Luca's Blog : June 2006 Archives

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June 28, 2006

Beating Burnout on the Bighorn

Writing this blog is, of course, a dream job. Still, the constant travel and entire absence of routine gets a little tiring every now and then. These challenges were particularly heavy on my mind after a few days off at home in Big Sky. As I left town for another month on the road, I was suffering from burnout. Struggling artists often search for inspiration in the company of their peers. In the same vein, I journeyed to the Bighorn to fish with some other hard-core young anglers, hoping to stoke my inner drive...
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Bighorn brown trout

Few anglers have more drive then Jeremiah Heitke. Jeremiah and I worked together for the Forest Service Fish and Aquatic Ecology Unit doing bull trout, steelhead, and salmon habitat assessment in the Upper Columbia River Basin. Over the course of three field seasons, we had many epic fishing trips, both during the work week and on our days off.

Jeremiah still works most of the year for the Forest Service, putting his Master’s degree in fishery biology to good use. A truly devoted angler, he takes a couple months off each winter to go on fishing adventures around the globe. A few years ago, he embarked on a near death slog through the mountains of New Zealand in search of monster browns. More recently, he has “dirt-bagged it” in Belize, angling for bones, sharks, and anything else swimming the reefs and flats.

Our trip to the ‘horn offers further proof of Jeremiah’s fly fishing obsession. One day before the trip, he broke his clavicle while mountain biking. Still, Jeremiah accompanied his brother Dustin on the 7+ hour drive to the river and he fished hard for two and a half days.

Originally hailing from Wisconsin, an annual trip to the Bighorn is a tradition for the Heitke family. Located on the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountain region, the ‘horn is a first stop for many anglers heading west.

I fished the Bighorn on my summer treks to the Northern Rockies in high school. My impression of the place kept me from returning until this trip. It’s not that I didn’t have a good time on the river; it’s just there are a lot of other places I prefer. My main objection to the ‘horn is that it attracts some less-than-sporting anglers. A few of the guys you will meet on the river believe that catching big trout is evidence of their manliness and angling amongst these knuckleheads is not always a positive experience.

That said, the Bighorn is an incredible fishery, the benchmark for tailwaters worldwide. Until the mid nineties, the Bighorn supported ridiculously high fish densities (and obscene angling pressure). Drought, whirling disease, and other challenges diminished fish numbers and fewer anglers visited the river during the first few years of the 21st century. However, the river continued to fish well, particularly for 20+ inch trout.

Last season, fish numbers started to rebound. With another good water year this season, everyone is optimistic that this trend will continue.

The surrounding country is scenic in that desolate, northern plains sort of way. Low light casts striking shadows on the steppes and buttes. This part of Montana gives true meaning to “big sky country” and the high clouds can offer as scenic vistas as the Tetons to those who are willing to look up from their strike indicators.

After a decade of drought, minimum flows are a hot topic on the ‘horn. TU just forged a partnership with the Crow nation that aims to maintain a minimum flow in the river. The tribe, which owns a big portion of the Bighorn's water rights, is an important partner in the management of the river. Check out the write-up on page 48 of the spring 2006 issue of Trout magazine.

This season, healthy flows promise rapid-fire angling. Within fifteen minutes of wetting my first line, I caught the biggest brown trout of my season (so far). It was rather anticlimactic. Usually, my biggest fish of the year is the product of a long day headhunting with size 1/0 woolly buggers, or after compulsively stalking the same behemoth for a month.

All I had to do on the ‘horn was string my rod and roll cast a 2 inch long San Juan Worm into a likely run. I was daydreaming when my indicator hesitated slightly. Fortunately, I do this enough that I can set the hook without paying attention, kind of like how one can drive down the highway without thinking about it. The next thing I knew, there was an enormous golden flash as the unhappy toad rolled and darted downstream. It almost felt like I had cheated when I landed this entirely undeserved chunky 20-22” brown.

The Heitke brothers and I continued to catch 18+” browns, rainbows, and cuttbows on the Bighorn for the rest of the trip. And unlike my first fish, many of these trout were earned.

The Heitkes approach the ‘horn differently than most anglers. They enjoy sight fishing the shallow riffles. The brothers slowly patrol the bank, looking for certain shades of color, motion, and body parts (especially tails) in the shelf riffles, often in water less than knee deep. Until you develop an eye for it, these fish are really hard to see. With years of experience on the ‘horn and countless other rivers, the brothers are fish sighting machines. It doesn’t hurt either that both Jeremiah and Dustin are close to six and a half feet tall, allowing them to look down through the glare.

Sighting a trout is half the battle. Then the angler must deliver a nymph rig to the fish without spooking it. Compared to other rivers, this isn’t that hard on the ‘horn, but it does require accurate casting and a good sense of where your fly is during the drift so you can set the hook when the trout takes. Jeremiah is particularly good at this. Despite his broken clavicle, he was picking off nice trout right and left. “There’s one!” he’d say. Two casts later he’d be into the fish. It was pretty cool to watch.

In the morning, the fish were suckers for the big San Juans. There are a lot of aquatic worms in the system and such an imitation is as realistic as any baetis nymph. Dustin started tying 2.5-4 inch long worms on streamer hooks a few years ago and the Heitkes have been fishing them ever since. Towards noon, the fish switched over to small (#20) scuds and sowbugs. Midge larva imitations and micro pheasant tails did the trick later in the evening.

The second day on the river, we rented a drift boat and floated the upper 12 miles of river. Given their predisposition to sight fishing, the Heitkes use the boat exclusively to access good wading sites. We had a blast stalking large fish in skinny water. If you take a look at my photos, you will see a few of the many beautiful trout we caught.

The 13+ hour float was also the perfect cure for my case of burnout. The Heitkes’ enthusiasm is contagious and by the end of the day, I was fired up for the next month on the road. I can’t wait to get down to Colorado and fish harder than I’ve ever fished before. In addition to visiting old haunts, I look forward to hiking into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, exploring a secret spring creek in the Arkansas River Valley, and only time will tell what else.

