The Colorado Outdoors complex in Montrose, CO was purpose-built with the idea of bringing together outdoor-focused brands and people together on the banks of the Uncompahgre River. The complex is already home to Abel Reels, Ross Reels, and AirFlo, and will soon be the new home of their local fly shop, Montrose Anglers.
We are excited to announce that Montrose Anglers is the first company to open its doors within the new Flex Buildings at Colorado Outdoors. Montrose Anglers is a local fly shop, online retailer, and guide service that is located right on the Uncompahgre River.
“We will have a Grand opening mid to late June, a complete listing of Fly Fishing 101/201 classes, and a listing of summer events coming in the near future, keep an eye out,†Nolan Egbert, owner of Montrose Anglers.
You can learn more about the new shop on Montrose Angler’s website, Montrose Anglers!
For most, the love of fishing is contagious energy you pick up from fishy friends. For the Cyr brothers, it’s a hereditary condition that bonds the brothers on and off the water. In Costa’s latest film, we follow the pair through their home waters in the Florida Keys as they introduce us to their favorite cast of flats species and their love for life.
On Flats and Family” explores the legacy of fourth-generation Florida Keys Fishing guides Brandon and Jared Cyr. Born and raised Conchs, their family-first mentality and dedication to guiding forms a bond that transcends that between most brothers. “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
“If I Tell Them” by a powerful film by Oliver Sutro and Orvis featuring James Sampsel, a painter and fly-fishing guide, who bravely shares his past struggles and a bipolar diagnosis that hangs over his future. As a guide, a husband, and a father James is faced with many daily life challenges from the past but with the help of family, painting, & fishing life is just a little bit brighter. As a partner and sponsor of the Outdoor Guide Association, we share its mission to promote community understanding and encourage treatment for anyone who wants it.
If you or someone you love would benefit from more information about mental illness and available treatment, visit the National Alliance of Mental Illness website at https://www.nami.org/
Early on a humid April morning, I find myself sleepily observing the creatures of the Wawa gas station, waiting for Jeff to pull in and fuel up. He and his wife Christina arrive at 5:00 AM on the dot, towing his guide green Hell’s Bay Professional. He fuels the boat up and loads Arizona Ice Tea into the cooler, with a casual familiarity unique to locals—he knows what aisle holds his tea, has a favorite pump—and starts the 30-minute drive to the boat ramp by 5:15.
As we drive south towards Everglades City, the houses get fewer and the moonlight exposes expansive Everglades marsh that borders US 41. Today is Jeff’s first “fun†fishing day in months, he’s pumped to cast at some tarpon himself.
Being Naples natives, we talk about the constant changes to our home. Development continues to swallow up marsh land East and South of our home town, making the river of grass smaller and smaller all the time. Over-development is not just shrinking the size of our fishery, but critically worsening water quality. Captains for Clean Water is fighting the good fight to restore and protect our precious water resources.
Thankfully, not much has changed in Everglades City over the years. There are no sprawling developments or high-rise condos, just fishing guides, commercial fishermen, and people trying to escape the ever-developing South Florida. As we cross over the bridge and enter downtown, it’s as if the stilted houses are stuck in time.
The mangrove crabs scurry off of the boat ramp at Glades Haven, as Jeff backs the trailer to the water’s edge, slowly pushing the skiff off of the trailer. It is here, among mangrove islands, and the flowing rivers of tannic water, where the houses stop, and the raw beauty of the Everglades begins.
In the Everglades, you can feel a good tarpon day when you get on the water. There’s a wet stillness in the air, no wind, 80 degrees at sunrise, and the no-see-ums are in full force. The conditions are a nightmare for some—but for a tarpon fisherman, it’s a dream.
Jeff idles into a slicked out cove and kills the motor. Like clockwork, two fish roll as we arrive at 12:00 noon. “Exactly where they should be on this tide,†Jeff says. I hop up on the poling platform, two cameras at my feet, and tell Jeff to take the bow. Within minutes, a tarpon slips up and gives itself away—we can see it elevate and lay up with both fins breaking the surface.
Jeff makes a smooth and quiet presentation one foot in front of her face. On the first strip, the fly vanishes and the 70-pound fish greyhounds away, clearing the fly line in a matter of seconds.
The fish jumps and cartwheels in the air, violently shaking it’s gills to ditch the fly. The battle is brief but intense—Jeff skillfully applies as much pressure as the class tippet can handle. Each jump is like a cannonball breaking the surface until the fish finally succeeds in spitting the fly.
Stepping down from the casting platform, Jeff grabs a new fly before making the move to the next spot. What was once a still and peaceful bay is now scattered with giant muds from spooked tarpon. As we idle out you can see the leftover bubbles on the surface from each jump the fish made heading towards open water.
