We all know how important conservation and public lands are for our larger outdoor recreation industry. Sure, you obviously need vast public lands to go backcountry hunting or embark on a six day camping trip. But these lands also play a huge part for fish conservation and watershed health. I think we all understand that trout fishing in the West would be a lot different if there were housing developments and industrial factories along some of the West’s remote rivers. That’s a big part of why protecting and conserving these remaining wild places is so important. Washington state is looking to add to its collection of public lands with some potential new additions.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is now soliciting public input on new land acquisition proposals for 2022. WDFW has a long history of using land acquisition to “conserve and restore the diversity of Washington’s fish and wildlife species and their habitats,” and “Provide access for sustainable fishing, hunting, and other wildlife-related recreational opportunities, which generate billions of dollars of tourism and are key to the state’s quality of life.” For example an acquisition in 2021, secured 7 acres on the banks of Grande Ronde River for public access, camping, and a boat launch.
One project would conserve and protect 260 acres of habitat surrounding a tributary of the Klickitat River.
The WDFW Hoffstadt Hills project is to acquire up to 7,300 acres adjacent to the Hoffstadt Unit of the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area and Mt. St. Helens National Monument, which would improve key steelhead and coho habitats.
Another project would acquire 90 shoreline acres along the Columbia River that have the potential for salmonid restoration.
Finally, there is another project to expand acreage to a access point on the Grande Ronde River.
So, if you’re a Washington angler or know the region well, take a look and share any input with the Department. Who knows, your input today could translate into a new boat launch next year or improved riparian habitat for the future.
In this week’s “How to Tie” video feature, Alphonse Fishing Company guide Cullan Ashby ties his version of a predator fly known for enticing cruising Giant Trevally on the flats, the Semper.
Learn About This Fly:
Difficulty: Intermediate
Alphonse Fishing Company is a name that everyone in fly fishing should know. Their operation is first class and is perfect for anglers looking for the adventure of a lifetime. The saltwater species that inhabit the Seychelles make for a world class experience, but there is one species that reigns supreme, the Giant Trevally. Although they are known to eat birds, baitfish are always on the menu and the Semper is a great pattern to target these saltwater predators on.
Tying this fly is intermediate in difficulty due to using two dubbing looks for the body. With dubbing loops, making sure to go slow and not rush is the key to perfection. For beginner fly tyers, you could also simply wrap the marabou on the hook shank to create the body. The movement of the combination of materials makes for exhilarating eats and can trick more fish than just the Giant Trevally. Using a variety of colors to match a specific baitfish will allow you to fish for any predatory species out there with the Semper.
With only a few materials being used to construct the fly, once your dubbing loops are mastered this fly is a piece of cake. Whether chasing bass in freshwater or Giant Trevally in the Seychelles, predators will be enticed by the movement and profile of this fly. Remember to change colors to imitate the fish your target species regularly eats and take your time when creating loops. The Semper is a baitfish pattern that will become a weapon of choice when fishing for predatory species, especially the Giant Trevally.
Welcome back for the third installation of the Fishing Ethics Series brought to you by Fat Tire… This time around we are focusing on how to responsibly harvest fish.
The act of “fishing†means many different things for many different people. For some, fishing is the pursuit of time spent outdoors— where the catching is just the bonus. For others, the catch is the sole purpose for setting up a rod and getting out there. No matter what your “why†is, it’s essential to understand how to responsibly harvest a fish when the time comes.
For this installment of Fishing Ethics, we took a trip to the Chesapeake Bay in search of some tasty bites and fun times with our culinary expert, Kirk Marks.
The fish of the day, White Perch.
Check the Regs
Before lines hit the water, you need to familiarize yourself with the regulations. First and foremost, make sure your fishing license and stamps are up to date. Secondly, figuring out what species and sizes are legal for harvesting within that area. Before we hit the Chesapeake we checked the Maryland DNR website for all the info we needed.
