Indholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2020 i Fly Fisherman

SMALL FISH CAN BE CAPTIVATING, AND A NATIVE EASTERN BROOK TROUT MIGHT BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SALMONID YOU EVER HOLD IN YOUR HAND. AS HENRY RAMSAY POINTS OUT IN HIS STORY “A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE” (PAGE 44), THE MOST WORTHWHILE FISHING IN PENNSYLVANIA IS LIKELY IN TINY HEADWATER STREAMS FAR FROM THE TRAILHEADS WHERE YOU’LL EVADE THE REST OF HUMANITY, AND FIND VESTIGE POPULATIONS OF GREEN, LAVENDER, AND CRIMSON SALVELINUS FONTINALIS OR BRIGHTLY COLORED WILD BROWN TROUT. THESE SPARKLING STREAMS DEEP INSIDE STATE FORESTS AND DESIGNATED WILDERNESS AREAS ARE CLASS A WILD TROUT STREAMS, WHICH MEANS BY DEFINITION THE STATE CANNOT POLLUTE THEM WITH STOCKED TROUT OF ANY KIND. Although we are all rooted by small streams, short casts, and small fish, it’s also fascinating to discover the…

THE MAHAKALI RIVER, ALSO COLLOQUIALLY REFERRED TO AS THE KALI RIVER, DEFINES THE BORDER BETWEEN WESTERN NEPAL AND NORTHERN INDIA. A BROAD, CREAMY-GREEN RIPARIAN GEM, THE RIVER IS NOT ONLY HOME TO A THRIVING POPULATION OF THE PRIZED GAMEFISH GOLDEN MAHSEER, BUT IS ALSO THE FOCUS OF A 1996 TREATY BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. THE TREATY OUTLINES THE PANCHESHWAR PROJECT, A JOINT INDIA-NEPAL VISION TO CONSTRUCT THE WORLD’S HIGHEST DAM, WHICH WOULD TOWER AT 311 METERS. CONSTRUCTION HAS ALREADY BEGUN, AND WHEN COMPLETE, WILL DISPLACE 30,000 VILLAGERS AND 62 TERRACED FARMING COMMUNITIES IN INDIA ALONE. THESE HAMLETS JOINED A HINDU TEMPLE NEAR THEIR NEW HOME 1,000 FEET UNDERWATER. The Sarayu River winds through miles of verdant forest, terraced farms, and steep canyon walls, as it courses through India on its…

PUBLIC COMMENT ON DAM REMOVAL In 2016 a U.S. District Court judge ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restore Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead, and specifically to consider dam removal and climate change in a plan for recovery. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bonneville Power Administration are responding with a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Columbia River Basin, expected in early spring 2020. Following the release of the draft EIS, there will be a 45-day public comment period. A focus of the EIS will be the lethal warmwater reservoirs created by the four lower Snake River dams. The outcome of the EIS will affect some of the West’s most historic steel-head rivers, including Snake River tributaries like the Grande Ronde…

THE HEXAGENIA OR HEX HATCH OCCURS IN LATE EVENING AND LASTS UNTIL DARK. THESE LARGE MAYFLIES SWIM FROM THE MUD FLOOR OF THE LAKE, RISE TO THE SURFACE, HATCH FROM THEIR EXOSKELETONS, BEAT THEIR WINGS, AND TRY TO FLY AWAY BEFORE BEING EATEN. IT’S A LITTLE BIT LIKE A DAY AT THE BEACH WHEN JAWS SHOWS UP. SUDDENLY NOBODY WANTS TO BE IN THE WATER. At Lake Almanor, the Hex hatch creates a feeding frenzy among rainbow and brown trout that are measured in pounds, not inches, but that doesn’t mean the fishing is easy. One night after fishing the Hex hatch on Lake Almanor, one of my guests handed me a good tip while saying, “Thanks for all your help, and thanks for not laughing at me.” It was…

IT’S NO SECRET THAT I AM INSPIRED BY GREAT MATERIALS, WHETHER IT’S A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF DEER OR ELK HAIR, AN EXCITING NEW DUBBING BLEND, OR A PATCH OF FEATHERS. SOME MATERIALS JUST BEG TO BE USED, AND IT’S MY JOB TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEST USE THEM. When I first encountered Whiting Farms coq de León hen saddles, I was blown away by their outstanding mottling, perfect shape, huge color range, and extreme webbiness. These hen feathers share no traits with the long, stiff, glassy fibered feathers from coq de León roosters. Coq de León hen saddles are about three or four times the size of Indian hen saddles, and the feathers themselves are much larger as well. The longer length of the fibers makes them a lot…

