Don't Muck Up My Trout Stream

Flexibility. That’s what they’re calling it these days in the General Assembly. Giving someone the option to muck up and contaminate a stream or making it possible to pollute a stream to the point where it is a health hazard to fish, so long as someone else can return it to drinking water, somewhere downstream, at their expense, is passed off as watershed planning by Dahlonega, GA Senator Steve Gooch. Some plan.

Planning. Senate Bill 299’s title sounds positive and proactive - Natural Resources; provide flexibility for establishing watershed protection standards. What it does is lower the protection of streams and rivers by making the most effective measures planners are now required to use optional in the future. Consideration of stream buffers, land development densities and land use activities all become optional considerations with Sen. Gooch’s plan. Some plan.

Antidegradation. Big word. Big impact. The bill puts into law a process that conflicts with federal clean water standards. Antidegradation rules allow for changes in a stream’s and surrounding lands’ activities if the existing uses – fishing; recreation; drinking water; reproduction of fish, wildlife and shellfish; wild river; scenic river and coastal fishing, of the stream are maintained. In the case of streams where fish and wildlife reproduce, water quality can be lowered only if there is an important social or economic reason. With important national resources - national parks and wild and scenic areas such as the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Chattooga River, water quality is to be maintained and protected. With Sen. Gooch’s plan, streams can be polluted if the water can be resuscitated back to drinking water standards. Some plan.

Rights. Some say that stream buffers are government seizure of private property by denying property owners use of their land. Buffer laws limit use of land but do not take it away from property owners. They protect a public resource - water, by limiting roads, buildings, clearing vegetation, altering stream banks, installing septic tanks… within 50’ of a trout stream, 25’ of a warm water stream and 150’, for a radius of 7 miles upstream, of a drinking water source. 25 to 150 feet! Variances are issued in cases where property owners need to invade a buffer area for a good reason. If streams get polluted, are unable to be used for fishing and recreation, and become more expense to treat to drinking water standards, then downstream property values decline, Georgians can’t use streams for fishing and recreation, and local governments and taxpayers pay more for drinking water. Sen. Gooch’s plan would make consideration of downstream property owners’ and citizens’ rights optional when developing a watershed protection plan. Some plan.

Your Plan. Senate Bill 299 is likely to have a hearing at 1 pm on Tuesday, February 4th at the Capitol. Before noon on Tuesday, call or email your State Senator; Sen. Steve Gooch; and Senate Natural Resources Chairman – Sen. Ross Tolleson. You can leave a voicemail over the weekend. If you can, come to the Senate Natural Resources Committee hearing on Tuesday. Tell them “Don’t Muck Up My Trout Stream” and to “VOTE NO on Senate Bill 299”. Now that’s a plan.

Find your State Senator   Click Here for Project Vote Smart
Sen. Steve Gooch             404-656-9221     steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov
Sen. Ross Tolleson           404-656-0081     ross.tolleson@sentae.ga.gov

Track Senate Bill 299
General Assembly Hearing Schedule
GA TU email to Senate Natural Resources HB 299.pdf
GA SB 299.pdf

GA Trout Unlimited Advocacy Fact Sheet
Cold Clean Fishable Water 12-08-2013.pdf

Kevin F. McGrath
Advocacy Chairman, Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited

DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

You've got to watch this.  If you're a fly angler, I guarantee you won't be able to take your eyes off it.

 

Damsels in Distress from Sharptail Media on Vimeo.

A NEW TWIST ON DREDGING TACTICS

Landon Williams developed a new leader formula while fishing Amicolola Creek DH:

After church Sunday, I slipped off to the Amicalola to enjoy the warm day. I was greeted by 9 anglers on the water at 1 PM spread along the entire reach of the Highway 53 stretch. I walked around for a bit and talked to a few folks who reported getting skunked or only catching/ hooking one or two. I stuck waders on and was on the water by 1:45. There was a group of three guys working the long fast run 200 yards up from the canoe launch who mentioned getting skunked as I was gearing up. So, I decided that's where I was going to start. 