Please look at these photos. It will be worth your time, I promise! CLICK HERE

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June 22, 2006

A Weekend Away

What do you do on your vacation when you fish for work? Fish some more, of course. I “took a couple days off” to visit one of my favorite places in the entire world, the headwaters of Rock Creek…

Sarah Braun and a nice cuttbow, Rock Creek, MT

Lower Rock Creek is an internationally-renowned fishery located half an hour east of Missoula, Montana. This time of year, Rock Creek is invaded by a flotilla of rafts. It is salmonfly time and these anglers are enjoying 50-100 fish days, all on dries. Rock Creek is one of Montana’s premier freestone fisheries and the stonefly hatches provide the quintessential Rocky Mountain experience.

While the angling is excellent, I am sick of the early summer hubbub on the lower river. Fortunately, the upper mainstem fishes very well and receives a fraction of the fishing pressure. Also, certain reaches of Rock Creek’s upper forks and many of the tributaries provide excellent angling for those who are willing to explore.

My friend Sarah and I spent the weekend plying the waters of upper Rock. The weather was cool on Saturday, and we were upstream of the stonefly hatch, but the native westslope cutthroat responded well to San Juan Worms. The next day, after a morning in historic Phillipsburg, we headed to the upper mainstem. The big stones were on the water and the fish responded well to medium-sized (#6-8) imitations. We had a lot of fun catching voracious cutt-bows, cutthroat-rainbow trout hybrids, on dry flies.

Since it’s my vacation, I’m not going to write anymore, but look for another post about this part of Montana later in the season.

Please enjoy THESE PHOTOS.

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June 21, 2006

A Day in Montana’s Backcountry

I left Montana for this gig in late April. Over 9,500 miles later, it feels great to be back. Backcountry areas are a big part of why I live here. I enjoy getting off the beaten path and exploring the mountains. Unfortunately, over 58.5 million acres of backcountry that was designated as “roadless” is at risk. The current Administration has overturned the protection of these areas, against the wishes of most Americans. Trout Unlimited is instrumental in keeping these backcountry areas wild…

Tom Reed and canine friends, Gallatin Mtns, MT

A year ago, I applied for a Roadless Organizer Position with TU. The position would have involved raising grassroots support for backcountry areas amongst anglers and hunters. I was thanked for my interest, but I didn’t even get an interview because TU received so many applications from candidates “with more experience.”

I didn’t realize how under-qualified I was until the bio.s for the folks they hired were posted on the TU staff page. If I had been in charge of hiring, I wouldn’t have interviewed myself either! The Roadless/Backcountry Organizers are highly experienced journalists and authors. Not only that, but they are truly dedicated outdoorsmen who have spent years fishing and hunting their local areas.

Tom Reed is the Backcountry Organizer for Montana and Wyoming. He has published a book about grizzly bears and is currently working on another one about horses. He grew up exploring the mountains of his native Colorado. Tom worked for Wyoming Fish and Game for years, providing him with an inside perspective of fish and wildlife issues in the state. Tom is an avid hunter and fisherman who enjoys horsepacking into remote areas. Always excited to get out of the office and into the backcountry, Tom joined me for a day of fishing and told me about TU’s roadless initiatives.

With the rivers high and largely unfishable, Tom and I hiked into the Hidden Lakes, a chain of eight ponds in the Gallatin Mountains near Big Sky. The lakes are about 3 miles from the trailhead, which is about 20 minutes by dirt road from the highway. I fished here once before as a teenager and I have always wanted to return in search of the resident golden trout.

Goldens are native to the Sierra Nevada, but wild populations have been established in high mountain lakes up and down the Rockies. In full spawning color, these trout are stunning and rival the brookie for the “prettiest salmonid award.” Golden trout are found almost exclusively in backcountry areas, making them appropriate quarry for our trip.

During the Clinton Administration, the Forest Service designated 58.5 million acres of less-disturbed land to remain “roadless.” These lands are outside of designated Wilderness Areas and National Parks, but tend to be remote and ecologically important. Some of these areas do have jeep trails and other un-maintained vehicular trails, but for the most part, they are road-free. The “roadless” designation does not eliminate current motorized vehicle trails, but it does maintain the current state of the land and prohibit the development of new roads.

The Bush Administration has dismissed this legislation, known as the “Roadless Rule,” despite the American public’s broad-based support for the policy. The Administration revoked protection from 9 million roadless acres in the Tongass National Forest, threatening key steelhead and salmon habitat.

During the public comment process, nearly a quarter million Americans wrote the Forest Service in opposition to this policy change. In addition, over 450 rod and gun clubs, many members of which are life-long Republicans, petitioned the Administration in support of roadless protection in the Tongass. Despite the legions of opposition and only 2,000 letters of support, the Administration opened this priceless wildlife habitat to unnecessary exploitation.

The Administration continues to threaten roadless areas in the lower 48 states, against the wishes of the American public. It is important that hunters and anglers work to ensure these backcountry treasures aren’t taken for granted by our elected officials.

The Department of Agriculture has asked the governors of each state containing designated roadless National Forest for input on backcountry protection. The governors have until mid-November to submit a petition that requests certain lands keep their roadless designation. The Administration doesn’t necessarily need to listen to these local requests, but hopefully they will take the advice seriously. TU’s Roadless Organizers have been working hard to raise awareness about this issue amongst anglers and hunters in the Rocky Mountains, to ensure our voice is heard in this petition process.

Roads dramatically diminish habitat quality for wildlife, including threatened and endangered species and popular game animals. Roads provide easy access for invasive species, cause erosion that damages water systems, and fragment habitat. Roadless areas provide strongholds for elk, bull trout, cutthroat trout, and other important game species. In addition to being wildlife havens, our roadless areas are vestiges of the past, places where we can get away from it all. They offer the best places to hunt, fish, and camp.

