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Now this is a man to have a Drink with

17K views 61 replies 38 participants last post by  matuka mike 
#1 ·
From a local fishing guide and writer.
His letter to the editor of a well-known Fly Fishing magazine

7/25/13

Dear Editor,

Last spring you contacted me about the possibility of me submitting several destination articles to your fly fishing magazine, about some of the Olympic Peninsula rivers. Though we had not clearly defined the rivers to be featured you had suggested the Queets and Quinault rivers as possibilities. There was a time when I would have felt very flattered to get such an editorial invitation, especially coming from a publication as prestigious as yours, one which I have long appreciated for its artistic accomplishments. And ordinarily I would appreciate the notoriety of being published with your magazine. And surely it would help my own guiding work too. But honestly, from the very beginning, I have felt serious misgivings about selling out these rivers and streams, and wild fish, with destination articles, inviting numbers of people to come fish here, promoting the fisheries even more etc. I think that all of this has already gone too far. Especially when writing about these Olympic Peninsula rivers.

I could certainly write some good words about the beauty of our watersheds, the unique features of topography, geology, indigenous wildlife and forests, the temperate rainforest, and of course- the beautiful last wild fish. I would say something about the good old days, the historic abundance of steelhead, salmon, cutthroat, char etc. I might interject some personality into comments on the tradition of fly fishing here, mentioning some of the long gone fly fishermen, their flies, favorite seasons, memorable catches, the runs of fish etc. And I could write about the fishing today here, some of the seasonal cycles of it all, the tackle and techniques, flies and presentations etc. I might even mention a few fly shops and guides, lodging, travel notes etc. And all of that would be entertaining and true. But how will it impact our fish here to do this kind of writing today? Honestly, I dread the unintended negative consequences that these promotional articles are having on the last of our wild fish here now. Perhaps if I also wrote about the time that all of my gear was stolen, or how I have been shot at, threatened with knives, harassed, or how my truck was repeatedly vandalized, or about the hundreds of times that my guests have been low-holed by some jackass in a drift boat, maybe that could moderate the outcome.

In the 13 years that I have lived here I have watched angling pressure increase on all of our waters as other Washington rivers have been closed, most notably the Puget Sound rivers being closed under the Endangered Species Act, to protect the remnant populations of wild winter steelhead. With each seasonal limitation or closure that was imposed elsewhere, the displaced anglers and guides have come here to have a go at the last wild fish. And many of those anglers are still harvesting wild steelhead here, legally and illegally. And there are numerous cases of our wild fish repeatedly failing the annual spawning escapement goals that our fisheries managers have set for them. And yet the harvest continues in the rivers here, supported by these same fisheries managers, by sports fishing and tribal netting.

And the numbers just keep getting worse. Last winter I counted almost 60 drift boats on the Hoh River in one day, and an additional few hundred people were wade fishing. As far up and down the river as one would like to have looked there were people fishing. I was surprised to see that most of them were fly fishermen, especially upriver where the wading access is generally more approachable. Every parking spot, campsite, pull-off and wide spot in the Upper Hoh road was occupied by vehicles, campers, trailers etc. It was almost a carnival atmosphere, a real “happening” on the river. Drift boats would come by with two to four people aboard, all rods out, and even the fly rods were working floats and weights, jigs etc., on the drift, all of the way down the river. Many of these boat fishermen and guides too are not avoiding the fish that are holding on the spawning redds, even when those redds are clearly flagged. Anything for a hook-up. Anything for a buck. The “fly fishing” methods too have become much more aggressive, and it is not unusual at all today to see a person fishing with a spey rod, rigged with a big floating indicator / bobber, a deep weighted fly or jig, and even a “slinky weight”, bumping it along in a conventional drift fishing style. On runs that I had rarely ever seen another angler in entire days of fishing, season after season, I was finding trash, campfires, and sneering contempt coming from brash young men whom I had never seen there before. As one industry friend has coined it, of the generation we see here today: “The new fly fisherman is not very nice”.

