fly fishing, conservation and politics.
As a tenkara fan, I keep my eye’s peeled for posts, tweets, updates etc on anything related to tenkara style fly-fishing. Brian Wise‘s post at Fly Fishing the Ozarks quickly caught my eye. It is a great post on the “feel” you get when you use a tenkara rod for nymphing. He also points out how using a tenkara rod is a lot less tiring.
Take it away Brian > Tenkara meets Southern Missouri….and France?
The simple fact is that if anglers can’t access the water they will be driven from the sport.
There are a lot factors that drive a person’s decision to go fishing. The study for ASA by Responsive Management looked at those decisions with an eye toward helping guide programs to improve angler access.
Durable decisions on access must be based on facts, not conjecture. This study is an important step toward understanding the attitudes of anglers, landowners and land management professionals.
For Immediate Release
Mary Jane Williamson, Communications Director, mjwilliamson@asafishing.org
703-519-9691, x227, www.asafishing.org
Comprehensive Angler Access Study Has Surprising Results
Industry leaders will address a wide-range of sportfishing issues
Alexandria, VA – July 7, 2010 – Results of a recent comprehensive angler access study by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and Responsive Management – 2010 Angler Access in the U.S. Report – reveal some surprising views by anglers, private landowners and professional fish and wildlife managers who make decisions regarding angler access. Interviews were completed with more than 4,000 landowners and more than 4,100 recreational anglers. This is the first study of its kind to include landowners that have water on, adjacent to or running through their property to document their assessment of angler access. The most important finding is that two-thirds of anglers access most of their fishing from public lands with about half of those anglers primarily fishing from private boats, this includes both fresh and saltwater.
The five major findings in the study are:
• Public lands are important to anglers as a means to access places to fish.
• Angler access is tied to boating access.
• Fish and wildlife professionals are concerned about angler access.
• While liability is an important issue for landowners, a landowners’ privacy is the most important reason why they don’t open their land to more people.
• Landowners are generally unaware of the many programs that agencies and organizations have to help them create access on their property.
“The most important finding in this study is the predominant role that public lands and access to public lands plays in anglers being able to enjoy their sport,” said ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson. “That is crucial information for our state and federal fish and wildlife and land managers and must be taken into account for budgeting and planning purposes.”
Robertson further said, “Access is consistently identified as the top issue of concern among anglers and the study reveals that if anglers can’t access areas to recreationally fish, they may desert the sport.”
Mark Duda, executive director of Responsive Management, emphasized, “This is a thorough and definitive study of angler access in the United States. Agencies and organizations interested in angler access will find this and invaluable resource.”
Other highlights of the study include:
• 92 percent of landowners approved of legal recreational fishing and believe it is important for the public to have the opportunity to do so.
• About one-half of landowners fish on their own property and two-thirds allow access to those people they know.
• Approximately one-tenth of landowners allow completely open access to their lands.
• Approximately 1 percent of private landowners charge an access fee to anglers.
• 64 percent of recreational anglers access their primary fishing areas from public lands while 16 percent use private lands.
• 54 percent of recreational anglers seek areas with boating access.
• 54 percent of anglers surveyed cited that as their primary source of information about where to fish is word of mouth.
• The survey found that 89 percent of landowners say they have not experienced problems with recreational anglers in the last five years.
“Anglers have long been viewed as conservationists and generally as good citizens,” said Robertson. “It is encouraging to understand from the survey that almost 90 percent of landowners have not experienced problems with recreational anglers over the past five years.”
The study was conducted under a multi-state conservation grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and administered by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
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The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association, committed to looking out for the interests of the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry a unified voice speaking out when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. We invest in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic and conservation values of sportfishing in America. ASA also represents the interests of America’s 60 million anglers who generate over $45 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for over one million people.
