Beauty in Nature

On this Earth Day, just sharing a few photos I've taken over the years. Even Mother Nature can make a substandard photographer look good sometimes...

Guadalupe Bass: Texas Parks & Wildlife

Cool little video by Texas Parks & Wildlife (for PBS) that shows the restoration efforts being put in place to ensure the future of the Texas state fish, the Guadalupe Bass, in the South Llano River.


Plus, you might recognize a few of the anglers in the video... OBIF anybody?

Video: Do Brook Trout Have a Future in Shenandoah?

Was thinking about the 2013 Tenkara Summit last night; it was the one in Harrisonburg, VA. That trip opened my eyes up to the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley for the first time, and when it came to fishing, all anybody wanted to talk about (for good reason) was the native brook trout.

A quick search for "Shenandoah brook trout" into Google, promptly yielded the video below, which is actually a complimentary piece to a lengthy blog post from the National Parks Conservation Association that you can read HERE.

Listen Here: Dylan Tomine on "Anchored with April Vokey"

Was catching up on some podcasts this week, and found that I really enjoyed the July 14th episode of "Anchored with April Vokey" featuring Dylan Tomine. It's a bit of a meandering interview, but the backbone of the talk happens to center around Steelhead hatcheries, and what long term impact stockings have on the fish populations of the Pacific Northwest.

Image: Wild Steelhead Coalition

As somebody living in Florida I have little to no first-hand exposure to the decline of the salmon & steelhead runs in that part of the country. However, after recently visiting a hatchery as a "tourist" in Oregon last month, it's now easy to see the pro & anti-stocking arguments from both sides. The science cited by Mr. Tomine definitely makes for a timely and eye-opening (or perhaps better put, ear-opening) listen. 

FLOW: The Chipola River Story

Cool video release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Conservation, fly fishing, shoal bass, I'm in...

From the FWC press release:

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announces the release of its new video, “FLOW: the Chipola River Story.” “FLOW” features International Game Fish Association’s Top Female Angler of 2015, Meredith McCord, and tells the conservation story of the Chipola River. This video recognizes the dedicated efforts of individuals and organizations such as the FWC, Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (part of the National Fish Habitat Partnership), Trout Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Chipola River is a spring-fed system in north Florida that features the only naturally reproducing population of shoal bass in the state. These bass are genetically unique and have a limited geographic range. Meredith McCord set world records for shoal bass and black crappie while filming “FLOW,” inspiring future conservation efforts.

Video: Force 12

Part commercial, part conservation, Force 12 is a 12-minute video from Columbia PFG that is a very well produced and extremely thought-provoking watch. Starting in the Florida Keys, moving on to Vietnam, and finishing in the Seychelles, it speaks about 3 very distinct fisheries facing very different conservation issues.

Makes me itch to get back down to Islamorada; been a few years since I visited the Keys... sure would be great to get back soon.

The #KICKPLASTIC Fly Box

What?  Yep.

This email graphic popped into the inbox yesterday from the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA). Thought it was pretty interesting, and really something I never gave much thought to when reaching for one of those little plastic cups to hold the dozen flies I planned on buying at a fly shop. Seems like a no-brainer for retailers to make the switch, can't imagine their customers would mind much. Would you?

Recycled Paper Fly Boxes, Now at AFFTA

Today is the day! Recycled paper fly boxes are now available at http://shop.affta.org/! Choose from three different sizes to best suit your shop's needs: 2"x2"x2" (dry flies and nymphs), 3"x3"x2" (bigger dry flies and nymphs, bass bugs, and smaller saltwater flies), and 6"x3"x2" (big stuff like tarpon and billfish flies, plus a few leader packs and spools of tippet).

It's estimated the fly-fishing industry adds about 3.5 million plastic containers annually to the environment from retail fly sales alone! These boxes will save retailers some serious money and eliminate a large amount of useless waste.

We're proud to offer AFFTA members the ability to order recycled paper fly boxes on affta.org — you'll find this is an easy, cost-effective way to lower your impact and help #kickplastic!

The Photarium

I swear I've written about these before...but I searched the blog and I guess I never did. Maybe it was on Facebook or perhaps even a fishing forum, who knows.

Anyway, I've been somewhat intrigued by the concept of these photography tanks (Photariums) for quite some time, probably as long as I've been fishing.

Photo: Wild Fish Conservancy

The benefits are pretty clear. The fish stays in the water allowing you time to observe, measure, and get some pretty good photos of it. I kind of geek out at stuff like that. Would imagine it makes the "Keep 'em Wet" crowd happy too.