I tried my standard Euro-nymphing rig first there and caught a couple of fish out of the shallow pockets in the sun towards the tailout. However, I found it very difficult to get down in the heart of the fast deep water up at the head of the pool with the Euro set up, even with my dredge rig of the long 6x leader. So I decided to try something that popped into my mind. It is, in a sense, very much like Dredger's long 8 lb. leader with an indicator but maybe a bit more extreme and modeled more after my 6x euro leader. I put my reel with a floating line on and got a new 7 ft. leader (I don't think it makes a difference what) and chopped it back to the part of the tapered leader where it is about 15 lb. test. Next, I added 4 ft. of 10 lb. test mono, which is what I applied the football indicator to so it would slide up and down. 

From this stretch I made a "jam stop" of 5 overhand knots on top of each other to make a big thick part of leader. This serves two purposes, to keep the indicator from sliding all the way down. I've had it slide down before on leaders, even through knot sections. Also it allows you to easily set up the next part of the leader. I got a long 12-14 ft. section of 5x flourocarbon and made a clinch knot and slid it up over the jam stop and seated it down. At the other end, I surgeon knotted a 3 ft. section of 6x flourocarbon Trouthunter tippet. From there I did the traditional 2 fly rig with an unweighted leech and peach egg. I also put 2-3 split shot 12 inches above the first fly and kept it in place with an overhand knot between the shot and the fly. 

How did  this setup work there? Wonderfully! I hooked 19 fish in 2 hours out of that long run, all scrappy and hungry rainbows.  I've fished that run a good bit and even with Dredger's 8 lb. leader setup, it has seemed that I've had to use 4-6 split shot to get down there. Even then I felt like I could never get down deep enough in the heart of that run without making the leader ridiculously long and painful to cast. Yesterday was the first time I've ever felt like I fished that spot thoroughly well. This is a very extreme and specialized setup for limited spots but it sure worked well yesterday and maybe could on a couple spots on the Chattooga and the Toccoa DH. 

Fishing Downstream

“Fishing Downstream”

Report submitted by Landon Williams

Here’s a report from Sunday (12/29) that can maybe help some of you find some unpressured water and easier to fool fish on some of our year round streams. I fished a stretch of river lying about a mile below one of our Delayed Harvest streams and had very good results. The fishing was very good with the mild air temperatures and the water temperature hovered in the upper 40’s all day! The water was fairly high from the rain overnight but was gin clear and made seeing where you’re going easy.  

There was not a particular fly pattern or technique that worked any better or worse than the others but having a fly with high visibility through brightness or high contrast caught me more fish.  I mainly fished a mohair leech with a pink tail for contrast and a Walt’s worm fly with an orange thread collar behind it for the majority of the day. Fish were hugging the banks in faster pockets or the tailouts of larger pools. Subtle jigging movements through the drift produced a few extra fish in the slower pools that I believe may not have eaten otherwise.  I think the highlight of the day was finding a pod of rising fish eating a size 20 blue winged olive mayfly and tricking 3 out of the pod before they shut down!

The fishing was fun but there’s one thing I think folks can take away from this report.  Many of our DH streams have miles of water downstream that can also be fished through the winter time. Trout can’t read our static boundary lines and many end up finding themselves upstream or downstream of these points through heavy rains or hunting for new habitat.  I like two things about these stretches just out of the reaches of our DH streams. First and foremost is the solitude they provide. Sure these stretches have fewer fish but they also have far fewer people fishing them. On Sunday, I fished roughly a mile and a half of water and never saw another angler while I was enjoying all the water to myself.  My second favorite aspect of these downstream stretches is the ability to harvest fish when most of our stocked trout streams are closed for the season. It really is a handy thing to have if you are hungry for a trout supper! 

Have fun fishing this winter and see y’all on the river!

Landon

USFWS Not Closing Hatcheries...For Now

From "The Fishing Wire"

FWS: No Hatchery Closing, For Now

Since media reports revealed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) plans to quietly shutter several federal fish hatcheries in 2014, the agency has backed off from those plans - but not from closing them in the future.

Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander expressed disappointment and concern after reviewing the agency's "Strategic Hatchery and Workforce Planning Report," and conversations with FWS Director Dan Ashe.

"It is fortunate that we have an ongoing three-year agreement between the Tennessee Valley Authority and state and federal wildlife agencies to keep Tennessee's hatcheries open and producing fish, but the threat of closure still exists," said Alexander, who has two federal hatcheries in his district. 

Plans to eliminate mitigation hatcheries from the FWS mission began in the mid- 1990s, but media attention and political pressure blocked those moves. Beginning in 2011, the agency intensified its efforts, despite Congressional mandates, presidential decrees encouraging outdoor activity, and public support for the facilities.

In 2012 the FWS slashed funding for mitigation hatcheries from its FY 2013 budget, hoping to hand management and funding to other agencies. The FWS attempted it again in 2012, but Congress forced it to finance them that year, directing the agency to secure other federal funding before defunding of the nine then targeted for closure.

Despite all this, by all appearances, agency officials remain determined to close hatcheries and direct its funding and priorities in recovery of endangered and threatened species, restoration of tribal trust responsibilities, and other propagation programs for native species. 

FWS officials cited budget cuts in 2012, although Rick Nehrling, a retired 38-year veteran of the FWS (19 spent overseeing southeastern hatcheries) asserts that budget documents clearly indicate Fisheries is the only resource program in the agency the Directorate proposed for reductions then, and planned closures in FY 2012 and FY 2013. 

"The other five resource programs (National Wildlife Refuge System, Endangered Species, etc.) have all had substantial budget increases during the same time period," Nehrling contended.

Now FWS is saying if sequestration continues into the 2014 fiscal year, the agency will have lost close to $6 million for hatchery operations since 2012.

"This report sounds the alarm on a hatchery system unable to meet its mission responsibilities in the current budget climate," Director Ashe has stated.

It appears the new agency mantra is "sequestration will require the hatchery closures."

Ashe said the 2012 "Strategic Hatchery and Workforce Planning Report," found ongoing budget reductions due to sequestration and increasing costs for operations spurred the review of the 70 national hatcheries. 

"This report sounds the alarm on a hatchery system unable to meet its mission and responsibilities in the current budget climate," Ashe asserted. "In the coming months through the 2015 budget process, I have directed the Service to work with all of our partners to determine whether the options identified in the report, or others, are necessary and appropriate to put the system on a more sustainable financial footing."

A working group trying to come up with answers includes the FWS, the TVA, and the Tennessee and Georgia state wildlife agencies. TVA signed an agreement with federal and state wildlife agencies in May to pay more than $900,000 per year for the next three years to replace fish killed by TVA dams, and keep Tennessee's hatcheries producing fish while the working group develops a permanent solution, said Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander.

"I will help to find a long-term solution, because the nearly 900,000 Tennesseans and visitors who buy fishing licenses in our state depend upon these hatcheries, as they are the principal reason Tennessee has some of the best trout fishing in the country," said Alexander, who in 2012 brokered a deal with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide some of the funding for the hatcheries there.

Meanwhile, insiders report the battle is merely delayed, and far from over, and that the agency has full intentions to end its century-old mission of mitigation stocking, an effort that many communities where these are located are dependent on for fishing license sales and sales tax revenue. 

--Etta Pettijohn

Sneaking Up On Wild Trout in Gin Clear Water

By Landon Williams

Here’s a report from Sunday, November 10th.  I hit a year round stream “just over” the mountain for me.  After dodging dozens of big trucks towing horse trailers, I hit the stream about 12:30 and the water level was really low but the good news is that the leaves are mostly gone on our headwater streams which made the fishing a little easier by not having to dodge so many while drifting flies.  The fishing itself was

actually fairly tough as the fish seemed to be more podded up in the deeper runs and pools.  If I caught one or spooked one, it would usually bust the pool and shut it down.  To make things even more challenging, an errant

cast or shadow would send them scurrying. I fished a long 12 foot leader and 6x tippet the entire time I.  The interesting thing was that many pools presented a real opportunity to sight fish.  I snuck up on a few pools and saw some nicer fish that would be hanging out in the tailouts and slow bubble lines.  If I only had a couple shots at a pool, I might as well target the nicest fish I could see.  

