About the worst thing that can happen to a parent has happened to Mike at Mike’s Gone Fishing, and I’d consider it a favor if the Undergrounders dropped by his site and left some kind words. (link fixed)
He’s one of us.
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“Who’s On First” Batten Kill Stocking Story Not Over
I reported (two posts down) that the restoration efforts on the Batten Kill were going to proceed without state stocking of rainbow trout (further stressing an already pressured fish population in marginal habitat).
If you’re not current on this story, several organizations (including Trout Unlimited and Orvis) were funding habitat restoration efforts on the river when the Vermont Fish & Wildlife service announced plans to stock 1000 sterile rainbow trout for catch & kill purposes (the river is C&R).
Restoration on the Batten Kill should continue without stocking of rainbow trout.
Orvis threatened to withdraw the remainder of its $100,000 habitat restoration contribution if the river wasn’t managed for wild trout, and after a public meeting where comments ran 5-1 against stocking, the stocking plan looked dead in the water.
Still, the final decision won’t be made until October 21, and Wayne Laroch – Commissioner of Vermont Fish & Wildlife – said “The possibility of stocking is slim.”
Slim?! For now, we’ll take that as a good sign, but we’ll keep an eye on the thing.
Nowadays you can’t take your eyes off a good wild trout population for fear you’ll go there one day and discover someone has smashed the passenger side window and stolen the wild trout “radio” out from under your nose…
[tags]Batten Kill, restoration, Orvis[/tags]
Are there trout in hell? We find out this weekend…
Dust off the asbestos waders, it’s hot up here! Forecasts are calling for temps in the 100+ neighborhood (that’ s not a good neighborhood), and reports from the river suggest our “morning and night” pattern might be going into suspended animation. Chris Raine reports few bugs on his usually reliable evening spots. The lakes, baby. Lakes.
Whining seen on Internet. Who could have guessed?
Larry Tullis recently posted a note on the Fly Fishermen board bemoaning the state of fly fishing publishing today. I picked up on the thread via the irreverent Ass Hooked Whitey blog, the writer of which seems to have a better grasp of the state of publishing than Mr. Tullis. I posted a response on page 2 of the thread, but all the whining by “insiders” aside, it did force me to look at my reasons for writing the Trout Underground – and why I’m sinking my energy into it instead of the essay book I first considered writing.
Honestly, I believe our small-but-passionate community of fanatics is the key. I may still write that essay book, but I get a kick out of every comment and post that goes up here. Where else would I get to trade posts and comments with the likes of Ian Rutter, Sully, etc, while avoiding the “cesspool of content” clogging the message boards? Enough said.
And now, fishing.
I’m not making any promises, but I’ve got three fishing plans in the hopper. There are the ever-aggressive smallies on Lake Siskiyou (a pleasant float tube evening), a couple hike-in alpine lakes, and a river-based long-shot that I am not going to tell you about here. If it pays off, it pays off big.
The hot weather really tends to limit your choices, but it’s no reason to stand on the brakes. Get out and fish.
Today’s Underground Entertainment
To see what a real fishercreature looks like (one that doesn’t need split shot or high modulus graphite), simply visit our friends at GetOutdoors and watch bears catch salmon after salmon – live on the the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary live WebCam.
Finally, do you love mosquitos? No? GetOutdoors provides us with information that mosquitos might love you because of your genes (the kind your parents gave you, not the pants). Comforting to know that – even as the little bloodsuckers infest you with West Nile virus – it’s one more thing you can blame on your parents… See you somewhere cooler, Tom Chandler
The Trout Underground Writer Quiz…
The Trout Underground began life as a fishing report on Chris Raine’s uppersac.com Web site, but Chris quickly figured out that a fishing report actually encourages people to fish “his” river, which was the last thing he wanted.
So he turned uppersac.com over to me, and I quickly built the Trout Underground. I wanted a more literate take on the traditional fishing report – a sort of sideways look at the fly fishing life instead of the endless “how-to” that seemingly obscures the fly fishing experience for so many.
Hopefully, if you read the Trout Underground, you’re looking for more than hints about which fly to use next weekend. And while you’ll get a bit of that here, you won’t get it for free…
Time to write, my pretties.
