FISHERMEN OF TODAY...
It reads a lot like my interview. Am I hinting that they might have plagarized me? Of course I am...
We all know how great some internet schmucks are at writing don't we?
MY Interview With Jack
My Interview with Jack Hemingway. When you talk about being a fly fishing gentlemen, than you are talking about being a Jack Hemingway clone. I think Jack epitomizes what it means to be a true artist and true sportsman to what the modern world sees as fly fishing. He can only be described as a compliment to it's very noble history.
Before it became fashionable to swing a two handed rod, Jack had been doing it longer than the young men of today have been alive. Being 77 years old I was indeed impressed. He had the spirit and acute senses of a 50 year old and there was no stopping him. Of course he took his occasional nap but than so did I, (we were fishing during the same time period). I'm going to keep fishing for the rest of my life if I can, because if it brings me the quality of life that Jack has experienced and the physical well being, I'm all for it. Heck with health spas! How about fishing lodges?
Jack has a fascinating history of fishing and bird hunting, he was never into big game hunting like his father. Once he did go to Africa to visit his brother, who was a Game Conservationist over there in the 60s and was an important figure in helping to create & develop the management system of the game parks there.
His brother's idea of hunting was to have the animal charge you as you shot it, Jack a realist didn't find that too entertaining. His brother has probably killed more Elephants than any other in the history of mankind, due to the fact that they had to keep the elephants in the parks. If they didn't the wild beasts would go on rampages through the local farms and villages. They would try to process the meat out on the range for the poor and had to invent a complex mobile refrigeration system at that time.
I had a heck of a time keeping Jack on track to the questions I was asking because he would always go off on some wonderful tangent story and his favorite tangents were telling his old WWII stories of being a paratrooper and getting captured. I was amazed (talk about dedication) with how he would jump out of a plane over France or Germany with his fly rod in tow, so he could fish some famous creek or river there till his comrades picked him up. He was eventually captured by the Germans and since he was such a friendly chap he made friends with both sides. The German Officers recognized his talents and took him fishing to the local rivers and streams so he could provide them with nice trout dinners. He still has contact with his old friends.
The best thing about Jack was that he was still young. I think as we grow older we still think of ourselves as young adults and it's only the young that think we are old. When I asked him about Joan Wolfe. he laughed "Little Joanie" and he got this big smile on his face as he relayed the story of how they had met at a Sportsman Show on the East Coast where Joanie was demonstrating her skills & title of best bait caster. She had won several contests and she was 18 at the time.
So here goes the questions and answers. I will always cherish the time Jack spent with me, the memorable stories that I will always pass on and the knowledge he shared. Maybe, someday he will actually let me buy him dinner. That is the ultimate irritation! And if I see him again next year I will retire that damn gear rod, even though he did acknowledge that it has helped my rapid progression and success in fly fishing.
1. So Jack, what were the numbers really like back in the old days? (This will surprise the heck out of you.)
In the 1970's he was very surprised and shocked at the Judge Bolt Decision in Washington. Later on he realized that it was a good thing because now the government was actually, though ineptly, regulating fishing and making an attempt to control and count the fish. In some rivers it's the best he's ever seen but in others devastating low.
2. Did you start on gear or were you always fly fishing?
My father wouldn't allow me to fish so when I was about ten, I snuck out with my step-mother's fly rod, stuck a live grasshopper on a hook and caught my first fish. I was hooked ever since. (His father knew that if Jack started fishing he might become a loafer.)
Later on when he was in college he fly fished a stretch of river between West Point and Penn State. There he fly fished with worms (now how the heck do you cast them puppies ?J ) and learned all about currents and reading water.
He wouldn't admit it but I think back in the old days, from what he related, that fly fishermen used to fish flat spoons for winter runs because before the mid 1950's no one thought you could catch a winter run steelhead with just flies.
3. What do you consider to be the real decline of our salmon & steelhead?
Hatcheries have totally killed off most of the wild runs in rivers with strong hatchery programs. I asked him about why they didn't do natural brood stocking back then, and he laughed, he told me that they were just too lazy and they didn't care. He also relayed stories of how the summer run hatchery smolts were so aggressive that they would constantly jump out of the holding tanks so they had to implement the water fountain in the middle of the tanks to contain them.
