Lifting up rocks. Please take a moment to sign this petition.

Message from Alexandra Morton in Norway, disease and sea lice are not under control in Norwegian salmon farms and BC stands to lose all

I have been in Norway for 10 days because 92% of fish farming in British Columbia is Norwegian owned. I have met with many Norwegian scientists, members of the Mainstream and Marine Harvest boards, been to their AGMs, toured the area with fishermen, examined a closed-containment facility, met the Norwegians fighting for their fish and joined a scientific cruise.

I thought Norway had this industry handled and I expected to learn how marine salmon farming could work, but this has not been the case. My eyes have really been opened. This industry still has major issues that are growing and has no business expanding throughout the temperate coastlines of the world. The way they have been treating sea lice in Norway has caused high drug resistance. The only solution in sight is increasingly toxic chemicals. In the past two years (2007, 8) sea lice levels have actually increased on both the farm and wild fish. The scientists I met with are holding their breath to see if drug-resistant sea lice populations will explode and attack the last wild salmon and sea trout. The same treatment methods have been used in BC and we can expect this to occur as well.

I am not hearing how the industry can possibly safeguard British Columbia from contamination with their ISA virus. Infectious Salmon Anemia is a salmon virus that is spreading worldwide, wherever there are salmon farms. In Chile, the Norwegian strain of ISA has destroyed 60% of the industry, 17,000 jobs and unmeasured environmental damage. The industry is pushing into new territory. If this gets to BC no one can predict what it will do to the Pacific salmon and steelhead, it will be unleashed into new habitat and we know this is a very serious threat to life.

Professor Are Nylund head of the Fish Diseases Group at the University of Bergen, Norway, reports that, “based on 20 years of experience, I can guarantee that if British Columbia continues to import salmon eggs from the eastern Atlantic infectious salmon diseases, such as ISA, will arrive in Western Canada. Here in Hardangerfjord we have sacrificed our wild salmon stocks in exchange for farm salmon. With all your 5 species of wild salmon, BC is the last place you should have salmon farms.”

New diseases and parasites are being identified. The most serious is a sea lice parasite that attacks the salmon immune system. There is concern that this new parasite is responsible for accelerating wild salmon declines. The Norwegian scientists agree with many of us in BC. If you want wild salmon you must reduce the number of farm salmon. There are three options.

The future for salmon farming will have to include:

• permanently reduction of not just the number of sea lice, but also the number of farm salmon per fjord,
• removing farm salmon for periods of time to delouse the fjords and not restocking until after the out-migration of the wild salmon and sea trout.
• But where wild salmon are considered essential they say the only certain measure is to remove the farms completely.
  

There are many people here like me. I met a man who has devoted his life to the science of restoring the Voss River, where the largest Atlantic salmon in the world, a national treasure, have vanished due to sea lice from salmon farms. Interestingly he is using the method I was not allowed to use last spring... Towing the fish past the farms out to sea. Another man is working with scientists and communities to keep the sea trout of the Hardangerfjord alive. There are so many tragic stories familiar to British Columbia.

The corporate fish farmers are unrelenting in their push to expand. With Chile so highly contaminated with the Norwegian strain of ISA all fish farmed coasts including Norway are threatened with expansion. I made the best case I could to Mainstream and Marine Harvest for removing the salmon feedlots from our wild salmon migration routes, but they will not accept that they are harming wild salmon. They say they want to improve, but they don’t say how. Norway has different social policies which include encouraging people to populate the remote areas and so fish farming seemed a good opportunity to these people. BC has the opposite policy, but the line that fish farms are good for small coastal communities has been used in BC anyway. I have not seen any evidence that it has even replaced the jobs it has impacted in wild fisheries and tourism.

It is becoming increasingly clear to protect wild Pacific salmon from the virus ISA the BC border absolutely has to be closed to importation of salmon eggs immediately and salmon farms MUST be removed from the Fraser River migration routes and any other narrow waterways where wild salmon are considered valuable.

Our letter asking government that the Fisheries Act, which is the law in Canada be applied to protect our salmon from fish farms has been signed by 14,000 people to date at www.adopt-a-fry.org has still not been answered.

Please forward this letter and encourage more people to sign our letter to government as it is building a community of concerned people word wide and we will prevail as there is really no rock for this industry to hide under and longer.