Having good identification skills is super important when it comes to deciding whether to harvest a fish. This is especially true with fish species that look very similar to one another. Whether you need to know the difference between a striper and a perch, or a brown trout and a brook trout, make sure your identification skills are dialed. Depending on the species, your harvest could be illegal.
Striped bass bycatch
Size Requirements
Some size requirements are more complex than others. For example, in Maryland redfish have a slot limit for harvesting. Only fish between 18 in. and 27 in. are allowed to be kept. When it comes to white perch, anglers can keep any size and any amount as long as they’re fishing with hook and line (as opposed to a cast net). The moral of the story: look up the regs for your target species before you hit the water, because, as plenty of us find out one day, “I didn’t know” doesn’t go a very long way with your local law enforcement.
White Perch (Morone americana)
Target a Sustainable PopulationÂ
The goal of harvesting a species is to harvest in a way that allows for the species to continue to sustain its population over time. For example, if too many people are harvesting a certain species, the species may develop a risk of becoming endangered in that area.
While regulations are usually adjusted to guide the public towards the harvesting of more sustainable species, sometimes regulations are not as informed and time sensitive as the local knowledge found in the angling community.Â
For example, the striped bass population is currently at an all time low. Even though anglers are technically allowed to keep stripped bass, turning your attention to perch is a more sustainable option.
White Perch – sustainable and perfect fish stick fillets
Consider the Local Culture
Sometimes there are situations where it may be legally appropriate to harvest a fish, but it is inappropriate according to the local fishing culture. For example, catching a 20 in. brown trout out of Madison is legal; however, that fish is so highly sought after as a sport fish that people would not take kindly to throwing that fish on a stringer. The best way to gauge this local knowledge is to head to the local fly shop.Â
“Native†species are those that have historically lived within a water body without being introduced by humans. “Wild†fish are those who were born within a given ecosystem, but their lineage is not from that area. At some point that wild species was introduced into that environment. You could say that we’re a little on the wild side…
An important reminder. When the fishing’s slow, get wet – not upset.
Harvesting Invasive Species
There are many invasive populations of fish that are taking over ecosystems around the globe. In an effort to mitigate these populations, harvesting these invasive species can help. For example, when snakeheads started to populate exponentially around the Chesapeake, people, and restaurants began demanding snakehead. Check out this Flavor on the Fly recipe.
Where things get interesting is when invasive species also happen to be great sport fishing species. Snakeheads are a fun species to catch, and people have caught onto that. When you have a species that is aggressive, hits top water, and fights hard, people start to gain an appreciation for these fish beyond their potential ecological harm.Â
One thing to take into consideration when considering invasive species is that not all of them look like the toothy, abhorrent creatures whose appearance alone is enough to inspire a cult-classic, low-budget, 2004 horror film. For instance, in some states, the fly-favorite Rainbow Trout is so unwelcome to the ecosystem, there is an actual bounty on their heads – and fish and game will pay a cash reward for harvested fish. If that’s not an incentive to check local regulations, we don’t know what is.
Impressive fly selection brought to you by Jonathan Bland.
Using the Whole Fish
As any sportsperson who’s worth their salt can tell you, anytime you harvest your own food it is best to use everything and waste nothing. Sure, everyone collects the main fillets, but finding creative ways to utilize other parts of the fish is more sustainable, and leads to some fun opportunities. After filleting a few white perch we made sure to throw the leftovers in the crab pot in hopes of turning one man’s trash into another man’s treasure – or in this case, crab’s treasure.
You could say it worked.
Chesapeake Blue Crab.
That is all for this installation of the Flylords Fishing Ethics Series, brought to you by: Fat Tire!Make sure to keep an eye out for a future “Beer Battered” Fish Recipe, using one of our favorite amber ales. Also, make sure to check out the rest of the series, below. Cheers!