The rude behavior and bad attitudes that I see displayed on the rivers here are truly sad. Conflicts between guides and anglers are increasing. It was a pivotal reason in my choice to remain a walking and wading guide here, as doing so afforded me an opportunity to avoid some of the worst of this, and often get well ahead of the boats for most of the day. But now that the boats are launching in the pre-dawn pitch darkness, and now that there are three to four times as many people fishing here, avoiding the crassness of the entitled fleet has become all but impossible sometimes. The intensity of this fishing from the boats has left little refuge for the wild steelhead as well.

And it is not just the wild winter steelhead season that is going this way out here now. A new cadre of shiny young guides has arrived to claim the beaches as well. And the fly shops are leading group outings for beach fishing instruction on some of the more popular of these beaches. The problem is that they are encouraging six to eight different groups of people at a time, on a regular basis, to come back to these same beaches to fish. And many of them do so. For those of us here who have fished these places for any length of time we already knew we could overdo it, that we could spoil it, for the fish and for ourselves. And we had already regulated our own actions to accommodate the fish, and the fishing. Now we have seen a big change in the quality of our fishing here as a result of this added pressure. It seems that the sea run Coastal Cutthroat has become the new darling of the fly fishing obsessed. And even though these wild fish are protected from harvest by law in our salt waters, there are plenty of people still deliberately killing them on the beaches all over Puget Sound country. And they are still targeted for harvest in our streams, legally, and successfully. Poaching of these fish is rampant.

As a fly fishing guide and as a writer myself it is getting harder to support the big business approach to angling here. And it seems to me that there are some in the fly fishing “industry cult” who would be glad to sell every man woman and child on earth a fly rod, and all of the extras, and have them catch every last living fish out here, with no sense of concern for the ultimate impacts upon our fisheries. The truth is that the wild fish do not owe us a living wage. And there is no legitimate reason to assume that our fisheries resources can sustain this industry. I do fault our state fisheries managers in all of this as well as I feel that they have failed very badly indeed. It is entirely possible that we may have already lost much more than we know. With Washington’s “all or nothing’ approach to wild fisheries management, we just may well end up with nothing after all.

In my own angling life I have come to fish much less out here, and enjoy it more. Some of this is the likely natural progression for us fly fishermen, that eventually many of us come to this kind of appreciation. But certainly the realities of our declining fisheries here, and my willingness to face these hard facts, have forced me to reevaluate my own impacts. Today I would just as happily volunteer for a day of salmon stream restoration work as I would to go off for a day of fishing. My life on the water has not lost its charm, nor has the poetry of light and air, the magic sound of a singing reel, or the joyous yank of a bright fish escaped me. I cherish every breath of this outdoors life. And I am not so sure that the publishing goals of your destination essays and my conservation concerns here are mutually exclusive. But I just don’t know yet how to write about them on the same page. I can’t imagine that any of this means a hill of beans to you. I am sure that you have bigger fish to fry with running a magazine, handling writers, printers, subscribers and advertisers etc. And as a writer myself this probably won’t do me much good either. I am remembering the lines from the great angler author Thomas McGuane who- when asked what he thought of fly fishing guides and the modern fishing pressure scene on his own Montana rivers- replied: “A fly fisherman ought to have an honest job”. Maybe we writers and editors could take a lesson from that too.

Sincerely, Bob Triggs / Little Stone Flyfisher
 
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#8 ·
I'm often torn about a river with friends and a river with too many friends as well.

I fully agree with the last few comments about when and today's entitlement attitudes.

Particularly when it comes to trout or salmon the "how much can I keep" or "do we have our limit yet" seems to be a comment theme and as much as I hate to admit it, it's heading that way as well for steelhead.
 