NO FLY ZONE I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the article “No Fly Zone” by Joe Mahler in the February-March 2020 issue. In a magazine packed with great articles, this one really stood out. It seems as though every time I’m fortunate enough to find something written by Mahler, I leave with real-world applicable knowledge that can be immediately put to work on the water. His ability to explain difficult concepts in such a clear, concise way is unparalleled in the fly-fishing world. Any chance we can start seeing lots more from him? JOE SLAVOSKI MONUMENT, COLORADO CLEAR THE LANES Joe Mahler’s suggestions on how to share the casting lanes in a boat were great. I am a member of the Queen City Anglers Guild, and one of…

HUCHO TAIMEN CAN REACH SIX FEET IN LENGTH, AND WEIGH MORE THAN 150 POUNDS. JUST THOSE TWO MEASUREMENTS ALONE TELL YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHY MY FRIEND ILYA SHERBOVICH AND I HAVE SPENT THE BETTER PART OF TWO DECADES SEARCHING FOR THESE INCREDIBLE SALMONIDS. THEY ARE THE LARGEST MEMBERS OF A FAMILY THAT INCLUDES PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC SALMON, CHAR, AND ALL THE TROUT SPECIES. Sherbovich, the owner of the Ponoi River Company, first got the itch for taimen after a trip to northeast Siberia in July 2002. Two years later, I stumbled into the picture. While we were sitting on the Ponoi River on the Kola Peninsula, Sherbovich invited me to join his next big expedition. Little did we know that this would be the start of…

A LOYALSOCK S.F. B PINCHOT S.F. C SPROUL S.F. D SUSQUEHANNOCK S.F. E TIADAGHTON S.F. F TIOGA STATE S.F. G TUSCARORA S.F. H WEISER S.F. POINTS OF INTEREST ALGERINE WILD AREA ASAPH WILD AREA BURNS RUN WILD AREA HAMMERSLEY WILD AREA HICKORY RUN STATE PARK RICKETTS GLEN STATE PARK For detailed maps of Pennsylvania state forests, visit: www.dcnr.pa.gov For the Pennsylvania blue-line interactive map, visit: www.fishandboat.com…

IN 1992 I WAS 18 YEARS OLD AND WORKING AS A BELL CAPTAIN AT LEONA HELMSLEY’S SOUTH LIDO KEY FLORIDA BEACH RESORT, CALLED THE HARLEY SANDCASTLE. THAT’S WHEN I WHEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH SALTWATER FLY FISHING. I LEARNED TO TIE FLIES TUESDAY NIGHTS AT THE ORVIS SHOP ON SIESTA KEY. I MET A LIFELONG FLY-FISHING BUDDY WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO CAST AND TIE KNOTS. HE INTRODUCED ME TO BONEFISHING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS. ON OUR FIRST VISIT TO THE KEYS, WE CAMPED AT LONG KEY STATE PARK AND FOUND OURSELVES FISHING TO HUGE TAILING BONEFISH RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR CAMPSITE. IT WAS THEN I KNEW I WOULD MOVE TO THE KEYS TO PURSUE MY GOAL TO BECOME A FLY-FISHING GUIDE. Six weeks later I was living…

THE LITTLE CREEK FLOWED COLD AND CLEAR AS IT TUMBLED AND SPARKLED OVER THE STONES IN A SERIES OF RIFFLES BEFORE DROPPING AND FANNING OUT INTO A SMALL POOL OF CALMER WATER. THE POOL WAS SHADED BY THE OVERHANGING BRANCHES OF A HEMLOCK THAT GREW TIGHT AGAINST THE WATER’S EDGE. ITS ROOTS STABILIZED THE STREAMBANK, AND PROVIDED COVER AND PROTECTION FOR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT LIVE THERE. My sidearm cast put a Female Adams back under the limbs of the hemlock, and the little fly danced and drifted on the tips of its hackles for a moment before the surface of the pool erupted and the little fly disappeared. The line went tight, and in a minute a beautifully speckled creature lay gasping with exhaustion in the palm of my hand.…

AT THE START OF MY TYPICAL WORK DAY, THE SUN IS JUST RISING IN CRAIG, MONTANA. THE COOLER IS LOADED DOWN WITH ICE, LUNCH IS IN THE BOX, AND WHERE WE ARE GOING TO FISH IS UNDETERMINED. I PICK UP MY CLIENTS FROM THE FLY SHOP IN CRAIG—THEY ARE OFTEN TWO FLY FISHERS INTERESTED IN A DAY OF TROUT SPEY ON THE MISSOURI RIVER. THE “MO” IS ONE OF MONTANA’S BEST TROUT FISHERIES, BUT IT’S ALSO A HAVEN FOR TWO-HANDED ANGLERS. WITH A GRAVEL BOTTOM PERFECT FOR WADING, AND A SLOW, EASY GRADIENT, IT’S A RIVER THAT WAS MADE FOR THESE TECHNIQUES. The longest river in North America, the Missouri begins at the confluence of the Jefferson, Gallatin, and Madison rivers, and meanders its way through seven states before converging…