Rivers of a Lost Coast

Watched this fly fishing documentary awhile ago and it is worth watching.  I am in the process of watching it a second time.  Truly a great film about the loss of what seemed inexhaustible at the time.

Click the link below to watch it.

Rivers of a Lost Coast

The Urgency of Fall

I awoke this morning to see a dusting of snow on the high peaks looming over the coastal town I call home.  The snow makes sense when looking at the calendar but my mind revolts against the very idea that winter is bearing down on us.

The urgency of the season we call Fall is a blur.  A blur because this season happens to be one of the best for outdoor pursuits, especially fishing in the Pacific Northwest.  The remnants of this past summer are still available.  Summer steelhead and saltwater salmon still give us one last taste of the warmer months that seem just like yesterday.  Salmon are now pouring upriver with every rain and high tide.  Sea run cutthroat prowl saltwater beaches and rise to dry flies in the fog draped river valleys.

There are too many options in the Fall.  As I try to decide where to fish later this week I feel an urge that cannot be fulfilled.  I still have places, rivers, and beaches I dreamed of fishing this summer and fall.  Those dreams are burned into my memories and as long as winter stays away I keep the delusion alive that I still have a chance to take advantage of them.  Like an addict I think if only the weather stays dry or the ocean breezes stay mild I could still take advantage of all that the Pacific Northwest offers.  It is a fool's errand.  Winter will eventually arrive.  There is no stopping it's steady march towards our shores.

I will eventually accept the truth and start looking forward to what lies ahead.  I just need another couple weeks.

Appalling Tribal Fishing

"With $20 million invested in the restoration of Tarboo Creek, it is time to allow more salmon to survive the fishing nets, swim up the stream and lay their eggs to produce even more coho and chum salmon.


That's the bottom line for Peter Bahls of Northwest Watershed Institute, along with others who have worked hard for 10 years to make Tarboo Creek more hospitable for salmon. But Bahls worries that all the efforts to restore the Hood Canal stream in Jefferson County will be for naught if current harvesting practices continue."

The rest of the story is below:

Concerns Raised Over Tarboo Creek Salmon
A Salmon Stream Worth Protecting
Salmon Must Survive To Swim Up Little Streams Too

Truly a shameful chapter in harvest management that almost all of the user groups, including the majority of the tribal co-managers, agree with a simple rule change that would protect this small population but one tribe can override it all.

How is this stewardship?

The Last Days

This summer seems to be winding down.  It's been a great summer to return to the Pacific Northwest after a long absence.  Coming from the brown desert to the lush green of the Olympic Peninsula has been fantastic.  Getting back to coastal fishing has been a blast.  It seems like I've fished far less but every trip has been savored.  I almost forgot about the diversity available here.  From ocean salmon fishing, rainforest steelhead, sea-run cutthroat and resident rainbows it has been a summer to remember.  It's been great to run into a few native fish, especially the native summer runs.  I missed that connection to the past while chasing browns in the Rockies.  I know soon the rivers will be filled with runoff, salmon and then the beginning of the winter steelhead run.

Not only has this summer been good to me in the fishing department, but growing a garden has only added to the connection I feel to this place.  We've been enjoying fresh food for a couple months now, but one can also sense the change of seasons in the garden, although it feels like a quicker end.  We'll soon be planting overwintering crops and flower bulbs awaiting the first warmth of spring to give us a colorful reminder of another summer to come. 

A couple days coming up to fish and the question is one that confuses all fall fishermen in the northwest.  What the hell do I fish for?  I think it may be an all of the above trip. 

Feels Just Right

Finally have put stakes back down in the Pacific Northwest. It just feels right to be back after a long absence (September 2005).


It's always interesting how people determine what defines "home." For me, it seems the draw has always been the place, and the Pacific Northwest just feels right. After 15 years of living in one area, I guess it's normal to feel connected to the area. 4 years away does little to make that feeling go away. Of course, Central Oregon is different from Western Washington but a desert river with steelhead, salmon, and native trout beats a desert river with foreign brown trout. While the NW fisheries have been so damaged by hatcheries, one can still find native fish in their proper place, not just found in a few high mountain lakes and streams.

I look forward to exploring new areas and of course spending some time relearning fly fishing for steelhead. My few trips so far have been a lot of fun, of course without touching any steelhead. The lack of fish has not been without rewards though. The smells and sounds of the river are always a treat. From the juniper and sage along the river trail to the odor of rotting salmon resting along the river bank after hopefully having a successful spawn to create the next generation.

I've been watching the river flows for my favorite coastal river, and it looks like anything I learned about the river last February will be worthless, as the massive flows will wipe the slate clean and make each trip this winter a scouting trip. What's strange is that this is exactly what I love most about this stream and I look forward to tromping through the tangle of stream side brush with the ground covered with a new layer of glacial mud.

This blog will serve as a sounding board for me. I will post about fishing, tying, conservation, and basically any random thing I feel like.