Fishing the Elk And Paying For It
Stand on the banks of the Elk River in British Columbia on any summer’s evening and here is what you will see. An occasional cutthroat rising and a steady procession of drift boats going past. Drive back in the mountains to access the Wigwam River and you will likely find half-a-dozen SUVs lined up at the trailhead. Hike back in the hills along a tiny side stream and just as you settle in on a favorite pool you can expect a couple of guys to come tramping up with a friendly, “Hey, how’s fishin?”
Because it’s a big, sprawling landscape in the southeastern part of B.C., where some of the world’s best cutthroat streams flow between rugged mountains, you can always get away from the crowds. But it’s getting harder to do so.
Many of B.C.’s best waters are getting crowded. And most of the crowding, at least on the Elk, Wigwam and other southeastern rivers, is coming from Alberta. For those of us who’ve lived in B.C. a lifetime that’s a bit perturbing.
Meeting people streamside from different parts of Canada, or from New York, Paris or London, is a great pleasure. Especially when they are courteous, conservation minded anglers. But put too many people on the water and the whole experience of fly fishing is changed. It doesn’t matter how nice they are.
In an attempt to alleviate overcrowding on the Elk, and six other southeastern rivers, the B.C. government is introducing a new Classified Waters designation for the most popular streams, starting in spring 2005. That plan, which faces non-resident anglers with a $20 daily fee, met with howls of protest when it was introduced. Alberta anglers, who like to nip over to B.C. to fish, before heading back to their tax haven, were in high dudgeon.
In a widely circulated series of emails, Greg Shyba kept a growing cohort of angry Alberta anglers informed as they launched a lobby effort in a failing bid to head off the change. Upset? I’ll say. Some of them even felt the action “was probably against the Bill of Rights,” according to one missive that followed a meeting in Calgary.
Some suggested B.C.’s Human Rights legislation might afford respite.
Hopefully this is just bluster and we won’t really have to hear the Supreme Court of Canada rule on whether or not B.C. has the right to charge out-of-province anglers more than resident anglers. Or watch lawyers lining up outside the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, alongside the sex change guy who is arguing that since he became a woman he’s been subject to sexual discrimination.
Many of the Alberta anglers were miffed because they had bought houses in Fernie and were thereby part-time residents who were supporting B.C.’s economy. But it was hard to feel sorry for them. After all, if they can afford to buy those $500,000 holiday chalets in Fernie, then surely they can afford $20 a day to fish.
Neil Waugh, writing in the Edmonton Sun, called the Classified Waters designation a “sneak attack on Alberta anglers.”
Mr. Waugh, after painting a poignant picture of fly fishing in his beloved St. Mary’s River, also fell back on an economic argument.
“Albertans buy 80% of the out-of-province licenses in B.C. We also buy a lot of shoddy flies, overpriced gas, bad meals and crummy motel rooms when we're there. Maybe even hire a few overbearing and cranky guides,” he fumed.
By this he meant to make the point that B.C. anglers, who over a lifetime have paid for the management of these rivers through their taxes, their licenses, and by forgoing industrial development in some key watersheds, are lucky to have his company on B.C.’s streams.
He suggested Alberta could get even by charging B.C. anglers a special fee to fish for walleye in Alberta. Seems fair to me. While they are at it they can put a special tax on bait too and that will really slow down the stampede of B.C. anglers to Alberta’s walleye ponds.
Jeff Burrows, of B.C.’s Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, said the Classified Waters proposal came about after consultation with anglers in the East Kootenays.
“We had the meetings. . . Resident anglers by and large support the plan. Guides support the plan with a few exceptions. Non-resident anglers . . . object to the extra license fees in general,” said Mr. Burrows in an email.
He said the Classified Waters designation - which makes official what fly fishermen already know, which is to say it recognizes that the rivers around Fernie are in a class by themselves - is meant to help alleviate the crowding problem.