I want to know who your favorite fly fishing writers are. And I want to know why. What I don’t want are those stupid “message-board” lists where you throw out the first five names that leap to mind and leave it at that. That’s cowardice.
Pick one (two tops). And tell us – in a short paragraph or two – why they’re your favorite. They must have touched you. They must mean something. Fill us in. I’ll even go first.
Thomas McGuane. Of all the fly fishing writers, no one heaps so much meaning on the backs of so few words as McGuane, and yet he does so without ever sacrificing a clear point of view. His prose is tightly written, brilliantly outlined and expansively detailed. He might as well be painting images across the page instead of sentences and paragraphs.
His remarks at the front of “The Longest Silence” crystallized my thinking about the state of contemporary fly fishing and moved me to found the Trout Underground.
John Gierach. My bonus pick is John Gierach. Sure, I love his ability to pick two unconnected ideas out of the air and then render them inseparable, but he’s truly a favorite because he demonstrated possibility to me at a time when I needed to know I had choices beyond my unhappy urban existence.
I didn’t necessarily need to move to a remote town and become a trout bum, but he did it, and maybe I could move to a remote town and just fish a lot. He’s a good read, and when somebody’s writing affects your life choices, then he’s gotta make the list. Gotta.
Your turn.
For tonight’s Underground Entertainment, consider guide Ian Rutter’s fishing report, where he’s posted an extremely rare photo of himself actually working (rowing) instead of walking around the Smokies and pointing (which he’ll try to convince you is work). Slacker.
Then there’s the GetOutdoors blog, which reports the US Forest Service believes your average distance from a road in the lower 48 is on the order of 12.5 miles. No wonder all the good water’s fished out…
Then more from Blogfish about small floating islands which filter pollution. I can think of a few waters which could use a few of these (and maybe houses too). And lord knows I’d love to get one capable of following Wally the Wonderdog around… See you on an island, Tom Chandler.
The Monday Zombie Report.
The Upper Sac appears to be fishing very well, and damnit, tonight I’m finding out for myself. During my lastest work binge I’ve been hearing reports from others about the fishing. Not an altogether pleasant sensation, but one I’m rectifying tonight. The big decision seems to be this: hunting big fish with the Golden Stone, or chasing numbers with the Pink Albert?
It’s been an interesting work binge, with the inevitable result that today I’m staring at the screen like a zombie on downers. Ian’s even breathing down my neck to finish a joint project, so this will be necessarily short. (Don’t complain – you got a bonus leader post from Sully.)
Today’s Underground Entertainment is good stuff. First, the always interesting MidCurrent points us towards an incredibly, deeply, wildly interesting interview with Thomas McGuane at New West magazine (an incredibly, deeply, wildly interesting online magazine). McGuane’s my favorite fly fishing writer (and fly fishing writers will be the subject of an upcoming Underground Quiz); he’s an interesting character and we’re really entering must-read territory here. So read it.
Lately I’ve been adding RSS feeds to my new reader, and one of the best additions has been the Blogfish conservation blog. His latest post concerns the ongoing Klamath River salmon nightmare and the involvement of some major political figures in it.
I got that working feelin’…
I’d love to write about the big fish I landed the last two nights (since my Wednesday night foray), but in truth I’ve been in work-related hibernation the last few days, and haven’t yet come up for air. Like any self-employed person, I’m prone to periodic bouts of insecurity based on the idea that if you’re not constantly moving forward, then you’re moving backwards.
Thus, the mad dash to finish a couple of big Web projects, and to write a new marketing manifesto for my consulting biz. My old freelance copywriter site was pretty but hugely dated, so I’ve opted for a minimalist, copy-oriented look in my new site. It isn’t finished, but interested Underground readers can get a sneak preview at Chandlerwrites.com.
Then there’s my brand-new copywriting/marketing blog, the name of which you’ll find eerily familiar: The Writer Underground. Given the blog format, it’s more familiar ground for my readers. (Feel free to pass both links along to any marketing directors you know.)
As for the fishing, it’s still quite good, but perhaps falling off the peak of the last two weeks. Chris Raine had a slow night last night (damned few bugs) and Wayne Eng mentioned that the daytime fishing was getting a little tough. There’s still hope I’m going to get out tonight, and if I do, expect words tomorrow.
