Mike Cline
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Can’t comment on the two models you mentioned, but I would seriously consider one of the Olympus Stylus Tough models on the market today. I have two Stylus- a 770SW and 870SW and they been workhorses on the water. Great value.
Four or five years ago, mid-summer on the Coosa River at Moccasin Gap (a class three whitewater) above Wetumpka, Alabama.
Although someone else always pays for my airfare, here’s an outstanding source for real-time flight information and fare information.
For those of us on the upper half of this planet, what a great Spring, Summer and Fall we have in front of us.
Zach,
Without commenting on any specific approach, what you are doing is suggesting tactics without a clear understanding of the future or goal. Agreeing on that future or goal is made much more complex by vast differences in the various waters between states and geographic areas. What is the long term goal? That all trout waters are catch and release? That all trout waters have sustainable wild populations? That there are fewer (or more anglers)? There are more or less non-resident anglers? That there is no stocking of waters? That enforcement of angling laws is more focused? What about marginal coldwater fisheries that won’t sustain wild populations?
These are complex questions that need resolution before a solution is proposed. Here in Montana, a state where one would think that fly fishing and catch and release was a given, the opposite is true. The Sporting Goods stores (not the fly shops) are filled with hardware and all the stuff necessary to catch and KEEP bass, walleye, pike, trout, perch, etc. And they seem to do a booming business. Since the mid 1970s, Montana has not stocked any river with trout or warmwater species that I know of, yet Catch and KEEP is still prevalent on even the most storied of streams. In Alpine lakes and major reservoirs, stocking still occurs to sustain catchable populations that otherwise would not exist.
Whatever, the management approach that a state takes, it will result in some future state. Deciding what that future state should be (and getting consensus from the angling and non-angling public) on that future is far more important than suggesting a lot of solutions to a problem yet defined. In your post, you said: “Since license sales are the same for every person in the state, this creates a one-man, one-vote situation.”, which here in Montana is not really true as once you are 62 you pay no license fee to fish. That only describes a situation where the tactical logic made fails to satisfy the real question that needs resolution—What is the desirable endstate? Decide and agree on that, then the states can engage the tactics necessary to make it happen.
Mike,
Your best bet is to compare your flies to the plates in:
Favorite Flies and Their Histories – Mary Orvis Maybury.
Thanks Mike, I’ll give ’em a look.
Was it you that posted a detailed pic of how your boat is rigged last year? If so, would you mind reposting that image?
D.Dusty,
Here’s the posts: http://www.itinerantangler.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?num=1245433966/0#0; http://www.itinerantangler.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?num=1245433966/18#18
Here’s another accessory that’s invaluable if you’re going to be doing any flats fishing in the Ultimate: http://shop.stickitanchorpins.com/
in truth I was thinking the $250 carbon paddles must be inherently superior, though I have no such experience. Any thoughts?
Congrats on the Ultimate 12 – they are great boats.
I am lucky enough to have an MCI as my neighbor and experienced my first informal casting lesson this afternoon.
David,
Chekout: http://rec.com/html/products.html where you can have a rod case custom made to your specifications.
Mike I love the fact you posted a picture of the misunderstood whitie! It always cracks me up to see someone be so excited to hook up, enjoy a good fight, and then be disappointed because their catch was a whitefish. It is all about the hook up to me!
Nice post!
Joel
If Whitefish could just JUMP – Oh Boy!
Here’s the latest official YNP data on the wolves. Doug Smith and his crew are doing the latest Spring count this month. http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/wolves.htm. The Annual reports are interesting reads.
As always there’s another side to the story as this website attests too: http://www.saveelk.com/index.html. Apart from being a bit graphic it does point out the tremendous pressure wolves are putting on the elk populations. From a YNP perspective, the fact that the Madison River elk herd (those elk you always see at Madison Junction) has been cut in half in the last 10 years and some fear it might actually disappear because of wolf predation.
Another great summary of the Wolf situation in YNP is found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Wolves_in_Yellowstone
Do you row through the rough sections of yankee jim in your canoe? it’s pretty nasty from what i remember.
That is an impressive whitefish (if there is a such thing)Adam
I don’t float Yankee Jim Canyon for two reasons. Its pretty hairy in spots and the fishing isn’t that good. Especially this time of year, because it literally gets no sun for most the day and the fish move up or down river into the more exposed pools and flats where the water is warmer.
The first pic of the kayak is about 1/4 mile above the mouth of the canyon where the Joe Brown access is located. I put in there and paddle/fish upsteam away from certain death not toward it.
Whitefish are at their peak in late Fall, Winter and early Spring. They fight much harder that the equivlent size trout. Trust me, a 20″ whitefish on a 7′-6″ 4wgt with 4X tippet is a tussel in flowing water.
Mike, what about the snow pack. Can we expect a low water year out there? Thanks, Greg Ellis
Greg,
Richard Parks at Parks Fly Shop in Gardiner is one of the most reliable forecaster out here and this is what he’s saying now: http://parksflyshop.com/news.htm
Additionally, here’s the link to the snow melt forecasts: ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/data/snow/update/west.txt As you can see, there’s lots %s below 80% in the Montana drainages. As Richard says, it won’t be as bad as 2007 but will probably a little short of water in Aug.