“Successful fisheries management has attracted increasing guided and unguided angling on several south-eastern B.C. streams over the last decade,” states the East Kootenay fisheries management plan. “Complaints from anglers indicate that the quality of the angling experience is degrading or is likely to degrade in the future on the Elk River, Wigwam River, Bull River, St. Mary River, Skookumchuck Creek, White River, and the Upper Kootenay River.”
On the Elk River licensed commercial guides and assistants have increased from 9, in 1995, to 52 in 2002. Guided days have jumped during the same period from 149 to more than 1500. Unguided use has also increased - that’s why all those Alberta license plates are seen at the river pullouts. According to the B.C. government, non-residents accounted for 79% of the total angler days on the Elk. That’s a statistic worth repeating: 79% of the people fishing the Elk aren’t British Columbians.
So there is good reason resident B.C. anglers feel like they are getting swarmed by visitors.
“I hope it's clear that the idea is not to be unfriendly to our neighbours, but to solve some problems,” says Mr. Burrows of the Classified Waters designation.
Alberta anglers see it differently. They feel discriminated against. But it’s hard to be sympathetic. When B.C. says no to a dam on a river, or says no to gas development in southeastern B.C., when B.C. sets aside a protected area to stop the watershed from getting clearcut, nobody asks Albertans to help shoulder the lost economic opportunity.
B.C. anglers live, work and pay taxes in B.C. It’s not unreasonable that they should be given a break on angling fees, or that regulations should be brought in place to limit crowding.
As for all the caterwauling about the $20 a day fee. That’s less than most Albertans tip the guides they are paying $250 a day to float the Elk, before they head home to their tax free haven in the prairies.
Albertans should understand they are still welcome on the Elk, Wigwam, St. Mary’s and other outstanding rivers that lie near the border, in British Columbia’s magical southeast corner. But if there were fewer of them it would be nice. And at $20 a day, maybe those who make the drive will be happy spending two or three days on the river, instead of two or three weeks. That will make more room for the B.C. resident anglers, who pay their taxes without asking Albertans to share the burden.
- Mark Hume
Letters can be sent via e-mail to: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
Share The Pain
The Editor:
The nub of these new fishing regulations in southeastern BC is not about the fish (but they will surely benefit) nor is it about non-resident fishing license fees (although the additional revenue provided by residents, non-residents and guides will finance the enhanced management). The nub of the matter is sustaining the high quality fishing experiences which attract all of us to these waters. We all have a different definition of quality, but the emerging combat style of fishing I now encounter regularly on these waters does not fall into my definition and I expect, does not match many others as well.
So....short term pain, hopefully for long term gain.
Let's calm down, share the waters, and all be part of the forward thinking and proactive solutions.
-Barry Rogers
WASA, BC, CANADA
The Jet Boat Threat
The Editors:
I read your jet boat article with interest. I do agree that when irresponsibly operated the jet sled can and does damage fish redds of all kinds. I have run jet boats in Alaska, Russia, New York and new England. I have seen many redds totally wiped out by careless operators. With diligence and caution a jet boat operator can avoid this. It takes some care. And it means that there are some places one wont run a boat pump. Some wilderness locations are, practically speaking, considered only accessible by jet boat. But if those areas are being damaged by that access- then I say walk in or fly in and pump up rafts and float downriver instead. Until we see the value of protected fish runs, and their redds, as being at least as valuable as "saved money"- we are doomed to lose our wild fisheries resources everywhere to the dollar economy.
-Bob Triggs,
Port Townsend Olympic Peninsula Washington USA
littlestoneflyfisher@mail.com
Dear Bob:
Thanks for your thoughtful letter. It might be said that jet boats don't kill salmon eggs, but irresponsible jet boat operators do. As someone who loves to use his 4X4 to get to remote lakes, and who has taken helicopters, float planes, snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles to get to even more remote spots, I'm not one to find fault with technology. But I would not take a dirt bike down the fisherman's trail along the Skagit River, because it would destroy the solitude. Nor would I drive my 4X4 through a meadow of wildflowers to get to a river. Jet boats have their place. The Pitt River is not one of those places, and we at A River Never Sleeps urge all fly fishermen who want to go there, to find an alternate way of getting in.