With a higher sun, the greens of the water and mangroves start to pop, and the tarpon lay up to warm themselves in the afternoon light. Jeff poles slowly and methodically – creeping into the best part of the bay. There they are, two tarpon floating high and resting. Christina presented the fly perfectly, but both fish refused the fly and eventually spooked off. This is increasingly common, tarpon here are under growing fishing pressure. Time to move on.
The afternoon sea breeze turned on as we ripped south to the next spot. The wind was fighting the falling tide, and white caps moved in from the channel. We escaped from the turbulent pass into a basin with slightly dirty water. When the wind turns out of the South or West in the Everglades, the water starts to resemble chocolate milk. This can make it more difficult to see fish but they tend to eat a lot better in those water conditions. I continued to pole slowly and with purpose, suddenly spotting a laid up tarpon 30 feet at 11 o’clock. In this game, you must be fast, accurate, and stealthy at a moment’s notice and that is exactly what Jeff preaches. His fly landed softly and right in the zone, the tarpon felt it instantly – surging upwards at the fly and coming tight. This fish wasn’t as lucky as the first one and was hooked right on the button, the center of the upper jaw.
In true “Legutki Style†I kicked my feet up and let the man himself put on a tarpon fighting clinic. The fish would steer right and he would apply low directional rod pressure to the left stopping the fish in its tracks and quickly breaking it’s will. Jeff grabbed the leader and swung the fish over for the face grab—she was done.
While reviving the fish, it’s hard not to just be in awe of the tarpon—and just getting your hands on one fish makes the years of effort that goes into chasing these fish worth it. As the fish swims off strong into the current, we decide to end on a high note and make our way home.
Riding back towards Everglades City, through winding mangrove channels and around oyster beds, civilization comes back into sight. Cars whiz down the highways as we cross Chokoloskee Bay, and I snap back to reality. Thinking back on the day, fishing with Jeff Legutki–a guide that I have looked up to for years–was a thrill that far exceeded expectations. And my expectations were high. Jeff is universally accepted as a legend in this game, for good reason. His knowledge of this fishery is boundless. And although the seasons and the target species are always changing, Jeff’s passion for those fish stays true and shines through, every day of the year.
Where did you grow up and how long have you been guiding?
Jeff: I grew up in Naples Florida my whole life and I have been guiding this area now since the turn of the century in 2000.
What makes the Everglades and the 10K Islands so special?
Jeff: There’re endless opportunities year-round for multiple species of fish. The 10k islands allows you to hide from the elements and gives protection from the winds.
What rod weights do you typically use?
Jeff: For tarpon, I like to use a 9-weight rod on smaller fish and 10 and 11-weight setups for larger fish. For redfish and snook, I like a delicate presentation with a 7 and 8 weight set up.
How does the Everglades fishery differ between the winter and summer months?
Jeff: I live to sight fish, so the wintertime is much better giving us our lowest low tides of the year making sight fishing at its best. The northerly winds blow the water out from the mangroves filtering and cleaning the water. Summertime with the rains and the higher high tides turn the water very tannin and dark making it very tough to sight fish. This makes plug rods and artificial lures much more productive than the fly rods blind-casting.
What makes an ideal client? How would you recommend a client prepare for a guided trip?
Jeff: An experienced angler makes for a stellar day with a guide. I would say do some research of the area you’re fishing and make sure you can double haul and shoot line accurately in every direction. And as always listen to your guide!
What are some qualities that make a great guide?
Jeff: Experience and hard work make a great guide. Through trial and error learning as we go to deal with each different personality every day. As well as taking the time to teach each client proper techniques, what to look for and where to cast. When an opportunity does not work out, I take the time to explain why it didn’t and how it could have been better for that particular scenario.
Who do you look up to in the fly fishing game?
Jeff: In all honesty, I look up to so many for so many different things too many to name. I even have respect for some of the young crew coming up who’ve been around doing it respectfully on their own finding their own way without stepping on the toes of their peers. Those are the guides I look up to.
What is your favorite memory of fishing with your friend Jose Wejebe?
Jeff: The sound of his laughter echoing through the mangroves as we’d be out there acting like kids just chasing fish and having a good time. Cussing in Spanish every time he got snagged in the trees. I miss him dearly.
Jeff and Jose on the bow of Jeff’s boat
Heard you run around without a GPS. Is that true? How do you navigate through the maze of mangrove channel and islands?