There were not many bugs present on the water but I did spot some blue winged olive mayflies and a couple of stray October caddis still fluttering around.  Although I nymph fished most of the time, I did pluck a couple of fish out of the tailouts on a size 20 parachute BWO, including this nice brown trout. When I fished nymphs, I mainly used a size 14 hares ear with a flashy pink collar or a size 16 WD-40. I fished a ton of water for the 21 fish I touched but it was really fun considering the low water conditions and got off the water about 3:30.  I wish I could say I was as successful deer hunting the last couple hours as I was during my fishing jaunt.

Signed-

Still Wishing for Venison.

Nymphing Hints From the Master

Our resident trout bum Landon Williams put together this helpful primer on different nymph fishing techniques that will work very well here in north Georgia.  Give them a try!

Short Line vs. Long Line Nymphing

The Proof's In The Pudding

Fly fishing with nymphs is, by and large, the most consistent way for fly fisherman to catch trout.  The majority of a trout’s feeding occurs along the bottom of a creek or river. However, nymphing methods vary far and wide across the globe.  Here in the United States, it's popular for many folks to want to nymph fish with an indicator rig using split shot, which if done correctly creates a “hinge” effect, similar to how a door operates, that gives a visual indication of when you should set the hook.   However, this system can create some problems and there is sometimes a “time lag” in how long it takes for your strike indicator to register a strike depending on factors such as how much weight you have on the line and how long your leader is.  Many times while using a strike indicator, there will be no visual that a strike has occurred, even if a fish grabs your fly.  Fishing with a strike indicator is a very practical way of fishing but you may want to consider learning new techniques that can possibly improve your catch rates and productivity out on the water.

Short-lining on the Chattahoochee

One such method goes by the technical name of “short-line” nymphing by many folks overseas or “high-sticking” here in the United States.   When fishing this method you are taking the traditional strike indicator out of equation entirely.  Instead, you are keeping in contact with your flies the entire time that you are fishing through a drift and leaving little to no slack in your fly line or leader down to your flies.  While using this setup, it is best to keep a fairly short tippet from the end of your leader. Shorter leaders 7-10 foot in length terminating in a 4x-5x tippet are great for this setup.  By now you may be wondering how you are going to get your flies down to the bottom.  The easiest way to jump right into this setup is to keep using just enough split shot to be periodically ticking the bottom.  You just keep a tight line down to your split shot and feel for larger than normal ticks or see and feel pauses in the drift, which are the usual indications that you should set the hook.  However, fishing a tight line system with split shot still can create a problem through the hinge effect that introduces slack into the line.  To counter this use flies with weight built into them in the form of weighted tungsten beads or lead wire under the dressed fly.  Weighted flies are not the end all of slack in the system, but definitely can help you take some out of it out if you fish them correctly.  Ultimately short line methods can be used with any fly rod/reel combination and are especially effective on our tighter and faster streams here in the mountains where you can usually fish very close to your quarry. 

Dukes Creek with a 30' Leader

Using a Bright Red "Sighter"

For most situations and places here in the southeast, short line techniques are perfectly adequate. However there is one other technique which, if done well, can give you more types of water to effectively fish and can ultimately improve your success.  The types of water that I’m talking about are those that most would consider least productive, slow glassy pools and long sections of shallow water where fish are often very skittish.  In my and many others opinions, long line nymphing may be the most productive way to fish. When fishing on a long line, you may have little if any fly line out, which will require you to fish a very long leader of gradually tapered monofilament.  I find it easiest to have a 20 foot section of 15-20 lb. test monofilament and taper the leader down in increments of one foot at a time with lighter test monofilament.  Mess around with varying lengths of monofilament to figure out what works best with your rod setup and where you fish. Eventually, you must taper the leader down to your tippet, which may frequently be 6X or even 7X depending upon how spooky fish may be. A natural drag free drift is essential; however you want to keep just the slightest bit of slack in the line to help you detect strikes by watching and feeling for pauses, jumps, or other abnormal behavior in your leader. A brighter section of colored monofilament, or “sighter,” built into your leader definitely helps you in your strike detection and attention to the drift. Generally, you want the flies you fish to be size 14 or smaller, slender in profile, and just heavy enough to slowly sink to the bottom. Many who fish this way prefer flexible 10-11 ft., 2-4 weight rods like Grey’s Streamflex or Sage’s ESN.  