#9 ·
Respect indeed. Honestly though I think posting this letter just as it is here does exactly what a big feature on the OP in a magazine would do. The posting further promotes the West End as an angling destination of sorts. It is a great read all the way through, hart-felt and honest. Maybe I don't get it, but I don't think the letter was intended for the public to read in order achieve it's purpose.
 
#10 ·
A real dilemma

Those of us who come to Speypages regularly only worsen our Steelheading Joneses by reading great stories of fish caught and about gear and techniques to fish for them with. On the other hand, most of us know that the best thing for this fading species would be for us to stop fishing for them. A real dilemma, no?
 
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#11 ·
guides too

I suppose I will piss off a few guides here, but these are my observations. Some guides are assholes. Their singular objective is that their client have a good experience, to hell with the rest of us and the resource. I have personally witnessed guides at the toilet bowl on the Frying Pan River in Colorado purposely annoy other anglers (as in cast over their lines, etc.) in an effort to get them to leave so their paying client could get their money's worth. I well recognize that these are not the majority of guides, but this and other similar experiences have left a bitter taste in my mouth. Simply put, much like school teachers, I expect exemplary conduct from guides as their clients may believe that rude and unethical behavior is the norm.

Yes, I really like this guide and will be looking him up should I make a trip to the OP. I believe we would see eye to eye.
 
#13 ·
Some guides are assholes. Their singular objective is that their client have a good experience, to hell with the rest of us and the resource. Simply put, much like school teachers, I expect exemplary conduct from guides as their clients may believe that rude and unethical behavior is the norm.
Not to go on a guide bashing spree because there are bad apples in every bunch, but this is always very frustrating to me as well. Guides are supposed to be stewards of the resource, and river ethics are a huge part of the experience. When guides display sub-par behavior on the river, it sets a very poor example for their clients. Just because they are trying to make a buck doesn't give them anymore right to the water than anyone else.

The letter was very well written and mirrors my thoughts concerning the "rivers with friends" sentiment. This is one gentleman I will be looking up if I ever need a OP guide...
 
#12 ·
Great read. Unfortunately, it's all too true - for most of our rivers, not just the Hoh. The magazine should ask permission to publish this editorial. It would get a lot of good press - for the right reasons, perhaps. It might even cause someone to release a wild fish that otherwise wouldn't - or better yet... someone might keep a tighter lip about a certain spot.

I do things the old fashioned way... my kids will learn about the productive runs from me - and they will teach their kids... assuming there are rivers left with steelhead in them.
 
#14 ·
Save for too few 'fish,' the other 'problem' is too many people.

Moved out of the Seattle area in 1984 and was glad to go. I now look back and look at just numbers. In the three Counties (Seattle being in the middle) there are more people than live in the entire State of Oregon. And most of them are within 100 miles of down town Portland.

Do we have some rivers that are being 'Loved to Death?' Yup, North Umpqua comes to mind. As are some in the very north end of the of the State (safe guess). Another one that gets pounded is the Deschutes (easy access from Portland) but boats are only allowed to be used for transportation.

(A hint for other rivers?)

One other thing that gets my 'Thumbs Up' here in Oregon is the Oregon State Patrol is in charge of fishing checks. State Game guys concentrate on hunting (so I'm told). You see a OSP pick up truck and you can easily guess whose driving that and why. Drift boats/jet boats and they are paying attention.

Been a long time since I've had to pull out my license; I guess a guy in his 70's, with a Spey Rod and an old fat Yellow Lab, can get a 'pass.' (I have both, and I am.)

fae
 
#18 ·
Word-smithing (and philosophical insight) at its near finest. Thanks for the post. Nicely done. I too hope it is published.
 