In this Video of the Week, we catch up with Pete Kaple of “The Skiff Wanderer” and Cole Rickerson & Michael Cotter from “Going Native.” Border to Bayou is an adventure film highlighting friendship, a shared bond of a yearning for wild places, and the raw grit, resilience, and freedom of Texas through a journey along its entire coastline: Mexico to Louisiana.
Running the Skiffs from the Border of Mexico to the bayou of Louisiana isn’t about the fish. It’s about the bonds created between friends that are crammed on 17.5 feet of aluminum covering the entire texas coast. Make sure to follow along here: Going Native as the boys continue to drop episodes of this fantastic adventure!
There’s seemingly endless information about fly fishing knots out there. So, cut the crap and check out this quick video from Trouts. These are the two knots you need to know!
When Hurricane Ian’s cone of uncertainty put the west coast of Florida in its sights, the whole fishing world became glued to their screens checking on their favorite guides and fisheries. The effects of Ian need no introduction, countless family homes, businesses, and lives were damaged or lost, and they all need as much help as we can send them.
Born on the water and committed to protecting the watery world it calls home, Costa Sunglasses continues supporting Hurricane Ian relief efforts with a $50,000 donation to its longtime conservation partner Captains for Clean Water. The full donation will go towards the organization’s Emergency Disaster Relief Fund to help those impacted by Hurricane Ian get back on their feet.
Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sept. 28 as a category four hurricane, causing catastrophic damage to Southwest, Fla., home to many Costa partners and pros. Costa, Captains for Clean Water and the fishing community in Florida were some of the first responders to jump into action after the hurricane. They worked around the clock on rescue missions, setting up drop sites for critical supplies, clearing debris, and delivering food and clean water to families in need. The initial response has been outstanding, but the work has just begun. The road to recovery will be a long one, but Costa and Captains for Clean Water are in it for the long haul.
“Being in Florida for the past 40 years, Costa is no stranger to hurricanes and the effects they have on our communities,†said Justin Cupps, Senior Vice President at Costa. “As soon as we learned the magnitude of this storm, we were in close communication with our friends at Captains For Clean Water, based in Fort Myers. It’s been incredible to see their response, and how they immediately jumped into action to do whatever was necessary, despite many of them losing their own homes. As a trusted partner, we’re honored to follow their lead and support our community and friends after the tremendous damage Hurricane Ian caused.â€
“Fishing guides don’t wait for someone else to take the lead on how to fix a problem, we get to work and do what needs to be done,†said Captains for Clean Water Co-Founder, Chris Wittman. “Hurricane relief isn’t what our organization was created to do, but since this directly impacts the people that fight with us for clean water, it’s our turn to fight for them – and Costa gets that. Always a phone call away, Costa has been on the ground alongside us to help with emergency relief efforts since day one. We’re incredibly grateful for their ongoing support, and know that together, we will rebuild this devastated fishing community.â€
Costa was born on the waters in Florida in 1983. Since then, the brand has been committed to protecting the watery world it calls home, including hurricane relief efforts. In 2017, after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria ravaged our coasts, Costa started #OneCoast, a program to bring relief efforts to coastal communities affected by natural disasters through the Worldwide Angler’s Relief Fund (WARF). Founded by Costa and IGFA, WARF provides financial aid to local charter captains, guides, and outfitters in the wake of major natural disasters.
The $50,000 donation was announced at the Captains for Clean Water annual Restore Gala on November 4th, in Fort Myers, Fla. For additional information about how you can help through the Captains for Clean Water Emergency Relief Fund, visit www.CaptainsForCleanWater.org. And for more information about Costa’s #OneCoast program, visit www.CostaSunglasses.com.
“Working and guiding at a remote Alaskan salmon fishing lodge, the opportunities to get a day on the water for yourself are fewer and farther between than you might expect. When the opportunity finally presented itself, I went out with fellow guide @guypachner to have some fun of our own and brought some camera gear to try to capture just how awesome the fishing can be at @salterylakelodge. Due to a lack of heavy rains and low flows for this year’s Silver run, we found the salmon higher up in the system to be pretty finicky. We eventually worked our way closer to the ocean and found a huge pod of Silvers that had moved in with the tides and it was game on.”