Jeff: Yes, still to this day I do not have a GPS on my boat and I’m proud of not having to rely on electronics. Growing up in the 80s, we had no GPS, all we had was a green and yellow NOAA chart that had horrible detail. The key to navigation is repetition day in & day out, high tide, low tide throughout the year reading the islands, recognizing how the water moves, and using landmarks as aids from one point to the next. Knowledge of a waterway comes with endless time on the water and paying attention to all the little details.
What is your favorite fish to target and why?
Jeff: Tarpon takes the lead for every reason, the eat, the power, the jumps! And, it’s the only real migratory fish we chase with a particular season and time limit. In general anything, I can sight fish, target, and cast to are always my favorites. I love how shallow redfish go and how they completely expose themselves and are usually willing to take the fly. As well as the snook, he’s the perfect ambush predator that is so hard to see. They are so sneaky hiding deep underneath the mangroves and constantly testing the ability of every fly fisherman.
Beyond fishing can you briefly expound on your passion for surfing?
Jeff: I love surfing as much as I love fishing! It’s a way of self-expression and it’s different every time you do it so it took a lot to become very good. I love the tribalism with all your local friends laughing and having a good time. In Naples it didn’t happen a lot but when I did it was a special moment and some of the best times of my life! Plus looking at girls in bikinis on the beach sure beat looking at your buddy in baggies on the front of the boat in the middle of the mangrove islands. Lol
What changes have you seen in the Everglades and Gulf over your years of guiding?
Jeff: In the most unfortunate way in my lifetime I’ve watched all the grass disappear and the numbers of fish thin out.  The amount of pressure and pollution on the water today is too much for the area to handle. It’s tough to remember how it used to be and how different it is today. The fishery has turned into a very difficult one, requiring its anglers to be patient and be able to execute with precision when the moment arises. Finding willing fish nowadays is tough, they don’t just come over to eat the fly anymore.
How long do you plan on guiding? What legacy do you hope to leave behind?
Jeff: I love guiding to the point where it does not feel like a job to me. I hope I can do it as long as my body allows and the fishery is willing. As far as a legacy, I don’t know, I guess to be known as a very hard-working, passionate guide who loved being out there every day doing what he loves to do.
Thank you to Jeff for the time! Be sure to check Jeff out online HERE and on his Instagram at @captjefflegutki.
Photos and article by Oliver Rogers, check out more of Oliver’s work on his website HERE and on Instagram at @oliverrogers.
Be sure to check out Airflo’s full line of Saltwater Lines HERE.
This video is made in the loving memory of Jeremy Brooks, an incredible angler, guide, and friend. His life was cut short in a tragic accident three years ago on his way to guide abroad.
A few weeks prior, Jeremy and I embarked on what we did not know was our last fishing trip. Camping for a month, we set out to find some of the Olympic Peninsula’s elusive steelhead and prepare Jeremy for the season ahead of guiding with a two-hander. The trip was meant to be an immersive way to teach him spey casting and the art of swinging a fly while doing what we did best- fish bumming and getting out of our comfort zone in search of an extraordinary experience. We filmed it as what would serve as a jumping-off point for a pair of eager international fly fishing guides at the start of their careers.
Although it is not the flyfishing stoke reel we envisioned, the footage stands as something else entirely, capturing our thoughts and highlights from the trip and preserving his memory beyond those that were fortunate enough to be close with him. For those of you who knew Jeremy, through his guiding, fishing, or otherwise, I hope you can get the solace I do from this footage. And for those that did not, it is a chance to hear a unique outlook on a fishery that’s quite relevant at the moment and meet the man who was an inspiration to so many including myself.
Barracuda might not be the salt water fish at the top of your bucket list, but maybe it should be… Whether you’re targeting a trophy barracuda, or you just want to be ready for that moment when a barracuda unexpectedly shows up on the flat, these are all the tips you need to make it happen. Check out Red’s Fly Shop for more fishing tips!
If you’ve ever been out on the water and seen a cloud of mosquito-like insects that don’t seem interested in biting you, the odds are that you saw a swarm of midges.Â
Midges are closely related to mosquitoes and look like them, but they don’t bite. More importantly, they make up a huge percentage of a trout’s diet. This is for a few reasons. Midges are pretty universal, being found in large numbers in many bodies of water. But, one of the biggest reasons they’re so important for fly fishing is that they’re one of the few insects that can hatch year-round.Â
This means that midges are one of the most effective flies to use. Many anglers are skeptical of tiny midge patterns since it’s hard to believe that trout can even see something so small. Yet, midges continue to be one of the deadliest flies in a box.
In order to understand midge rigs, it’s important to understand the life cycle of a midge, as each stage has its own setup and fishing style. Midges have four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The three that are frequently mimicked while fishing are the larva, pupa, and adult.Â
Larva
Midge larvae are very small (often hook size 18-22). They look like tiny worms and come in a variety of colors like black, olive, and red. Midge larva flies are very bare-bones, often not much more than a few wraps of thread on a hook.