Responsive Management is an internationally recognized public opinion and attitude survey research firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues and has been conducting research on anglers and fishing-related issues for 20 years. Its mission is to help natural resource agencies and organizations better understand and work with their constituents, customers, and the public. Utilizing its in-house, full-service mail and telephone survey center with 50 professional interviewers, Responsive Management has conducted more than 500 telephone surveys, mail surveys and focus groups. It has extensive experience in conducting scientific surveys on fishing participation, fishing motivations, anglers’ preferences, and opinions on fishing regulations and other fisheries management issues. For all studies, Responsive Management follows the highest standards in conducting mail surveys, telephone surveys, focus groups, and personal interviews to ensure accurate, unbiased results.
Because I get questions about fishing tenkara style, I pulled together some information. I also posted it on the Gone Fishing page so it is easy find to refer to.
For brook trout fishing in the mountains I use the Tenkara USA Iwana in the 11′ length and 6:4 action. I use a 10′ 6″ traditional tenkara line attached to the tip of the rod with a simple girth hitch. I tie about 9″ of 4x tippet to the end of the line, then about 12-18″ of 5x or 6x tippet to that depending on the conditions.
Because it flexes so much in the upper section especially at the tip, it readily protect a light tippet. While the rod appears delicate, it has held up exceptionally well under the rigors of fishing, traveling, bush whacking and teaching.
As you will quickly discover, tenkara style fishing gives you incredible drag free drifts. Often three and four times as long as you might get with a conventional outfit. And those drag-free drifts are one of the most important elements for fishing success.
It is a great teaching tool. It makes teaching the basics very easy, getting the student on the water and fishing sooner. It allows the teacher and student to focus more on fishing technique and not have to work so much on line management and casting skills.
Tenkara doesn’t replace conventional fly fishing, however. There are fishing situations where long casts and heavier lines are required.
Here are some links with more information about tenkara.
Tenkara USA’s website, has a wealth of information. There you can find information on the origins and history of tenkara, video’s and diagrams of casting techniques.
In the spirit of full disclosure because I am a professional guide and instructor I get a professional discount from Tenkara USA. They did not compensate me for writing or posting this.
I was in Australia for the past couple of weeks. During the first week my wife and I had a chance to visit some of New South Wales; the South Coast, Snowy Mountains, Lake Jindabyne, Kosciusko National Park, Cooma and Cowra. We tried to stay away from the large urban areas and see as much of the more rural parts as we could.
The second week, we had the pleasure of spending 5 days with Craig Copeland and Charlotte Jenkins of Industry and Investment New South Wales. They took my wife and I on a tour of some of the fish habitat projects they have been working on. It was a great opportunity to see how our Australian colleagues are dealing with the challenges of dwindling fish habitat. We went to sites in the Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central West, Hunter Valley and wound up at Lake Macquarie for the forum.
I also had a chance to be part of a panel discussion with some notable Australian recreational fishing pros and give a presentation on fish habitat activity in the U.S., especially the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture.
I even managed to get a little press coverage of my visit: US expert says conservation is give and take.
It was a wonderful opportunity to see Australia both on our own and with some liked minded conservationists and to trade ideas and stories about two things I really enjoy, fishing and conservation.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today announced that they have selected Whit Fosburgh as the new President and CEO.
Having had the pleasure of working with Whit during his tenure at TU, he is an outstanding choice to lead the TRCP.
His quote speaks volumes.
“I am honored to play a leading role in promoting the TRCP mission to guarantee all Americans a place to hunt and fish – and in so doing, as Roosevelt himself stated, ‘to work hard at work worth doing.’”
Good show TRCP and congratulations Whit!
The TRCP press release follows:
News for Immediate Release May 12, 2010
Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, kmckalip@trcp.org
TRCP Names Whit Fosburgh New President/CEO
Policy expert and conservationist to lead the sportsmen’s group in its mission to secure high-quality hunting and fishing for all Americans
WASHINGTON – The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today announced that Whit Fosburgh has been named president/CEO of the national sportsmen-conservation group. Formerly the vice president for program development at Trout Unlimited and director of TU’s Coldwater Conservation Fund, Fosburgh is a widely respected authority on fish and wildlife conservation policy with a broad range of experience in the nonprofit arena and natural resources management.
