There is a podcast here from texasflycaster.com that features a conversation with Barry Schrader, the fine gentleman I mentioned yesterday in my water rights entry. Barry talks a little about the issues facing the Blue as well some of the other ins and outs about the Blue such as fly selection and stocking times. It’s great to see the Blue getting a little more exposure and Barry is the perfect person to be spreading the word.
November 27th, 2007
MidCurrent linked to an interesting article about some of the new shows Versus is working on for next year. I hope they are a better than the last “Fly Fishing Masters” that really was a flop in my mind. Some of the anglers on the show were hardly worthy of being called a master of anything, let alone fly fishing.
Donald Trump Jr. is co-hosting a show with Charlie Charlesworth, Charlie met Donald Jr. on a fly fishing trip when he was approached by a guide and asked if he wanted to fish with a famous person. I wish I had that kind of luck, but I am guessing the famous folks that fly fish don’t make it to my Oklahoma waters very often.
The toher show “In Search of World Records” will be hosted by Joe Humphrey. Joe is no stranger to fishing for big browns and has appeared on some excellent episodes of “Fly Fishing America” with John Wilson on the White River. I can’t wait to see what him and John come up with on the White during their next excursion, and hopefully Joe can land the 30LB+ brown he has been chasing in Arkansas for the last few years.
I hope Versus is able to bring some interesting shows to our homes that can reinvigorate my penchant for watching fly fishing shows. Watching reruns of the handful of existing shows just doesn’t really do it for me and none of the fish porn DVDs made my Christmas list. I may change my mind on the porn though, Fishizzle looks like it may kick a ton of ass.
November 27th, 2007
I was sitting with my wife’s grandparents, who are semi-retired ranchers living on the Blue River, discussing the various water rights issues a lot of states are facing. My wife’s grandparents have lived on the Blue for more than 40 years and have a unique insight into the Blue and how it ebbs and flows. While not as important to them as a source irrigation today, they have always been good stewards of the land of the Blue and care deeply for its survival.
The Trout Underground blog has gotten me thinking a lot about water conservation, and fishing the Blue this weekend and seeing it so low spurred me on to ask some questions and do a little research about the issues facing the Blue and take some time to talk about the struggles the Blue is facing in the coming years. Without looking too far, I came across something striking on Wikepedia about the Blue.
The Blue River is unique to Oklahoma in that it is one of the last free flowing streams in the state, in that the water flows freely from its source to the ocean without dams or other man made structures controlling the flow of water. Because of this, the American Eel swims freely from the Gulf of Mexico inland to the upper Blue River.
Needless to say, the Blue is a special river in my state and could use the help of others in the state writing a simple letter or learning more just telling people. Most of the information about the water rights issues I talk about were taken from Barry Shrader on the Blue River Fly Fishers group on Yahoo. Barry is a great steward of the river and is a great voice for her. Barry even got the honor to help bring awareness to the Blue’s issues when he fished in the FR&R Trout Bum Tournament to 2005.
The Blue flows spring fed from the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer, as do a few other creeks such as Pennington Creek in southeastern Oklahoma. The Blue flows into the Red River, which than finds its way into the Mississippi. For a long time I guess the Blue wasn’t big enough to fight over and the counties through which she flows used it mainly as a source of water or a dumping ground for agriculture. The Blue has changed over the last 50 years, and even surprises people once in awhile when someone takes ODWC a native species of fish related to the piranha. The Blue is a great fishery, especially in the state owned and managed wildlife area which is designated winter trout fishery for the State of Oklahoma.
In 2002 a group of nine communities, and a Tulsa engineering firm, banded together and tried to get rights to 70,000 acre feet of water per year by drilling into the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer. Give or take, that is the amount the Blue River put out every year. Because of this citizens concerned about the Blue River banded together and formed the CPASA (Citizens for the Protection of the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer). They successfully fought off the communities by getting SB 288 passed which put a five year moratorium on taking water until the USGS could conduct a comprehensive study of what the aquifer could sustain.
