The Middle River Group, LLC

fly fishing, conservation and politics.

Fly Fishing

Fishers for Fish Habitat Tour and Forum in Australia

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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.

F4F recreational fishers panel
i sound smarter with a beer in front of me....

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.

Exploring the simplicity of tenkara fly-fishing

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New and interesting places to fish are not really hard to find. New and interesting ways to fish, especially fly-fish, on the other hand are somewhat hard to find.

A while back I read an article in Fly Rod and Reel magazine about Patagonia founder and CEO Yvon Chouinard. Chouinard was named angler of the year by the magazine and talked about his efforts to simplify his sports and life.

He mentioned that he had been given a tenkara rod. His description of the rod and the style of fishing intrigued me. That description and the notion of simplifying fly-fishing stuck with me. I was on the lookout for a tenkara rod and the “how to” of tenkara fishing.

Tenkara, a traditional Japanese method of fly-fishing, reduces fly-fishing to three basic elements, a rod, a line and a fly. It has been used for centuries in Japan’s high mountain streams to fish for Yamame trout.

The idea that such a rod and style of fishing might be applied to our own native brook trout in the mountain streams here in the Valley fascinated me.

One of Chouinard’s close friends is my good friend Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Mont. I called Craig and asked if he had seen Chouinard fish with the tenkara rod.

“Oh yeah, we have been fishing O’Dell crick with them, it’s a blast,” said Mathews.

Tenkara rods range from 11 to 13 feet, weigh as little as two and a half ounces and collapse down to 20 inches. The line is very light and supple, doesn’t hold water and designed to balance with tenkara rods. These light lines, resembling furled leaders, make for very delicate and precise presentations with incredible drag free drifts.

I bought a rod made by Tenkara USA from Mathews. It is their Iwana model in the 5:5 action. Action in fly-fishing parlance means how stiff or flexible the rod is and how fast or slow the rod returns to the unflexed position. In the case of the rod I purchased, the 5:5 mean it is very flexible and slow.

Tenkara rods have evolved from bamboo to modern day graphite composites. These new rods are light and strong like today’s conventional fly-rods. Tenkara USA’s rods are telescopic, with all pieces fitting inside the handle, making then easy to transport, set up and take down. The tenkara fly-line is attached to the tip of the rod with a girth hitch.

Many people upon seeing a tenkara rod think it is just a fancy cane pole and you are just “dapping” the fly. Not true at all. All the casts you would make with a conventional fly-rod are used with a tenkara rod.

I have yet to try it in the mountains but did have a chance to try it out on Mossy Creek with my wife recently. We adjusted our normal casting techniques to the slower action of the tenkara rod. Very quickly we were making precise overhead casts and getting far longer drifts with a dry fly than we would normally get.

What struck us both was how easy it would be for someone just starting out or wanting to learn fly-fishing. Tenkara makes teaching the basics very easy, getting you on the water and fishing sooner. It allows the teacher and student to focus more on fishing.

Tenkara USA’s Web site, has a wealth of information. There you can find information on the origins and history of tenkara, video’s and diagrams of casting techniques.

Perhaps the notion of a simpler life with a focus on skill rather than gear sounds good to you. Check out tenkara, you just may find you like the simple life.

You can read more of my columns at the News Virginian.com.

AFFTA’s International Fly Tackle Dealer show

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As a new AFFTA board member it has been entertaining to read posts (my favorite), comments, and email regarding the trade show and the association’s future. Now it is settled and the fly-fishing industry has it’s own show. Here are some important points about the process and decision.

The AFFTA board and staff had a lot of careful and thoughtful deliberations as we considered a new show among our options.  We looked at every option – including partnering with ASA, OR, Chuck, and other show producers that approached us in the past two weeks. The process took time, but it was worth it to be sure we had solid information for a final decision.

In the end the board firmly believes that an independent show is in the best interests of the fly-fishing industry. That decision is validated by the overwhelmingly positive response so far.

The hiring of an industry veteran like Randi Swisher makes the success we expect achievable. The proceeds from the International Fly Tackle Dealer show will be put to work for the industry. Retailers will now be directly involved in our decision making process on show decisions like dates, format, features and other elements.

Those of us with a passion for fly-fishing deserve our own show and our own association. Now is the time for folks to get involved and help make this show a success and AFFTA stronger.