-Mark Hume
Loss of A Dream
To: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
I am very sad to read that the steelhead of the Goldstream River
are now believed to be extirpated. I am only 34 years old, but I rember as a kid (early 80's) stopping at Goldstream on the way back from trout fishing and watching a large, bright steelhead with a red stripe down its side butting spawning salmon in an attempt to dislodge some eggs. This was only 20 years ago, and really just feels like yesterday. To know that this scene is not
available for future generations is scandalous. Its time something was done.
John Nelson
North Vancouver
john.nelson@shaw.ca
Hi John:
Thanks for your note. I couldn't agree more. I remember seeing steelhead there as a kid too. Big, beautiful fish. It's a tragedy and one we can't accept.
-Mark Hume
A Great Artist Passes
To: <editor@ariverneversleeps.com>
Subject: Jack Grundle
Dear Sirs,
Please find enclosed a brief piece on my father Jack Grundle who passed away recently. As he was a quiet legend in the local fly fishing community via his artwork and as publisher of Western Fish & Game & Western Angling, the magazines, and Western Fish & Game, the book, I thought it might be appropiate to pass it along.
Regards,
Pat Grundle
patrick@bolder.net
Dear Pat:
Thanks for the note. Western Fish & Game was a beautiful magazine, and Jack's name was well known in the fly fishing community. Mike Crammond, Lee Straight and now Jack. I know a lot of us are sad to see giants like that go.
-Mark Hume
Following is the note from Pat Grundle concerning his father:
John Leslie, (Jack) Grundle, SFCA, of Campbell River, died peacefully at home on Sunday, February 22, 2004, at the age of 81, with his wife and family at his bedside. Jack will be sorely missed and loved forever by his best friend and wife, Lia, his daughters and sons Maureen Grundle, Vancouver, Janis McDonald (Mike), Surrey, Leslie Corsiato (Barry), North Vancouver, Alison Grundle, Vancouver, Patrick Grundle (Tina), Surrey, Sean McGookin, New Westminster, Chris Agassiz (Wilda), West Vancouver and Judy Troll (Bob), West Vancouver. He is also mourned by his brother Bert Grundle, (Lou) of Powell River, his sister Maureen Betts, Port Alberni, his many grandchildren, great grandchildren, much-loved nieces and nephews and friends.
Jack lived his early years in Powell River, and after his service overseas in the Air Force during the early ‘40’s, began his studies at the Vancouver Art School. He was Creative Director for a major advertising agency, Art Director for the B.C. Electric (remember the bus posters?), publisher and editor of Western Fish and Game Magazine, creator of the wildlife information signs seen throughout the parks of British Columbia and, perhaps most memorably, the inspired painter of hundreds of wildlife and landscape images. His works have provided pleasure for others and will be his creative footprint in the sands of time. Jack’s other passions were fly-fishing and golf. The fly-fishing gave him countless hours of peaceful pleasure while the golf kept him connected with friends. It also gave him an opportunity to meet people from all over the world - golfing with Sean Connery comes to mind as a major event. Family and friends will remember him for his wit, integrity, and passion for the truth. His greatest wish was that his family would pass on his love of the outdoors and art and remember the importance of family. He modeled death with dignity and met this inevitable event with bravery and strength.
The Working Forest Will Lock Out Fishermen in British Columbia
The Editors:
As a concerned British Columbian, I am trying to raise awareness about the BC Liberals proposed Working Forest Initiative. This anti-environment legislation could seriously effect our ability to access back country hunting and fishing locations by selling these areas off to large resource extraction corporations. Basically when you drive out to your favorite (logging road access) lakes you come accross a gate with a sign stating NO ACCESS-PRIVATE TIMER FARM.
I live in Agassiz and have grown up fishing and hiking in the area. I feel that this issue will negatively effect outdoor enthusiasts throughout the province and seriously hamper efforts to create new parks. Not even our current parks are safe as the government has not only cut park staff but has just agreed to allow logging and mining in parks.
I am not with any organization, just a concerned outdoors-man trying to keep our forests public.
