South Dakota "Atlantic" Salmon?

The barrage of daily emails can sometimes be overwhelming. I really need to hit the "unsubscribe" button rather than just automatically delete the messages that show up in my inbox each day. Most of them are just trying to sell me things, but sometimes you see one that stops you in your tracks...

GFP News: Atlantic Salmon Trial Enters Final Phase

Looks interesting right? It's especially novel considering it was sent from South Dakota Game, Fish, & Parks. (I receive their emails because I bought a fishing license while on vacation there in 2016.)

Image: Finygo.com

Now... I'm no expert, but something tells me that Atlantic salmon and South Dakota really shouldn't go together. I mean there's no way for the fish to naturally get there. This is not a case of re-establishing a native species. I even double checked a map...

In reading this email release, it appears that 86% of South Dakotans polled are in favor of stocking Atlantic Salmon in Lake Oahe, a 370,000-acre man-made reservoir just about smack-dab in the middle of the state. 

Evidently, Chinook (King) salmon which also don't naturally belong in South Dakota, have been stocked in Lake Oahe since the mid-1980s.

Perhaps this is just an innocent way to get more unique sport fish in the water. Is it something that needs to be reviewed more closely as a large-scale case of "bucket biology?" Or should we not care since this already goes on in the Great Lakes and this particular large body of water is not exactly natural to begin with?

Beats me. I'm personally not a huge fan of putting any non-native species where it doesn't belong, at least in this day and age. Over the past 200 or so years a ton of that has been done in the United States, particularly out West, but does it need to continue happening? There always seems to be unintended consequences.

On the flip side, I'm sure the local anglers would benefit, and perhaps the State would as well from the sale of Atlantic Salmon stamps or special licensing fees. I really am not educated at all on South Dakota game & fish politics or policies to make an educated statement.

I tried to look for any online feedback, positive or negative, and the most I could find was a few comments on the article on the SDGFP's Facebook page. Unfortunately, they were all about people debating a deer tag issue (no clue) and using this topic to create an analogy to push their agenda forward. So really, I found nothing.

Well, that's a lie, I found this video from 2014:

I did happen to send a note via email to SDGFP to ask them why they feel they need Atlantic salmon in South Dakota. Will be interested to see if I get a reply.

In the end, they're going to do what they're going to do. I just found the whole concept of South Dakota Atlantic salmon interesting. Thought you might as well.

Artful Profiles of Trout, Char, and Salmon, and the Classic Flies That Catch Them

This past Friday was kind of a pretty awesome mail day. I've been patiently waiting for my copy of Dave & Emily Whitlock's "Artful Profiles of Trout, Char, and Salmon" to arrive at my doorstep, and guess what greeted me once I got home from work...

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Dave Whitlock's overall body of work... it sure would be hard not to if you're even a casual fly angler. Well, with an initial paging through this latest book, the contents far exceed my expectations. Such wonderful illustrations within, I can't wait to get some downtime this upcoming week and really soak in the pictures and complete text.

And the best part... and I know I'm not special or anything because this is pretty standard for Mr. Whitlock... I've been on a kick recently where if I have the opportunity to have the fishing books that I purchase signed by the authors, I try my best to take advantage. Well, this one is no exception. And just like when he signs his prints, Dave always adds a little something extra to each signature. Love it!

Chums...

No, not these...

Image Courtesy: The Columbian

Although those chums or "dog" salmon are pretty interesting to look at. Total sidenote, if you dig salmon, the Meateater podcast on the various Alaskan species back in April was a great listen...

Anyway, when I'm talking Chums, I really mean the accessories company. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can find their website HERE.

See, almost a decade ago, I bought a nylon wallet they used to make during one of my long meanders through a Bass Pro Shops. I still use that wallet today... as it pretty much looks the same as when I bought it, with nary a fray or loose thread.

This is in stark contrast to all the brandless billfolds I used to pretty much destroy every year or two toting too much randomness in my back pocket just like George Constanza.


Okay, so let's bring this full circle. Looking at my wallet the other night, I randomly thought I'd pay the Chums website a visit... and I was rather surprised to find so much cool, fishy stuff, I thought I'd share.

First off, should I ever decide to replace my wallet, they've got an artist Andy Earl inspired "surfshort wallet" that would certainly the talk of any fly shop checkout line.

I mean how cool is that thing? And it's actually part of a whole collection of products...

But even more interesting is all of the waterproof stuff an angler might use, called their "Storm Series". Two rolltop pouches for cell phone/valuables, and two rolltop packs that can be worn as shoulder or waist packs. The stuff looks serious...

Oh, and they'll keep your snacks dry too!


I should probably make it clear, Chums didn't contact me to write this post. I've received no free gear or other compensation. I'm just geeking out that I didn't realize that the company that made my bombproof wallet years ago, also makes all these other cool accessories I could use on the stream.

