The Middle River Group, LLC

fly fishing, conservation and politics.

tenkara, conservation, communications, politics

Key grip and trout wrangler at the Middle River Group, LLC. Playing Doc Holliday to the Wyatt Earps of the fish and wildlife conservation world. Deputy Director, Marine Fish Conservation Network. Guide and instructor, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing. Freelance outdoor writer.

Our Public Lands (Part 3) – The Local View.

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OIA OutRecEcon Rpt“All politics is local,” Tip O’Neill once said. So when the Outdoor Industry Association released its 50 state report on the outdoor recreation economy I quickly downloaded the numbers for Virginia.

According to the OIA, Virginia outdoor recreation generates:
• $13.6 billion in direct consumer spending,
• $ 3.9 billion in wages and salaries,
• $ 923 million in state and local tax revenue, and
• accounts for 138,000 direct jobs.

If you spend time in Virginia’s great outdoors, whether it is hiking, biking, camping, canoeing, hunting or fishing you know that many, if not most of the places where you do those things are public lands. Unfortunately recognition of this economic driver by the Commonwealth’s elected officials, at any level is few and far between.

If you like to play outdoors then you just might ask those same elected officials what they are doing to help this important segment of our local economy.
Give them the facts; let them know our public lands provide the venues for many recreational activities that in turn power that economic engine.
Make them tell you why other, more consumptive and less sustainable uses should take precedence over recreation.

You can see what outdoor recreation means to your state’s economy and download the report on OIA’s Outdoor Recreation Economy page.

The outdoor recreation economy is an economic powerhouse, now it needs to be a political powerhouse!

Tenkara Summit Info

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2013Summitposter
The 2013 Tenkara Summit will be in Harrisonburg, Va. on May 11 and 12, hosted by Tenkara USA and Mossy Creek Fly Fishing.
The plans are coming together and the details are starting to shape up.
Here is some early information you can use for your planning.

Registration

Open online at: http://www.tenkarausa.com/product_info.php/products_id/157
Follow the directions carefully to be sure your registration is complete and accurate.


DAY 1 – May 11, 2013

$25 for event and lunch
Location: Holiday Inn Harrisonburg – 1400 East Market Street, Harrisonburg.
Schedule:
 9AM – 5PM: Main event – presentations, casting, tying demos and more.
6PM – 10PM: Tenkara Social with band at the hotel.

DAY 2 – May 12, 2013

$75 for lunch and guided afternoon clinics.
Location: Riven Rock Park, 6 Last Left Lane, Hinton, VA.
Schedule: 10AM – 12PM: more demos outside at the park (no charge, included in Day 1 fee)
12 PM on: Lunch and guided clinics.
Riven Rock Park information

Accommodations

There is a block of rooms available at the Holiday Inn. You will want to stay there if you are from out of town so you can enjoy the tenkara party that evening.
Room rates have been negotiated for $89.
To book a room please call 540-433-2521 and tell operator you’d like to book rooms under “Tenkara Summit 2013” room block.
Or visit the Holiday Inn website, enter dates, and group code TSB.
Please note the last day for reservations under the room block is Friday, April 26th, 2013.
Camping options will be posted on the Mossy Creek Fly Fishing website soon.

I will post updates as they become available, so please check back.
Hope to see you at the summit!

New Tenkara Book Coming!

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David Dirks is a outdoor writer and columnist for The Times Herald Record in Westton, NY. He is working on a book using the insights of actual tenkara anglers here in the US. When I got a note from David asking if I would be willing to share my experiences on tenkara fishing, I was quick to say yes.

Now David’s book has been sent off to the editor and he sent a copy of the cover and the table of contents so I could give you a sneak peek.

Tenkara Fly Fishing Insights and Strategies

Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Ancient Tenkara: A Short History
Short history of tenkara fly fishing
2. The Essence of Tenkara Fly Fishing
3. Tenkara Fly Rods
Selecting Tenkara Rods
4. Tenkara Lines & Tippets
5. Casting techniques for Tenkara
6. Tenkara Flies: Traditional Flair with Practical Applications
Insights for fishing traditional tenkara fly patterns
Match-the-hatch versus traditional tenkara one fly
Tenkara Advantage: The art & science of manipulating the fly
Other fly pattern applications for tenkara (traditional American dry flies, nymphs, streamers and bucktails)
7. Tenkara Fly Patterns: Traditional meets Non-Traditional
8. Fishing with Tenkara (Note: focuses on how to fish each of the following types of water effectively using tenkara equipment)
Riffles
Pools
Eddies
Pocket water
9. Tenkara Fishing Strategies for Small Water
10. Tenkara Strategies For Larger Water
11 . Tenkara Strategies for Fighting Fish
12. About Our Tenkara Contributors

This will be a great book for all tenkara fans and those wanting to learn about tenkara. It is expected to be available by the end of March and will be both in print and ebook.