These flies should be fished deep, since midges often live toward the bottom, in and around the silt and substrate. Thin tippets and a little splitshot around eight inches above the fly will help you get down in the water quickly. Use a small, lightweight indicator or a dry-dropper rig to ensure a delicate and sensitive presentation. In lakes, midges can be suspended in deep water from an indicator. You can also strip them through the water, especially in shallower lakes.
Pupa
The pupa stage is the transitional stage where midges start to rise in the water column on their way to the surface. In this stage, the thorax starts to swell as the wings and legs start to form. The pupa creates a small bubble to assist it to the surface, and this can also make it look chunkier to fish. Pupa patterns usually have more material than larval patterns, often with extra dubbing and flash toward the head to mimic the swelling thorax and bubble.
Pupa rigs should be set up to keep the fly near the surface, either just below the surface or in the film. Take off the splitshot and consider greasing your leader if you’re having trouble keeping the fly up. You can also fish a pupa in conjunction with a larva by running a larval pattern off the back of a pupa fly. Don’t reverse this order, as you want the larva to stay low and the pupa to stay high.
Adult
The final stage of the life cycle is the adult, which looks very similar to an adult mosquito. Adults sit on the surface after emerging to dry their wings and often get picked off by hungry trout. Adult midge flies can mimic a single insect, but also sometimes mimic a small cluster of them. Rigging up for an adult midge is fairly straightforward. A dead-drifted dry fly is the way to go, often in slower water where midges tend to hatch. These flies are usually pretty hard to see, so a parachute or spot of color is helpful for visibility.
Types of midges and their flies
There are over 1,000 species of midge. Luckily, there’s no need to try to identify midges down to species. Instead, just match the size, color, and stage of the particular midges in your area. Even if you can’t figure out the characteristics with exact science, simply keeping an eye out for the stage changes throughout the day and matching your rig accordingly can put the odds in your favor.
Midges aren’t rocket science to imitate, but making sure you’re offering the right stage at the right time makes a difference.
In the morning (and throughout the day, as well), midge larvae are very effective. One of the most popular general midge patterns is the zebra midge. In small sizes, this fly can be deadly in nearly any trout water. If you tie your own flies and notice the midges in your area aren’t pitch black, you can tie a zebra midge in whatever color you want.
Midge pupa patterns sometimes look similar to RS2s, with a thread body and a bit of flash, dubbing, or feather near the head. Some are bare enough to be almost nymph-like, while others are gaudy enough to be close to an adult. Depending on the timing and location, either one can come in handy.
Midge adults come in a variety of styles, but if there’s one pattern every angler should have, it’s the Griffith’s Gnat. Although it could mimic a single adult midge, Griffith’s Gnats are better at conveying a bundle of insects. This works especially well in slower eddies that tend to gather clusters of midges.
When to fish midges
Possibly the best thing about midges is that they can be fished year-round. Especially on tailwaters or spring creeks with consistent temperatures, it’s not uncommon to see insects hatching while snow is falling.
Pupae often emerge during the morning and evening, and on cooler days hatches can last nearly all day. Start with a midge nymph in the morning (and a nymph can be an effective dropper throughout the day). As the day goes on, you may switch to a midge emerger with a nymph below, and then an adult pattern with an emerger below.
In colder months when hatches can happen all day, it’s hard to go wrong with any midge pattern. Keep an eye out for flying adults or rising fish to verify when it’s time to throw on a dry fly.
Tips for fishing midge flies
1. Light tippet – midges are tiny, and that means matching them with thin tippet is important. A thicker tippet is too stiff for delicate midge flies and makes them flow unnaturally. This doesn’t mean the tippet needs to be hair-thin, but going down to 6x or 7x makes a big difference. The new tippets from Scientific Anglers is the best on the market.Â
2. Use two dries – Since midges are small and often black, midge dry flies are some of the hardest to see. In addition to a pop of color or a parachute, an easy way to improve visibility is by using two dry flies. Tie on one fly that’s easier to see. This could be a parachute mayfly pattern, a much larger midge pattern, or something else. Then, tie on the smaller midge fly 12-18 inches behind the first. Use the first fly as an indicator of where your second fly is. If you see a fish rise in the vicinity, set the hook.Â
3. Find midges in the water – Choosing a midge nymph isn’t too complicated. They’re so minimal that there’s not a ton of variety among types. However, different water qualities lead to different midge characteristics. For example, low-oxygen streams often hold bright red midge larvae, sometimes called blood midges. Doing a quick search through your local waterway to see what color and size the midges are is a good first step to choosing a nymph.