Tips
“When chasing Silvers in Alaska, especially in smaller systems, I find it best to be continuously on the move until you find willing fish. Don’t get hung up on a pod of fish that have their noses down and aren’t interested in your flies. Once you find the fish willing to eat, change patterns often and you will maximize your opportunity.”
This week’s Reel of the Week from Pocket Water Productions, Taylor Norton. Find them on Instagram at @pocketwaterproductions.Â
In this week’s “How to Tie” video feature, InTheRiffle ties the Gotcha Bonefish Fly, a saltwater bonefish pattern that is a consistent producer for these flats ghosts.
Learn About This Fly:
Difficulty: Easy
With cold weather rolling in and many regulations ending the fishing season, it is time to think of our saltwater friends. For new saltwater anglers, bonefish are a fantastic species to target. Although they can be very picky at times, the sight fishing aspect of hunting these fish make for an exhilarating take of the fly. Small shrimp style flies have traditionally been the key for catching these silver bullets and the Gotcha Bonefish Fly has been a staple for years.
In terms of tying, many bonefish flies are simple and manageable for tyers of any level. Using only a few materials for the entire fly, it is important that your craft fur lays perfect to keep that shrimp profile. As with many saltwater species, bonefish are predatory and will chase down the Gotcha Bonefish Fly if presented well. If planning to transition from trout fishing into the saltwater game during the winters, bonefish are the perfect species to become addicted to.
Whether doing a trip to a lodge or a DIY trip, having an assortment of different Gotcha Bonefish Fly patterns in your box will get the job done for the majority of your bonefishing. Pairing this box with some crab flies and other shrimp patterns definitely will be a sufficient start to the saltwater game. When the cold weather rolls around, I always try to put my mind someplace warmer where the fishing is hot and the Gotcha Bonefish Fly is that perfect escape!
In this Video of the Week, we catch up with Todd Moen and Josh Phillips. Josh Phillips played professional soccer in the MLS & USL. His journey started when he was a kid, playing youth soccer while camping and fishing on the weekends. Like every sport or passion, things start to get in the way whether you like it or not. Through great friends and true passion sit back and watch Josh tell his incredible story with a bit of some fantastic fishing mixed in.
Josh Phillips is the proud owner of Spawn Fly Fish located in Ilwaco, Washington. With a focus on the pacific northwest more specifically the greater Puget Sound area, Josh and his team have really honed in their craft and business to cater towards that unique fishery. On top of being a fantastic fly tier, Josh has also created their own line of “Spawn Products”. From their famous Spawn Fly Heads to their jig shanks and dubbing they have you covered across the board. Check out his site here: Spawnflyfish.com
“So many things came together to create an incredible early summer mayfly hatch on the White River. For a month, we could go out, find big fish, present them a fly, and let them go unharmed. Sometimes, we would see pods of 20 to 30 fish in the 20+ inch mark all gulping in the same hole, over the same grass, or in the same eddy. It was so fun that we would go out after we dropped clients off and play “dry fly baseball…” 3 misses and you’re out.”
When sight fishing bigger fish, key things to focus on are:
1.Good presentation. They didn’t get big being dumb. Get a perfect drift, directly in the line they’re rising in. Sometimes, especially after they have been fished to for a while, if your fly is 6†off their feeding lane they won’t eat.
2.Cycle through flies. If you run your fly over them a couple times and they don’t eat, try changing flies… size, profile, color.
3.Pick your fish. Bird hunters can relate to this one… you don’t just shoot into the flock. Find your fish, and fish to THAT fish.
This week’s Reel of the Week from Captain Stephen Balogh. Find him on Instagram at @guidenotgod.Â