Despite the existence of SB 288, Martin Marietta Mining Company, a producer of construction aggregates such as crushed stone and gravel, was able to essentially scalp water from the aquifer through its process of pit mining. The CPASA was instrumental in decreasing the amount Marietta could take from the aquifer from 1400 acre feet annually to 105 acre feet. To make matters worse, in August Judge Thomas Walker of Tishomingo ruled that the water coming into the pit was due to natural causes and that the Oklahoma Water Resources Board had no jurisdiction in the matter. I wonder if the mining company’s pit is still filling at 325 gallons per minute like it was back in August due to natural causes.
It will be interesting to see what the studies over the next few years show about the impact the mining operation has had on the Blue River, but what about the other creeks and streams that are sourced by the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer as well? I am going to try and keep up with this issue and other water issues I come across in Oklahoma in the future and talk about them here. Our issues in Oklahoma aren’t nearly as dramatic as those faced in the west or in the southeast, but if we don’t do something now we could face many of the same challenges.
As I was sitting around the table talking about these issues my wife’s grandparents summed it best:
In a few years everyone will be fighting over water.
November 26th, 2007
I suppose one of the things that crosses over from being a geek to fishing is the love I have for gadgets and products. Apple riles my loins just as much as a nice Scott rod or Waterworks reel. I am one of those people that tries to justify a purchase in some way, especially since I will tend to buy higher end gear, but those justifications can be thrown out the window at Christmas as it is that time of year when if it’s on the list, you feel dejected and unloved if you don’t receive it. I didn’t go as far as putting a pony on my list, but I will follow the trend of others and talk a little bit about what is on my list and why.
Before I start I will toss out something I wish could be on my list, but it isn’t released yet and the price sounds a little steep at $1,700.00. The promise of the waterproof Olympus E-3 DSLR is a interesting one, but I am curious what Olympus’s definition of waterproof is. The tests shown in the link were only done in the rain, but I don’t think I would pay $1,700.00 unless I could submerge the whole damn thing. If I could do that I will find some way to get my hands on one.
Since I live in a world of gear lust and there is always something around the corner, such as a thin Macbook Pro, I went and did some research and soul searching and have come up with my Chrsitmas list. Most of my list is fishing related, and I think only a few Xbox 360 games will be on my list as it’s my latest tech toy and needs to get its use.
Times are changing and my beloved Canon Digital Elph - one of the original models with its quaint 2MP resolution - gave out on me after several mild submersions and touch and go behavior. It seems the Pentax Optio W30 is all the rage these days with the anglers, and countless people have been wowing us with underwater shots of brown trout getting freaky or gorgeous steelhead getting ready to bolt. I plan to get a little more adventurous in the next year and capture some more quality photos with the DSLR, but for most of my fishing I don’t want to have to worry about dunking my camera. In the spring I plan on using the Pentax to capture the underwater life of one of the most ignored fish in OK waters, the Long Nose Gar.
I have been wanting a wading jacket for the colder months, but always tended to buy a rod or reel instead of saving my pennies for a nice wading jacket. I, like many others, belong to the Simms tribe for various reasons and have heard great things about the G3 wading jacket, but the price tag has always scared me away. Being the intrepid gear whore that I am, I scoured the net and found someone mentioning a killer deal on Cloudveil waders at Sierra Trading Post here. I wish more people read my blog as I bet I could rack up some serious affiliate dollars with a link to the Cloudveil specials Sierra Trading Post is flogging. The Cloudveil 8x Wading Jacket (deal is here) the comparable product, and I think will look less out of place in the general populous than the very fly fishy G3. I really hope someone comes through on this one.
I was considering just getting the 8x waders since they seem like a steal, but I am waiting to see what kind of Simms deals pop up in the next few months. I have heard mixed things about Cloudveil’s waders. Granted their new models look killer, but I love all of my Simms gear with the exception of the the neoprene gravel guards. I have lost one and a half pairs of them over the past year, and I am done with having to always track back my steps in an effort to find them. It’s time to get a pair of waders with gravel guards built in so I don’t have to worry about forgetting them, or in the case of the wraps just wearing out and coming off in the dark when I bang against a brush pile. There are some great deals coming up as all of the manufacturers are coming out with new wading gear and being able to get them at half off is something I will just wait for. There are still lots of great deals to be had by Googling and scouring around on forums.