AFFTA and the Fly Fishing Retailer Show

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First, let me offer a quick explanation for my absence. After enjoying a week’s vacation in beautiful Rhode Island, I found myself hurrying back when my mother was stricken with pneumonia. She wound up spending a week in the intensive care unit at Newport Hospital.

I spent three weeks up there, but all’s well that ends well and mom is recovering nicely at my sister’s home in New Hampshire.

My next stop was Denver, Colo. Last month I was elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. My first board meeting was during the Fly Fishing Retailer show last week.

AFFTA’s mission is to “promote the sustained growth of the fly fishing industry.” To do that, the association focuses on attracting more people to fly-fishing, promoting business excellence and educating elected officials and government agencies on important policy topics such as the economic importance of conserving fly-fishing habitat or thorny tax and trade issues.

The Fly Fishing Retailer is the industry’s trade show. At this show, manufacturers show and promote their new products to dealers like shops, guides and outfitters and also members of the outdoor press. Only members of the fly-fishing industry can attend, it is not open to the public like a consumer show is.

AFFTA Board members, like me, get a guest pass to the show and I spent two days wandering around the floor, looking at new products and visiting with many of my friends in the business.

Over the next few weeks I will share some thoughts and observations about some of the more interesting things I saw at the show, like the latest in the rubber versus felt for the bottom of wading boots, flies without hooks and the latest in bobber technology. No kidding, bobber technology.

Of course I got a chance to try new fly rods from the likes of Sage, Scott, Loomis, St. Croix, Temple Fork Outfitters and Winston. Casting a variety of rods is one of the best parts of going to the show. It is also a great chance to give friends a hard time about casting techniques, which greatly adds to the entertainment value of the show.

There is a pretty robust party circuit each night after the show closes. The most entertaining one is the Annual Drake Flyfishing Video Awards. This was the fourth year for this event showing of ten five-minute film clips about fly-fishing. A panel reviews all clips and the top ones win prizes for being the best in their category. There are awards for best humor, best story, best fishing, and best overall.

You can see clips from the last three years at the Drake Web site. Check out “Running Down the Man” from the 2006 films, it is one of my favorites.

I have now returned to the Valley and am looking forward to some fall fishing and the hunting season. Hopefully you have already had a chance to get out enjoy some time afield.

If you want to have some fun, get some wing shooting practice and support a good cause, come out to Flying Rabbit Sporting Clays on Sept. 27 for their first Hunters for the Hungry benefit shoot. The donation is $50 for this 100-target event. Lunch, soda and water are included, you just need to bring shells and eye and ear protection and of course your shotgun. You can get more information by calling 540-574-2529 or go to their Web site.

Finally, it is not too soon to be marking your calendars for next year’s Virginia Fly Fishing Festival on the banks of the South River. The festival is scheduled for April 17 and 18. This is the ten-year anniversary of the event so it should be a good one.

You can read more of my columns at News Virginian.com.

Fishing with the MSU Fly Gals

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A couple of weeks ago I was in Michigan teaching fly-fishing to some Michigan State University graduate students, their friends and their colleagues. This is the third year that I have had the pleasure of teaching these ladies the fine art of fly-fishing.

I got this gig because my friend, Bill Taylor, a MSU distinguished professor, asked if I would be interested in expanding the educational horizons of his graduate students. Taylor is not only a firm believer in sound education for our future fish and wildlife managers but thinks they should have a “hands-on” experience in the sports that help fund fish and wildlife habitat conservation.

The first year was a great success and Taylor decided to let the ladies “recruit” the next year’s students. First they decided to name the group the MSU Fly Gals. I am told it is considered a very prestigious thing to be offered an invitation to the two-day school.

The ladies are hosted by Bill Demmer at Big Creek Lodge, a historic private enclave in Lovells, Mich. Demmer, a successful businessman from Lansing and member of the Boone and Crockett Club, is as strongly committed to conservation education through a hands-on experience as Taylor is.

Former students now return to assist me in teaching the class and also to enjoy a float trip on the North Branch of the Au Sable. The float trips are organized by Fuller’s North Branch Outing Club. Over the last three years Fuller’s has become the outfitter of choice for the MSU Fly Gals.

The North Branch Outing Club is rooted in Au Sable River history and has been around since 1916. T.E. Douglas came to the area to make his fortune in the timber business. He opened a store and hotel, The Douglas House, to offer first class food, lodging and access to the outstanding fly-fishing and wing shooting in the area.