Furthermore, the Forest Service’s road maintenance budget is insufficient for the agency to maintain the roads that have already been built. National Forests are closing roads from coast to coast because they are no longer needed for natural resource extraction and it is so costly to maintain them. Building new roads in remote areas when we can’t maintain the existing network is economically unsound. Why would anyone want to waste taxpayers’ money on additional roads that will damage our most precious natural treasures?

Well few people do. Tom told me the most pleasant surprise of his job so far has been the overwhelming support for the cause. Backcountry conservation is an easy sell, even in the most conservative circles of the northern Rockies.

A great example is the Wyoming Range, prime cutthroat trout and mule deer habitat in Western Wyoming. Energy companies want more roads in these mountains to facilitate oil and gas extraction. However, even the local AFL-CIO is opposed to road construction in this amazing backcountry.

As Tom puts it, folks who live in the Rocky Mountains do so for the outdoor opportunities. Even the guys who make their living working on gas lines and in trona mines want our remaining backcountry areas preserved so they can visit these places to hunt, fish, and camp. I think all hunters and anglers can agree that we don’t need 18-wheeled oil tankers driving through our backcountry so some energy company executive can afford another yacht.

Tom and I chose a beautiful day to explore the Hidden Lakes. The sky was a vibrant blue, accentuating the high country snow and the green forest. On our hike, we encountered folks of all ages and recreational interests, each of whom was enjoying a day on our public lands.

After taking a wrong turn and exploring a fish-less lake, we found a deep pond that held some nice goldens. The trout weren’t easy. They would swim 30 feet to look at a nymph and then refuse to take. I was able to tempt one 11 inch male with a scud. This golden, in full spawning regalia, was a nice bonus to a great day in the woods.

I look forward to sharing my experiences in roadless areas throughout the West with you. I hope you will take the time to read about roadless protection through these links:

Where the Wild Lands Are: Wyoming (note: this is a big file)
TU’s Roadless Homepage

Also, please take a look at my photos HERE.

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June 20, 2006

The Other Driftless

Thanks to stream improvement work, spring creeks in Minnesota and Iowa are secretly becoming top-notch trout fisheries. Sure, Wisconsin has many great spring creeks, but have you ever explored the other side of the Driftless?

Trout Run, MN

“When would you like your license to start?” the clerk asked. I was a little confused because I had already told him I wanted it for the next day. I soon learned that in Minnesota, they have a 24 hour daily license and the angler must choose the exact time their license will start. Well I should have started the clock at that moment and run down to the stream, because heavy thunderstorms blew out Trout Run Creek over night.

Frank Angelotti, the president of TU’s Hiawatha chapter, and I met on the stream the next morning. The water was dirtied beyond “chocolate milk,” running almost as thick as a chocolate milkshake. Sure we took a few casts, but they were token gestures to the fish gods. In lieu of fishing, we spent the morning touring a few of the chapter’s stream improvement projects.

Trout Run has endured the same erosion, sedimentation, and agricultural runoff problems that that have plagued most Driftless area streams (please see my 6/16 “Drifting in the Driftless” entry for more info). The chapter has been proactive in restoring bank slope and vegetative cover, implementing lunker structures and other habitat improvements, and working to protect riparian buffers.

Last summer, the chapter restored the stream in a beautiful meadow. The improved stretch is long enough to provide the patient angler with a full day’s water. I saw no reason for the angler to rush up this stream. The surroundings are peaceful and scenic and the water appeared to offer great fish habitat, although I couldn’t see half an inch beyond the surface film. Trout Run normally runs clear and I’ve been told it supports a great population of wild brown trout, some of which exceed 20 inches.

This upcoming summer, Hiawatha TU will be restoring another nice meadow section. Frank and I started driving the unimproved road down to this stretch, but we encountered some deep mud. Right where the road surface turned from grass to dirt, we decided to turn around, but we were a hundred feet to late. I got my truck all bogged down and did a number on the new road in the process. We abandoned the truck and hiked to this summer’s project site.

The site will receive the usual treatments including bank stability work and instream habitat improvements. These projects require a lot of time and hard, physical labor. "Kudos" to the TUers across the country who invest their time, energy, and back muscles into stream restoration.

One unique aspect of this restoration project is the source of the funding. The Guadalupe River Chapter in Texas has donated generously to their Hiawatha brethren, making the restoration possible. Opportunities for instream habitat work are limited in Texas, and the TUers down there wanted to ensure that some of their chapter funds went to worthwhile hands-on conservation work.

After an hour and a half wandering the hills in search of someone with a tractor and a tow chain, Frank and I returned to the truck. Fortunately, the mud had dried slightly and my tires gained enough purchase to rally out of the slop.

Relieved, we returned to Frank’s car and shed our waders. As we prepared to leave, Frank realized he had locked his keys in the car, a horrible feeling I’m sure we have all experienced. At this point, our day of misfortune was almost comical. We went to a local burger joint and waited for Frank’s wife who kindly brought down his spare keys.

I hope to return to Minnesota in September for TU’s national meeting. By then, Hiawatha TU will have completed their summer work and I look forward to seeing the final product. I also hope that the river will be clear, the roads less muddy, and that Frank and I can capture a few of Trout Run’s resident browns.

See a few photos by clicking HERE

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Hexed, in a Good Way

For trout and anglers alike, the hexagenia mayfly hatch is a high point of the season. The hex is North America’s largest mayfly. Not only are these bugs big, but they often hatch is swarms. This combination of size and numbers can rile trout into a frenzy. Across Michigan and Wisconsin, I heard hex stories. Each tale had three common themes: big browns, dry flies, and the dark of night…

Hexagenia limbata

The hex hatch provides a great opportunity to catch a 25”+ brown on a dry fly. When it’s on, this hatch seems to draw every fish in the river to the surface. The catch is that these insects emerge late in the evening and the angler must fish after dark.