Alexandra Morton

Rogue Angel Kimmie Walsh Puts the Smack Down on Gar.

Somewhere in Ontario, Kimmie is battling Gar and releasing them. Apparently they aren't too different from roosterfish as you watch them chase down your fly right to your feet and turn at the last second. Kimmie seemed to handle it just fine, landing quite a few nice gar this day:

big smooch and photos courtesy of Naoto Aoki

Dancing with a Double Handed Rod.

Rogue Angel Mia Sheppard, of the blog Metalheads, and fourth place winner at Spey-o-Rama 2009, sent this exerpt from her presentation at Ladies Day-Sandy River Spey Clave 2009:

Welcome everyone and thanks for being a part of this today. The first time spey casting got my attention was 9 years ago up in Alaska on a river fishing for Coho. This is when I witnessed this man using a double handed rod. I watched him spey cast and the movements were so graceful and poetic that I thought to my self “damn that’s sexy!” Needless to say we married 6 years later. And this is when I also started my dance speycasting with a double handed rod.

Spey casting is a technique of fly fishing with a double hand rod that was developed in the mid 1800’s on the River Spey in Scotland. Traditionally rods were 15-22 feet long and anglers used long belly lines with heads over 70 feet, casting single speys with either left or right hand up.
The double handed rod is meant to be used with either your left or right hand up (or on top).
For those new to spey casting the reason to cast either off your left or right shoulder is based on the side of the river you are on and the wind direction. If the wind is blowing down stream you will want to keep the fly below you so it doen’t hit you in the face.

Show Double Spey for wind direction.



Rogue Angel Mia Spey Casting, photo courtesy of Ken Anderson

If there is no wind you could then do a Snap T, Single Spey.

Lets say one is casting from the left bank such as now. First if there was no wind and you are right hand dominant then doing a Snap T or Circle Spey would be the most efficient cast for winter fishing with a Skagit head. This cast with a mend will give your fly the best presentation for the fish.

If you have an upstream wind you would still do a Snap T, but lets say you have a downstream wind. Then you would want to cast off your left shoulder and keep your fly below you so you don’t get hooked. To do this one would need to make a Double Spey cast. This cast will keep the fly below you and still give your fly the best presentation in the water. In any situation a Cack Handed cast is just as effective but I believe you get a better fly presentation by casting off the shoulder closest to the water.

Show a Cack Cast and a Cack Hand left cast.

Over the last 10 years with the development of Skagit casting, shorter lines, shorter rods, and cack- handing has taken presidence in the United States. Cack handing is an effective way to cast with a shorter line because you don’t need a big D loop and you don’t need to let your rod drift. Drifting the rod allows for a bigger D loop.

Show a cast with a Skagit line
Swith to bigger rod.

When you start getting into using scandi heads, deltas, and long belly you will need more drift to form a complete D loop and load your rod. You can’t accomplish this with a cack hand cast because you are forced to stop. Show a single spey and demonstrate drift. The spey rod has never been specifically designed to favor one hand over the other.
I know some of you are thinking, I can never use my left hand for anything. With a little practice you’ll be surprised at the capability your left arm has.
A great way to accomplish this is by mirroring your dominate casting arm. Do a good cast with you dominate side then switch and do the same cast with your non dominant.
Demonstrate

And remember, the important thing is to have fun fishing. Fish don’t care what the cast looks like, it’s all in the presentation of the fly.

Thanks again for coming out today for the first annual Ladies Day at the Sandy River Spey Clave. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask me!

-Rogue Angel Mia Sheppard

Rooster Fishing Dance.

Rogue Angel Casi Tarr unexpectedly caught this madness on film.

Pay attention from 12 seconds on for the roosterfish mowing down mullet right to our feet. That's Justin and Eric Rathbun casting at it, with Josh Tarr running down the beach towards it. Then there's me with the teasing rod throwing in a last ditch effort to get the roosterfish to turn around and come back. Please notice Eric's dance after the roosterfish is gone. He does a fine jig.