No matter which way you fish, being more well-rounded definitely improves your chances of success on the water. Relying on one style of fishing consistently will eventually lead you to a day where it just isn’t happening and your productivity will show for it. Try these two techniques. Once mastered, they will really up your catch rate!

See you on the creek!

Landon

Who Has The Best Tippet Material?

David Dockery's son Jackson is quickly becoming the heir apparent to the position of "Technical Guru" at Unicoi Outfitters.  The information for this post was provided by Jackson Dockery.


Unicoi Outfitters is now a dealer for TroutHunter tippet material.  Several of us have had an opportunity to fish with it in the past year.  Here is Jake Darling's impression,

"This is by far the strongest tippet that I have ever used.  The spools are half the size of normal tippet spools, and contain 50 meters; which is almost double that found on most manufacturers' spools.  Also, the tippet spool bands are color coded so you can tell what size the tippet is by looking at the color of the band while it is on your tippet holder."



Here's a link to a great article on the "Fly Fisherman" website giving some pretty in-depth comparisons between major brands of tippet material.  The article is a little lengthy but the charts are very enlightening.

This chart cuts to the chase with how each material scored overall:

Economic Impact of Wildlife-Associated Recreation

This is important information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...specifically, they quantify the financial impact of fishing and other wildlife-associated activities in the Southeast, and on a state-by-state basis.  It's good information that our politicians should be aware of when they propose such short-sighted measures as closing down Federal fish hatcheries.  Failing to consider the full impact of the activities supported by these facilities does us all an injustice:

Economic Impact of Wildlife-Associated Recreation in Georgia: 2011 Wildlife-related recreation generates billions of dollars for our nation's economy every year. In an effort to highlight the contributions of southeastern hunters, anglers, and wildlife watchers, we are featuring findings from the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation report.This report is the result of interviews conducted by the Census Bureau with U.S. residents about their fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching. It focuses on 2011 participation and expenditures of persons 16 years of age and older. Wildlife-related recreation is fishing, hunting, and wildlife-watching activities. These categories are not mutually exclusive because many individuals participated in more than one activity. Wildlife-related recreation is reported in two major categories: (1) fishing and hunting, and (2) wildlife watching, which includes observing, photographing, and feeding fish or wildlife. According to the report, in 2011 3.1 million people participated in wildlife-related recreation in the state of Georgia, generating $4.6 billion for our economy. Read Georgia's News Release Georgia Department of Natural Resources Graphs and charts on this page are from the original report. The full report is available here!    2011 Georgia Quick Financials $4.6 billion total spent on wildlife-related recreation in Georgia $873 million spent in Georgia from fishing-related activities $965 million spent in Georgia on hunting-related activities $1.8 billion spent in Georgia on wildlife-watching activities Fishing in Georgia: $873 Million Who fishes in Georgia, and how much do they spend? 829,000 people 16 years and older spent a combined total of 8.7 million days fishing in the state of Georgia in 2011 92% of anglers were state residents (764,000 people) 8% of anglers were from out-of-state (65,000 people) In total, residents and nonresidents combined spent an estimated total of $873 millionon fishing in the state in 2011 Trip-related expenditures (food, lodging, transportation): $402 million Equipment: $430 million Other items (magazines, membership dues, licenses, etc.): $41 million - 5% of all fishing expenditures People spend almost three times as much per day on saltwater fishing as freshwater fishing ($114/day saltwater vs. $39/day freshwater) 45% of the freshwater fish caught were black bass Hunting in Georgia: $965 Million Who hunts in Georgia, and how much do they spend? 309,000 people 16 years and older spent a combined total of 8.0 million days hunting in the state of Georgia in 2011 75% of hunters were state residents (293,000 people) 25% of hunters were out-of-state (98,000 people) In total, residents and nonresidents combined spent an estimated total of $965 millionon hunting in the state in 2011 Trip-related expenditures (food, lodging, transportation): $487 million Equipment: $329 million Other items (magazines, membership dues, licenses, etc.): $149 million - 15% of all hunting expenditures Hunters on average spent almost the same per day hunting big game as small game($44 big game vs. $40 small game), but the sample size of hunters hunting migratory birds and other animals was too small to report reliably However, each individual hunter spent more than 1 1/2 times overall on their big game trips ($1,046 per trip) than on their small game trips ($674 per trip) Wildlife-Watching in Georgia: $1.8 Billion Who watches wildlife in Georgia, and how much do they spend? Two wildlife-watching activities are reported: (1) away-from-home activities and (2) around-the-home activities. Because some people participated in more than one type of wildlife watching, the sum of participants in each type will be greater than the total number of wildlife watchers. Only those engaged in activities whose primary purposewas wildlife watching are included in the survey. Secondary wildlife watching, such as incidentally observing wildlife while pleasure driving, is not included. 2.4 million people 16 years and older watched wildlife in Georgia in 2011 86% of all wildlife watchers did so close to their home (2.1 million people) 47% of all wildlife watchers traveled at least one mile from home to observe wildlife (1.1 million people) (258,000 people) of away-from-home wildlife watchers were from out-of-state In total, residents and nonresidents combined spent an estimated total of $1.8 billion on wildlife-watching in the state Trip-related expenditures (food, lodging, transportation): $839 million Equipment: $890 million Other items (magazines, membership dues, plantings, etc.): $74 million - 4% of all wildlife-watching expenditures The most popular around-the-home wildlife-watching activity is feeding wildlife (1.7 million people) Georgians spent nearly 34.3 million days engaged in away-from-home wildlife-watching activities in their state More people photographed wildlife while near their homes than while away from their homes (697,000 people at home, 657,000 away-from-home) 753,000 people reported visiting parks and natural areas to observe wildlife

Wild Turkeys in Georgia. Photo: Ernie Seckinger

Update on Plan to Close Federal Hatcheries

We want to thank "The Outdoor Wire" for this newest update today (9/12/13)

FEATURE

Can Political Pressure Derail Feds' Effort To Cull Hatcheries?

There have been several new developments since we reported on Tuesday, September 3 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's plans -- being kept well away from public and media scrutiny for fear of political backlash -- to shutter most if not all of the agency's mitigation hatcheries.

For more than a dozen years and under multiple administrations, agency hierarchy has pointed to budget constraints as the reason to shed the Congressionally mandated responsibility for mitigating the loss of native fisheries caused by the federal dams built in the past century.

Although FWS officials would not confirm these plans, insiders apparently contacted some media outlets in South Dakota as they began reporting that the historic D.C. Booth Hatchery, built in 1896 and home to the largest collection of freshwater aquatic research in the U.S., had received orders to close by Oct. 1.

The response to questions from The Outdoor Wire directed to several agency officials, like Laury Parramore, FWS Office of Communications, included statements like: "Leadership within the Service conducted an extensive review of propagation hatcheries within the NFHS to ensure we are best positioned to address the agency's highest priority aquatic resource needs now and into the future. Outcomes from the review are now guiding a decision-making process toward more strategic, priority-driven investments and operating our hatcheries within available funds."

FUNDING QUESTIONS

Questions began surfacing about the agency's reasons for planning to close these facilities, considering the FWS's "FY 2014 Budget Request and Justification," included in President Obama's FY 2014 budget submitted to Congress on February 12, 2013. In this document the agency requested funding these facilities at the same level as in recent years, and no cuts were mentioned.

"The 2014 budget request for the National Fish Hatchery System Operations is $46,528,000 and 355 FTE, a net program change of -$172,000 and -3FTE from the 2012 Enacted," said Rick Nehrling, a 38-year veteran of the FWS, with 19 years overseeing southeastern U.S. hatcheries, "This statement informs us that all hatcheries - including the mitigation hatcheries - are fully funded."