My trip was a little early to hit the hatch on most streams, but I didn’t want to leave the region without seeing at least one hex. Steve Born kindly took me to Black Earth Creek in search of this unique creature.

Steve is an Emeritus Professor in Planning and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is also highly involved in TU efforts on both local and national levels. Through his professional and volunteer work, Steve has contributed tremendously to salmonid conservation. In addition, he is a well-traveled and highly respected angler. While Steve frequents the hot fishing destinations like West Yellowstone and Patagonia, he is always excited to return to Madison and his local streams.

Today, Black Earth Creek is an internationally-renowned spring creek fishery in Madison’s backyard. This was not always the case. Black Earth has been abused from many angles over the years. Agricultural runoff, urban and rural development, sedimentation, and a superfund site negatively impacted the stream, diminishing the fishery to a fraction of its potential.

Fortunately, concerned TUers and other local residents have devoted years of restoration work into the system. They have implemented stream improvements, secured conservation easements, and worked with the state and landowners to reduce non-point source pollution. While the job is never done and development still threatens key reaches of the stream, the work completed so far has achieved amazing results. Black Earth is one of the best small stream fisheries in the nation and it serves as a poster child for stream restoration in Wisconsin and beyond.

We arrived on the stream a few hours before dark, so I could actually see the place and get a sense for the restoration work. I couldn’t have found a more knowledgeable host than Steve. In addition to learning about Black Earth Creek, I enjoyed talking with Steve about fisheries. As I embark on my fish-squeezing career, it is always nice to talk with someone who has “done it right.”

Dan Wisniewski, Wisconsin’s TU National Leadership Council representative, met us on the stream. Steve and Dan set me up on a great looking pool with a large downed tree and deep water, prime big brown habitat. The word is out that the hexes are hatching, so we each staked out a nice spot before the hatch began. The stream wasn’t crowded, but other anglers were around and it was nice to reserve a little elbow room.

Anticipation is part of the fishing experience and I got a big dose of it while sitting on the bank of that pool. I knew this place held large fish and I could only wait and hope for a good hatch.

Towards dusk, a few hex started to emerge. They are clumsy on the water, squirming downstream as they dry their floppy wings. Early in the hatch, a few stocked rainbows started rising. They were “gimmies” on a big parachute imitation. The naturals started emerging with more regularly and some browns started to rise. One big fish was working the surface, but it was tucked way back in the downed tree, totally inaccessible to any cast.

As dusk transitioned into night, Steve and I worked our way upstream, into a slow run that has produced well for him in the past. We landed some small- and medium-sized trout, but the lunkers remained elusive.

Even small fish are exciting in the dark. The pleasures of night fishing include listening to the trout take your fly and then tightening the line into a specimen of unknown size. Trout seem particularly surprised when hooked after dark. They fight hard, almost indignantly. Trout also become bold when the sun goes down. Large fish move out from protective cover and their "lockjaw" eases considerably.

I highly recommend that you try night fishing. Wading and casting at night take a little practice, but once you get it down, you have effectively doubled your potential fishing time. The hex hatch offers the nation’s best night fishing opportunity. The next few weeks are prime hexagenia time across the upper Midwest, so get out there and check it out. “You’ve got to play to win” and you are certainly not going to catch that once-in-a-lifetime brown trout if you stay home and sleep.

See the photos HERE

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June 16, 2006

Drifting through the Driftless

I spent the better part of a week exploring the “Driftless Area.” Unlike most of the Upper Midwest, glacial recession did not overwhelm this region with rock and gravel deposits known as “drift.” As a result, ancient limestone formations remain close to the surface. Over 600 spring creeks are the product of the unique geology. Many of these creeks hold mind-boggling numbers of trout, including some true behemoths…

Elk Creek Brown

The 24,000 square mile Driftless area is located at the intersection of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. While all four states can claim a piece of this unique region, Wisconsin has the largest share, including the best known trout fisheries. The Driftless is aesthetically pleasing to the angler. The rural valleys are surrounded by forested bluffs and sandstone cliffs.

When white guys first entered the area, they encountered a tall-grass prairie ecosystem. There were few trees, even on the hills that are forested today. The steep hillsides and prairie soils were highly prone to erosion. Heavy agricultural use and poor land management washed much of the topsoil into the coulees within a few generations. The spring creeks were inundated with massive sediment loads. For example, the floodplain of the renowned Kickapoo River was buried under 12-15 feet of silt. Of course, this sediment destroyed many trout fisheries and continues to negatively impact the hydrology and biology of the spring creeks today.

Fortunately, local conservationists and anglers have taken the problem head on. The Driftless is a national hotspot for trout habitat improvement initiatives. Lunker structures and other widely used improvements were invented in Wisconsin. State fisheries agencies, academics from local universities, county governments, and Trout Unlimited members have undertaken improvement projects across the entire region for over half a century.

The objective with each restoration effort is to minimize the recruitment of sediment and create habitat improvement structures that will both restore a “natural” channel and provide habitat for trout. Some commonly implemented improvement structures include rock weirs to scour out pools, lunker structures to provide overhead cover, and bankside cover to minimize scouring. Restoration crews also use heavy machinery to grade the banks and restore sinuosity. Some improvement projects have been remarkably successful. Jeff Hastings, TU’s Driftless Area Project Manager, reports that, in certain systems, lunker structures have increased fish densities by 1300-1500%.

I fished the West Fork of the Kickapoo, a highly successful habitat improvement site, with Jeff. Arguably the most famous of the Driftless spring creeks, the Kickapoo river system is included in TU’s Home Rivers Initiative, our “flagship watershed restoration program.” Watershed-scale improvement work has allowed this highly productive spring creek to shine. Today, the Kickapoo holds a ridiculous number of trout and lives up to its reputation as one of the top rivers in the nation.
The late afternoon heat was not conducive to great fishing, but we fooled a few trout in a shaded stretch of river, including a 12-14” brown that took Jeff’s spinner.