Anyway, may be worth checking out if you're in the market for any of this stuff... And as a bag junkie, they've definitely piqued my interest in the Storm Series...

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Fishing Fitness Footnotes:

• Date: 6/6/2018
• Current weight: 205 lbs ( -11 since start)
• Current waist size: Bought a pair of size 36 jeans and they don't suck. (Orig 38)
• Today: Walked around the neighborhood after dinner with K.C.
• Misc: Did a 14-mile light bike ride last Saturday, and a 6-mile walk last Sunday

Wandering Around The Willamette Fish Hatchery

On Sunday afternoon, driving back from a third straight day of fishing, I decided to make a small detour and see what was down the "Fish Hatchery Road" I'd kept passing all weekend. Set back a little bit from Route 58 in Oakridge, I found the Willamette Fish Hatchery... and well, I was pleasantly surprised with what I encountered.

Before we get to the fish, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has clearly set up the Willamette Fish Hatchery as an educational destination. The kind of place you could take kids (especially small ones) and easily spend half a day.

There's a very nice picnic area...

Wonderful landscaping and sculpture...

Educational mini golf (no, that's not a typo)...

Upland bird exhibits...

And a small museum speaking to Oregon wildlife and the history of the hatchery...

And then there were fish. Lots and lots of fish. Starting immediately across from the museum were two large swimming pool sized pens. They held some nice sized trout (that were noted for show, not stocking) as well as some big sturgeon. I'm not sure I've ever seen a sturgeon before, they were freaking huge!

Up next were the trout ponds. which consisted of about 10 raceways placed side by side. They were full of rainbow trout of various sizes.

A bit of a walk led to the main hatchery building and the salmon ponds. There had to be at least 40 individual ponds, and they were all filled with fingerling sized salmon. It was a sight to see, so many fish in one place, quite remarkable.

According to a brochure I picked up, "The salmon hatchery was established in 1911 to compensate for the loss of spawning and rearing areas in the middle fork of the Willamette River. Willamette Hatchery, in conjunction with other state-operated fish hatcheries, releases over five million spring Chinook salmon smolts annually into the Willamette River and its tributaries."

Saving perhaps the best for last, tucked behind the main hatchery building are the adult salmon holding ponds. Accessible from a viewing platform, this heavily secured area holds dozens of full-sized Spring Chinook salmon. These fish were collected and brought here, where later this Fall, the staff will collect the eggs & sperm from the adults to fertilize eggs to be incubated in the hatchery building. Each female salmon will yield approximately 4000 eggs.

Whether you're a fan or not of hatchery-raised fish, this little trip to the Willamette Fish Hatchery was an interesting and educational detour. I feel like I left understanding a little bit more than I knew about Oregon's fish and wildlife than I did prior to arrival. Plus, the grounds are really quite beautiful to walk through. With so much to offer, it's definitely worth a few hours of your time if you happen to be in the area.

For more info:

Willamette Fish Hatchery: 

https://myodfw.com/willamette-hatchery-visitors-guide

76389 Fish Hatchery Road

Oakridge, OR 97463

(541) 782-2933

Guided Getaway

Wow, can finally exhale. The last month or two has been a total blur. When you're employed in sports, major events like "The Big Game," create a lot of extra work in the weeks that lead up - in other words, working day and night rather than enjoying life and writing silly blog posts. But with an epic 25 point comeback in the rearview, let's talk fishing...

I know I could sure use an escape right about now. How about North to Alaska? That certainly sounds fun. Fortunately, friend-of-the-blog Paul Vertrees is hosting the FIRST EVER professionally guided tenkara trip to Alaska! According to Paul, here's the skinny:

Sunday, June 11, 2017 through Saturday, June 17, 2017

"Our guide service, Royal Gorge Anglers in Cañon City, has partnered with Intricate Bay Lodge on Lake Iliamna, Alaska, to offer a six-day, six-night lodge-based tenkara experience in the Lake Iliamna area.  This region is famous for its trophy arctic grayling and rainbow trout during June each year.  I could write pages about this area and how beautiful it is, how perfect it is for targeting bigger fish with tenkara, and how great the fishing is, but instead I’ll refer you to Intricate Bay Lodge’s website (see the "Combo Trip") so you can see for yourself and so you can get an idea of what the accommodations are like.  All I can say is that there is NO OTHER guided tenkara trip like this anywhere on Planet Earth!  Of course, you’re more than welcome to pick up a 6-wt western fly rod and have at it if you like!"

(Related aside: Paul is also a regular contributor to Tenkara Angler magazine, having written a great article about tenkara in Alaska in last Fall's issue).

Now as much as I'd like to go to Alaska with Paul and a bunch of tenkara rods in hand, I know I won't be able to this year due to other commitments in early June, however, this sounds incredible. My loss is your gain, I hear spots are limited, so if you're interested, you may want to look into it.

As for me, maybe Owl Jones will have me back up in North Georgia to go chase some trout in the not too distant future. We'll see...