Fishing Report for The Reel Baja

"Jeff and I feel guilty.
No post for almost three weeks!
Although, I am positive that you as fishermen, will be glad that 1. we’ve been out pounding the waters, and 2. we got some stellar photos from great photographers below. I have one more day of fishing left to do here on the East Cape before Justin and I start driving north to begin our guiding season in Alaska on the Naknek River. I am having an extremely hard time trying to stay positive about leaving paradise and roosterfish behind for cold weather, rain, and trout. Baja has been so much fun-chock full of incredible fishing experiences, great new friends, and fantastic food. I don’t think I could ever get too much of tacos or guacamole.

Fishing has been going nonstop since the last report, click here to read more..."

Wake up.

Your morning wake up call and my wake up to blog again. Moldy Chum swam away and I swam back. More to come....

Meanwhile in Oregon Part Duex: This lil' piggy went to the spey clave

Scottish presenter in the frigid Sandy River (Sorry I forgot his name, help?) Loved his accent and the fact that he has actually fished on the river Spey in Scotland, amoung other things. What a lovely lad!

Bros with speys

Burkheimer, "the ladies' choice".

Rogue Angel Whit goin' for it on the grass

"Quie dia es?, yo faltar tu angelica k-ocho!"

How Useful is WashingtonFlyFishing.com?

Just a poll:

How often do you use WashingtonFlyFishing.com for research on rivers, articles, flies, destinations, gear recommendations?

Is it your first resource when researching your fishing trip?

Do you use other online resources to find out information about local waters?

What could be improved about the site?

How useful or valuable is it to you and your fishing experience?

How effective is it for networking as a part social networking site? Do you make a lot of friends that you eventually meet in person through the site, do you have "online friends" that you only email/message through the site or both?

Do you ever go to Washington Fly Fishing events?

Discuss amoungst yourselves. Please add a comment if you have time.

The fly is your messenger.

Ladies Day, Sandy River Spey Clave, photo courtesy of Rogue Angel Mia Sheppard.

Rogue Angel Whit provided us with these cliff notes from her presentation at Friday's Ladies Day:

"My buddy Dan McCrimmon has more han once said or has said- Why say diesel locomotive when you you can say choo-choo. So I have taken this to mean why make it complicated when you can keep it simple. What I want to talk to you about are the basics to fishing and how to keep it simple. I am going to do that through two favorite subjects....steelhead fishing and shopping for steelhead fishing.

To avoid any domestic financial issues I personally avoid talking about the later.... However, last week I was home helping my parents out and had plenty of free time to browse through some of the blog sites.... after doing so I came to the conclusion that men spend a lot of time talking online about what to buy. It goes like this, "Should I buy this rod or that rod? What line do you think I should put on it? I'm looking for a new pair of waders, which pair should I buy? or My wife has given me an ultimatum - must sell all excess gear or to the more extreme cases my wife has given me an ultimatum sell the excess spey gear or buy her a bigger house...

I started thinking, How is this different from buying a pair of new shoes when I have 10 pairs already in the closet? And I came to the conclusion, It doesn’t matter. You feel you need those pair of shoes to make an outfit complete the same as needing to buy a new rod to make a fishing experience more complete.

This in a round about way brings me to back to my point ..how can I keep it simple? What do I need to carry with me when I fish for summer steelhead and winter steelhead.

My dad has kept every fly he has bought or used and he carries all these flies with him continuously. he doesn't carry just one fly box but five or six fly boxes. Whether or not he is ever going to use them again really isn’t the issue. He feels he needs them. It is his fishing experience and he is defining it for himself.

Keeping it simple with your gear.....

I carry all of my essentials on me. Monofilament for leaders go in my front pocket along with my flies and hooks for winter fishing. Also for winter fishing I’ll carry my bigger flies and tube flies in my marsupial pouch of my waders.

Here is my favorite necklace, accessorized with clippers forceps and my attention getting whistle. Also, I make sure to always have sunglasses, sunscreen, rain coat, and in the winter extra layers and a hat, neck gator, and gloves. This varies from person to person. I have a friend who carries a gold tooth in his waders so when he catches the 20plus pound native buck, he can slip it in for the picture taking moment. Because he has never caught one of that size he continues to still carry his gold tooth. He's having fun and doesn’t expect to catch that 20 plus pounder every time, but keeps trying.
Disappointment is based on expectation. If you go out to have fun your going to have fun. Take the competition out of it. The worst thing to do when it comes to steelhead fishing is to compare yourself to someone else's achievements. Relish in their achievements, find it encouraging, and remember if that person can do it, you can too.