Dams have completely ruined the Columbia, and he got the most disgusted look on his face and failed to comment further.
Poachers, killing them off on their spawning grounds.
His major concern was what happened to them in the oceans, and he told me of the studies they do on the steelhead out there with transmitters. The big ocean nets didn't usually get them because steelhead travel in such small pods which made them less vulnerable than the salmon.
They also travel close to the surface in the ocean, he said it's such a great mystery about what really happens out there that we need to figure it out before we can really save them.
4. Catch & Release
Jack was the major forefather for C&R and was the first to implement it as Game Commissioner of Idaho. In the 1970's the Western Slope Cutts were in big trouble and he with the support of 10,000 fishermen made the first fly only rivers, with the exception to the one on the East Coast.
Back in the 30's there was a stretch of river by Yale (I think, we were drinking scotch during the interview and I didn't have a tape recorder) that was made fly only. The elitists there had a great sense of humor and would tag the trout with a message to other fly fishermen. "Released for your Pleasure by.." Actually, he thought that would be great fun but not to good for the fish.
5. Is there a more effective all around cold water fly than the wooly bugger or egg sucking leech?
No, but he did tell about the history of the cold water fly. As I've mentioned above it wasn't till the mid 1950's when fly fishermen started fishing with flies. Jack's first experience was in 1954 when he had first moved to Portland. Mike Kennedy told him that you could actually catch winter fish on the fly with a small bead eyed yarn concoction. So Jack, caught his first winter steelhead on the Toutle River nymphing this ugly creation.
7. Top fishermen & tier?
Robert Brown Haig. Canadian PBS did a live interview regarding the master of all masters with him while he was there.
8. Favorite Fish?
He was indecisive between Atlantics and Steelhead. He admitted that when it came to the more powerful fish the Steelhead won hands down but the mystery of the Atlantic Salmon and the special way to fish for them (tiny beautiful flies) was highly comparable to the mighty strength of the steelhead.
9. Future of fishing and today's fishing craze?
He says from past experience, that such fishing crazes goes in waves. That in a few years only the true fishermen will remain and the fishing wannabees will give up.
After that question he complained about his tremendous hunger and we all went out for dinner.
Western Fly Fishers Plagurism of my interview...
On December 30th, Jack Hemingway will be buried in Idaho, a place he loved for its outdoor life and wonderful hunting and fishing opportunity.
Hemingway was instrumental in introducing catch-and-release regulations on waters that held wild fish and could not withstand the heavy burden put on them by increasing numbers of anglers. He also pushed to stock more hatchery fish into reservoirs and lakes and to discontinue stocking selected streams where there already were strong populations of wild trout.
Hemingway lived a life as big as Idaho's outdoors. Fly-fishing took him to the far reaches of the planet. Even a world war could not dampen his fervor for fishing. In 1944 as a lieutenant in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), precursor to the CIA, Jack parachuted into France with a fly rod hidden in his pack. He was eventually wounded and captured by the Germans, but not before a few French fish rose to his flies.
Preserving Silver Creek Hemingway poured this passion for fishing into preserving one of Idaho's premier trout streams Silver Creek near Sun Valley, spearheading a tremendous effort to set aside this pristine paradise. Now a Nature Conservancy Preserve, the clear waters of Silver Creek beckon fly fishermen from all over the world. It is a living legacy to a true conservationist.
"Well, if it weren't for Jack Hemingway, Silver Creek probably would be a totally different looking place right now. He was the one who had the foresight to make the call to the Nature Conservancy," said Paul Todd of The Nature Conservancy.
Hosting Incredible Idaho In 1991 Hemingway agreed to become the host of a new wildlife television show Incredible Idaho launched by Fish & Game in cooperation with KTVB. The show garnered several regional and statewide awards and gained national recognition from the Isaak Walton League of America with its "Outdoor Ethics Communications Award" for its efforts in promoting ethical wildlife photography. Sue Nass, Fish and Game Television Specialist and Writer/Producer for Incredible Idaho said, "More than once I heard him say with wry humor that he wanted to see how long a Hemingway could live since both his father and grandfather had taken their own lives. Perhaps the measure of a life should not be in years, but how we live it. The son of Ernest Hemingway lived an extraordinary life in turn enriching the lives of everyone he met and providing enjoyment to countless others who may not have had the pleasure of meeting Jack, but have thrilled to the feel of a trout tugging their line from the deep pools of Silver Creek. I'll always miss him."