You Say Tenkara I Say Kleenex

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The ever-attentive Mr. Klass of Tenkara Talk fame offered an interesting Twitter observation:Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 5.56.57 PM

For those just tuning in, there has been a bit of a culture war within the tenkara ranks for a while. Apparently it stems from what is and what is not tenkara. The discussion has taken a variety of forms from rods to flies, to lines. It raised its ugly head again apparently (although I missed why).

Personally I think it is a bunch of hooey. Tenkara isn’t trademarked, and the translation in Japanese isn’t even precise. At this point, Tenkara is like Kleenex. How many of us say “bathroom tissue?” You almost feel compelled to lock your jaw and extend your pinky if you do…

So to squabble over what is and is not tenkara seems pointless unless there is some other game afoot. Probably not an unfounded suspicion truth be told.  It reminds me of the old guard of fly-fishing who didn’t want women fishing and looked down their collective noses if you didn’t just fish a dry fly upstream. Their goal was to exclude others. Is that what you want? In any event, it is unseemly and looks silly to folks just discovering tenkara.

Jason is correct tenkara is fixed line fly-fishing. Just like using a cane pole, bobber and a worm is fixed line fishing. The obvious difference is one uses a fly and the other does not. That is all you need to say when that subject comes up.

If what I do is not what you call tenkara, so be it. Call it fixed line fly-fishing if it makes you happy. It is still fly-fishing and it is still fun and to me that is the whole point of being out there.

Time to Join the OWAA

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If you are an outdoor blogger you should join the Outdoor Writers of America Association.

My friend Chris Hunt’s recent post for the Outdoor Bloggers Network: “Outdoor Writers Association of America: Outdoor Bloggers Welcome” rekindled the notion of rejoining the OWAA and I submitted my application for membership shortly thereafter.

Since I am writing this post for my blog I am thrilled OWAA has opened the membership to qualified bloggers. More importantly I am delighted that my fellow outdoor bloggers can know take advantage of the myriad resources OWAA has to offer.

During my tenure at the Izaak Walton League of America I had been a member of OWAA, a venerated organization that dedicates itself to helping outdoor communicators improve their craft and the profession. When I left the League I let my membership lapse because I was not engaged as outdoor communicator enough to meet the requirements of membership. Having returned to the journalistic fold a few years ago I began to think I should rejoin but never seemed to get around to it. When I gave up my outdoor column at the News Virginian (Waynesboro), I dropped the idea.

I won’t repeat the many reasons Chris gave for joining, they are compelling in and of themselves. I will happily add my voice to his and say that as outdoor bloggers this is an important opportunity to improve your work and enhance the view of our corner of the blogging community.

Why should outdoor bloggers join?

Do you care about your craft as a blogger or do you just bang away at the keyboard and call it good?

Look at the OWAA’s mission “…to improve the professional skills of our members, set the highest ethical and communications standards, encourage public enjoyment and conservation of natural resources, and be mentors for the next generation of professional outdoor communicators.”

If you are passionate about the outdoors and see your blog fitting somewhere in that mission statement than join OWAA. You will join others who care about professional skills, ethics, conservation and mentoring others. You will benefit from shared experiences, going back 85 years, from the best outdoor communicators in the game.

Was that too highfalutin a reason for you? Do you want to make a little money as well?

For example, OWAA was an invaluable resource for me to find writers for the League’s magazine, Outdoor America. It was the best place to find writers on a wide range of topics. They were part of an organization with professional standards. As a blogger, if you want to be on that list of potential resources, join OWAA. You will be on the same list of the storied veterans of the genre.

Need help with your craft?

As Chris points out, “The friendships I’ve made through OWAA are lasting relationships that are more special to me than any paycheck I might garner from writing about the outdoors.” If you want to build those relationships, join OWAA.