Thank you for your time and if you are interested and want more information, please contact me at wildfishbc@yahoo.ca
Regards,
Erin Monteith
Hi Erin:
Thanks for your note. In my view this is the most environmentally damaging government in 30 years....or longer, I can't remember back farther than that. The Working Forest Initiative is one of the most ominous developments in decades.
-Mark Hume
Looking For A Video
To: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
I found your site while looking for a fly tying video. I am a beginner but taking lessons through "Ruddicks" (a West Vancouver fly ship) soon. On your site you mention the Mo Bradley video "From Ice Off....To Ice On." Is this ok for somebody like me?
The saying about never being too old to learn something new applies to me. I’ve bee fly fishing for 35 years but just now amwanting to tie flies; I bought a "Dan vise" so have the start to it!
I’ve retired from B.C hydro in Hydro Electric Power Generation throughout B.C... seen a lot of unbelievable fishing areas!
Great site enjoy it all.
Hi Brian:
Yeah, you should get a copy of Mo Bradley's video. He ties simple, effective flies. Mo's mailing address and phone number are listed below:
Mo Bradley
3558 Overlander Drive
Kamloops, B.C.
Canada V2B 6X8
Phone: 250-372-1215
You could also contact him, or perhaps order a video, by calling Surplus Herbie's, in Kamloops, where he works during the week. That might be the best, because he would be able to mail out a video and book to you from there. Don't have the phone number for the store, but you could get it through directory assistance.
Good luck with the fly tying. It's a lot of fun and will make your fly fishing that much more enjoyable.
-Mark Hume
Details on the Bella Coola?
The Editors:
I just found this websight and it is wonderful. The last two years
I have gone to Bella Coola and fished the Atnarco at the provincial campground near the bottom of the hill. I am curious as to the availability of guidebooks, maps, etc. explaining the timing of the various runs and the availablity of the various trout species. I have been there in mid to late August and the river was full of pinks, and a few silvers. To tell the truth, I most enjoy fishing for trout on flies, and did well with rainbows up to 16".
Do you know about a lake up the Turner Lakes trail that has a variety of trout? How far up the trail and is the fishing good? Any info you can lead me to about the area and the fishing would be appreciated. Thank you very much!
John Steinman
Tulelake, CA USA
jpsteiner@hotmail.com
Hi John:
I'm not aware of any guidebooks that tell you the timing of the run, but if you read a book I wrote with a fly fishing colleague of mine from Bella Coola, you'll have not only a good sense of what's happening in each month, but will also learn a lot about the valley.
You can order 'River of The Angry Moon' through Amazon or through your local bookstore. I'm the main author and the publisher is Greystone Books.
I've canoed and fished the Turner Lake chain. It is out of this world. You can hike in....but it is a grueling work out, with one switchback after another. Younger guys I know do it to test their manhood. Takes all day....and you go up real high, real fast. At the top is a plateau where one lake spills to the next. The lakes are full of cutthroat trout. The fish aren't big, mostly 12-14 inches, but some good 16 inchers around and I have heard that there are some really big ones, in the farthest lake. Some evenings you get a sedge hatch in the summer, and when that happens you can catch a trout on every cast, for hours on end. And I do mean that, if you wanted to, you could catch 200 trout in an evening.
You can fly in from Anaheim Lake. There are canoes for rent on the lakes. I went in for a week with my family and we canoed the chain, fly fished, watched deer. It is paradise, although it was subject to forest fire burns in the summer of 2004.
There is an article on the Turner Lake chain in the back issues of A River Never Sleeps.com
There is a search engine on the site.
-Cheers,
Mark Hume
An Open Letter:
Joyce Murray,
B.C. Minister of Air, Land and Water Protection
and Brian Clark.
Dear Minister:
I would like to inform you of a close encounter I had with a jet boat on the Upper Pitt River which caused me great concern.
I have been a fly fisherman for several years and regularly fish the Upper Pitt River, a remote river located near Vancouver. The Upper Pitt isone of the most beautiful, pristine rivers in B.C. There are many species of fish in the river year round, and an abundance of wildlife despite the active logging which has been going on in the area for several years.