In the absence of useful fishing information, I’d direct you to Ian Rutter’s site since for him, working and fishing amount to almost the same thing… See you on the river (we hope), Tom Chandler
My life as a fly fishing cooler…
I’m on a backcountry jag lately, but the reward has been largely scenery-based. My two alpine lakes have produced exactly one fish (which should lead you to an obvious conclusion about yesterday’s trip to Toad Lake). Didn’t get on the water until late afternoon, but it looked interesting. A handful of Callibaetis littered the surface, and midges were teeming. What was missing were rising fish; one would show on the surface very couple of minutes, but sporadically.
The lake standby; the Callibaetis mayfly.
This time I had my float tube, and did what I always do on a new lake; rig up a #14 Hares Ear Soft hackle and take a quick tour of the lake, looking for rocks, shelves, drop-offs and (especially) weed beds. Normally, by the time the tour’s over I’ve had a grab or two, and – given the mayflies on the surface and the expansive number of mayfly shucks still in the surface film – I figured the fish would be looking for the Hare’s Ear.
I figured wrong.
I switched to a small leech, then a dark wet fly, and as my all-too-short 2.5 hours on the lake drew to an end, a Griffith’s Gnat (found two quietly rising fish in a corner), and finally a midge pupa. The number of mayfly shucks in the windlblown parts of the lake was truly impressive, and I wish I’d been on the scene when the meat of the hatch was coming off.
Still, I wasn’t, and the scenery was wonderful, and the company was excellent (the L&T Nancy and the Wonderdog were also there), and we even got to see Mt. Shasta’s fireworks display from a high ridge overlooking the entire town. I fished that Steffen 8.5′ fiberglass rod, and a few fish would have been a nice test for the rod, but it still was a far, far better way to spend the Fourth than hanging around a tourist-clogged town.
Welcome to Toad Lake. Trees, water, and fish smarter than I am.
Meet the new Cooler…
While I’ve been reconnoitering the alpine lakes and fishing a small stream (and catching very few fish), the rest of the Underground Irregulars have been having a party on the McCloud and Upper Sac. Chris Raine’s back from his road trip to some of the West’s premier rivers and having more fun on this river (catching fish like the colorful speciment below). Tonight, damnit, I’m joining him.
Seems like it my year to fill the role of “cooler” – that gambling legend where someone’s bad luck is pervasive enough that he could “cool” the hot hand of any one at the table. I’ve been cooling the “hot” bite almost everywhere I’ve gone this year, and I’ve decided that ends tonight. And maybe Thursday night too.
A pretty 16″ speciment whose colors really light up with Chris’ flash. (Chris Raine fish and photo)
Other News…
Ian Rutter has posted a new fishing report, including his account about running into a rattlesnake. Carp on the fly posts a picture of a 20 lb carp, a beast of a fish that would kick your butt no matter you caught him on.
I’m off to get some work done before tonight’s rager on the river. As always, post whatever’s on your mind, and I’ll let you konw what happened… See you on the river, Tom Chandler.
The Trout Underground turns 10,000…
Moving on Up…
A couple nights ago, someone (somewhere) clicked a mouse, and the Trout Underground had its first 10,000+ visit month (by the end of today, it will be closer to our first 11,000 visit month). In the larger Internet sense that’s pocket change, but it’s certainly enough to blow my ego all out of proportion (fortunately, the trout keep me humble). What’s interesting are the number of overseas visitors; I’m posting from the side of a volcano in a tiny town in the mountains of Northern California, and the idea that people are reading it many, many time zones away just knocks my socks off.
Fly fishing blogs are popping up all over the Internet, but many offer precious little original content. Here, the idea remains that fly fishing is supposed to be fun, and that other folks might have fun sitting in on the adventures of a truly mediocre fly fisher (and his friends) who happens to write for a living.
Add a Comment. Make a Writer Happy.
I truly enjoy the comments posted on the blog, and would urge others to add their voice. I’d love to see an online community evolve that manages to avoid the animosity and low signal/noise ratio of the fly fishing message boards I’ve visited, but rarely re-visit.
It’s been a good ride and fortunately, I’m still enjoying it. I first started posting fishing reports/entries better than two years ago, though I only moved to blog software earlier this year. Along the way, I hope readers learned a little something, and (most importantly) had a good time. The number of visitors to the Underground continues to grow, and I want to thank everyone who stops by and hangs out for even a few minutes.
