I caught my January dry fly fish two weeks ago, actually. It was one of those sort of days I just didn't want to sully with taking pictures and writing. It might be the last time I fish the stream I was on that day. But yesterday continued that thread, and I can't hold it in. Five years straight I've caught at least one salmonid on a dry fly every month. Five years... five years ago I knew basically nothing about fly fishing. Today I know just slightly more than nothing, so not that much has changed in that sense. But things have changed, not all for the better. I'm watching areas I've fished all these years gain foot traffic, new trails get built, land ownership change, houses go up, and private property signs get posted where there didn't used to be any. There are some stretches of stream I can't fish any more, and that's really sad. I saw some evidence yesterday that told me I shouldn't be fishing a little stretch of water I'm particularly fond of anymore. I'll miss that very much.
I also have to be more cautious in some places about being seen. I don't like being seen more than once by the same person while I'm fishing these small wild brook trout streams. Being seen one time is no big deal. Being seen twice might raise an eyebrow. Being seen three times might convince a local that there actually is something in that tiny little drainage worth fishing for. There are spots I won't even fish anymore just because I don't want t clue people in to them. That's pretty sad too, frankly.
I wonder in 30 years what this area will look like. Will there even still be wild brook trout in the streams I fished yesterday that far into the future? I'm not sure. I imagine myself driving through a neighborhood with a son or daughter as old as I was when I started fishing these waters in the passenger seat, pointing to a dried up ditch behind a chain-linked fence, saying "I caught beautiful wild brook trout in there when I was your age".
If this post depresses you, it should. We are not on the right track, us humans. Poor water use runs streams dry in the summer. Litterbugs change property owner's minds and they stop allowing fisherman on their property. Fisherman take too many fish from small, sensitive populations. Development ruins riparian habitat. Think about that when you cast your dry fly to that dimple riser in your local no-name creek. Consider that this may not last, and let that light a fire in you to fight for it. I will forever think back to some places and wish I'd spoken up. I may not have made much of a difference, but at least I could have tried. Stand up for what you love.
Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, and Leo for supporting this blog on Patreon.
Well said. I developed a love for native salmonoids as a kid and now as a young adult I've had the misfortune of seeing most of my fishing grounds change for the worst. I had permission to fish my favorite stream from an older gentleman that owned a couple hundred acres around it. It is a remarkable stream that flows out of dirty pond but quickly becomes ice cold and crystal clear after about 20 different cold springs flow into it. The brookies there get larger than they have any right to and on the right day you can catch dozens of gorgeous fish. The old man passed away and his daughter moved in and placed no trespassing signs on every square inch of the property, I tried asking for permission again and was denied. As time goes on more and more land gets bought up and places where you can legally fish more than a few hundred yards become scarcer and scarcer. I've seen people dam streams for swimming holes, dump trash into and around streams, I had a guy try to put no trespassing signs over a hundred feet off his property line in order to prevent fishing, I've even had a guy send his dog into the stream I was wading simply because he didn't want me close to his property. I've had the cops called on me many times, always the same result the cop explains to the complainant that I'm within the law and I go on my way. Every time I go out now I wonder what kind of hassle I will face for trying to fish these streams, and its rather discouraging because I never break the law or disrespect land owners. The next generation will never experience the freedom of picking a blue line on a map and exploring every inch of it, and I fear they won't have the opportunity to develop the same love for these fish that we had. And that's sad because its people like us that are fiercely protective of the fish themselves and the waterways that they live in. These fish are often in fragile ecosystems where one beaver dam could increase water temps and decrease spawning habitat enough to destroy a population. Less people experiencing these fish means less people caring about them and that could mean a sad future for the brook trout. By the way, this blog its a wonderful read for those of us who are fascinated by more than just trophy sized fish, Thank you.
ReplyDeleteDitto.
DeleteI feel your pain Rowan. The stream at our cottage where I learned to fish is not doing well. No access and only stockers. The streams that will survive are deep in the valleys where most people are to lazy to venture into.
ReplyDeleteTie, fish, write, conserve and photo on...
Very sad.
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