It is a wild, remote river and should be cherished and protected. I understand that government departments have saved the river from a gravel mine and has put in logging restrictions to save this resource, but it seems its time to look at another damaging element, jet boats.
One Sunday my family and I hiked through the bush to get to a
great fishing spot we had found while rafting the river the day before. When we arrived at the run we were surprised to see a jet boat pulled up on the bank and four men out fishing.
One of them was a fishing guide who had brought clients in by boat
across Pitt Lake and 12km up the river. They were as surprised to see us as we were to see them but we waited on a log until they had caught and released several large bull trout.
While we waited we noticed several large bear and deer tracks that had not been there when we'd fished the day before! After the jet boat fishermen moved up to their boat I waded out, took one cast, and then heard a high pitched whine of another jet boat, which roared up to where I was fishing.
Although it stopped and idled in the deep area of the pool opposite me, I could nearly cast to it as the river is less than 100 feet wide at this time of year in many places. Seconds later two more jet boats arrived the same way, screaming up the narrow river and creating a wake. I just stood there as the boats, which seemed to be traveling together, all pulled away and took off up the river.
These three jet boats had no regard for me or those around them even though I was wading in the river past my knees (please see the attached photographs). They seemed more concerned in navigating their boats through the narrower channels ahead at full speed.
All in all there were 5 jet boats on this small portion of the river during our 2 hour stay and we could hear others during our hike out.
It was a chaotic, awful experience and one I'd not expected. The
fishing was finished after that, we tried for at least an hour but the fish were so scared they'd left.
I believe that in the past there have been people lobbying to get jet boats banned from the Upper Pitt River, not because they can beat those of us who chose to hike in, but because of the noise which disturbs both wildlife, fish and other river users, the wake churned out by the powerful engines that have to remain on or the boats ground out on the shallows, and the odor of fuel that hangs in the otherwise clean air.
I urge you to look into the possibility of banning jet boats in small, wild and pristine rivers like the Upper Pitt, which is in danger of being spoiled by people who don't realize how they're damaging a precious resource.
Later, as we hiked back out the trail, past the deer tracks and a
fresh pile of bear scat, I said to my fiance, "I'm sure glad we get the
opportunity to come to the Pitt now." When he asked me why, I said, "because in a few years it's only going to get worse unless something is done about the jet boats."
If you have any questions please contact me at the information below.
Sincerely,
Julie Iverson
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
A New Reader Joins the Club:
To: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
Happened accidently into your web site. Just wanted to let you
know how much I am enjoying your e-magazine. Currently I am reading your earlier editions. The photos are all outstanding...please keep up the good
work. You are credit to Canada.
Akira Sugimura
Colorado Springs, CO
akiyosugi@juno.com
Hi Akira:
Nice to hear from you. Glad you like the web site. We have a lot of fun doing it. It used to be monthly, but we found that was cutting into our fishing time. So now it's irregular. But lucky for you there's lots of back issues to keep you going between editions.
-Cheers,
Mark Hume
Blah, Blah, Blah....
To: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
re nuking nature i couldnt help but notice that the only fisherman concerned about jet boats were fly fishermen. these same flyfishermen who want rivers everywhere designated fly fishing only, catering to their own egotistical eliteness.the same flyfishermen who when using a sinking fly line engage in the ultimate "flossing" technic, now engageing in fearmongering, pandering to the feeble minded and illinformed and easily swayed survivor series watching public. ive been in the same idylic spots when a roaring freight train goes by, recieving an over the shoulder yawning glance from the same said fleeing panicked wild life.seems to me someone elses agenda is to nuke other types of fishermen, next will be the nuking roar of the sidewinder endangering the ever sensitive fly fisherman
-max sinclair
coquitlam b.c canada
octapusy67@hotmail.com
Hi Max:
It's people like you that make me happy I am a writer and the publisher of a web magazine that's read by thousands of fly fishermen. Battling ignorance is a challenge, and when I read your vitriolic, staggeringly misinformed note, I was reminded how much work there is left for me to do.