While we fished, Jeff told me about the new and exciting TU Driftless Area Restoration Effort (TUDARE), a National TU program designed to support local efforts. TUDARE provides an organized, regional structure for this conservation hotspot. TUDARE also hopes to increase watershed restoration efforts at the local level and link stream protection and restoration efforts. An important part of this initiative will be increased coordination with partners, including state and local governments and private landowners, to further restoration causes. In the process, TUDARE aims to develop a national identity for the Driftless, centered on the area’s unique coldwater resources.

Jeff is highly qualified to undertake this challenge. A longtime local resident, Jeff truly cares about the environmental resources of the Driftless. He worked as a county conservationist in the area for over two decades, focusing on trout habitat improvement. His local knowledge and extensive habitat improvement experience is a great asset to TU.

The counties in the Driftless, particularly Vernon County where the Kickapoo is located, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on stream work. Stream restoration is beneficial to the local economy. Visiting anglers bring a lot of money into the region, making each stream improvement effort a worthy investment.

Elk Creek is one stream undergoing large-scale restoration work, thanks to the Ocooch chapter and an Embrace-a-Stream grant from TU National. The Ocooch chapter, a small but dedicated group of Driftless anglers, aims to improve the native brook trout fishery in Elk Creek.

Brookies are generally out-competed by brown trout. The Ocooch chapter is attempting to tailor their restoration work to both support the native char and discourage the invasion of brown trout. In the upper reaches of Elk Creek, the chapter is implementing habitat improvements in small tributaries, which are important for brook trout spawning. In the main stream, they are applying structures that provide deep water, but little overhead cover, hoping to make the habitat better suited for brook trout than browns. Their approach has not yet been tested and everyone is curious to see if this actually works.

I fished Elk and a nearby stream with TUers Dick Peters and Al Bostwick (both from the Ocooch chapter) and Dave Fritz, president of the Nohr chapter. It was great to visit project sites with these interesting and active conservationists. I learned a lot about the region and local TU from them. We also had a good time catching a few fish.

My new Wisconsin friends put me over thousands of trout that day. I can’t overemphasize the success of the habitat improvements in the Driftless. Each structure holds dozens, if not hundreds of trout. These streams are fertile and they can support high densities of trout when the physical habitat is sufficient.

While the angler sees a lot of fish during a day, they are not usually easy to catch. A stealthy approach and accurate casting are mandatory in these narrow creeks. Overhanging grass, a welcome sight after decades of bank erosion, wreaks havoc on tippet and flies. For those who are willing to put in the time and effort, the fishing can be world-class.

Despite the hot and sunny weather, my local hosts and I caught a few fish during the day. When the sun descended behind the hills, the action picked up. A few sulfurs and caddis provided enough incentive for a few fish to rise. I also caught some nicer fish on a crayfish pattern towards dark.

Many local anglers believe the Driftless offers the best trout fishing in the entire U.S.
Certainly, some of the best fisheries in the nation are found here, but what I find to be particularly cool is the potential for new blue-ribbon streams. Each year, TU employees, volunteers, and partner organizations are undertaking new projects, providing more fishable water. The Driftless is a great fishing destination now and it is only getting better thanks to the hard work of local TUers.

Stay tuned for two more blog entries on the Driftless. The next time I find a wireless connection, I’ll write about fishing the hex hatch near Madison, WI and restoration work on the Minnesota side of the Driftless.

I have some good photos, so please check them out by CLICKING HERE.

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June 15, 2006

Arkansas Flashback

While in Arkansas, I was filmed for a local outdoors program.

Click HERE to see the film clip.

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Northern Wisconsin’s Crown Jewel

The Bois Brule River has many personalities. Over its course, the angler encounters swamps, narrow boulder-strewn runs, flatwater ponds, and big fast water. The Brule is home to brook and brown trout as well as steelhead and salmon, providing a diverse array of angling opportunities. While floating the river, I couldn’t help but get excited as every bend held new surprises and challenges…

The Bois Brule River

I floated the river with Bill Heart, president of the Wild Rivers Chapter in Ashland Wisconsin. We launched Bill’s canoe about half way between the river’s source and its mouth at Lake Superior. By the launch, the Brule is low gradient and narrow. We found a few brook trout near boulders and logs.

A few miles downstream, Bill pointed out numerous large spring heads. The springs maintain circles of clean sand that stand out from the dark green river bottom. The augmented flow improved the fishing and we encountered brilliantly-colored brookies and browns. I threw woolly buggers and a local pattern called the Pass Lake while Bill negotiated the canoe around the large glacial rocks and the downed logs. Trout always like structure and most of the fish we caught were holding tight to the fly-snagging debris.

While we floated, Bill told me about area’s tremendous fisheries. The Brule and other local waters offer a hexagenia hatch in late June and early July. Anglers from all over the state come to the area to catch 20”+ brown trout on large mayfly imitations. Many anglers also visit during the spring and fall steelhead and salmon runs. Throughout the rest of the season, the fishing for resident browns and brook trout can be very good. The river holds some big brown and brook trout and every fish is strong and beautiful (see the ).

Bill has almost single-handedly rejuvenated the Wild Rivers Chapter. He has unified his chapter with regular meetings and events, involvement in coaster brook trout restoration, as well as increased participation in Wisconsin state council projects. I encountered TUers all over Wisconsin, and even in Minnesota and Michigan, who praised the great work Bill has done for his chapter and TU as a whole.

Bill’s reputation across the region is well deserved. Quiet and modest by nature, Bill lets his actions speak for themselves. It is obvious that he truly cares about coldwater resources and has been willing to invest his time to help his local fisheries. Trout Unlimited is entirely dependent on active volunteers like Bill Heart. We always need more involved members, so if you haven’t already, please contact your chapter president to find out what you can do to help!

Click here to see a beautiful northern brookie and other worthwhile photos.

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June 09, 2006

Notes from the Road: Michigan’s U.P.

