentally left behind, and, again, we realized they weren’t catching up in the same spot as the other two spots, so I went and retrieved them… Even though I got a little lost trying to find them. I was also following too closely behind my dad during that same adventure and was stricken by a pine’s protruding twig-filled branch after my dad only held it long enough for himself to get past. Overall, “The Maze†has always been a great outlet and adventure for friends and family.Â
I took a large breath as I finished telling my stories to my good friend, Bylen. “Wow, Mij, that sounds like quite an adventurous life. I wish I had that growing up.†We heard a sip, and Bylen’s rod shot up, hooking a violet, iridescent-striped Rainbow. Bylen had a longing, dream-like gaze in her eyes as she reeled the fish up. I cocked my head in a curious, friendly manner. “Oh, yeah? What did you have growing up?†I asked.Â
Bylen sighed as she released the fish back into the water through a sea of evening midges and waterlogged crippled Blue Wings from earlier in the day. The dreamy look in her eyes faded away as the memories came back to her.Â
“Trouble. I had trouble growing up,†she said, half-joking. Bylen wasn’t sad remembering her past, as she still carried an upbeat tone, but there was regret. “I got into gangs on the streets, and we just got into,†Bylen took a breath before she finished, “a lot of trouble. Mostly because we were bored. I didn’t find hiking and fishing until I was, I don’t know, around eighteen and twenty-one, I think.†She chuckled regretfully as she remembered her decisions. I nodded, smiling at the fading blue sky, preparing to set the stage for the stars.Â
“Hard to see the sky from the city, yeah?†I asked, watching as the sun faded behind the mountain guardians. In my peripheral vision, I saw Bylen nod. “Yes, it is,†she answered softly. I felt something tug on my rod and shot it up, hooking a medium-sized brown trout with spots an artist would envy. Reeling quickly as I thought it was best to start walking home, I smiled sympathetically at her.Â
“You’ve come a long way from where you were, Bylen. Be proud of your journey.†As I said this, I looked at her now, bending down to unhook the fish and meeting her dull brown eyes. She smiled gratefully and nodded, looking at the sky as the stars started coming onto their big black stage.Â
“I am proud. Proud to have friends like you,†she answered, turning to traverse back.Â
“Oh yeah?†I asked, copying the same action. “What’s that mean?†“Kind and sincere. In gangs, people are tough and shady. With you, and friends like you, I can relax, let down my guard, and really be myself,†Bylen explained, the brightening stars reflecting in her eyes. I nodded, turning my attention to the stars’ show as well.
“Is that why you’re working so hard to help the foster kids get outside?†I asked, putting my wet hands in my pockets to keep them warm. Air blew out of her nose in a quiet laugh. “Yeah, I just want to give them a chance I didn’t have growing up,†she said, her face scrunching up in frustration as a new train of thought entered her brain. “All the money needed to get them there and out is so hard, though! People don’t understand the importance or don’t care, and it’s so infuriating. Ugh!†Bylen buried her hands in her face, and I patted her on the back. “Well, there are a few people who care enough to help you out,†I said, returning my hands to my pockets.Â
Bylen’s face emerged as her hands fell down to her sides. The car was close. I could see the dark blue in the moonlight.Â
“Yes, and believe me, I’m grateful for you and your family, but I just wish more people in the city who are away from nature – places where I would have grown up – would understand just how destructive their situation can be,†Bylen explained, shoving her own hands in her pocket.Â
“We’ll keep trying everything we can until they do understand. Have hope, Bylen. It’s only a matter of time,†I said, opening the car door for her, “it’s like fly fishing; there’s hope in every cast.â€
She slid in, and I walked around to the driver’s side. Bylen’s eyes were closed when I closed the door, her face uncertain about the future. “It’s only a matter of time,†she repeated, “just a matter of time.â€
Article written by Mij Feathersby, courtesy of Ryan Kelley @greenriverflyfisher. Journaling daily walks around the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Faith, Family, and getting kids outside.
Early last May, the Biden Administration announced a comment period in the Federal Register titled “Columbia River Salmon and Other Native Fish Request for Information.” Specifically, the Council on Environmental Quality, an entity within the Executive Office of the President, is looking for public input “including but not limited to migration corridor restoration through breaching the four lower Snake River dams,†which would require Congressional authorization. This is a great opportunity to show continued support for restoring the Snake River and breaching the Lower Four Snake River Dams, while ensuring offsets for the Dams’ services.
Salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest are dwindling towards extinction. And while their declines are multi-faceted and incredibly complex, restoring rivers and natural flows and opening up hundreds of miles of prime habitat  by breaching the LSRDs is the solution. The federal government has spent millions on hatchery operations and other efforts to prevent extinction of certain species of salmon and steelhead, but these stocks are not improving. The science says that removing the four LSRDs and restoring the river habitats is the only way to see abundant wild populations of salmon and steelhead return to the stretches of the Snake River Basin. Plus, with evidence of steelhead recovery success post dam removal success on the Elwha, it is clear that these fish are incredibly resilient and will thrive when given the opportunity. But accessible and restored habitats are fundamental prerequisites.
Without a doubt, it is true that dams, including the LSRDs’, produce societal benefits. They allow relatively low-cost barging of agricultural products, they irrigate agriculture products, they provide electricity, BUT their continued costs of operation are substantial–both to salmon and tax-payer funds for maintenance and upgrades. Fortunately, regional political leaders (Representative Mike Simpson, Senator Patty Murray, and Governor Jay Inslee) have developed plans to offset the LSRDs’ service and breach the dams, with the goal of bringing abundant salmon and steelhead populations back to the region.
During a recent federal listening session, Trout Unlimited’s CEO and President Chris Wood noted, “Salmon that pass three dams in the John Day basin are sustainable. Salmon that pass four dams in the Yakima are sustainable. The salmon that must pass eight dams in the Snake are on the path to extinction. We know how to fix the problem. We know how to work together to replace all the social and economic benefits of the dams. We have just seen a massive infusion of restoration and stimulus funding in the form of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. ”
With that TU has developed an action alert for individuals from all over the country to show their support for restoring the Snake River and giving these amazing salmon and steelhead a chance. Check it out HERE!