December 30 Service Hemingway died December 2 at age 77. His memorial service, on December 30th at 2 p.m. will take place at the Sun Valley Lodge and will be open to the public.
FOR VERY LARGE BROWN TROOTS!
Ian has a fantastic line of trout flies and a line system he created that would blow you away and is perfect for winterrun steelhead fishing. I keep telling him he should market it and he'd blow Teeny away.
You can find some of Ian's works on BCAdventure.com and you can even talk to the man himself.
1. Why was the Steelhead Society Formed and can you
give a short history of it?
First let me say there are far more qualified people than me to speak about the Steelhead Society of B.C. The SSBC was formed about 1969/70 by a group of dedicated steelhead anglers who met each other regularly, but informally on the many rivers of BC. Many were members of various fishing clubs such as the Kingfishers and the Totem flyfishers. Although many were opposed in methods of catching steelhead, all agreed that steelhead needed protecting, and some pressure should be put on the Provincial government (Social Credit Party at that time). The Social Credit Party seemed determined to accept short term profits from the destruction of the province’s resources. Our province is now having to pay for the destructive policies implemented by that government.
2. Why did you become a member and as a member what
did ya' all do?
Although I know and knew (some are now deceased) many of the founding members I’m not sure just who got the society rolling. Cal Woods comes to mind as a very dedicated man who held many opposing factions together and on course. There is now an award in the memory of Cal Woods. There are many other tireless workers who have stepped up to the plate since the passing of Cal, and I won’t mention any one person because of the many I would possibly leave out. The SSBC was a grass roots society of working class people, with a mixture of professional people mixed in. They came from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, but all were dedicated to the protection of wild steelhead. At the time there was still a kill fishery allowed, with a limit of three steelhead a day in the northern part of the province and two a day in the south. I believe there was a 40 steelhead a season quota. And, that quota was a suggestion to the Provincial Fisheries by the steelhead anglers themselves. Prior to that, anglers could keep as many as they could catch over the season. It was the newly formed SSBC that saw the declining runs of steelhead and made recommendations to the Fisheries Branch. In the 1960’s the Kingfisher club undertook a catch and release tagging program just to monitor the movements of steelhead. Prior to that, nobody, including the biologists, knew anything about steelhead numbers or their movements. Anglers were just starting their own catch and release policies.
Unfortunately, the Fisheries Branch was under political pressure from the Socred Government that wanted to allow unlimited logging, mining, commercial fishing, or any other resource based industry, with no concern for the environment. A point in fact was “FISH” were not even considered as a “WATER USER”. The Socred Government was all for the raising of dam on the upper Skagit which would have flooded 20 miles of the only trout stream close to Vancouver. We had to fight for over 20 years to stop that. On top of the problems with the Provincial Government there was the Federal Government to deal with. The Federal Government is in charge of Fisheries and Oceans and this toady bureaucracy has to jump to the tune of idiotic political decisions. DFO is basically run by commercial harvesting interests who don’t give a damn for steelhead, and in fact would just as soon have steelhead disappear altogether. The bottom line is a quick profit and to hell with the future. They think everything can be fixed with a hatchery system to pump out more fish. Things haven’t changed in 30 years. These were just a few of the problems the SSBC wanted to address.
Many of the SSBC problems have been internal and it’s a complicated issue, one that’s hard to put it in a concise form. There has been a lot of in-fighting and pulling in different directions. Basically, the SSBC is opposed to hatchery systems at the cost of protecting wild stock and their environment. They saw what happened south of the border. They are basically opposed to clear cut logging in coastal valleys. Unfortunately, this flies in the face of many steelheaders who work in the logging and forest industry. Many steelheaders still want to kill the occasional steelhead and have a limited hatchery system in place, where others are for a total catch and release system and no hatcheries at all. This causes friction. There is also friction between the bait and gear crew and the fly fishing crowd. Name calling and elitism is referred to in an ongoing argument.
