Fly Boys

Our friend from Denmark, Thomas Jensen, put his 5wt Winston to the test with this Bullish Montana Carp. Lost 5 others this size in heavy current before landing this pig.  Great job Thomas, and great job Winston for building tough rods.  We love it!!!

Paul

Just back from the Bend, Oregon, Save Wild Steelhead Festival, where I had the privilege of reading my “State of the Steelhead” story to a packed house of 150+ people. In the spirit of competitor cooperation for a great cause, the event was held at the new Bend Orvis store, and they welcomed this Patagonia guy with open arms—nobody even said a word about my World Trout steelhead shirt!

It was a fantastic event benefiting local conservation groups including Trout Unlimited, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and many others. The show featured Felt Soul Media’s “Red Gold,” Wahoo Film’s “Steelhead Yawning,” and FlyBoys’ “Raising The Ghost” along with speakers from the various local fish and water conservation orgs and yours truly. Lots of great food and raffle prizes and of course, this being a room full of anglers, a mid-show beer re-supply was required, courtesy of a local microbrewery.

Also, photographer Tim Pask’s slide show, which he’s generously donated to accompany my reading (and keep people from falling asleep while I drone on and on) was a big hit.

I think the most gratifying part of the whole gig, though, was the incredible level of enthusiasm, engagement and support from everyone in the audience. And it occurs to me that getting people fired up to get involved in saving the fish they love might be just as important as the money raised. Doing both in one night is even better.

Many thanks to Kevney Dugan from Orvis and Michelle Alvarado from Wahoo Films for working their butts off to organize an event that went a long way toward saving wild steelhead, and to FlyBoys for creating the whole festival in the first place. Awesome job. On a side note, my five year old thought it was hilarious that I was going somewhere to read stories to grown ups…

Peace,

Dylan

Thanks again to Todd Burt for forwarding this great press release

from “Way Upstream”

Way Upstream: Wild Steelhead Festival By El Pescador  If you happen to be in the Bend, OR area then consider checking out The Save Wild SteelheadFestival. The purpose of this event is to unite anglers, filmmakers and conservation groups in an effort to educate the community on … Way Upstream - http://www.wayupstream.com/

Our friend Todd Burt in Seattle sent us this good news

regarding the Elwha River

Thanks Todd 

Stimulus Funds to Speed Timeline for Elwha Dam Removal Common Dreams (press release) - Portland,ME,USA “The project will create jobs, restore salmon and steelhead to some of the best habitat anywhere, and create an unprecedented opportunity to study the … See all stories on this topic

Yeah, thats right it is hard to believe that in this day in age with all the education surrounding the state of wild steelhead, that #1 any fly fisherman would kill a wild fish and #2 that it is still legal on some rivers to do so.  Shame on this guy and others like “Bob Jacklin” that feel its is neccessary to knock a wild fish on the head for nothing more than an ego boost.  Aren’t photos, video, measurements, and artificial mounts good enough for these guys.  As much as I’d like to strangle this guy, Bob Jacklin and others who kill wild fish, I try to keep the big picture in mind.  What they did is totally legal.  So the people who need strangling are the authorities that allow this to occur in the face of wild steelhead extinction.  Below is an excerpt from an email we received from Dylan Tomine.  He knows these issues as well as anyone and puts it all into perspective.  Please take the time to read it, and like me try and learn how we can help the bigger picture.

Thanks Paul Tarantino

Great Perspective from Dylan Tomine Below:

Just wanted to comment on the the hubbub surrounding the killing of a wild, 30+ pound wild steelhead on the Hoh River last week. Yes, people are angry throughout the region over the death of this magnificent fish, and probably with good reason. Yes, the angler’s excuse that the fish was bleeding from the gills is extremely doubtful based on his broad smile in the pictures and the visible fly stuck near the tip of the fish’s snout. And yes, it is truly a sad event.

But the outcry has been so vehement, including threats of violence toward the angler, that I think it’s important to remember this was a single fish and it was legally taken. That doesn’t make it right, but I believe we need to redirect this anger toward the larger issues of which this is just one, small example.

The fact that it’s even still legal to kill a wild steelhead on the Hoh is ridiculous. The river has not met escapement in 9 of the last 17 years and has shown a marked decline in recent times. That’s part of the bigger picture I’m talking about. On one popular regional fishing bulletin board, at last count, there were 9 pages of posts condemning the angler for killing this single fish, while just below that there were several threads outlining political actions currently ongoing in Washington, and none of them had even half the response.

My point is that if even a small fraction of the time and energy that’s being spent against this one angler and his dead fish could be directed toward actions that have a significant impact on the underlying problems wild steelhead face, it would do a world of good. For example, the Hoh tribe has averaged nearly 68% of the harvest of wild steelhead on this river in recent years. Recently, in negotiations with the WDFW, they have requested a reported 77% of the harvest. This appears to be a reallocation of the Boldt Decsions 50-50 split, potentially based on the “foregone opportunity” of sport anglers. Again, this, on a river that frequently doesn’t even make its already-too-low escapement goal to begin with. 