En route to Wisconsin, I took my time driving over Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I visited Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, hiked along a brook trout stream, and even met a few Yoopers…

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I’m told that “Yooper” is the technical term for a resident of the U.P. Every Yooper I met was friendly and eclectic. I guess they need to be both good-natured and a touch batty to put up with the summertime biting insects and the winter cold.

The U.P. is largely flat, forested, and peaceful. The staple of the local economy seems to be a meat pie product called a “pasty.” Pasties are for sale on every corner and even in the “one street towns” that are too small to have corners.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is known for its beautiful sandstone ledges and cliffs. Some of the formations reminded me of southern Utah. Of course, the fundamental difference between Munising and Moab is the presence of an enormous lake.

Lake Superior is home to unique brook trout known as “coasters.” Coasters are potadromous, meaning they run into rivers from large bodies of fresh water, just like anadromous fish run up from the ocean. Like other lake-run salmonids, coasters grow BIG.

Mention monster brookies and the angler thinks of Canada. We still have a few brook trout that are best measured in pounds on this side of the border as well. Unfortunately, over-fishing, habitat degradation, and the introduction of competitive salmon have extirpated most of our coaster brookies. Small populations still exist in a few streams in Northern Wisconsin, the U.P., and Isle Royale and TU is actively involved on both the local and national level with restoration efforts (click here to read more).

I hiked down Mosquito Creek, a small stream that flows through Pictured Rocks, to see the park as well as the coasters’ native habitat. Just about every little creek on the U.P. holds landlocked brookies and Mosquito is no exception. I didn’t pester any of these little guys with my fly rod, but ample opportunities to do so exist.

In addition to the sandstone rock, the area is known for waterfalls. Interestingly, the rivers and streams on the south shore of Lake Superior are lower gradient in the headwaters and higher gradient near the mouth. This is the reverse of the “textbook” river system and it is attributed to the unique glacial history in the area. As a result, there are numerous waterfalls close to the big lake, a phenomenon appreciated by visiting photographers and sight-seers.

My time on the U.P. reminded me that I am heading westward. I saw a Wells Fargo bank for the first time since April. As mundane as it sounds, it was fortuitous because my checking account was almost empty and I needed to make a deposit. My last evening in the area, another camper’s mutt barked incessantly, drawing in every coyote in the county. Listening to the coyotes warbling from a dozen yards away, I knew I would be home soon.

Before crossing the sulfur-PMD divide, I still have a few great days ahead of me in Wisconsin. Come back soon for tales of wily spring creek browns, enormous mayflies, and world-class conservation efforts in America’s Dairyland.

To see my photos, please click HERE.

To read more about coaster brook trout click this link:
http://www.tu.org/site/pp.asp?c=7dJEKTNuFmG&b=277893

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June 08, 2006

Play to Win

Welcome to the interactive side of the TU blog. Submit the best comment and WIN…

Post a comment with your answer to ONE of these three questions:

1) What was your “fishing trip of a lifetime?”

2) Why don’t Tennessee drivers use turn signals?

3) What is your favorite species of trout and why?

I’ll award the best answer with a highly sought-after, limited edition “Got Milt?” T-shirt and, as if that isn’t enough, half a dozen flies tied by yours truly.

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June 06, 2006

The Barbless Hook

Trout Unlimited turns 50 in 2009 and Michigan TUers are already planning the party. George Griffith and a core group of anglers founded TU in Griffith’s cabin, The Barbless Hook. The Barbless Hook still stands today, perched above the famous Au Sable River…

The memorial plaque along the Au Sable

To me, “The Barbless Hook” is the perfect name for TU’s birthplace. A barb effectively holds bait on a hook and it may help hold a fish if the line goes slack, but the capable angler has no need for a barb. In fact, barbless hooks penetrate with less resistance, improving the hookset. Furthermore, barbless hooks are easily removed from both the trout and the angler. For these reasons, the barbless hook symbolizes competent, forward-looking anglers who care about trout for the sake of the trout, and not just their creels.

Sure many TUers (myself included) enjoy harvesting the occasional trout. Limited harvest is fully acceptable and sustainable in quality fisheries. Sometimes harvest is even necessary, particularly when dealing with non-native salmonids. But the ethos of trout conservation, of “limiting your kill and not killing your limit,” is an essential component of the exceptional wild trout fisheries our country enjoys today.

Sustainable wild trout not only benefit anglers, but the entire ecosystem. To Griffith and those who joined him, a trout is more than two fillets provided by the state’s hatchery program.

Dave Waltz, the president of the Mason-Griffith Founders chapter of TU, kindly took me on a tour of TU landmarks along the Au Sable. I found National TU's streamside property, which is maintained for public access, to be a particularly neat sight.

We also visited The Barbless Hook and talked with Alex Johnson, the current owner and a TUer from Toledo, OH, about the plans that he and his wife Claudia have for the property.

The festivities of 2009 are definitely on the Johnsons’ minds. Alex told me he hopes to be able to sleep 25 in time for the 50th. To make this possible, the Johnsons need to renovate.

It only takes one look at The Barbless Hook for the visitor to recognize that George Griffith was a character. Mileage signs for Pompano Beach, Livingston, and Massapequa are posted outside. The out-building is named the “Au Sable Hilton.” The interior of the main cabin features red and teal paint and shag carpeting. The Johnson’s are in the process of repairing structural deficiencies and bringing the décor up to modern standards, all while preserving the cabin’s legacy.

Elsewhere in the Michigan TU community, the opportunity to host the 50th is being treated like the Olympics returning to Greece. The 50th will provide Michigan TU with a great opportunity to showcase their history, their hard work, and the tremendous angling in the state.

I heard a story of Griffith inviting a total stranger up from the river for a drink. Many hours and a bottle of single malt later, the visiting angler needed to call his wife for a ride home. Whether you visit Michigan for the festivities of the 50th or some other time, expect similar hospitality.