Despite all the bickering the SSBC has plowed forward with letter writing campaigns in an attempt to hold the government’s feet to the fire. Money was raised by auctions and local donations. The newspapers were informed of back door policies destructive to the environment. The SSBC took a front and center position opposing the crooked back room deal with Alcan set up by Federal and Provincial bureaucrats. Although unsuccessful with their campaign, the SSBC made the general public aware of the crooked political decisions and their destructive policies. When Alcan phase two was brought to the table, the SSBC took another stand and was instrumental in the overturning of that plan. There is too great a list of projects that the SSBC were involved in, some large and some small. But, all very important.
I only joined because it was the least I thought I could do, but I could hardly be considered an active member. I donated paintings to their Christmas auction and followed their direction in letter writing campaigns. I added my little bit with articles in some local magazines from time to time, but, I don’t want any credit for work done by others on my behalf.
A friend of mine, Ehor Boyanowsky, became president around 1990 and started to take the society in a slightly different direction. For the good or for the bad remains to be seen. Ehor is a professor of criminology at Simon Fraser University. He is what some call an elitist fly fisherman, and he is opposed to bait fishing steelhead. This causes some friction with a few members. Ehor is an educated, charismatic personality who people listen to when he talks. He writes and talks eloquently and what he says carries weight. He dedicated several years and a lot of personal time in helping the SSBC grow. His letters to politicians, fisheries managers and the Forest Service were well researched, to the point and acerbic. He didn’t pull any punches.
It was through Ehor that Dan Burns became involved. Dan is a lawyer and was also dedicated, he served several years as a director and a vice president for the SSBC. Dan was instrumental in getting the Habitat Restoration Corporation started, which was directly tied to the SSBC. The HRC became a multi-million dollar enterprise collecting funds and grants from the government. And, it later became tied in with Forest Renewal BC. For the first time the SSBC/HRC actually had enough money to work on major stream projects rather than just write letters complaining about fisheries policy direction. Unfortunately, the HRC grew too fast without accounting in place. Many members of the SSBC didn’t like the posh new offices and direction the society was going. They weren’t sure if the money was being spent wisely. There were audits called for and a lot of infighting which I won’t go into because I know little about the details, but it did cause a “LARGE” rift with the SSBC members. I have allegiance to both factions so I won’t make any comments. Hopefully the SSBC is back on track and will continue to do its great work of the past. It is just too bad the wounds will take a while in healing.
4. You are a well reknown expert on trouts. How and
why did you make the transition to trouts from
steelheading?
As you already know, I flyfish by choice, but I don’t have any problem with how anyone chooses to fish. I know how efficient bait can be and nobody can tell me any different. A good bait fisherman can be deadly, but he/she can also lip hook steelhead where a less skilled angler might hook the same fish in the gills or guts. I’ve done too many tests on my own when the fishing was so good it didn’t matter whether I landed any or not. I’ve also seen situations where flies would work when bait wouldn’t…so who cares so long as everyone is having fun.
I guess I drifted away from steelheading about the time I had caught several thousand. I had spent a lot of time in logging camps with steelhead rivers nearby. I arranged my visits to those camps when the fishing was best. After you’ve caught hundreds of steelhead and salmon using bait or gear the challenge wears off. I like fishing from an artistic point of view. I like creative challenges. Steehead aren’t usually selective when it comes to flies, and any orange, pink, black or purple thing will work, even a hunk of wool. The main problem is finding the steelhead and getting something in front of their face. Trout can be different. They often feed selectively and choose one fly over another. This means I have to create the fly and present it naturally to represent the insect it imitates. Maybe I just get bored with the repetitious casting needed to find the occasional steelhead. And, when I’m swinging a fly rod I know there is a more efficient system for steelhead, whether it’s spoons, spinners or bait.
5. Please tell us about your artistic background and
history. I really enjoyed your works when I was
visiting (mention being color blind, that's cool).