4. Focus on slack water – One of the best places to find trout feeding on adult midges is the slack water around rocks and banks. These eddies collect big clusters of adults and trout cruise through and gorge themselves. The one downside to these areas is that it can be hard to set your fly apart from the masses. Using a slightly larger fly or adding a tiny bit of flash or color may be worth a try if you can’t get the fish to notice your presentation the first time.
Midges are some of the most versatile and effective patterns in an angler’s box. Next time you’re out and aren’t sure what they’re biting on, consider trying a midge and you might be pleasantly surprised.
In this week’s “How to Tie†video feature, Peter Charles from Hooked4life Fly Fishing shows us how to tie an extremely effective striped bass pattern for shallow water situations, a Sand Eel Fly.
Difficulty: Easy
When it comes to shallow water striped bass fishing, there may be no better baitfish to imitate than sand eels. These small meal items are particularly effective due to being an abundant food source for stripers to gorge on, making them very familiar. This can make for very exciting fishing as well, being that you can sight fish in knee deep water. A Sand Eel Fly will produce during the entirety of the striper season and make for some of the most exhilarating fishing of the year.
Some of the best aspects of sand eel flies are their simplicity and having the ability to tie high volumes. This makes it best for consistency, which is always important when tying flies regardless of skill level. One thing about tying this Sand Eel Fly is to be careful and go slowly when applying epoxy. Going too fast and not being patient can lead to a ruined fly and time wasted, a feeling that every fly tyer has experienced before.
For anglers making the transition to saltwater striped bass, this is a great first pattern. The Sand Eel Fly, Clouser Minnow, and Lefty’s Deceiver are some of my personal favorite striper flies and have been since I first started. Saltwater fly fishing can be intimidating, but with confidence patterns and patience there can be great success. This Sand Eel Fly is one that any striped bass angler should carry with them, especially when targeting fish in shallow water.
Ingredients:
Hook: 2x Strong, Short Shank Stainless Steel – Size 2 to 2/0
In this week’s episode of Video of the Week, we catch up with Scottie Finanger of Wild Fly Productions and his buddy Colby Menefee as they target Bonneville Cutthroat trout in a small mountain stream. Equipped with 3wts, finicky fish, and tight casting corridors makes for an epic short video. The Bonneville Cutthroat trout is Utah’s state fish, “historically found in the Bonneville Basin, including Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, & Nevada scientists believed that pure strains of Bonneville Cutthroat were extinct 30 years ago. Until small populations were found in nearly 70,000 acres of lakes & 850 miles of streams.” (westernnativetrout.org) So sit down and enjoy as Scottie and Colby break down this small stream to target Utah’s state fish.
Wild Fly just released their Spring 22′ collection check it out here: wild-fly.com
Make sure to check out these epic articles as well!
Earlier this spring, I sat down with Trout Unlimited’s CEO and President Chris Wood in what has become an annual tradition. We look back over the past year and highlight key achievements for Trout Unlimited and conservation, but we also look at missed opportunities, the desolate, yet hopeful, condition of certain cold-water fisheries, and new priorities for TU. This year, Chris and I were also able to link up and fish at Fletcher’s Cove in Washington, DC–one of the best urban fisheries in the c country but not without its challenges. Discussion topics ranged from the incredible resiliency of salmon and steelhead, to collaborative conservation solutions, to the balancing act with domestic mining and clean waters. Keep reading to learn what TU accomplished in 2021, where more work is needed, and what’s happening at some local chapters.
Infrastructure Funding
By now, this topic may sound like a broken record for some, but for TU it’s truly difficult to understate the gravity of this funding stream. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law in the fall of 2021, was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for conservation and restoration projects for every state in the country. Billions of dollars from this law will go towards natural, ecosystem-based restoration projects, improving our public lands, watersheds, and fisheries. Chris was especially excited.
“I’m as bullish on conservation and restoration now as I have been.”
One area where these investments will be impactful is wildfire mitigation. “It’s an unfortunate reality,” Chris acknowledged, “but for much of the West, drought is the new normal.” Fortunately, there is a lot of productive work to mitigate wildfires and improve habitats thanks to this infrastructure funding. TU is working with the U.S. Forest Service to make landscapes more fire resilient by recovering meadows and riparian areas, which serve as natural firebreaks and have the benefit of improving cold-water habitats.
Additionally, Chris highlighted $1 billion for removing and replacing culverts, which have prevented and or stalled anadromous fish migrations for decades. “It’s not sexy, but it’s really important,” Chris noted. “Basically, this money will fund projects to take out those pipes that carry rivers underneath roads that are typically undersized or poorly designed. So, the fish can’t move in response to a flood, fire, or drought, and replacing them with either bottomless arches or bridges.”