In addition to the retail versions available through the Wild Fish Conservancy, there are plenty of homemade versions floating around on blogs and forums if you look hard enough. Heck, one doesn't even have to look that hard, Photariums have even made the rounds on prominent websites from time to time, I've just personally never taken the plunge.

I guess it comes down to price and necessity. You know, the whole, "do I really need it, do I want to spend that much on it, and am I really going to use it?" Even the smallest one from the WFC store runs about $60. Eh, at least I tend to catch small trout.

Nevertheless, I still think they're pretty cool. Maybe I'll finally break down this year.

Or maybe not.

So what do you think about toting around a plexiglass rectangle when you go fishing?

Welcome To The #BoneZone

While he may be "undecided," there's no debate we're all living in Ken Bone's world. 

Pre-photoshop images ruthlessly liberated from HERE, HERE, & HERE.

Rogue Sharks On The Loose...

Was reading this article yesterday written by Jack Harbour in the Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia) and I found the topic of "nuisance" sharks kind of interesting. It was actually about Leonard Malcolmson, a fisherman who spent much of his career disposing of sharks that had created trouble with humans in his local waters.

Leonard Malcolmson  |  Photo: Gold Coast Bulletin

I guess to most people, all sharks are probably considered a nuisance, but with groups such as Ocearch out there studying the behavior of sharks, and their efforts being more widely picked up by the media in the name of conservation, I wonder if these two agendas butt heads?

There were a few good quotes in the article, but this one jumped out at me the most:

These sharks, once they get the idea that human beings can be attacked … they continue to do so until you get rid of them...

It's kind of like that old "once they get a taste for blood" argument that justifies culling in other species of animals once they strike out against humans, whether provoked or not. Happens with all kinds of predators such as alligators, bears, and big cats. Heck, forget predators, it happens to household pets such as dogs.

I'm not one to advocate a "shark hunt," but kind of makes you wonder if Mr. Malcolmson has a point and if there should be the same sort of approach to this sort of thing in the sea as there is on land? Sure, this is Australia, but there have been quite a few shark attacks in my area of Florida this year, don't recall anybody calling Brody or Quint to come take care of them in the days that followed...

Just talking out loud. I'm not certain attempting to remove nuisance sharks would really make the water any safer, as pointed out in this article by Melissa Cronin of Motherboard from last year regarding a similar circumstance in North Carolina, but certainly food for thought (no horrible pun intended).

The New Yorker's Profile of Yvon Chouinard

Patagonia. (The brand, not the land).

Say what you will about it, (I know I have), but the backstory of the man behind the brand, Yvon Chouinard, is a pretty interesting one. For many of you, it's not a new tale, but when my father-in-law emailed me a copy of the following profile from The New Yorker titled "Patagonia's Philosopher-King," I was totally captivated for the ten or so minutes it took to consume.

Perhaps it's because I work in retail. Perhaps it's because I admire people who effect change. Perhaps it's just because he's an interesting, albeit somewhat unassuming character, which may or may not actually be true. Perhaps it's just author Nick Paumgarten's way with words. Perhaps I'm just drinking a tall glass of Fitz Roy-flavored Kool-Aid. 

I don't know. After reading it, all I want to do is get outdoors, fish my tenkara rod, and go save the Earth, not necessarily in that order.

Tenkara Guides LLC Pack It Out Challenge

Some great stuff going on out there on the internet...

The latest angler call-to-action comes from the Tenkara Guides, challenging all of us to "hit your local streams, pack out the trash and win a big prize."

They've set up a Facebook page HERE for you to post your photo/video proof, and there's a huge prize package waiting for the winner valued at over $1000. Contest runs the entire month of September.

Worth checking out, and if so inclined, worth sharing on your social media as well.

National Parks Week: April 16-24

In case you missed it, the National Park System turns 100 later this year, August 25th to be exact. But that doesn't mean you have to wait another 4 months to enjoy the parks. As a matter of fact, next week happens to be "National Parks Week" where all parks will have free admission between the dates of April 16 & 24. You can't beat free!

My family is seriously considering doing a National Park for our summer vacation - Lilly even recently started collecting the National Parks quarters set.

Yes, we'll have to brave the crowds, we just need to choose one that will fit everyone's tastes. Me (hiking & fishing), Lilly (activities for those of short attention span), and K.C. (accommodations within driving distance with air conditioning and no bedbugs). We've been chatting about Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Acadia, & Sequoia, but who knows...

A few weeks ago we took in the IMAX movie "National Parks Adventure" and if you look past the extended Subaru commercial within, it was a great watch. If it's in your area, I'd suggest checking it out. You'll probably get the National Parks bug too.