Seems someone in FWS has some explaining to do, and if some members of Congress have anything to say about it, it won't be long.

THE HEAT IS ON

The current climate in Washington D.C. is heated, as both sides of the aisle clash over cutting spending to try to stem the runaway deficits. Both sides agree wasteful spending must be curtailed, but neither will agree throwing out the baby with the bathwater is a prudent idea.

The 70 federal hatcheries support at least 3,500 jobs and have an annual economic impact of more than $325 million. These facilities lead to major economic advantages for the communities that house them, and are a beacon of sound government management. Besides the economic advantages, these provide the means to fulfill President Barak H. Obama's "2012 Great Outdoors Initiative," designed to increase and enhance outdoor recreation.

Yesterday (Sept. 11), Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Mark Pryor (D-AR), John Boozman (R-AR) - along with House members Rick Crawford, Doug Collins, Tom Cotton, Tim Griffin, Phil Roe and Steve Womack - sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell requesting for a 60-day delay in the implementation of any recommendations for closure of any national fish hatcheries or other plans, so the public could review them. (Editor's Note: You can read the letter here)

"It is our understanding that this study is soon to be released, along with decisions about hatchery closures," Alexander and his colleagues stated in the letter. "We are gravely concerned that Congress has not been consulted on the matter."

In another development, Sen. Tim Johnson, (D-SD), on Sept. 4 in a letter to Secretary Jewell requesting that the FWS "maintain funding for the D.C. Booth National Fish Hatchery," and that he be apprised of the any decisions made about the status of the facility. Johnson, like Sen. Alexander, is a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

It appears the FWS's plans to quietly eliminate these hatcheries from its overall responsibilities have surfaced - catching the attention of some mighty big fish in Congress, those with the ability to get to the bottom of what's really on the line.

As always, we'll keep you posted.

- Etta Pettijohn

Landon on the Nantahala

I fished the upper Nantahala (DH section) Saturday afternoon. Fishing was pretty good as they had stocked fish in the river for the holiday weekend but also caught plenty of holdovers and small wild rainbows and browns.  I fished the DH section on my Greys 11 ft. 3 wt. rod and boy was it fun!  Little fish bend that rod really well so long as they have a little room to run from the initial hookset.  It really made high-sticking the boulder fields just that much easier and more fun.  I fished a size 14 Hares ear soft hackle tied on a jig hook and a 16 "Frenchie" nymph with an orange hotspot.  The water came up, even on the DH section, as they were apparently releasing for a whitewater canoe championship down by the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC).  

Sunday morning we fished the lower Nantahala down by the NOC and, man, was I surprised by the number and the size of the fish down there.  There were pods of fish everywhere that you could see and they are spooky as heck.  Those who do well with sight fishing would love this area.  It was a hands and knees or hiding behind the boulder affair for much of the time.  I could usually get 1-2 fish out of a pod before they shut down, excluding some of the deeper pockets.  I caught a handful of chunky 12-14- inch long rainbows as well as quite a few smaller wild fish.  Once the water comes up from the recreation release, you get out!  You can keep fishing but often it's from the bank or just a few steps to fish the many pockets near the bank that fish will hold in.  Also the side channels of the islands are very likely places to find fish.  

The same flies were working for me from the day before.  However, fish on the lower Nantahala act completely different than one would expect. When the flow increases from the recreation release, the majority of the fish suspend in the water column and are looking for food.  Dredging in the traditional sense is not nearly as effective as high-sticking with a fairly short leader with a light 6x tippet.  Many times it seems you almost have to drag the flies slightly faster than the current to keep them in the right zone and not under the holding depth of the trout.  Hits are usually very noticeable but also very quick.  Even with a quick reaction time, it still seems like you miss quite a few. It's a fun place to fish, except for a raft going by you every 2 minutes with some flatlander saying something along the lines of, "Catching anything?"

Your flatlander who wants to be a hillbilly

Landon