At the League I looked to OWAA members to get some different perspectives on policy issues or to keep a finger on the pulse of the views of outdoor community. After I left, and even today those OWAA members I met or communicated with still are important resources for getting a wider-angle view on issues. If you are looking for background information, help with understanding the complexities of a subject or need to see who has written what about it before, your fellow OWAA members are wonderful, credible resources.

Would you like to visit some trade shows?

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association and the American Sportfishing Association have combined trade shows this year. At a recent board meeting the issue of media credentials for bloggers came up. If you are a member of OWAA you will not have a problem getting media credentials for ICAST or IFTD. I can’t speak for other trade shows but I am sure you will have an easier time proving your bona fides for credentials if you are an OWAA member.

You will make OWAA better!

The outdoor blogger genre is still young but it is growing. You are the early adopters and first followers. As part of OWAA you will become the storied veterans who paved the way and mentored others. You will help sort out the conundrums that will surely face us. You can help OWAA continue its important mission and make outdoor blogging better by your efforts.

 

Our Public Lands (Part 2.1)

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In Our Public Lands (Part 2) I wrote “In coming posts I will write about what the agenda might include…”

Well between guiding, holidays and year end business commitments I haven’t had a chance to give it the attention I wanted. But I have been seeing some lists pop up that offers some great suggestions.

Land Tawney of Hellsgate Hunters and Anglers did outstanding job of getting the ball rolling in Sportsmen’s Priorities for 2013 on their Montana Bully Pulpit blog. Tawney writes in the intro:

“This past year hunters and anglers enjoyed the spotlight in congress; something we rarely realize.  The Sportsmen Act of 2012 became a political football and didn’t come to fruition.  While I enjoy the fact that our issues were front and center, ultimately we didn’t get it done.  It’s time to capitalize on the attention and double down on our efforts.  Together, we can protect our heritage for our children’s future.  Just think if we could get it all done….”

Here is Tawney’s list, be sure to read his post to learn more about the issues and why they are important to sportsmen.

  • Passage of the Sportsmen Act
  • Restoration of the Gulf of Mexico
  • Full Funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
  • National Sodsaver and Conservation Compliance
  • Passage of an Omnibus Public Lands Bill
  • National Flood Insurance Reform
  • Restoration of Free Roaming Bison
  • Protect Bristol Bay
  • Expand Conservation Funding Revenue
  • Climate Change

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership released their 2013 Conservation Policy Agenda recently. This is a comprehensive look at policy challenges. You should read the entire document as it provides a well-written justification for action. Download the 2013 Conservation Policy Agenda. In the press release they called out some priorities:

  • developing new incentives to safeguard precious natural resources and fish and wildlife habitat – and to sustain and expand public access for hunting and fishing – through strongly funded conservation programs in the federal budget;
  • defending disproportionate cuts to the funding of – and the elimination of existing funding to – key federal conservation;
  • facilitating passage of a full, five-year farm bill as swiftly as possible;
  • advancing the BLM’s work to administratively conserve high-value backcountry fish and wildlife habitat through land-use planning processes in consideration of input from Western sportsmen and other stakeholders;
  • securing the passage of climate change legislation that provides secure, long-term funding for state fish and wildlife agencies to address the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife by protecting and improving habitats and maintaining healthy, connected and genetically diverse populations;
  • influencing development of policy guiding renewable energy development, particularly solar and wind energy, on public lands.

There is a lot more in the report so be sure to give it a read. Here are the topics and items they cover:

  • Access
  • Climate
    • Climate Change
  • Conservation Funding
    • America’s Voice for Conservation, Recreation and Preservation
  • Energy
    • Responsible Development Issues
  • Watersheds
    • Bristol Bay, Alaska
    • Chesapeake Bay
  • Marine Fisheries
    • Recreational Marine Fisheries Conservation
  • Private Lands 
    • Agriculture
    • Tax Incentives for Conservation Easements
    • Wetlands and Clean Water Protections
  • Public Lands
    • Backcountry Lands Conservation
    • Forest Service Planning Regulations
  • Water (new policy area for 2013)

Clearly there are some important issues in these two lists and there are other issues that should be included as well.I will be on the look out for more lists and post them when I come across them.

What do you think is missing from these lists?

Let me know what they are and why it is important. I wille on the look out for more lists and post them when I come across them.

Of course we are early in the policy process and the issues on the field and the ability to make progress with policy will no doubt change, so stay tuned.