Friday Dose of Brook Trout

No, not any brook trout I've caught recently...

I'm on the mailing list of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Guess I got on there from purchasing a few seasons worth of New York fishing licenses a few years back when I used to visit the Finger Lakes area regularly...

Anyway, the most recent mailing had two links to some pretty interesting articles about New York brook trout. Worth the time, especially if you're at work and have already mentally "checked out," looking forward to the weekend. (Your secret's safe with me, I won't tell your boss).

The Eastern Brook Trout (Robert Michelson) is an overview of what the brookies are all about...it's not groundbreaking information, but you may learn a new thing or two about this captivating species. The photos are pretty small, but they're also pretty good. You can get a better look at them by downloading the PDF rather than viewing the website.

Bringing Back Brookies (Fiorentino/Stegemann) is more focused on conservation efforts to restore native brook trout habitat in the Adirondacks. Concentrating specifically on Lower Sargent Pond, it's a brief read that provides an overview of the efforts that took place over the past few years to remove non-native fish in order to allow the brook trout to (hopefully) thrive again. Once more, there's a PDF download as well.

Enjoy!

Valley Creek In The News...

Found my old stomping grounds in the news twice over the weekend...

Received my Spring 2016 issue of Trout magazine, (Trout Unlimited's member's only magazine) on Saturday. Page 26 features Valley Creek as a "Trout Adventure Near Cities" which it is. It's also not a secret to any Southeastern Pennsylvania trout angler in search of wild trout, so no reason to freak out that the magazine is "hot-spotting" some secret resource.

Philly.com also ran a piece over the weekend about how the Pennsylvania Turnpike expansion project may put those wild trout at risk. The local chapter of Trout Unlimited have concerns that the steps the Turnpike Commission & Tredyffrin Township plan on taking will not mitigate the additional storm water runoff created by the highway additions. The township actually claims that after they are down there will be less runoff. Both sides are presented fairly, which I like.

For those that don't understand why that is a concern, runoff is basically the rainwater that hits an impermeable surface such as asphalt and can't be absorbed. The introduction of runoff into a waterway can increase its temperature and bring with it any contaminants it picks up along the way (oil, antifreeze, etc...), none of which would be good for the resident trout population.

Neither read is particularly long and actually the Philly.com piece adds additional color to the Trout magazine entry, so if you have access to both, they are good to read in tandem.


I've written about Valley Creek 68 prior times (more than any other waterway). To read previous posts about Valley Creek, including many fishing reports of the beautiful wild brown trout population, click HERE. I'd recommend scrolling down until you find posts from 2013, my last year as a Pennsylvania resident.

A Week of ICAST / IFTD 2015 Recaps Coming...

Starting tomorrow (Sunday), almost a full week of 2015 ICAST / IFTD recap posts will begin here on the blog. Thought I'd take the opportunity to outline what's coming...

Thursday's Iron Fly competition; Michael Schmidt (center) was the eventual champion.

• Sunday - Boats, Kayaks, SUPs, and other floaty things
• Monday - Lunch with L.L. Bean; they fed me, they get their own post...
• Tuesday - Tenkara Tuesday; the best of tenkara at ICAST / IFTD 
• Wednesday - Apparel, Wading, Packs
• Thursday - Rods, Reels, & Randomness
• Friday - BesT! in Show

In the meantime, check out THIS LINK over at Costa Sunglasses. They were at the show (obviously selling sunglasses and apparel into retailers), but also championing the cause in conjunction with Washed Ashore to reduce the use of plastics with the #kickplastic campaign.

The amount of plastic that ends up in the world's oceans is staggering; and to show what that looks like a huge marlin was created and placed in the entryway of the show sculpted exclusively of ocean trash. In addition to water bottles, things like golf balls, flip flops, tooth brushes, shotgun shells, you name it show up in the trash fish...pretty incredible, it really makes you think about your own personal consumption.

Wednesday Nibbles - Apps, Rocks, Daiwas, & Rambles

Welcome to Wednesday Nibbles...the blog post that pulls some fishing randomness together from across the internet in bite sized chunks. A semi-regular feature here, I just so happened to have enough nibbles in my inbox this week that made sense to make a post.

Enjoy...or not...I don't care...well I kind of do...eh, whatever...


Chasing Trout Stocking Trucks Just Got Easier...

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission announced yesterday that they have launched a new smartphone app for anglers that crams a lot of the most popular features of their website into the palm of your hand. The "FishBoatPA" app provides access to navigational tools, trout stocking charts, a fish identification guide, the "My Trophies" section where users can upload pictures, and of course, rules and regulations including details on where to find the closest licensing agent.