These are just some of the ways this law, which was made possible through bipartisan efforts, will improve cold-water habitats throughout the country. Chris concluded his thoughts on this topic by saying, “this bill gives us [the larger ecosystem restoration community] the kind of funding that we’ve never had. I’m as bullish on conservation and restoration now as I have been. That being said, I think it’s going to be hard to spend all that money in five years, but my hope is that we can help the agencies spend this money with a really conservation focused perspective and good things will flow from that!”
Bristol Bay and Tongass
Next up for 2021 accomplishments are the tremendous victories for Bristol Bay and the Tongass National Forest. Obviously, these long-waged battles were some of the TU’s highest priorities–in addition to the larger conservation coalitions–and took an amazing amount of support, resources, and collaboration to see them across the finish line, but both issues are essentially won and done.
The Tongass, and to a lesser extent Pebble Mine, has been a political football for more than two decades. One administration will maintain the Roadless Rule protections, then another will withdraw them, until another one will reinstate them. Without a doubt this is a tireless effort, but when it comes to protecting “America’s Salmon Forest,” TU is all in.
You may remember last summer, the Biden administration announced it would begin the rulemaking process to reinstate the Roadless Rule protections in the Tongass National Forest. “The intent of the 2001 Roadless Rule is to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System in the context of multiple-use management,” according to the US Forest Service. Currently, the Forest Service is finalizing the rulemaking process, but Roadless Rule protections are expected to be officially restored in the next couple of months.
In regard to Pebble Mine and Bristol Bay, these are both some of those issues that we’ve been following for years. But the campaign to protect Bristol Bay is finally pivoting from a hard-lined defense to the offensive. Even after President Trump rejected Pebble Mine’s permit in 2020, the mine was not fully dead, and Alaska Governor Dunleavy sought to resurrect it with an appeal. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency is working to restore the Clean Water Act Protections in Bristol Bay.
In a recent press release, EPA explained its current position, “EPA Region 10 continues to have reason to believe that the discharge of dredged or fill material associated with mining the Pebble deposit could result in unacceptable adverse effects on important fishery areas.” Restoring this Clean Water Act determination would go a long way to preventing mining and industrial activities from harming Bristol Bay’s incredibly wild and productive watershed.
In addition to advocating for restored Clean Water Act protections in Bristol Bay, TU is also working with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski to further protect the Bristol Bay watershed. TU and Senator Murkowski’s office are working together, “to craft legislation that would transfer or trade or otherwise get the Bristol Bay area out of state ownership, put it in federal ownership and then, protect the area in perpetuity. This will ensure that we don’t have to have another fight like we just did over the proposed pebble mine,” Chris said.
“So those are two major victories and two long campaigns that really show the power of grassroots conservation. It took a dedicated group of people at the local level to kind of turn those issues into national issues and then they never gave up.”
-Chris Wood
Snake River Progress Stalled
While the Bristol Bay and Tongass campaigns are all but wrapping up in victory, the fight to restore and reconnect the Snake River is hitting barriers. Last year, Congressman Mike Simpson, a conservative Member of Congress from Idaho, released his Salmon and Energy Concept. This was a brand new approach for restoring the Snake River and keeping the communities that have grown dependent on the dams whole. However, since its release in February 2021, the concept has really not made any progress–partly due to politics. Yet, Snake River Restoration remains TU’s highest priority.
“When we started talking to Congress Simpson about this a couple of years ago,” Chris recounted, “I would have predicted that there would have been general support from Democrats in the region. I was completely wrong on that. Other than Representative Earl Blumenauer, the Democrats have not been, frankly, all that engaged with Congressman Simpson’s proposal.”
Headwaters of the Snake River
While that all being true, two prominent western Democrats from Washington, Governor Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray, are now working through their own process to develop a plan for the Snake River and its dams. This process was announced in October of 2021 and also included a deadline: “We recognize the urgency of tackling this longstanding challenge as salmon runs continue to decline. Our recommendations will be completed by no later than July 31, 2022,” wrote Governor Inslee. So, movement on Snake River restoration can be expected to pick back up in just a couple months, but tangible progress on the Snake cannot be further delayed.
Chris ended our Snake River discussion by adding, “Congressman Simpson’s Energy and Salmon Concept is not a hasty proposal. This is a well thought out, really considered approach that he’s developed. Can it be improved? Of course it can. And I think that’s what the Congressman is hoping comes out of this Murray-Inslee process.” Because if western Democrats can team up with a conservative Republican for a path forward toward recovering the Snake River, “well, you know, then we’re cooking with gas,” Chris concluded.