Click Here to see photos of The Barbless Hook

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TU's Native Waters

Trout fishing in Michigan is world-class, but it demands dedication. Biting insects, backcast-snagging brush, extreme temperatures, and rising trout in the pitch of night are a few of the challenges that make angling here an adventure. The difficult conditions attract hard-core anglers and weed out the golfers. I suspect this devotion is a big part of why Michigan anglers spawned TU in the first place and continue to so actively support the organization today…

The Pine River

So often when I visit a fabled water, my expectations are no where near reality. The place looks, feels, and fishes different than I expect, for better or worse. Peering down at the Pere Marquette for the first time, it was exactly how I had pictured it: low gradient and tannic-colored as it winds through tight overhanging pines and hardwoods. The substrate alternates between sand and gravel while undercuts and large woody debris provide shelter for sulky brown trout. In the spring and fall, the angler may see steelhead or salmon over the gravel. Having seen anadromous fish in rivers this small before, I know the awe, and even the adrenaline, they render in the angler.

Pat Kochanny, vice-chair of the Michigan Council, gave me a warm welcome and a tour of the PM, as the locals call it. We started in Baldwin, a nearby town with an interesting history. Baldwin was a major endpoint for the Underground Railroad. A couple decades after the Civil War, the actual railroad dumped some of the first brown trout in the nation into the Baldwin River, a tributary to the PM. One hundred and fifty years later, Baldwin is renowned for two things: salmonid angling and jazz. How can you go wrong in this town?

Many anglers visit the river for the steelhead runs. The rest of the season, the river offers exceptional brown trout fishing, particularly during the hexagenia hatch. In a few weeks, North America’s largest mayfly will emerge from the PM and other upper Midwest waters en masse. I’ve heard the hatch gets so thick that certain municipalities have to fire up the snow plows to clear the slippery bugs from the road.

The catch is that this hatch occurs at night. Anglers get on the water just before dusk. As the evening fades into total darkness, they fish large dry flies just feet from their rod tip, waiting for the explosive rise of a large brown. Trout throw caution to the wind at night, and anglers report 20”+ fish rising inches from their wading boots. The hexes provide one of the nation’s best opportunities to land a 20-30” trout on a dry fly. Even if you only catch smaller fish, every brown looks big and toothy at 2 am.

Across Michigan and Wisconsin, this hatch is the highlight of the year for anglers who aren’t afraid of the dark. I hope to see at least a couple hexes in Southwestern Wisconsin in a few days, so keep checking the blog for a firsthand account of this unique angling opportunity.

On the PM, Pat and I waited most of the evening for rising fish. We tossed a couple streamers, drank a few beers, and talked about TU efforts in Michigan to pass the time. I didn’t have my notebook handy for this discussion and remembering the plethora of TU projects Pat told me about has proved overwhelming. To sum it up, both the state council and the local chapters are highly involved with hands-on stream restoration, fundraising, and political lobbying.

Stream restoration efforts have focused on minimizing sedimentation and restoring in-stream cover. The soil in Northern Michigan is predominantly sand and the rivers are predisposed to sedimentation. Over the years, logging and residential development right along the river have created unstable banks and unnatural accumulations of silt and sand in spawning gravels.

Pat’s home TU chapter, the Pine River Area Chapter, has been particularly active restoring banks on their home rivers. The day after we fished the PM, Pat took me on a tour of the chapter’s work. The chapter has installed brush weirs to sweep out excess sediment from spawning gravels. Furthermore, they have worked with landowners to re-vegetate high cut banks that threaten residences as well as the river. Pine River TUers have also worked with the state on dam removal projects and lunker structure installation. The chapter certainly deserves kudos for their tremendous work and accomplishments. Be sure to check out my photos of these project sites.

Glacial activity in Michigan generally precluded the accumulation of large boulders, so logs, undercuts, and overhanging vegetation are particularly important in-stream structure. In addition to providing protection for trout of all life stages, large woody debris (LWD) is essential for nutrient entrapment and serves as a foundation for the entire food chain. For years, boaters and even anglers have removed LWD to ease accessibility. On rivers such as the PM, Michigan TUers have worked to restore LWD while still maintaining the navigability of the waterways.

The Au Sable is a particularly good example of LWD restoration. TU’s home river is full of great looking log formations that have been implemented by anglers throughout the years. The upper Au Sable offers the type of water that just begs to be probed with a big black streamer. I did just that with Bob Andrus, an Au Sable river guide and active local TUer.

Bob floated me for a couple miles in his Au Sable river boat, a unique canoe that is popular with local anglers and guides. In addition to a paddle, the river boat captain uses a pole to negotiate the channel and position the angler. The original riverboats were made of wooden planks that would swell, so the boats were kept in garages in the water. Some of these boat garages are still visible today, providing memorials to the river’s past.

A few browns obliged my woolly bugger, particularly during the sporadic spells of drizzle; however, I encountered more rapid-fire action later in the evening while fishing with another TUer and guide, Terry Warrington.

Terry took me to a section of the South Fork of the Au Sable near the famous Mason Tract, a large land preserve along the river. We plunked the LWD with streamers while waiting for the evening rise. I rolled one 13-15” brown in a tight pocket amongst some logs and landed a few smaller fish. An hour or so before dark, the fish began to rise with regularity, and we caught a few on brown drake imitations. Towards dusk, the trout suddenly began to refuse the imitations that were effective minutes before. We tried sulfur spinners and a plethora of other mayfly imitations without success. Finally, as darkness set in, I tied on a #10 Gray Wulff and fooled a couple trout, including one that was 12-14”. Before we left, I had to toss a streamer, of course. An unweighted muddler drew a couple strikes before I lost it to one of the pool’s many logs.

Standing in TU’s home river in the dark, I knew I had at least tasted what Michigan fishing is all about. I look forward to returning some day for the hex hatch and another memorable fishing experience.

Click here to see the photos.

Visit www.mctu.org to read more about Michigan Trout Unlimited.