The part of the app that I think may be the coolest, but perhaps the most controversial is the "Near Me” feature which uses your phone and GPS to locate and display trout waters within 5, 15, 25 and 50 miles of your current location. I don't think it's going to give away any honey holes, but I could see a lot of people with their panties in a bunch.

Either way, the free app is now available for download for Apple or Android products.


If You Smell What The Rock Is Eatin'...

It's been mentioned quite often as of late that the ocean's fishery is in a rapid state of collapse. I'm not going to debate you on whether it is science or sensationalism, however one thing is clear...if fish stocks are falling at a rapid rate, you can blame it on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Photo courtesy Muscle and Fitness.com

Now of course I'm joking, however an article on the statistic-driven fivethrityeight.com outlined his daily caloric intake. The Rock eats 821 pounds of cod per year to fuel his "rock" physique...which is astonishing...and a ton of fish (well almost half a ton). Wow.


Getting Started In Tenkara...

As a consumer of pretty much everything tenkara, I may have simply missed these videos from Daiwa making the rounds when they were released about two weeks ago. However since they are on a Japanese language site, maybe not. Either way, if you're into the art of telescoping graphite cane poles (like me), these videos are probably worth your time, even if they aren't in English. (Give it a sec, it's a little slow to load...)


This particular video is about reading water, and there is a second video (that I won't embed) which is an intro to tenkara gear - rod, flies, line - and a basic casting stroke.

Note: For some reason I wasn't able to watch these at work...my IT guys are probably on to me...but they worked fine at home. 


Time For Some Blog Love...

As usual, I wrap up an edition of the Nibbles with some blog love...calling out a blog that is either doing something of note, or just worth your time reading (and typically lives in my blogroll). Today's blog love goes out to Rivertop Rambles.

Rivertop Rambles is certainly not a new blog, around since 2011, but I've found myself going back and reading Walt's writing more and more frequently. That's one of the joys of a blog with a history, as a new(er) reader, there's a lot to go back in time and discover.

Topics are varied, with a little bit of everything for the outdoors-minded; if you haven't been a regular reader of Rivertop Rambles, I'm sure you'll find it quite enjoyable.

The St. Johns River Alliance Highlights Shad Alley

Here's a nice video put together by the St. Johns River Alliance about "Shad Alley," the area of Florida I fished earlier this month. It's such a neat spot, the video does a good job showing off the diversity of the St. Johns River.

Plus, it's less than 3 minutes long and well worth the watch.


h/t Capt. Rich Santos

Proposed Changes to Pennsylvania's Delayed Harvest (DHALO) Regulations

I'm headed back up to Pennsylvania toward the end of March. I'm going to try to get some trout fishing in, even though many streams are "closed" for the month for stocking. (I fish some wild trout streams that are not impacted by the closure). Pennsylvania has some confusing rules when it comes to trout waters, including two different "Opening Days," so it's always good to check the latest regulations before getting a line wet at this time of year...

Anyway, as I was doing this, I stumbled upon several people voicing  their displeasure about some potential changes to the PA Fish & Boat Commission's Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO) regulations for 2016. 

Currently, you can fish DHALO waters year-round with flies or artificial lures, with a window of time in the summer that allows you to harvest fish. Otherwise, the water is catch & release only, and as the name indicates, no bait is permitted. The long and short of the changes is would:

• Extend the delayed harvest period by three weeks (earlier)
• Reduce the size requirement to harvest from 9" to 7"
• Allow use of bait during the period, with children under 16 being allowed to use bait year round

The best recap of this whole situation can be found on paflyfish.com.

As you might imagine, there could be a lot of people who probably will not like this change. Especially fly fishers that don't want mouth breathing bait fishers stealing all of the fish from the stream early, ruining the potential for extended season of trout fishing. (I joke of course, I have nothing against fishing with bait). 

Personally, I don't know how I feel. I think I can see the issue from both sides, even the PFBC's who clearly want to open up more fishing opportunities to its paying customers licensed anglers, especially kids. The waters I fish are largely unaffected by the proposed change, so I'm trying to put my feet in the waders of both parties. 

I suppose unless there is some sort of gigantic last minute grassroots campaign (and I'm not advocating one), these changes will be passed mid-this year.

Whatever happens, let's hope if it doesn't work out as expected for all involved, that the PFBC is willing to reverse course for future seasons, restoring what I've always thought were a successful (& generally well received) set of regulations.

Do you fish for trout in Pennsylvania?  

If so, what are your thoughts on the proposed changes?