Local Projects
In addition to the national-level priorities and accomplishments discussed above, Chris highlighted some of the more local focused projects from coast to coast.
TU received $3 million in funds from the Natural Resource Conservation Service to improve habitat and water quality in the Virginian headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. One of these projects was to stabilize the banks of Mossy Creek, which many Mid-Atlantic trout anglers may recognize. Another project involved fencing off more than 20 miles of streams from livestock.
Up in New England, TU has a similar grant to make woody additions to streams in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. This project is aiming to recover almost 60 miles of trout habitat across those states.
“For my money, it’s the best native trout fishing in the lower 48.” Chris was talking about the headwaters of the Snake River and TU’s Home Rivers Initiative. The goal of this project is to preemptively restore and protect the relatively intact habitat in the watershed. “By investing in habitat, we can ensure the persistence of native cutthroat trout in this unique place well into the future.”
Exploring the TriBasin Divide on the Grey’s River in Wyoming.
Critical Minerals and Domestic Mining
The United States’ increasing demand for critical minerals and the push to source these resources domestically is one of the pressing issues of the day. It’s no secret, we have a insatiable need for critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt. Whether they are used in our increasingly “smart” devices or in rechargeable batteries–which will play a massive role in our planet’s ability to mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions. It’s one of those catch-22 scenarios, because climate change and warming waters will have dire consequences for trout and salmon –and it already is for many regions–but extracting the minerals needed to improve our energy efficiency will also have impacts on these habitats. So, I asked Chris how they’re navigating these challenging times.
Chris highlighted a recent TU report, Critical Minerals: A Path Forward, which makes some Recommendations for how to access these minerals in a sustainable, responsible way. He also added one of the difficult realities, “that something like half of our known critical mineral deposits in the U.S. are actually inside of great trout and salmon habitat, and 10 percent of deposits are on public lands. So, we really wanted to try and get ahead of this issue and work with the administration to identify ‘no fly zones’ and places where mining might make more sense.”
In addition to providing the federal government with recommendations to sustainably and responsibly extract these minerals, Chris also discussed the urgent need to reform the General Mining Law of 1872, the arcane legislation regulating certain mining on U.S. public lands.
“There are two fundamental problems with the 1872 Mining Law,” Chris said. “Unlike every single other use of public lands, the 1872 Mining Law does not allow the relevant agencies, the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, to say ‘no’ to a mine.” Essentially, this law grants a prospector the right to mine if they find a mineral deposit on  public land. “It’s crazy, and it has to change,” Chris added.
The second change needed deals with what happens after the minerals are extracted. “Unlike the production of every other commodity from public lands, every other one, there is no fund to deal with the aftermath of mining and the clean up the legacy of mining. And so, you know we’re really advocating to fix some of the basic infirmities of the 1872 Mining Law.”
And just a couple of days after Chris and I spoke, legislation was introduced in both houses of Congress to modernize this law and the hardrock mining industry–The Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act. The legislation, introduced by Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) as well as other cosponsors, would go a long way towards reforming this law, achieving many of Chris’s priorities too. TU provides more background here.
“We thank Senator Heinrich for recognizing the need to reform America’s outdated 150-year-old mining law. It makes no sense to accelerate domestic critical minerals production before repairing the rotten foundation of the Mining Law,â€Â wrote Chris in the Senator’s press release. “It has long been clear: Land managers need to have the authority to say ‘no’ to a mine that is proposed in the wrong place, and we need funding to clean up abandoned mines polluting thousands of rivers and streams across the West.â€
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is another one of those ‘political footballs’ that we’ve written about many times. For fly fishing and healthy watersheds, however, the need for durable protections for small and ephemeral streams is essential. Right now, the Biden administration is working on a rulemaking process to restore certain Clean Water Act protections that the Trump administration rolled back. The hope is to find the right balance.
The expectation is that protections will be restored for these intermittent streams later this year, but then some legal questions with the Supreme Court remain. And part of the reasoning for the Biden administration working to re-write the regulations was because the previous administration’s Clean Water Act rollback did not adequately do the science to define the rule change’s impact. Chris added that a TU peer-reviewed report, which found that “approximately half of all streams in the lower 48 are ephemeral,” likely played a big role.
Chris and TU want to restore the law’s protections for these waterways that were stripped during the Trump administration, but they’re hoping to do it in a collaborative manner with input from all affected communities. So, as the regulatory and legal processes continues, and we should start to get more news early this summer, TU hopes to “play a role in helping them to find the sweet spot, because, to an extent, we do work pretty well with the agricultural community and developers,” Chris concluded.