I find that I fish more effectively when I take out the equation of having to catch a fish. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t want to catch a fish, I wouldn’t be out there if I that wasn’t my goal. But there is a lot more to steelhead fishing. If you stop focusing on the end product you start to see what else is out there and enjoy what the river has to offer. And in knowing the river better you begin to read the river, and where you cast the fly begins to matter.
Steelhead fishing is a percentage game and the better you are at casting the better chance you have at catching one.
So how do I define a good fishing cast?
I define a good fishing cast as one in which line and leader turn over. and the fly lands where i want it. (I’m going to show you what I mean in a few minutes.) Casting effectively while fishing builds confidence, a necessary component to catching a fish. When you are confident and in that zone, everything else dissolves into the wood work, it's just you and the fish.

Keep it simple-Casting
I use one rod year round-with two different lines. In the winter I fish a line to throw sink tips and big flies and in the summer I fish a lighter line to throw polyleaders and light small, flies. The individual casts are going to be discussed in depth by other presenters. What I want to show you is what it takes to turn over the line and leader.
For a single spey one lifts the line ....here is a line that turns over and here is one that collapses. The more consistent you are with your fishing cast the more probable it is that you’ll catch a fish. If watching the fly from a distance, coming coming down, good, good good and then all of sudden its somewhere completely different or if it's being dragged out of a run or if it bounces into the area your fishing, makes a splash and then is immediately ripped out of the area you are fishing-you have probably sent that fish back to the ocean. Focus on fishing the fly rather than powering out long casts....
Power does not make a good cast- Technique makes a good cast.

The same thing goes for the line I choose for winter steelhead fishing. It's a short head with a sink tip and leader. Notice my cast is different. I don’t subscribe to one casting style. I choose a cast in accordance with the conditions dictated by the fishery and by the lines I have chosen to cast.
Do yourself a favor and learn the basics first. Before declaring yourself an underhand caster, a long line caster, or a short head caster. Think about all styles dictated by the fishing conditions- don’t limit yourself. That way you have a bigger tool chest to choose from rather than just what you're carrying with you when you go fishing.

Be prepared and organized.
Have a bag with all your essentials so you are ready to go and you're prepared for all the different situations you’ll encounter on the river.

Become self-sufficient.
Learn your flies. That doesn’t mean you have to tie them, especially when you have a partner who ties too many, just know them! When I’m pickling a fly I’ll look for silhouette and/or profile and size first, then color, flash, and lastly personal attachments. (Jessica Sall calls it the pretty fly syndrome: at a Stone Fly Maidens meeting she told us this really funny story as she was going over bug entomology- “ A women will walk into a fly shop and say wow what a cute or pretty fly. A guy will walk into a fly shop - pick up the same fly and say wow that fly looks really fishy man.”

You have a relationship with that fly. It's your messenger, the connection between you and catching the fish. You can catch a steelhead without a rod or a reel but you're gonna need a hook.

Carry your own stuff.
NO matter what your gender is - don’t expected to be waited on. One doesn’t want to be the center of attention the bad way the by being the needy rookie. But if someone offers to carry your backpack on a three mile hike in, I would think about taking them up on their offer. At the same time you have to understand if you are taking someone somewhere for the first time, that person is going to have questions, so be a good host-let them in on knowing before hand what to bring and what to expect.

Know yourself and your surroundings. That means, orientation, Know where you are, be prepared for change, have a plan for getting out, and a plan b.
I always carry food and water. When I am on my pontoon boat no matter how calm the water is I wear my life jacket.
Golden rule is fish with a buddy, but if you are fishing alone let people know were you are and if you change plans.
Know your limits and when you are by yourself don’t test those. Take wading for example. How do you know what you can handle if you have never experimented? Wait until someone is with you- Don't experiment by yourself.