See you having fun on the river, Tom Chandler.
Honk if you like water…
My brother called and said I sounded a little beat up in my last couple posts, so in response, today is Good News Friday! (Well, we’ve got some Stupid News too, but at least that’s fun).
Like Water for Money…
Meant to post this one a couple days ago but it got lost in the shuffle; another judge has handed corporate giant Nestle their ass in the ongoing legal dispute over Nestle’s rapacious deal for McCloud’s water. This was a pretty heinous example of a corporation taking advantage of a small town – even to the point that Nestle supplied the lawyer that “evaluated” the contract for McCloud. Without going into extensive detail, the deal was rushed through by a small committee in McCloud without public review, and it turned out to be a real hummer. Glad to see it go.
All That Glitters is Probably Expensive…
For those with way more money than what my parents would call “common sense” we offer the following story about bejeweled flies that some yutz actually fished. As much as you have to admire conspicious consumption, I get cranky when I lose a fly built with $0.62 worth of materials, so there’s little chance I’ll be ordering any of these soon…
Fun Blog…
If you’re bored and are interested in non-fly fishing blogs, here’s one from Florida that was humorous and fun. Visit Hornetbear here.
Fishing Fun
Looks like a couple fishing opportunities for me over the weekend. Tonight might find the exhaused, L&T Nancy and I up at a local lake, and over the weekend we’re looking at our hike-in-to-a-remote-lake opportunities. Life is good.
I’ve got one more bit of good news, but I’m writing it up now and posting it later today. Enjoy Good News Friday, no matter how you spend it. See you on the river, Tom Chandler
The world through rental eyes…
Everybody has their weak spots, and lately, mine seems to be getting a good night’s sleep. As anyone with a real knack for insomnia can tell you, around day three, things start looking pretty surreal, almost as if you were viewing the world through a pair of abused rental eyes working in concert with a head filled with warm dishwater. With this as a background, I didn’t fish Saturday and Sunday, preferring to let the crowds of fishermen fight the heat while I chased sleep. Sleep, hmmmmmmmm.
Today at least, the world no longer feels like it’s tilted permenantly downhill away from me, and I feel good (almost normal, or at least as close as I get). This evening I’ll be fishing. Naturally, as soon as the river falls to fishable levels the hellish temperatures descend on us, but I was lucky enough to enjoy a couple nights of fishing on the seam between the two.
Temps in Dunsmuir have exceeded 100 degrees, but because of the mountains, it always cools down at night. I’m guessing the fishing will soon fall into the morning and evening routine that defines the Upper Sac during warm weather, and those with daytime aspirations will do well to find the most oxygenated water on the menu.
There’s plenty more below, so today’s Underground Entertainment is limited to a couple entries. First, MidCurrent brings us a story about Grand Lake Stream – that little slice of Maine where I go every year (looks like September this year). The Fly Fishing Yellowstone blog tells us that the stoneflies are descending in numbers in that part of the country. Then – via Collateral Damage – comes a story of Southern California pelicans suspected of flying under the influence (yup). Finally, Ian Rutter overcomes the Web problems he’s been having and posts a couple of reports on fishing in his very pretty part of the country…
The Raine Road Trip enters Gierach Territory
With Chris Raine rolling ever closer to the Colorado Springs, he’s apparently now passing through John Gierach territory – that bit around Lyons immortalized in Gierach’s numerous essays. Thankfully, Jack Raine’s good with a cell phone camera and we’ve got more pictures of a part of the country you’re probably familiar with if you’ve ever read much Gierach (and who hasn’t). Enjoy!
A beaver dam on the St. Vrain. Pretty, but no fish for Chris. (J. Raine photo)
A nice rainbow from the Big Thompson – one of three that Chris & Jack caught. (J. Raine photo)
Bamboo rod builder Mike Clark outside his shop in Lyons. (Mike, try another swig of coffee – you don’t look so happy.) (J. Raine photo)
Another reference to the happy hot dog, though this one by an ethnic group (the Vikings) not known for their tube steaks. No word as to whether slaw dogs are on the menu. (J. Raine photo)
Runs On
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