After several years of rocking Columbia’s polarized shades its time to step up to some higher quality lenses. There were some pretty good things said about the Smith Interlock sunglasses after the Fly Fishing Retailer show a few months ago. My friend told me I am wasting my time with my grey-lensed Columbias and I needed to be cool and get some yellow shades for chasing carp in low light. The Interlock design seems to be spot on for my needs since they have the ability to change out lenses, and Smith offers a huge amount of different lenses that are pretty reasonably priced. I am pretty hard on my sunglasses so being able to just buy lenses instead of a whole new pair will allow me to get a few more miles out of my purchase.
In addition to my big ticket items, I plan to use some gift cards I am sure to acquire to the big box stores to pick up a sinking line for the 6wt as well as a line for the new glass 8wt. If it wasn’t trout season, I would already have put a line on the 8wt, but for the time being it sits just waiting to be used. I hope to get some high tech shirts to make the OK summers a little more bearable out on the water, and Sierra Trading Post is paying dividends on those too. I don’t know why I am so obsessed with finding good deals on things, but paying $200.00 for a $400.00 wading jacket is something most anglers would jump at.
Hopefully my wishes will come true, but as always I am keeping my fingers ready to pick up one a pair of Simms Guides in the near future at a steep discount. I also need to pass my L2 boots to my wife as I could use a tad more room for when I am doubling up the socks. I have loved my Simms Travel Waders and they are great during the summer months, but I have already fixed a few leaks, and the fabric boot - not neoprene like most waders - is a tad uncomfortable. They have been tanks, but I know they aren’t going to last another season and there is nothing wrong with having a backup. Hopefully those buying for you this holiday season feel it in their hearts to put up with your obsession and put something special under the tree.
November 26th, 2007
I didn’t end up fishing the Blue very much last year due to various reasons. It was nice to get some quality time on the water, but alas my faithful Canon Digital Elph is finally deciding to quit on me. After several mild wet incidents on the river while riding in my pack, the battery doesn’t seem to hold a good charge. Thursday night I got in a little night fishing as I was late getting to the river after eating a bit too much and taking an unintended snooze. I took out the Canon to get some pictures of some river otters following me down river, but alas the camera wouldn’t turn on.
The river otters seem to be new to the Blue and are quite cute, but I tried to keep my distance. They made a huge splash reminiscent of a beaver that scared the hell out of me on my carp flat, and ever since then I try to avoid large rodents. They seemed quite interested in my fly fishing; every time I would turn around I would see a pair of red eyes bobbing up and down in the light of my head lamp. Friday morning I saw a nice sized catfish dead on a sand bar with a huge gash on its back. I suppose the otters are picky and are taking advantage of the huge amounts of trout in the water. I mentioned this on the Blue River group and heard the ODWC is working to expand the river otters back into their range.
While Thursday night was a bust, Friday and Saturday ended up being pretty good fishing. I really try to avoid fishing within 30ft or 40ft of people I don’t know. I like to give people their space, while I don’t really adhere to the low holing principle on the Blue and will go only 100ft or so downstream of another fly angler. There are a ton of spin/bait fisherman there to catch their stringer and they need their room too. Especially cause I hate arguing with them. I know a lot of folks seem to not like the Blue due to the traffic, but if you’re willing to hit up Area 2 and hike you can always find some water to yourself. After catching a few fish in the high traffic area I moved to Area 2 and had terrible luck. I try not to fish buggers on the Blue because I never have problems catching fish, but as I worked my way back to the trail I couldn’t catch a single fish on an olive bugger. I know some spin anglers upstream did well so maybe the trout just haven’t spread out as much as I am used to.
While Friday was slow, it seemed no one wanted to fish Saturday and Area 1 was pretty clear of anglers fly fishing, so I had a nice area I had never really fished hard all to myself. After fishing some nice riffles and picking up lots of stockers I found some nice areas for sight fishing. The Blue has a very interesting topology of very deep pools encased in jagged rock. I have never seen the Blue quite as low as it was this weekend and this allowed for some great sight fishing opportunities. I played with my indicator depth a lot and worked on controlling my depth with some high stick nymphing. It was nice to get to do this at relatively close range and watch for the strikes instead of focusing on my indicator. I caught a ton of fish and while it wasn’t a huge challenge I got in some good practice for more difficult conditions. I feel a little bad about the time I spent in the area above the Islands, but I know no spin fisherman were going to fish the area, and most of the other fly fisherman I saw and talked to upstream were catching big numbers as well. I waved for gentleman to come down, but he either didn’t see me or thought I was an ass. My arm ended up getting a little sore due to the cold, so I stopped fishing when I saw a nice 18”+ rainbow.