Local Chapters Leading the Way
It’s no secret that Trout Unlimited supports wild and native trout and salmon fisheries. Heck, TU’s renewed mission statement reads, “Our mission is to bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon.” However, the dispute over hatcheries vs wild, self-sustaining fisheries has arguably never been more heated as it is today.
Some local TU Chapters throughout the country are independently taking that mission statement and acting on it. “What we’re seeing now, today, is that local chapters themselves are leading advocacy efforts to get the states themselves to stop stocking hatchery fish on top of wild and native populations of trout.” Chris also highlighted the work of the Native Fish Coalition and groups like Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition that are highlighting many of these regionally specific campaigns to prioritize wild fish over stocking programs.
Salter brook trout. Geof Klane photo
You see, he went on to add that TU was originally founded by anglers who took issue with hatchery fish and wanted to preserve wild fisheries. “So, in a way we’re returning to our roots,” Chris said. Or, to complete the metaphor, TU may be naturally returning to its spawning and rearing waters as the hatchery vs wild and native fish debates intensify.
In the PNW, where seasons are often closed to protect the few remaining wild fish, there is a loud subset of the larger angling community all but giving up on wild fisheries and increasing hatchery output. It’s both sad and unfortunate that these runs are so diminished, without a doubt, but to fully transition rivers to put and take systems would be a worse tragedy. Sure, many of these wild steelhead and salmon runs on the West coast are at single digit percentages of their historic abundance levels. But we know that these fish are resilient and when given the chance with good access to habitat, migration corridors, and some luck with Mother Nature they can recover.
The Elwha is the model when it comes to river restoration, NPS
The success story of the Elwha is the perfect example in support of prioritizing the recovery of wild runs before we actually lose them. In just six years since the dams on the Elwha River were removed, wild summer-run steelhead have returned–and without hatcheries. Last year, scientists conducting a snorkel survey counted more than 300 redds, according to Chris, who, nearly shouting at this point, exclaimed “they recovered their anadromy and ran back to the ocean. It’s amazing!”
Restoring the Snake River and saving these fish, which are capable of coming back, is now TU’s highest priority. And that’s part of what makes wild and native fish so special and sought after–they have evolved over thousands of years and many of them spend most of their lives thousands of miles away from where anglers encounter them. It’s a special connection to nature that has “ruined,” in the best meaning possible, so many anglers. Hatchery fish just don’t have that moxie or history. So, Chris ended our conversation by saying that, “we’ve successfully worked in the Olympic Peninsula to protect while fish by allowing some rivers to have hatchery fisheries and others to be exclusively wild fish. I think that [prioritizing wild runs] is the wave of the future and will become more of an issue for us, but it is going to be wildly controversial.”
Thanks to Chris and TU for sitting down with us to look back over an eventful year and for the work they hope to achieve in this next one.
Jeff makes a smooth and quiet presentation one foot in front of her face. On the first strip, the fly vanishes and the 70-pound fish greyhounds away, clearing the fly line in a matter of seconds.
The fish jumps and cartwheels in the air, violently shaking it’s gills to ditch the fly. The battle is brief but intense—Jeff skillfully applies as much pressure as the class tippet can handle. Each jump is like a cannonball breaking the surface until the fish finally succeeds in spitting the fly.
With a higher sun, the greens of the water and mangroves start to pop, and the tarpon lay up to warm themselves in the afternoon light. Jeff poles slowly and methodically – creeping into the best part of the bay. There they are, two tarpon floating high and resting. Christina presented the fly perfectly, but both fish refused the fly and eventually spooked off. This is increasingly common, tarpon here are under growing fishing pressure. Time to move on.
The afternoon sea breeze turned on as we ripped south to the next spot. The wind was fighting the falling tide, and white caps moved in from the channel. We escaped from the turbulent pass into a basin with slightly dirty water. When the wind turns out of the South or West in the Everglades, the water starts to resemble chocolate milk. This can make it more difficult to see fish but they tend to eat a lot better in those water conditions. I continued to pole slowly and with purpose, suddenly spotting a laid up tarpon 30 feet at 11 o’clock. In this game, you must be fast, accurate, and stealthy at a moment’s notice and that is exactly what Jeff preaches. His fly landed softly and right in the zone, the tarpon felt it instantly – surging upwards at the fly and coming tight. This fish wasn’t as lucky as the first one and was hooked right on the button, the center of the upper jaw.
In true “Legutki Style†I kicked my feet up and let the man himself put on a tarpon fighting clinic. The fish would steer right and he would apply low directional rod pressure to the left stopping the fish in its tracks and quickly breaking it’s will. Jeff grabbed the leader and swung the fish over for the face grab—she was done.