I just love the waters that all salmonids inhabit, so I travel from stream to stream and country to country in I my quest for something new. This has evolved into other and similar interests in photography, writing, illustrating, and painting the wild creatures I find along streams. Our family was always interested in art and all my siblings (two sisters and one brother) do it to some degree or the other. I showed you my sisters very successful books on travel, art and cooking. I was raised with modeling clay in my hands, and pencils, crayons, paints and paper were readily available to all of us. Rainy Saturday mornings were spent at the kitchen table with various projects on the go.
6. How have you made a difference in protecting wild
runs? I believe you were politically active.
I can’t say I was too politically active other than attending functions to protect steelhead or rivers. We worked fairly hard at stopping the raising of the Skagit dam and eventually it paid off. I wrote letters and articles for magazines about the environment, but I had to watch what I said. I got my knuckles rapped a few times because I was employed by the Forest Service, but not too much came of it. If I’ve done anything it has been in trying to give a balanced view between protecting the environment and still having a resource based industry. A lot of ideas I presented years ago are just now being implemented. I’ve got other ideas that would help the environment but so far they’ve fallen on deaf ears.
7. What do you think of the Canadian/American netting
wars?
I think the American/Canadian netting wars are stupid, but I don’t know a solution that would work. I know what should be done, but all the vested interests are greedy and unwilling to agree to anything. I’m totally convinced that a source based fishery is the “ONLY” way to go. In that way the country/people (natives included) would get back what their streams provide. It could be done in the form of a weir or water wheels. Even beach seines work when there are enough fish. But, like I said, there is still a buffalo hunter process in place, and none of the commercial stake holders will be happy until there is nothing left but a bunch of bones. In BC, we are starting a plan to give it all back to the natives who will then sell it off for short term profits….just like white folks.
8. What do you think about BC giving the land back to
the Niscas?
Giving the land back to the Nishgas is going to prove to be the biggest disaster this country has ever seen. Every other tribe in BC will want a deal that is just as good or better. Because there is no input from the general population, only a few individuals who have no interest in the outdoors or opportunities for everyone will be making the decisions. The government is creating Apartheid which will further alienate whites from First Nations. The First Nations haven’t the knowledge to run their own governments let alone the whole province. Band leaders take advantage of their own people and the various bands bicker and fight amongst themselves. I’m not racist and feel we have to settle with the natives, but not at the expense of the whole province. The government is going to try and correct one terrible injustice (to the natives years ago) with another one equally as bad if not worse. But, when they give it all back to the natives, as planned, I feel we should also disband all forms of bureaucracy, government or police force . There will be no need for the Forest Service, the Ministry of Environment, or Social Services, or any other department because there will be no tax base to operate it. I doubt if the native people could do any worse than the idiotic decisions made by our white government. It will be back to the fastest gun wins. The funny thing is that First Nations haven’t really lost the land. It is still there for all to use. That is the meaning of Crown Land. They have the same or more rights as whites now have and can hunt, fish or create a business same as anyone else. If they come up with a viable business plan the government will back them on it with cash grants. The First Nations never considered titled ownership of land as we do….it was owned by everyone and whoever was strong enough to hold it. The First Nations bands fought amongst each other, took slaves and generally abused the land. They just weren’t advanced (for loss of a better word) to really destroy the land as white people have with their mechanization.
11. American Anglers? Don't hold back please.
On American anglers…I basically like them on an individual basis. There’s great people and boors, same as any other nation. If I have any problems it’s with a few American anglers who have been coming up to fish certain northern rivers for so long they are starting to think they own the country and somehow get prior rights. Sorry, it ain’t your country until you immigrate here. A few times I’ve felt and been treated like I was a stranger in my own country. But, I will say that is only with a few individuals and not the general group. I basically like everyone until they show they aren’t worth my respect.
Hey, I’ve written a book here and I wasn’t even getting paid
To set the record straight here, my father was not a guide but my grandfather was. Third generation down the line but second generation guide. Does this make sense? Still a little confusing to me at times. I'm 5th generation in my family here in Washington. My family actually settled Bothell of all places. I pretty much grew up a military brat living around the U.S. until I was 18. My mother an only child passed away when I was seven. Being all that my grandparents had left of my mother I spent my summers with them from the day school let out until it started back up in Sept. I spent many a day running around in my grandfathers boat as bait boy and lots of his clients would even let me battle their fish for them. It was a blast. I caught my first steelhead on the Sauk river when I was seven years old. I was hooked!!