#20 ·
good letter and definitely expresses some of my own sentiments. but

i think there were four days last year that saw over 80 boats and just as many bank anglers, not all of them were flyfisherpeople. many were there to bonk their one wild steelhead for the year. about 1/4 of the people by my calculations. i also saw 6 jet boats with drift nets hanging off the side.
definitely lot of shiny new rigs from seattle and montana... but i don't think the trash in the brush is from the fly fishermen..
an "honest" job like logging...
but its good that people will go back to seattle and montana and canada and japan and texas? and think about these poor fish that everyone is angling for and dip into their accounts and try to buy some second growth timber along the bank that can't be harvested in our lifetime or toss a few bucks to the tribes to pull out their nets or even to pay the feds to pull out the nets...olympic nat'l park is gettin' smart. we're not sure who we're going to affect here but i guarantee you its better than letting things go on the way they have. ha.. what is it they like to say around here "shoulda been here in the 80's".. how selfish. it sucks to know that one day these rivers will be closed and we'll be jobless... but that's why we're river rats.
it's also tough when you're a sportswriter and 4 articles in four separate magazines come out about "your" river. sounds like triggs should spend some more time on the queets and quinault....
thats what we need is more native guides out here... make it more profitable to catch and release fish than to allow derelict fishing nets killing 5 or even 40 fish.
there's a positive to all of the negative. and there's 25lbers out there. man i can't fukin wait for winter.
 
#21 ·
I wanted to thank you for your mostly kind comments. This was something that I agonized over a bit. The offer to write these "destination" articles came in around late winter season, while I was actually out on the rivers. What struck me was that I was seeing things out here that I had not seen, at a level I had not before witnessed in the time I have been out here, coinciding with an opportunity to promote it all just that much more. We can not blame all of this on magazines and the internet etc. Surely they do share some of the responsibility, as does the "industry", along with all of us anglers who are out here at the end of the road, chasing the last wild fish.

Our fisheries managers have had many opportunities to reduce our angling impacts on the fish. And yet they still hold out for the Maximum Sustained Harvest models. Despite so much public call for an end to the harvest of wild steelhead, it continues. And each involved party blames the other, in an endless charade of righteous accusations, while the fish are still being killed off faster than they can spawn or recover. Part of this is the politics of fish management, the inside deals of political pressure, much of this is a reflection of the regional social culture. Many people still want to kill these fish. And they do, legally and illegally.

Personally I have come to a point where I barely ever fish for wild steelhead here myself anymore. When we see that some 80-90% of the wild steelhead escapements, (those fish that have survived the tribal netting and seals etc.), are caught and handled by upriver recreational fishermen, that is hard to imagine. And coupled with the fact that the escapement goals are not being met very often, for example the Hoh River, with repeated failures in those runs over the past years, it is harder to justify putting added pressure on those fish. No matter what is legal, there is a question of individual responsibility. So I decided to go very easy on these wild fish myself. And that has been my own personal and professional approach the entire time that I have been out here. The more that I have witnessed and the more that I have learned, the more conservative I have become in my own approach to the fishing, and the guiding, and advertising etc., out here. So this was just one more step in that direction for me.

I feel that each one of us needs to be real about our own impacts, in relationship to the fishing that we are doing, the status of the fish etc., and what our own goals are. This is where we can have the greatest immediate effect. Sometimes things are not what they seem. And there are powerful business interests in some areas of fishing, including recreational fishing, fly fishing etc., that have all of their eggs invested in this one little basket, the wild steelhead. I believe that it has all gone too far. Especially out here. And it may have been so long ago. As I said before, we may already have lost more than we yet know. It's a damned shame.
http://olympicpeninsulaflyfishing.blogspot.com
 
#22 ·
Our fisheries managers have had many opportunities to reduce our angling impacts on the fish. And yet they still hold out for the Maximum Sustained Harvest models. Despite so much public call for an end to the harvest of wild steelhead, it continues. And each involved party blames the other, in an endless charade of righteous accusations, while the fish are still being killed off faster than they can spawn or recover. Part of this is the politics of fish management, the inside deals of political pressure, much of this is a reflection of the regional social culture. Many people still want to kill these fish. And they do, legally and illegally.
Once again Bob, I completely agree. With the current status of native steelhead populations in the Pac NW, I do not understand how we can continue to kill these fish. There are a few rivers in Southern Oregon where harvest of native winter steelhead is still allowed, with several more streams currently on the discussion table to be reopened to harvest of same. All of this in the name of ODFW's favorite catch phrase, "opportunity". I am not exactly sure when "opportunity" became synonymous with harvest, but it is sickening at best to see our fisheries managed according to the status quo.