There is a lot of stuff out there, so don't get too bogged down by the details. Remember to keep it simple with your gear, but always try to prepare for all conditions. Learn as much technique as you can in casting so you are well equipped, but keep it as simple as possible. Keep on learning so you can become self sufficient and comfortable with your surroundings. Although you want to keep it simple, you always want to err on the side of caution. And lastly, this is fun, so keep trying until you find what works for you. If you ever need help or have a question, don't ever hesitate to contact me. Good luck in this adventure."
-Rogue Angel Whitney Gould

The Mighty Megalops

Hmmm...what do you think about when you hear the word "Megalops"?

Megadeth?


Megatron?


Mega Mall Bangs?

It's neither of the above mentioned things. I found out yesterday that MEGALOPS is another word for tarpon! Holy guacamole look at this creature bursting out of the water in all its glory jumping to the high heavens! Yes!

Ladies Day: Sandy River Spey Clave Happening Immediately

The Final Countdown begins...
You better be out of the country, with swine flu, or fishing if you are missing this:

Lucky.

The wind is blowing so hard I can cast merely 15 feet. Walking down the beach, I move my body at a 45 degree angle just to gain another step. The sand is stinging my legs as it ricochets off my skin. I take a seat on the only rock for miles, it happens to be flat. I notice my ankle is starting to swell up. It has been hurting for three days now and running up and down the beach isn't helping.

This is ridiculous, I think as I look out for fish in the surf. The waves wash in at two and three feet, turning this normally calm sea into a furious ocean. The wind blocks every blind cast I make, sending it six feet left of me. The sun peeks in and out of clouds preventing clear visibility into the water. I must be an idiot. We could go to the other side of the bay here protected from the wind and catch fish. But here we are in hopes that the grande roosterfish will come in with these waves and grace us with their presence. Meanwhile, we can hardly cast our lines into the wind if they do arrive. Yeah, I am definitely an idiot.

Are those two shadows a foot off the shoreline? I squint as a wave crashes in and confirm those are indeed two of the biggest roosterfish I have seen to date. Ducking I lurch down the sandy cliff while feverously stripping line off my reel. I start running all the while crouched low. I begin casting. Dammit. My bimini freakin' twist is stuck in the tip. F%$#. Overhand and it shoots out of the tip, I cast out. Oh my god, there are dozens of grande roosters everywhere, and they are on shore! I ferociously yell at Justin and Brendan into the wind to start casting. The frenzy has begun.
Casting, Stripping, Running, Yelling. Three roosterfish chase my fly right into shore. To my feet! I cast again, as two more dart into the shallows and I miss them. Big roosters are scattering everywhere as a wave nearly topples me. I cast again only to watch three more roosters with combs up race one another for my fly. Quickly they spin away at the last second and head to the deep. I'm obviously not 'selling them' my fly and my mind is so jacked up I can't even think straight.

Instinctively I know just to keep running down and chasing them. Suddenly another wave full of roosters is rushing into shore. I cast. One is chasing my fly. Three, oh my god five, holy crap, there are at least seven fish on the tail of my fly and that little guy is swimming for its life. I am stripping it with all the selling ability I have, when a nice size rooster lurches and chomps down. I strip set and feel it shake and rattle on my fly. As I try to get the line on the reel, it goes limp. He's off. Without taking a second to cherish the moment, I am hurriedly running down the beach again. I nearly quarterback sack Justin who is hanging onto a grande rooster of fifty pounds. He is yelling something that I don't stop to hear and start scanning as I am running and casting. I can not see fish anywhere.

The pain comes shooting back into my ankle as I realize the frenzy is over, and look up to see Justin reeling in his line with no grande rooster on the other end. Defeated, we walk back up the beach to the rock where we can see out all hoping for another chance at such madness. Who knows if we even have a chance. Right now we feel like we just bought lottery tickets and are anxiously awaiting the numbers.

I think about those seven or eight fish chasing my one single fly into shore and feel like the luckiest person on the planet. But then again, I felt like that yesterday:


Blind casting into the sea, I picked up my first Jack Crevalle.


My first roosterfish of any brag-able size.



Brendan lending me a handing in landing it.


My second good sized roosterfish, man these suckers put up a great fight.

More Twitters from Whit:

See ya next winter, big guy!
xoxo,
your biggest fan,
Rogue Angel Whit

¡Ay, mamita!

Under the Sea of Cortez.

Happy Mom's Day!

