It was gratifying to see the Friday night broadcast of Trout Unlimited's "On The Rise" episode - the one
focused on the McCloud River and Nestle Waters of North America's cavalier approach to the water. (The show is being re-broadcast Saturday 2/14 at 1pm PST.)
Regular Undergrounders know of my
distaste for Nestle Waters, their predatory approach to small towns, and their apparent lack of concern for the McCloud River.
And yes, it's clear to me the McCloud River is a favorite among my readers (soneone said if the McCloud's not a favorite, it's because you haven't fished it yet).
Curtis Knight of
CalTrout filled the early part of the show deftly outlining the threats to the river, and yes, I made an appearance in the last segment, where I
successfully didn't soil myself.
In fact viewers were treated to an inside view of the the Underground's Brown Trout Mobile (the slowly deteriorating brown Bronco), and you probably also got a good glimpse of the river, which - as host (and
new daddy) Frank Smethurst put it - was still somewhat TU (totally unfishable).
ThoughtsThe show did an excellent job covering the threat to the river, and maybe now you know why CalTrout's Curtis Knight is an Underground favorite.
The show would be a ton more fun if they'd broadcast some of the interaction between the crew and Smethhurst. It's pure guys-on-a-fishing-trip entertainment, even if it doesn't fit into the show's format.
From a purely personal perspective, it's a glimpse back into time - a look at a couple months and a couple pounds ago, on a river that you can't legally fish right now.
I hope this places a little more pressure on Nestle to start playing fair with rural towns, and while it's a small victory, it's a shame that every town facing Nestle can't get its own TV show (interesting fun fact: Nestle is the most-boycotted corporation in the world).
Now that my brief broadcast career is over, see you back on the river, Tom Chandler.