“We at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership are very pleased that Whit Fosburgh is taking on leadership of our group,” said Jim Martin, chairman of the TRCP board of directors. “Whit’s expertise and breadth of experience within the sportsmen-conservation community will ably serve the TRCP, the national policy issues we seek to advance through our mission and the millions of hunters and anglers in whose interests we labor. The TRCP board of directors looks forward to working alongside Whit to drive fish and wildlife conservation in the name of American sportsmen and in the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt.”
Fosburgh joined Trout Unlimited in 1995 and played a critical role in that organization’s evolution into a conservation powerhouse, bringing to TU a wealth of experience centered on conservation policy, fundraising and program development. Prior to his time with TU, Fosburgh served as fisheries’ director for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, was chief environment and energy staff person for Sen. Tom Daschle and was a wildlife specialist for the National Audubon Society.
“The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has set a new standard of accomplishment within the sportsmen’s community on conservation policy matters of crucial importance to our fish and wildlife populations and hunting and angling traditions,” said Fosburgh. “I am honored to play a leading role in promoting the TRCP mission to guarantee all Americans a place to hunt and fish – and in so doing, as Roosevelt himself stated, ‘to work hard at work worth doing.’”
“Whit’s reputation for strong leadership and innovative thinking, combined with his extraordinary knowledge of conservation issues important to hunters, anglers and all citizens, make him an ideal choice to direct the TRCP,” said Diane Craney, TRCP interim president/CEO. “Under his guidance, we can ensure that sportsmen-conservationists are more effectively engaged in the TRCP’s vital policy work, further the responsible management of America’s shared resources and perpetuate our unique outdoors heritage.”
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.
Last month three important events for fisherman took place in Washington.
The first was the White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors, second was the 2010 Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and third was the Jim Range National Casting Call sponsored by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association.
Nancy Sutley, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Ken Salazar, secretary of the Interior, Tom Vilsack, secretary of Agriculture and Lisa Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency hosted the White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors at the Department of Interior.
The conference was held so the invited participants, who came from a very diverse group of public and private landowners and users could discuss the challenges facing land conservation in America. They were also given the chance to offer their thoughts on the most critical conservation challenges and offer suggestions for addressing those challenges.
The conference served as the launch for the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. The administration plans to hold a series of large and small listening sessions around the country.
The highlight of the conference was the speech by President Obama. The president made the point that I have repeatedly made in this column, conservation creates recreational opportunity and recreational opportunity drives economic activity.
“We’re launching this strategy because it’s the right thing to do — because, as TR [Theodore Roosevelt] said, we must not mar the work of the ages. But we’re also doing it because it’s the right thing to do for our economy. It’s how we’re going to spur job creation in the tourism industry and the recreation industry. It’s how we’ll create jobs preserving and maintaining our forests, our rivers, our great outdoors”, Obama said.
From there I went to the two-day 2010 Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The summit fulfilled another of a series of commitments made by NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco to the saltwater angling community back in July of this year.
More than 100 recreational anglers spent two days in facilitated discussions looking for possible courses of action to solve the myriad of vexing challenges facing the saltwater recreational fishing community.
“Whether for life’s pleasure or life’s work, we can all agree on one thing, recreational fishing is good for the Nation’s soul and good for the Nation’s economy,” said Lubchenco. “The excellent turnout at this summit tells me that you want to be heard. And I am here to tell you that NOAA is not only listening, but we are also ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work with you.”
Having worked directly with the folks at NOAA, I take Dr. Lubchenco’s words at face value. She has kept her commitments and I expect she and her team will continue to.
One event that actually involved fishing for shad on the Potomac River was the Jim Range National Casting Call. The event, hosted by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.
The event highlights the success of collaborative fish habitat conservation and showcases the growing number of successes coming from the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. The NFHAP works through public-private partnerships like the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, to protect, restore and enhance fish habitat and fisheries around the country.
A timely reminder how important our land and water is was brought home by the British Petroleum oil spill fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico. We put our outdoor economy at risk all too often and without sufficient thought of the consequences. We need to do better.
As a general rule, I would much rather be in the Valley fishing our mountain streams then going to Washington. Fortunately these three events were worth the trip. The message that conservation equals recreational opportunity and that equals economic activity has taken hold. It’s about time.
You can read more of my columns at the News Virginian.com.