I think your signature line sums it up nicely.

Steve
 
#23 ·
Great letter

That is a great letter, Bob. Even if it doesn't get published, at least the publisher/editor will read it.

P.S. I have had a drink with (and fished under the guidance of) Bob Triggs and he is every bit the stand-up guy that his letter shows he is.
 
#25 ·
Not sure how its assumed that if you fish with an indicator and heavy fly that your killing every fish you catch. The Rogue has a strong run of wild fish, so much so that it allows one to be kept at certain times of the year, but I have yet to see any of the Nymph running Guides keep fish. Maybe my perspective is skewed, but I agree with the Scott Howell's of the world as I have seen the effects of how fish benefit from having people loving them, even if those people use big rods with bobbers, or dare I say Gear. It all adds up to the person holding the rod, not the rod.

"I feel that each one of us needs to be real about our own impacts, in relationship to the fishing that we are doing, the status of the fish etc., and what our own goals are. This is where we can have the greatest immediate effect. Sometimes things are not what they seem. And there are powerful business interests in some areas of fishing, including recreational fishing, fly fishing etc., that have all of their eggs invested in this one little basket, the wild steelhead. I believe that it has all gone too far. Especially out here. And it may have been so long ago. As I said before, we may already have lost more than we yet know. It's a damned shame."

With the utmost respect I quote you, but as your words caused inner reflection for me maybe mine will do the same for you, just by the act of guiding you also have promoted the waters you fish, you are not seperate from the industry you talk so ill of, but you are a part of it, ethical yes, but part of that "business interest" also. Just food for thought. Nate
 
#27 ·
I have the utmost respect for Mr. Triggs after reading his response and the fact that he appears to be a man on his words. He covered a lot of ground in that editorial, most of which I have to agree with. I've spent quite a bit of time in that area and have witnessed most of what Bob has mentioned.

As with most things these days, there really isn't any simple answer to the problem unfortunately. If I had to point the finger in one direction, it would simply be the reduction in opportunity elsewhere that has driven pressure to the last "stronghold". In this day and age, the unfortunate thing is that someone else will just take the torch where Mr. Triggs left it and write the article about "hooking a dozen winter steelhead up to 20 pounds in a day on the Queets", or some other ridiculous portrayal that completely misses the reality of the situation. There is such a fine line between generating support for a fishery and allowing it to be "loved to death"...and when you toe that line you're not really sure which side things will end up on.

There is just a general lack of respect that seems pervasive out here...even the most simplistic stuff. Last year I found no fewer than 6 snagged flies from folks that didn't feel the need to pinch the barbs on their hooks. Maybe 1 or 2 simply forgot, but that doesn't account for the others. It's a truly sickening feeling to pull into a spot on the Sol Duc, hike a lightly used trail to the river and pass a guy carrying a dead wild hen back to his truck...and simply have to bite your tongue because he's completely within his legal rights to kill that fish. I've always felt that local law enforcement could simply setup a creel check roadblock on the Lower Hoh Road on a weekend in early February and bust numerous people keeping wild fish before the February 15th "opener"...they just don't have the desire or resources to do so though.

Last winter a few individuals from the local guide's association decided to start collecting wild fish for a brood stock program they somehow thought would get going without even apparently having state approval or a place to collect eggs or raise the fry. These guys would then proceed to carry two or three wild hens down the river in PVC tubes hanging off the side of their boat hoping they'd have a place to take them - fish taken off the spawning grounds which had already passed the native net fishery for absolutely nothing.