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June 01, 2006

Keystone Conservation Efforts

With 56 chapters and 13,000 members, the Pennsylvania Council represents one of top TU states in the nation. Pennsylvanians are so involved in TU because their state offers a lot of great salmonid angling. I visited a few of the many successful TU efforts in the state and, of course, I found a little time to conduct hook-and-line sampling…

A PA brown trout

Stony Creek
Every week for almost 20 years, members of the Doc Fritchey TU chapter have maintained diversion wells in the Stony Creek watershed. Creek water is diverted into the wells, which contain crushed limestone. The hydraulic pressure pulverizes the stone into fine particles and sweeps the pH basic sand downstream. To keep the program operating, volunteers must shovel large quantities of gravel into the remotely located wells. These TUers donate a lot of time as well as their back muscles!

Their work has been rewarded with noted improvements in the watershed, which suffers from acidic coal mine drainage. The liming program has increased the pH and Stony now supports wild and stocked trout. About 18 miles of the creek flows through a roadless area, offering a wilderness experience to anglers who enjoy walking and biking.

Bob Pennell, an active member of the Fritchey chapter, and I tried our luck at the downstream boundary of the roadless area. Bob’s favorite PA fly, the green weenie, tempted a few of the stream’s brown trout. The green weenie is a simple beadhead inch worm tied with bright green chenille. While the “match the hatch” crowd wouldn’t be caught dead with this unnaturally gaudy fly in their box, there is no denying its effectiveness in certain situations.

Regardless of whether you prefer #10 florescent worms or #26 tricos, a trout stream is a great place to spend a day. Thanks to the Doc Fritchey Chapter, Stony Creek fits the bill once again.

Coldwater Heritage Partnership
The top trout fisheries in Pennsylvania are designated as “class A” water. This classification is based on the combined mass of wild trout per unit area and water quality. Of course, these rivers are particularly popular with anglers, the state’s natural resources agencies, and conservationists. To help protect the “class A” trout fisheries and other coldwater streams with exceptional environmental value, the Coldwater Heritage Partnership (CHP) was forged in 2003.

CHP is a cooperative effort between the PA council of Trout Unlimited, the PA Fish and Boat Commission, the Western PA Watershed Protection Program, and the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. CHP assists local conservation groups (including TU chapters) with holistic watershed assessment and strategic planning to provide a foundation for future conservation efforts.

In four years, CHP has assisted with 35 conservation plans for watersheds across the state. According to Deb Nardone, the CHP’s Coldwater Resources Specialist, the program is so successful because it empowers local conservation groups with the technical and financial resources necessary to undertake large-scale projects. A CHP conservation plan focuses on definitive goals for watershed protection and restoration. Furthermore, it provides the conservation group with information that can be used to court funding from non-profits, government agencies, and local businesses for project implementation.

Where is the program headed in the future? Deb says CHP will not only continue to assist with assessment, but also help implement the conservation plans that have already been completed. Also, she hopes that other states will benefit from similar programs down the road. To find out more about the Coldwater Heritage Partnership, visit http://www.coldwaterheritage.org/.

Wild Trout
Stocking fish on top of wild trout populations is a sensitive issue in Pennsylvania. In the early 1980s, TU worked with the Fish and Boat Commission to create a new set of management guidelines called Operation Future. Operation Future aims to identify and maintain wild trout fisheries, particularly in the “class A” water.

It is illegal to stock fish in the state’s 450 reaches of “class A” water; however, many of the wild trout fisheries that are not considered “class A” are “supplemented” with hatchery trout. Why is the state spending a lot of money to stock on top of wild fish?

The PA TU folks call it “social stocking.” The Pennsylvania Boat and Fish Commission depends heavily on license revenue. According to PA TU, the higher-ups in the Commission believe that the more trout you stock, the more licenses you sell. I talked with Tom Shervinskie, a biologist with Fish and Boat, who dismissed this idea and insisted that the management of PA’s trout fisheries is scientifically sound, with the interests of the resource and the public in mind.

The Fish and Boat Commission motto is, “Resource First,” but Bob Pennell and other TUers believe that the resource is sometimes taking second (or even third) to financial and social pressures. I respect the opinions of the state biologists and I hope management policies reflect their recommendations. I also appreciate the watch-dog position that PA TU has assumed. I am glad that there are concerned conservationists paying attention to the activities of the Commission to ensure the state’s valuable wild trout resources receive adequate protection.

Penns Creek
Penns Creek is a premier wild trout fishery in north-central Pennsylvania. I’m sure many of you have fished this stream and the rest of you have heard of it. I visited Penns with local guide Dave Rothrock. In addition to operating his fly fishing service called Salmo-Trutta Enterprises, Dave serves on PA TU’s Trout Management Committee. He is very knowledgeable about all of the trout waters in central PA and he is one of the best anglers I’ve ever met. Only an electroshocking unit can bring up more trout than Dave and his nymphing setup.

You don’t visit Penns Creek in late spring to fish subsurface. Hendricksons, march browns, gray foxes, sulfurs, and green drakes, just to name a few, make this creek a world-renowned dry fly fishery. May is the peak month and the river was crowded with anglers looking for the drakes.

I did see a few of these large, prehistoric mayflies, but the fish never keyed in on them. Still, I watched many hopeful anglers lob flies the size of small birds to rising fish, without a strike. There seemed to be as many green drakes attached to fly lines as there were naturals.

The trout were taking sulfurs, but they were quite picky. Long, fine tippets and down-and-across presentations were mandatory. I caught most of my fish by “skitching” my fly an inch or so while it was still a few feet upstream of the strike zone and then letting the fly dead drift over the trout. I have found this technique useful in the past as well. I think that a little motion when the fly is just entering the trout’s view helps your artificial stand out from the crowd.

It is illegal to fish the catch and release section of Penns at night, so the evening dry fly window ends quickly. It was probably good that I got to bed. The next day, I had a long drive to the night fishing capital of the world.