Sheena this, Sheena that

Dear y'all,

It seems as if laife in Oregon has stopped to a screechin' halt since Sheena has been goane. I hear all thase whinin' yellow-bellied, belly-achin' people sayin' they can't do this er that without Sheena. Their liake,

"Oh Sheena won't be at the spey clave"
"Oh I wish Sheena was here"
"I can't start my lawn mower, I just don't have the strength raight now"
"Oh let's do that when Sheena gets back"
"I am givn' up smokin until I see that pretty face again"
"I can't even finish this natural ice beer I miss her so much"
"It ain't tha same. Loretta, it ain't the same"

That's it I am drawin' the laine, no Sheena I am not abstainin' from smokin, drinkin, OR talkin' shit while you are goane.

PS. I miss yew.

Fish Tacos for Fish Whisperer

First you start with fresh Dorado and plenty of Beer:

Make some fresh pico de gallo and guacamole, add sour cream, cheese, and fresh tortillas, then fry that Dorado right up:

This is My Dad.

Photo from the Staunton News Leader website for today.

Twitter this:

Thanks to Jeremy of Flies and Fins, the Rogue Angels just signed up for Twitter. Considering as individuals, we are already on F-book, it's a bit redundant...

Here are some Twitters I made up for some other Angels:

Rogue Angel Whit: chillaxin now that Spey O Rama is over!

Rogue Angel Mia: working on Tegan's Spey Casting Skills for Spey-O-Rama 2023.

Rogue Angel Ade: decided on the plain pink camo hat today instead of the six other pink camo hats with different logos.

Rogue Angel Kelley: Just spent 15 bucks in quarters looking for tattoos of Willie riding a Bald Eagle

Rogue Angel Dawn: lost somewhere in the Afganistan section of the Epcot Center.

Rogue Angel April: is Bass Pro Shopping.

Rogue Angel Kateri: Plotting her Bermuda triangle disapperance so she never has to wear this many clothes while fishing again.

Rogue Angel Beyonce: drinking Natty Ice after tellin Jay-Z "You shoulda put a ring on it".

Swinfluenza Empties Beaches:

No one sitting under the Palapas...deserted.

Everyone is wearing masks.

The Silver Destroyer is looking a little sick ^

Even the ships are getting it.

disclaimer: The Rogue Angels do in fact take life threatening illnesses seriously, seriously.

Adonde va?

....asked the young Mexican soldier dressed in desert camo clutching a semi automatic rifle. We thought he asked where we came from (de donde es?) So with panic on our faces we looked at each other struggling to remember our campsite name. "El Papa....something..."
The soldier smiled and pointed ahead, "adonde va?". "Ahhh!", we said recognizing his hand gesture, " Los Cabrilles!"
He waved us on our way and we wiped away the nervous sweatdrops on our foreheads.

The Starship Entreprise bounced along the remote paved road into more desert landscape. Having been born in Arizona, I visited my grandmother there every three years for two weeks. My favorite thing to see was the Saguaro Cactus. Thick skinned, with bases and roots resembling hard oak trees, and full of water, they have always fascinated me. So tough and strong, they are badasses in the harshness of the desert.




As we hastened into the desert bush of Baja, the increasing number of Saguaro cacti delighted me. Soon enough the scenery turned reminiscent of Joshua Tree National Park, as huge big boulders started popping up along the landscape.
We pulled over for a short hike among the cactus and cirios, a tree specific to the area between El Rosario and San Ignacio.



We were lucky the weather was cooler today blazing in at 85 degrees in the sun. Not so cool for an Oregon gal more used to rain jackets and waders, but definitely a welcome change. I glistened* happily.

The Starship Enterprise taking a mid-day desert break in the shade of an abandoned fuel station.

Trucking through the desert, we passed through numerous small towns, over too many wretched speed bumps, around nerve-wracking sharp corners, and through several more military checkpoints before finally arriving at water many many hours later:

No, its not a UFO, That's a crack in the windshield of the Starship Enterprise

The Bahia Concepcion is a welcome treat after spending all day in the desert. Every corner is eye candy of beautiful blue green waters and remote beaches. Outside of Mulege, we found this little place to camp right on the water and get our lines wet:

The next stint of our journey is the last and shortest. The Bay of Conception to our destination, Los Barilles.

*"Girls don't sweat, they glisten." -Rogue Angel Moira