The Douglas was the headquarters for the North Branch Outing Club. It was a popular sportsmen’s club in its day with members from the Detroit area automobile industry such as Henry and Edsel Ford, John and Horace Dodge and Charles Nash.

The Douglas House closed in the early sixties. In the fall of 1996 the Fuller family bought the property. They re-opened it as Fuller’s North Branch Outing Club with a bed and breakfast, fly-shop and guide service. It received historic designation by the State of Michigan and is on the Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places.

Fuller’s usually sends a couple of guides over to assist me with some of the casting instruction. This year Todd Fuller ably assisted the ladies with the afternoon on-the-water casting and fishing instruction.

This is a wonderful chance for me to visit and fish one of the more storied and historic river system in this country, the Au Sable. It is certainly Michigan’s most famous trout fishery with wonderful brook and brown trout fishing

The Au Sable River has four branches. The East and Middle branches join together just west of Grayling and flows east through town. The Middle branch, commonly referred to as the Mainstem, and the North and South branches all east of Grayling are prime waters for fishing.

On the Mainstem the “go to” fly shop is Gate’s Au Sable Lodge, owned by Rusty Gates a noted conservationist and advocate for the protection of the Au Sable river system.

The Au Sable has legendary hatches, most notable the brown drake and hexagenia or “Hex” hatch. Fishing in the late spring when we are there is usually very good from early evening until dark. After sunset, intrepid anglers fish mouse patterns near the banks to catch large brown trout.

For many years I flew over this part of the country on my way out west. That was a big mistake. There is some truly terrific water to fish in the Au Sable system. If you want to try some new water, enjoy some great northern Michigan hospitality and get in some fabulous brown and brook trout fishing I strongly recommend a trip to the Au Sable.

You can read more of my columns at News Virginian.com

Go Outdoors and play!

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U.S. Forest Service is helping get kids outside for National Get Outdoors Day (‘GO Day’) on June 13.

Here is the Press Release:


For Immediate Release        FS No. 0905                          Contact: 202 205-1134

USDA FOREST SERVICE ENCOURAGES KIDS TO GET OUTDOORS
Sponsors National Get Outdoors Day- June 13

Washington D.C.–June 10, 2009–In an effort to reconnect kids with nature and attract new diverse communities to outdoor activities, the USDA Forest Service has partnered with state, local and federal land management agencies to celebrate National Get Outdoors Day (‘GO Day’) on June 13.  More than 80 locations nationwide are providing a variety of free recreational events designed to introduce children and new segments of the American public to the great outdoors while fostering a deeper appreciation for natural resources.

“We want every child in America to have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors, whether it is in a remote mountain wilderness or a city park,” said Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell.  “Our hope is to instill a curiosity about nature in children which will lead to a deeper appreciation of the environment and our precious natural resources.”

National Get Outdoors Day is co-sponsored by the Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition.  The annual event has been designated to better engage urban and multicultural youth in nature-based activities and to attract first time visitors to public lands.

Planned events for GO Day range from the large, interactive visual projects such as the Wyland Foundation murals and artscapes about water and forests on the Capital Mall, to a multi-partner living classroom event at Kingman Island in Washington, D.C.  Across the country, forests, parks and recreation areas have free activities planned for outdoor family fun.

Aligned partners for the event include:

  • Wyland Foundation – founded by world renowned artist Wyland, the foundation uses art and science to teach young people about our forests and ocean. A kick-off event titled – FOCUS (Forests, Ocean, Climate – and US) – is a nationwide campaign in partnership with the Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Wyland Foundation that will take place on June 11, 2009 on the National Mall at the USDA People’s Garden and Whitten Parking Lot.  USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell will participate in the event.
  • Scholastic, Inc. – a leader in education, Scholastic has created a microsite on their social network where tweens will find a safe place to learn about GO Day and its related activities and goals.

A special addition this year is to feature exciting recreation opportunities called EChO Events.  These events will be a follow up to the GO Day events and will take place before the end of summer 2009 at state parks, national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges and more.  Activities include:  mountain biking, fly fishing, hikes with rangers to see wildlife, kayaking, rafting and more.

A listing of all national site locations is attached. More information on National Get Outdoors Day and Kids in the Woods can be found at: http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org and www.fs.fed.us/kidsclimatechange.

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.  The agency manages 193 million acres of public land and is the largest forestry research organization in the world.

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