A great number of the guides that operate in the area are "itinerant" and have essentially no skin in the game when it comes to the future of the fishery. I think that needs to change in some way - perhaps a permitting system needs to be enacted that favors guides residing in the area. On the Peninsula there are stories of guys who spend a grand total of 5 days on one of the local rivers before they start taking people's money. That said, there are a number of truly exceptional guides that operate in the area as well - some of the best steelhead guides you'll find anywhere in fact. Do your research and you'll find them. One of them is a trained biologist that collects scale samples from every wild fish his clients catch - his data has provided the WDFW with the only life history database for steelhead in the area.

On some days in March, it truly does feel like a free-for-all on some of these rivers...a sort of "gold rush" mentality where everyone is making a run for their claim and anything goes. It's hard not to chuckle when you drive 101 headed north between the Hoh and Forks at 5:30AM and count 25 rigs loaded with gear and boats heading south...most of them probably unaware that two dozen other rigs constituting at least 50 anglers are ahead of them.

If I knew that these people all understood the state of the resource, respected it, the fish and each other, I might be inclined to say "the more the merrier" but that's not really the case in this situation.

What this all is building up to is the closure of these rivers within the next decade unless things change dramatically. Not sure where everyone will go after that...really aren't too many other places. If I was a stronger willed man I'd probably be able to successfully convince myself that my own impact is too great and simply stay away - maybe one of these days that will happen. I bet there will be someone else willing to pick up the torch and keep running with it until the last wild fish turns gravel out here though.
 
#29 ·
I always laugh about the concept of "friends" on the river if you are a catch and release angler that does not make you a friend of the river you are taking and not giving anything back. Even if only 1% of all released fish die you are at a negative, if 100% of every fish you release survive you are at a net 0. The author talks about the joy of doing steam rehab being as rewarding as a day on the river with a fly rod in hand for that I concur.

You want to be a friend? Then get involved. Here in the west we have the Steelhead Society of BC and the Wild Fish Society back on the Great Lakes you have the Nottawasaga Steelheaders, Credit River Anglers Association, Friends of the Grand and the North Shore Steelhead Association. For the cost of less than a tank of gas you can become a true friend and give something back

Chris Atkinson
aka chromerman
 
#30 ·
For the cost of less than a tank of gas you can become a true friend and give something back
Chris , I am not a member yet.

I may be short sighted in this, but my opinion is that the best a person can do is leave the river alone.

All our work is never going to offset the impacts of the resource development that is going on.

Those who live in areas where the rivers are made private will find even less reason to devote time and effort into something which is not theirs any more.
 
#31 ·
Great Thread here and hats off to Mr Triggs. Your intentions are noble and much appreciated. In response to Nate, though I do not know you personally, I feel that your intentions also are with good intent. It is good to see such a hot topic get such honest and appropriate discussion. My input to guides is that of course first of all there are no guarantees. Second is that your greatest job is in relating a love and respect of our remaining resources to your client and this includes teaching them about sharing that resource with courtesy. This should (and I am sure usually does) include direct instruction on safe and proper fishing and handling techniques as well as why. Some of my best memories retained from guides have been about local history, geology, floklore, rather than the fish we caught. To finish; no wild fish should be retained, it makes me sick to see the local grocery adds showing 'wild caught' fish. I believe in Karma!!
 
#36 ·
Problem here ... Olympic Peninsula is ....



To many 'millions' of people inside of a 3 hour drive from same. Repeating an often noted example here but if you just add up the population of the three largest Counties in Washington State (Tacoma-Seattle-Everett) you have more 'people' than live in the entire State of Oregon (no kidding).

Add Oregon's main population centers (Portland-Salem) and you've added another million plus to the mix. End game is just too many folks live within a relatively short drive from the Oly Pen. streams/rivers.
 
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