In light of the new Statewide Wild Steelhead Management Plan that places wild steelhead recovery as a top priority for WDFW, I believe the time is ripe to hold the state to this commitment. Doing that would take the kind of energy we’ve seen stirred up by the killing of the now infamous thirty pounder.

Another “big picture” issue is whether or not the IGFA should be accepting world record applications for dead fish from populations that are declining, and in some cases, endangered. It’s tough to have an organization that supposedly represents sport angling’s best interests encouraging people to kill fish in places that clearly cannot sustain harvest. Based on this angler’s comments about filing for a “world record,” I believe the IGFA record program could have been a motivating factor in the fish’s untimely demise. Again, I think a little of the energy we’ve seen, directed in the form of a letter campaign or petition to the IGFA, could be extremely effective here. 

I also believe this angler’s unfortunate decision to kill the fish in the first place demonstrates how much work we have left to do in our collective efforts to educate our peers. Frankly, I’m surprised he chose to kill the fish, and probably, if he’s a thinking, caring human being, he’s learned a hell of a lesson from the outcry. Most steelhead anglers I know, even in light of (or especially in light of) this angler’s comment that it was “a fish of a thousand lifetimes” would have released it. But I think we need to keep some perspective here, and I hope this fish becomes a rallying point that inspires some real, tangible actions that will prevent things like this from happening in the future.

Peace,

Dylan

To some it might seem crazy to start hiking in to a tiny spring creek with an 8 weight rod and a size 4 foam beetle on 0x tippet,  but that’s exactly what we did.  I suppose it could have been a little more fun with a smaller rod,  but i had grown a bit attached to the 9 1/2 foot winston BIImx rod and that’s all i really fish anymore back home anyway.   Sure a 5 weight makes a 15 inch fish fight better, but i’m looking for a 25+ incher.    The brush was so thick in places around the pools that there wasn’t really a lot of traditional casting involved, and getting the fish in quick kept them from disappearing into the brush.   As i said before on my last blog,  i’ve never really enjoyed spring creeks as much and this one turned out to be no exception.   I liked that i could use the same beat up fly and leader i’d been using for the last three weeks, and it was fun to improvise new ways of presenting the fly through the dense bamboo and brush.   I got a few fish to take from a bow cast in some pretty impossible lays.  But the fish were lazy and the brown trout especially were a little haggared looking.   Some of the locals we talked to suspect that they have just out grown their food source and are suffering from a sort of malnutrition.   As you can see from the pics, some of the browns had no color or spots.   They looked like spawners, but hardly likely in the middle of the summer.  I got a decent brook trout at the end of the day and eric got one to eat a really big streamer (pictured).   Over all, not my favorite fishing of the trip, but a treat to be able to fish in such an amazing area……….    ><)))))º>   jess

 

As difficult as it was, we finally pulled ourselves away from the all to perfect dry fly fishing of the Limay medio.  Our destination…..  Rividavia.    Rio Rividavia is located a few hours south of Bariloche in Parque Nationale de Los Alerces.   This amazing national park gets its name from the massive ancient trees found deep within the dense forest and maze of lakes.   The river we’re heading to flows out of Lago Rividavia in the northern section of the park.   Almost everyone we’ve talked to so far has mentioned the spring creek that flows into the river.  I’ve never really been a fan of spring creek fishing,  but the promise of 8 to ten pound brookies was more than enough for me to give it a try.    The first thing we found out upon arrival was that 8 to 10 pounds is a gross exaggeration.    One thing we’ve found about the argentines….   when they say its ten kilos, its ten pounds.  When they say ten pounds it’s obvious they don’t know what a pound is.   The spring creek at Rividavia was teaming with 3 to 6 pound rainbows, browns and brookies.    As we approached the first pools, we were met by an argentine guide with U.S. clients.  (from bozeman)…   He did not seem to excited to see four anglers coming through the woods, but i assured him that we would give him all the room he wanted.   Just like every person we’d run into yet,  he told me that i would not catch fish on a dry fly and that the best fly was a small black leach.    When i caught up to the rest of the boys, they had all landed or at least turned a fish on a dry and it was obvious that this was the same story as the rest……  ><))))º>   jess