>2. What was it like in your father’s day?
I'm assuming you mean what was it like in my Grandfathers day. All I can tell you is the stories I heard from both he and my Grandmother. The only pictures I have seen of my grandfather fishing were taken by my Grandmother either on the days the two of them would go out together on the river or when they would go out with a huge group of anglers and hit the Columbia to fish and party all night long. Talk about carnage!! Wish I could share the pictures with everyone but back then my grandparents were really into those 3D cameras. I could probably write a whole book on all the stories I've heard about what fishing was like for my grandfather growing up. Fishing off the back of log booms as a kid to how how the kings were so thick in the Sauk that they would actually push themselves out on the bank.
>3. What do you consider to be the true downfall of the >Skagit/Sauk Runs?
I don't know if one could actually pin-point any exact cause of the declining runs on the Sauk and Skagit. The old timers up here blame it on the tribes netting commercially. Others blame it on habitat and mismanagement. Some blame it on logging. Me personally, I just blame mankind as a whole. We just can't seem to get enough of a good thing until its gone. Sure ocean conditions may have a lot to do with the recent declines, but what about what we had in the past. The stories I've heard about what it used to be like up here would boggle your mind. We're the ones to blame as a whole for ever letting it come to this. I'm pretty sick of all the finger pointing and would much rather hear, "OK we've all fucked up in one way or another. Now what can we do for the fish."
>4. How do you feel about the closures of the Snohomish >system?
4.When the closures of all the Puget Sound area "S" rivers were first announced I was HOT. Fit to be tied! If it was for the fish great. But so much at the time went racing through my mind like; Will the tribes still be netting? Why the sportsman? Why are we made to suffer for this? I blamed it at the time on Mis-Management of our resource. Why if they had forecasted a low return for the past 3 years in a row and every year it looked lower and lower, why was a catch and kill season ever allowed on native steelhead up until March 1st during this time? The other question that kept pounding through my head was about hook mortality rate studies that are at best out-dated. Why are they shutting down a C&R season when they have no conclusive studies showing recent hook mortality rates using modern C&R principles and gear. Looking at it now, if its truly for the fish, GREAT!!! The only problem I have now is where's the enforcement now that the rivers are closed? They move the enforcement officers out of the area when the rivers are closed to where they need them most. Lots of poaching will still be going on from those that disregard the law and the resource.
>5. What effect will it have on you and the local >economy?
March and April have always been my busiest months sometimes booking spots a year ahead of time. For me this year it will give me a little time off needed to work on putting up the log cabin my wife and I are building for ourselves. For the local economy up here it means lots of hardship. Over half of the business' in Marblemount have gone up for sale lots have already closed. March and April has always been the start of the summer season for these business'. It brought anglers, especially fly fisherman from around the world to this area. I truly feel for all these business' and wish them all the best.
>6. How badly has the WDFW mismanaged the Skagit/Sauk >System and please give some examples?
I don't really no if I'd call it mismanagement. More of absentee management. Until after 97 when our now area Biologist Pete Castle took over I really don't think there was much of a management system up here in place. Never really had anyone up here before that would listen to the guides on the river and as to what the conditions were like. I actually believe Pete Castle really has the fishes best interests at heart. He asks about numbers, size, fry and smolt migration numbers and I have seen him quite regularly floating the rivers himself counting reds and what not. As I said earlier the biggest problem I have now is in enforcement of fishing regulations during this closure. Last year when we had a C&R season up here there was lots of enforcement. Was actually quite a nice suprise seeing fish and game officers floating the river themselves a few days a week.
7. Do you think the restriction on hound hunting for >cougars has thus destroyed the small population of >deer in the Sauk Valley?
I think that has a big part to do with it, Yes. We have also had quite a bit of winter kill up here in the past few years due to massive hair loss on our deer population. From who knows what?
>8. What do you think could help the Skagit & Sauk >System?
Good question!! One I could probably write a book on right now. There's lots that could be done on this system to help the fish out. I'll name a few for you. Limit the netting by the tribes on the river system and make them accountable for their catch. Improve habitat areas with less chanelization of side tributaries used by smolt and fry. Close down known spwning areas like the upper Sauk to any fishing during late March and all of April. Make it an all C&R season on all of our native steelhead up here.