I don't know how you stumbled on our web site, but obviously you didn't get much out of it. Keep coming back, a few hundred thousand more visits and you might actually learn something. Until then, I'll look for you on the river....I'm sure you'll be the guy in the jet boat spewing fuel over the water.
-Mark Hume
A River Never Sleeps.com
Minnesota Fly Show
The Editors:
I just stumbled on you journal and it's an impressive piece of work. The photos are wonderful. I have alerted the Minnesota Fly Fishers e-mail group to check out your site.
I'm sending the notice below on the chance that you may know folks in Western Canada that wish to promote travel & destination opportunities to fly fishers in the Mid-west U.S. Starting in April 2004 we will produce an annual fly fishing show in the Twin Cities area and we expect it to have a strong travel component. We expect to draw from well beyond just the Twin Cities - Iowa, Nebraska, The Dakotas, Wisconsin, Manitoba,etc.
Soooo... if you know anyone that might have an interest please pass along
this notice.
Check the Web site (www.mwfly.com)
Lew Beccone
Service Manager
Midwest Fly Fishing magazine
e-mail: mwflb@hotmail.com
The Main - A Tragedy In Newfoundland
The Editors:
Reading your account of your trip on the Main River cause many memories to come flooding back to me.I too canoed the Main in 1985 and i will never forget it's pristine beauty.The Main as we remember it is no more !!Many fought long and hard to save the river but in vain. Newfoundland,Canada and indeed the world is the poorer for it.
Earl Roberts
Corner Brook NL. Canada
earlroberts2002@hotmail.com
The Hardy Mystery - Anybody Help?
The Editors:
I am writing to request your assistance to identify a fishing rod I was given by my father several years ago. I will do my best to discribe it's features to you.
On the first section where the reel would be mounted below the grip there is the inscription: Made by Hardy's England, By appointment, with the design of two lions facing one another. with an emblem and a crown on top between the lions. A second emblem also appears with a crown and the letters "by appointment" under the crown. Under the threaded nut for retaining the reel is a stamp "E61230
On the rod above the handle are the words, "folakons, regal trade mark". Again further up the rod are the words==The "gold medal" rod. (My eyes may be failing me with the word "folakons", this may not be correct.)
The first eyelet appears to be metal with some sort of ceramic core where the line would travel through. The joint between the segments of the rod are brass. The lower connector has an external square cut thread which mates to the second rod segment, which has a square cut contoured hook, which when inserted into the lower section is then rotated one revolution to a stop position aleining the eyelets of the rod. The remainder of the eyelets are single metal loop in design.
The connection between the second and third sections is as decribed for the first two sections.
This rod comes with two interchangable tips, for a total of four pieces. Only three of which would be used at any one time.
The rod is in it's original cloth sheith made of cotton.
Could you from my description of this rod give me an approximation of it's worth?
And secondly if I were to try using it for fishing what weight of line would be best suited for the rod.
I would be pleased if you can assist me in finding more information about this fine rod.
Thank you for your help, please contact me by return E-mail dkip@shaw.ca
How To Take Pictures
To: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
Subject: georgia basin steelhead photo
Great site and excellent writing. Can you explain to me the secret of getting steelhead not to move while taking a photo as was displayed in the Georgia Basin photo sequence or do you simply have to play the fish to exhaustion. Photo's such as this promote others to mimic your style of photography in which in my own opinion put's the importance of the photograph above the least harmful manner in which that particular fish could have been released. To me the best steelhead photo's are those that I have before I close my eyes after a great day on the river.
Gary Green
Hi Gary:
Thanks for your note. I share your concern about the health of the fish we catch, and let go. However, I generally find that the best way to release a fish, is to calm it down first....if you hold it in the shallows, it will settle before you remove the hook. Any good fisherman, and any decent photographer would know this. Whenever I lift a fish to have it photographed, I hold it in the water until the photographer is in position. Then we coordinate the lift and the shoot. The fish goes back in the water within seconds. Then it's set free.