FOR MORE INFORMATION on how your local fly shop can license the SAVE WILD STEELHEAD click here

the Old Mill District.
The Save Wild Steelhead Festival is an event to raise awareness for wild steelhead conservation.  Steelhead are an indicator species which directly reflect the health of rivers, estuaries and saltwater habitat.  Today, wild steelhead populations are at an all-time low—and on the brink of extinction in some cases throughout their range, making immediate action necessary.  The purpose of this event is to unite anglers, filmmakers and conservation groups in an effort to educate the community on hard-hitting issues regarding wild steelhead, and motivate all to get involved.  With a tasteful blend of entertainment and conservation, we hope this event will successfully bring together all those who enjoy the outdoors.  For it is up to us to preserve the fish, their habitat, and the sport for future generations.
The Save Wild Steelhead Festival is a multi-media event sponsored and hosted by Orvis, featuring the films “Raising The Ghost,” by Team FlyBoys and “Steelhead Yawning,” by Wahoo Films. Writer and Patagonia Fishing Ambassador, Dylan Tomine, will make his “State of the Steelhead” presentation, accompanied by noted photographer Tim Pask’s steelhead fishing images. Furthering the discussion on wild steelhead preservation will be keynote speakers from our conservation groups, Upper Deschutes Watershed, Deschutes Land Trust, Deschutes River Conservancy, and Trout Unlimited.
Tomine’s presentation, “State of the Steelhead,” is a coastwide look at wild steelhead populations which outlines the causes and some potential solutions to the current challenges wild steelhead face. Delivered from the passionate perspective of a lifelong steelheader, “State of the Steelhead” is designed to inspire anglers and other outdoor people to take action and arm them with the information they need to make a difference.
Michelle Alvarado, owner of Wahoo Films will share her experience working with the Montana-based film company, Team Fly Boys, to produce “Raising the Ghost.”  This film chronicles 6 days on one river in Northern British Columbia.  It captures the true essence of fly-fishing for wild steelhead, and educates its audience on why we need to protect the fish and the environment they live in.  Alvarado will also share her film, “Steelhead Yawning” were she goes underwater in search of the Northwest wild steelhead. We invite you to join us for a night of entertainment and fundraising to Save Wild Steelhead.
The Festival will run from 6 to 8 pm at the Orvis Store in the Old Mill District.  Come at 5pm to enjoy food, wine and beer while entering to win one of the many raffle prizes.  All profits from the raffle and any donations will go to our local Wild Steelhead Grant.  Additionally, 5% of “Raising the Ghost” DVD sales, Save Wild Steelhead t-shirts, bumper stickers and hats will be donated to organizations dedicated to the preservation of wild steelhead.
Contact:
Michelle Alvarado                     Kevney Dugan
Wahoo Films                             Orvis Bend
541.585.3456                          541.312.8200
michelle@wahoofilms.com        retail-bendstr052@ORVIS.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION on how your local fly shop can license the SAVE WILD STEELHEAD click here

While Bozeman is still in the grips of sub-zero temperatures, team Fly Boys is waking up to cloudless skies and 80+ degree mornings.  Only a few days into our time on the Limay Medio,  we’ve already started discussing the sheer amount of time that could be dedicated to this river.   We’ve only been in country for a couple weeks and it’s hard to picture trout fishing getting any better than this.  We know of a few places down south that we really want to hit, but at the same time we are also sure that we’ll end up back here in the near future.    We are really wishing we had a boat, but we are catching so many fish it can’t bother us that much.   The fish here are so big and so eager to eat dry flies.   The strikes are so dynamic, with 24″+ fish coming a foot and a half out of the water on the strike and your hook set is flipping them over in midair.   One day we came into an afternoon caddis hatch.  The bugs were probably a size 20 or so and the fish had all slid up out of the deep water into the edges and were sipping them like they would on any classic tail-water.   The kind of water and size of bug would usually dictate very gentle presentation and very thin tippet, but not on this river.  I was able to drop in a huge piece of foam on 0x and watch these seemingly selective trout gobble it up between caddis.   At first the giant foam beetle i tied was  a bit difficult to see, so i super glued a pointed piece of flat foam to the top of it.  This immediately solved the problem and spawned the name “the pope” because of the resemblance to the pope hat.  After that day, everyone started fishing the pope.    ><))))º>  jess

After starting the morning off right with a litre bottle of fernet and coke, Thon gets into a run and starts really putting the wood to these fish.  Fishing his favorite fly,  MFC swishers PMX orange, he must have landed fifteen fish in an hour and missed 20 chasing it on the swing.  I (jess) was fishing up above when I hear yet another hoot come from below.  “Double”!!!!   Thon and Eric are hooked up.  I decide to walk down with my camera.  By the time I got half way down to them,  Eric has landed and released his fish and Thons had taken him out into the middle of the river.  I watched Thon fine-tune his nautilus reel to get the drag right and eventually the fish came in no problem.  CRANKER…..   When landed I found two frogs and a snail in his mouth.  No wonder they chase those dry flies down on the strip.  The next day Eric and I ended up walking down into water that was strikingly similar to any other tail water you might see.  Eric was first to find it and had already landed twenty fish when I got there.  He was fishing a solid black hopper that he uses on the bighorn and I was excited to show him the fly they were eating for me.  The beetle.  Nothing too special about the pattern, but the size was stupid. I had fish shooting up out of 10 feet of fast water to attack this thing.  What a river.  Can’t wait to see what’s next.  Perhaps south??? ……………………………………………….

><))))))0>  flyboys