This is the first time I have had the chance to sight fish on the Blue and it was a blast only getting 10 drifts at the same fish for a 2 hour period. After losing the fish for a while I decided it was time to go, but I peered in one of the pools she had favored earlier in our encounters and see her bullying around the tiny stockers. I end up doing a quick back track and make a wide 50ft loop around her back side to get in a good position 20ft or so away. I make good cast upstream, but this pool has a really toothy rock in it that I had gotten snagged on 3 or 4 times earlier and so when my indicator dips and I set the hook it feels like another hang up. I strip in about 3 ft of line while taking a step towards the fish to get a better view and I see her take off. I really wasn’t ready for it and didn’t have good pressure on the fish, so I was loosing from the start. This area of water has some nice pools, but all are surrounded by very shallow water. As quickly as I had realized I had actually caught the big fish I had lost it. I am use to fighting big carp and know what I did wrong, but I think I will switch to 5x the next time I decide to chase one of these stocker pigs in these circumstances. It started to sleet as my expletive rang through Area 1 and I knew it was time to pick up the family and head back home.
Due to the area I live in, every time I get to trout fish I can’t bemoan the fact I am catching stockers and need to try and make the most of my opportunity. Fishing the Blue is always fun and I hope the new catch and release area due to open this January provides some interesting opportunities. As my wife always likes to say, “It’s the water, stupid.” No matter what kind of fishing you’re doing, relishing the opportunity is far more important than what or how you are catching them. I wasn’t a good fly tyer this trip, but the Bird’s Nest is quickly becoming the fly I tie on before I put on my waders. I am not sure how true to form I tying it, but it works well and it has been coming through in a big way. 18” rainbows agree that it’s a killer pattern. I will get to return to the Blue around Christmas, and my wife will for sure come through for Christmas and a shiny new Pentax Optio W30 will be under the tree. When I am wading alone I hate carrying the DSLR with me. I really admire some of the work my friends do, but the amount of staging needed as well as the bulk of carrying a tripod is just too much since I fish by myself and am not looking to be published. I really want to capture some and great images and wish my wife was up to fishing this weekend, but I am sad to say her neck was giving her some grief. I hope to get a friend new to the sport out for the first time fly fishing on the next stop on the Oklahoma Trout Extravaganza, Quartz Mountain. Quartz Mountain is described as not the prettiest Trout Stream, but it’s the water, stupid. We will see if that holds true.
November 26th, 2007
Over the past month my weekends haven’t been as filled with fishing as much as I would have liked. I made it back to the Lower Illinois a few weeks ago and while the fishing wasn’t anything to brag about it’s always nice to catch fish when the other anglers you see aren’t having as much luck. This Thanksgiving I am thankful that my wife’s family lives within 15 minutes from the Blue River, one of Oklahoma’s winter trout streams. Although some sections can be wrought with combat fishing it’s not to hard to get away from the crowds and get some nice water to yourself. I should get at least 2, and maybe 3, mornings on the water. Hopefully my wife will get out this trip as well since its been a month or so since she has gotten to fish.
The Blue River is where I first got to try throw a fly line and a place I will always love to fish. With that in mind I think this trip will be the official kick off of my “Catch a Trout in all of Oklahoma’s Trout Streams Before this Time Next Year” crusade. I am getting a late start so if I need to go back and hit any water in early November of next year I will have the chance. Pictures of a few stockers to come when I return from the break.
One special thing of note is I got my first glass rod a few weeks ago. A glass fanatic I know from one of the forums I frequent gave me a great deal on an 8/9wt Garcia and South Bend 1155. This is going to be a fun setup for carp and gar this spring and I can’t wait to pick up a line and toss some loops with the new rig.
November 20th, 2007
The word on the Lower Mountain Fork, and confirmed by the ODWC, is that the Brown Trout have been successfully spawning in the Lower Mountain Fork. This adds to successful Rainbow spawning in both the Lower Illinois and Lower Mountain Fork. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years for trout in Oklahoma.
November 20th, 2007