Pictures that show beautiful, living fish promote conservation.
-Mark Hume
And a reply from chief photographer and webmaster of ARNS....
Hey Gary
Thanks for your letter and you can tell by our site that both Mark and I are very concerned about fishing habitat and fish. Your question is a great one and I have been photographing fish for years and here are my secrets.
I never play a fish total exhaustion for a photograph and you will never see me fishing lightweight fly rods for steelhead for that reason its too hard on the fish.
You need to have fish that will cooperate with you when you are photographing them, this is the same for all animals and kids as well if they will not cooperate (pose) you are never going to get the pictures you need.
That being said I probably photograph or attempt to photograph 10 different steelhead before I get one to cooperate with me. Not great odds but if you have a plan in place before a fish is caught, it can help you get a good picture.
Here are a few tips.
A) Have a safe landing area with the light working for you and brief the fisherman on your plan while he/she is playing the fish.
B) Get the first picture of the fish in the water before the hook is removed.
C) Decide on which is the most important picture for you ie: a close-up or full length shot and get that first then quickly do your secondary shot.
D) Remove the hook and get you next shot - maybe - if the fish will co-operate and a secondary shot if possible.
E) I never remove a Steelhead from the water or get a fisherman to hold it up out of the water, if I can help it but photograph a Steelhead laying in the water next to the fisherman. This in some case cause the fish to fight for its life and it causes the fish more stress than is needed. Some Steelhead will lay happily for a long time (seconds) in the water and you can usually tell is it is exhausted or catching its breath for a run after release. If I see a fish is stressed I immediately tell the fisherman to revive and release it while I take what pictures I can.
F) Both the fish in the Georgia Basin story were released within 15 to 45 seconds of them coming under control of the fisherman. Now 45 seconds was a long time and a very cooperative fish. I usually would get 15 to 20 seconds with a fish from tailing it to release.
Some of the Steelhead pictures you see on our site were taken while the fish were being handled by DFO Staff while working with the fish. These fish were drugged so they were generally more cooperative but I always have a plan and follow it under the direction of the DFO staff. Have a look at:
http://www.ariverneversleeps.com/backissues/january01/nature.shtml
I hope you find the information useful.
Rgds
Nick Didlick
Wyatt’s Emerger
To: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
Where can I find a retail shop that sells Wyatt's Deer Hair
Emerger?
Please advise.
Thank you.
Anthony Ritter
Narrowsburg, NY (USA)
tony@gonefishingguideservice.com
Hi Tony:
I'll forward your note to Bob (he's in Scotland).....but I don't think there is a commercial copy of this fly out there. If there is, he'll put you on to it.
-cheers,
Mark Hume
Love The Cover Shots...
To: editor@ariverneversleeps.com
Subject: Your Covers
Ever since I was invited to subscribe to your magazine I have been
impressed with the quality of the desktop pictures that you have given to us, and I have faithfully incorporated them into my screen saver (webshots).
They are a continuing source of enjoyment and relaxation for me. Have you considered providing your cover photos or even copies of the covers themselves. These to are outstanding shots.
Thanks for persevering and providing a high quality site for the fly fisherman. I have not found one other on the web that surpasses it.
Best regards,
Christopher C. Clarke,
Calgary, AB, Canada T3A 1T6
Hi Chris:
Thanks for your note. The credit all goes to Nick Didlick, the webmaster and photo genius.....all I ever do is catch the fish for him to take pix of. Tough work, I'll tell ya.
-cheers,
Mark Hume
A Flood of Fan Mail!
To: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
I would like to let you folks know that I think the site is
magnificant! It's very well done and I find it very informative....The only thing I miss is the fishing reports from around the province but I haven't gone through the whole site yet.
Long and short of it...Great Job
Cheers
Geoff Simpson
geoff@citytel.net
Thanks Geoff...it's put out by a bunch of volunteers, who should probably spend more time fishing. We don’t produce fishing round ups from around the province. We just try to inspire people to go fishing. Your kind words are appreciated.
-Mark Hume
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