>9. Will the Indians be allowed to net during the >sportsman closure? >time ago.
The tribes I'm told have actually been pretty good about this closure up here. I believe their last scheduled day of netting was about two weeks ago. And even before that, at least with the Skagit Tribe, there was only one guy netting one day a week in Jan. 10. I'm not sure it will affect spawning in a negative way if the drout situation we're in now keeps up. Look at it this way. In the past when we've had high water years a lot of the red areas were up higher on the banks in places effected highly by spring run-off and areas that would normally dry up by mid to late summer. So unless we have a major drout this summer I think they'll be spawning in lower areas with less of a chance of drying up. Could make for a better fry count and smolt migration this year too. I was getting pretty worried about the Silver salmon Fry here recently. They usually start imerging now. In the past two weeks on the river though I was quite amazed at the number of fry I was actually seeing.
Ang, I hope I answered all of your questions for you. I want to just ad one thing though, somthing that has really gotten under my skin lately. Over the past two weeks especially, I've noticed a ton of bashing being done on everyone, in the northwest fishing forum boards accross the web. Enough is Enough already!! We all seem to have forgotten why we go out to wet a line to begin with. Fishing is supposed to be fun! Were not helping the fish or the fishing any by belly aching about others. An idea for anyone willing to do it; Take a kid out fishing on opening day of trout season this year. Hook a kid into a fish and watch his or her eyes light up. Remember that smile and that feeling. Isn't this what its all about?? Instead of complaining about the fishing and other fisherman wouldn't all of our energy be better spent asking ourselves, What can I do for the fish? Just my opinion. May your waders never dry! J---<")(\(\(\)>{
THE INTERVIEW
1. How and when did your family settle Forks?
They first came in 1898 to visit the area and came for good in 1901 as
my grand father was born her in the old homestead house as it still remains on the
property. We have cattle and four horses as I use them on elk hunts.
I’m the fourth generation my kids are the fifth. I have four daughters
Candy 21, Holly 19, Jessica 15 and remarried with an 8 year old, Meghan. :)
2. How is your family connected to Forks?
The great grandfather had the first trading company in Forks. My grandfather was the
first of many, first post master, first county commissioner and first
board of directors of the Hospital as he gave land to them and two church groups and a
honorary Makah Indian member, as he pushed Washington DC to give back the ancient site to the Native Americans as it was taken back from the park and given back to the natives of Neah Bay.
3. How and why did you start guiding?
Me and a logging buddy (Bob Hoke as his father was a part-time guide as well as a timber
faller) fished on the weekends and seen a few guides get paid as we had way more fish
than they did and my buddy told me I should be a guide and that’s how it started. My first
boat trip was in 1966, with my Dad down the Bogachiel River, and we caught some fish and I was
hooked. My dad was no guide as he worked for a log scaling company for 33 years and took
me fishing and hunting every year. My first guide license was in 1980 and went full time
in 1987. I was a logger out of high school and logged for 10 years before
making the change.
4. How do you feel about C&R Fishing?
I feel C&R has no place as a fishery. I feel that when these fish have reached their
spot they need NOT to be harassed, let them do their spawning as the eagles should be their
only worry. Bob Ball has not fished any open water yet all C&R areas he’s a killer
and knows it.
5. What are the biggest impacts on Peninsula Steelhead Runs?
The native’s net fishery has the biggest impact, as you must know I’m friends with a lot of
native people and often feel their tension. There’s not much we can do there till some
make a change, maybe they would want to talk about future fishing.
6. What would you do about it?
I would close all C&R areas period no fishing for any species. If people want to let them
go it’s their choice. The game department knows that there are runs that are in great shape. Why would they raise the limit to 10 instead of 5.
My mom is on the city council and Forks wants what best for the resource, the city was the
one whom got it to 10 after a long talk with the mayor and other city officials. Bob Ball
thinks he can make changes here in Forks he’s wrong, they are on to him. I have the word
out on him. You can bet I’m watching and listening.
Thank you Jim for you candid answers. I wish you luck in all your endeavors!
