.. A couple of year's ago we mentioned that the Kiwi's were doing battle with Didymosphenia geminata - "Didymo" or "Rock Snot," for short. We've been watching the developments and now Uncle Jack's Didymo Killer is a proven winner for killing the snot. .. It's also effective for whirling disease. Pretty good stuff. It may even save those who prefer felt soles on waders from having to mortgage the farm to get "clean" rubber soles. .. Starting in 2006, (NIWA Letter,) and in 2007, (USFWS note,) and lately, (Moldy Chum,) the news is getting out. .. It's worth the time to read about Uncle Jack's Didymo Killer and decide if you'd like to spread the word. .. You can carry a spray bottle with you. You can donate a tub of it to your neighborhood feather merchant. You can provide 'stream-side squirt service.' The possibilities are endless. .. The news is about 4 years old, the alert is as current as today's weather.
.. From Protect Your Waters comes a note about Didymo and it's spread in New Zealand. The diatom has been discovered in the world fly fishing destination-river Karamea, in Kahurangi National Park. .. The saga of threats to the Blue Duck is an example of "unintended consequences." .. Rabbits, introduced to New Zealand became a pest. The stoat, (ermine,) was introduced to control the rabbits. The ermines found native ducks easier to catch and eat. .. The native Whio, (Blue Duck,) is endangered and now being threatened by Rock Snot, (Didymosphenia geminata,) in addition to the stoats. .. This double threat from invasive species is a classic example of the exponential threats facing native species around the world. .. The Scottish Author knew it well:
Oh what tangled webs we weave When first we practice to deceive.
.. It's not good to fool with Mother Nature. .. The same kind of threats face many species in Yellowstone National Park: fish and others. Our "deception" is improving all the time. .. Early on, Victorians, Sportsmen, and Yellowstone Park Managers introduced exotic fish into the rivers of the park. The fish brought fishers. Fishers brought other invasive species. .. Now Yellowstone's native Cutthroat Trout are disappearing through predation and interbreeding. Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, and Lake Trout are the primary culprits at present. The New Zealand mud snails, Didymo, and other world travelers are threats looming on the near horizon. .. Fishing has grown, (though not recently,) to invade all fishable waters. It is a pastime that unthinkingly - or innocently - believes that it is about the fish. .. Rivers, lakes, ponds, oceans, and the other waters that contain the fish are usually secondary in the thinking process of fishers. The ecology of the fish and its environs are way down the list of concerns and conversation. This has got to change if fishing is to continue in our national parks. .. Rock Snot is at the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The threat is real and the diatom will probably be in the rivers within the park in the next year or two. It may be there now - unnoticed by fishers and managers alike. .. For information about the hybrids in Montana's fishery visit: Trout Conservancy Of Montana. For information about Rock Snot just use your search engine.
NPS Partners To Fight Invasive Species whirling away in colorado
.. This week the Nature Conservancy added 4,682 acres to an easement adjacent to a 2,888 acre easement already protected in the Blackfoot River Drainage. The nearly 7,000 acre chunk of land is prime trout and wildlife habitat.
.. According to Matthew Frank in the recent
New West Article:
"The land is in the foothills southwest of Lincoln abutting the Helena National Forest, and the easement, held by Missoula-based Five Valleys Land Trust, will limit development on three and a half miles of Blackfoot River frontage and more than fourteen miles of its tributaries. It's Five Valleys Land Trust's largest easement to date."
.. This is a welcome bit of relief for one of the fastest growing areas in Montana. The effort to protect the resource is a combination of personal, private, organizational, and charitable concerns. This acquisition is part of an ongoing 89,000 acre effort in the area.
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.. Protect Your Waters notes that Rock Snot is becoming an ever-present concern for fishers, boaters, and the general public. They cite several news articles that have called attention to the problems created by this slimy organism.
.. We've posted several blurbs about about the diatom Didymosphenia geminata -DIDYMO, for short, (Rock Snot, for the rest of us.)
.. The Star Ledger, a New Jersey newspaper, has taken up the cry to inform anglers of the threat and the ways to combat Didymo.
.. Branded a "stream killer," the diatom covers river and stream bottoms with its oozing mass and deprives plants and animals of the surfaces that they need to live.
.. The Express Times, another New Jersey newspaper, has an interesting, (and somewhat gloomy,) article about the life cycle of Rock Snot. The rapid spread of the organism from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, and its adaptation to a wide range of water conditions and temperatures suggest that its natural history may be changing. Check it out HERE.
.. In the Baltimore Sun is another note about Rock Snot threatening the Gunpowder River. Just last December we noted that the river was under assault by a local canoe club. Now the killer snot is a clear and present danger.
.. The algae bloom was noted by concerned anglers and reported to the state DNR last week. The Baltimore Sun article carries a note about the DNR providing washing stations and posting the river.
.. A second news brief by the CBS affiliate WJZ in Baltimore notes that the DNR is asking boaters to was their boats in a saline solution. Didymo can survive on a damp surface for two or more days.
.. Big Bear Lake in California came within inches of having a Quagga Mussel invasion. Via Protect You Waters, comes news that the Quagga Mussel is on the move. Quick action and insight save a near infestation at the boat ramp according to an article on the Big Bear Grizzly.com web site. The Metropolitan Water District is launching an all out public information campaign and has attendants at the boat launch facilities on the lake.
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.. In Nevada, National Park Service officials have been given the go ahead to join with local organizations to do battle with the Quagga Mussel and other invasive species according to an article in the Las Vegas ReviewJournal.com.
.. A bill passed by congress removes a legal obstacle that had prevented the federal agency from entering cooperative agreements with states, local governments, landowners and American Indian tribes to battle invaders that steal water and crowd native vegetation.
.. This could open the way for additional resources in the fight against invasive species.
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.. The Parvin Lake Research Station in Colorado, (home of the Hofer strain of Rainbow Trout, brought back to the USA from Germany a few years ago,) is inviting anglers to become research assistants in their efforts to develop trout hybrids that are resistant to Whirling Disease.
.. Many of the hybrids are larger than the native trout and can rapidly reach five pounds, (this includes the HO-HA hybrid being tested in Utah.)
.. Various hybrid strains have been tagged with small coded wires placed in the fishes' noses. Anglers are asked to visit the research station, report their experience, and if they keep fish -- have them scanned for identification. You can read more about the project in the North Forty News & Fossil Creek Current.
.. This research is is detailed in a pair of notes on the Whirling Disease Foundationweb site ( #1#2 .) The cooperation between Colorado, Montana, California, and Germany has produced some success by using fish that were originally exported from the Gunnison River to Germany in the 1800's.
.. The best news is that there may be an immune, (not just resistant strain,) present in the current research populations. Via Protect Your Waters, we've just read a note in FlyFishingDish that suggest -- nay -- says so. The sad news is that many native trout species and subspecies will be lost in the rush to sprinkle these hybrids around for the joys of angling.
.. The disappearance of any species is a blow to the ecosystem. The solution to the problem of whirling disease has the seeds of another problem that is just in its infancy.
.. We don't know how to do it, but it's time we considered a legacy fish bank. Be it sperm, or eggs, both or neither we should be thinking about it. Tissue samples, live fish repositories, and other solutions to the infant problem have been proposed.
.. Just as the Gunnison River trout went to Germany and came back with a resistance to whirling disease, so too to many of our native species may have hidden genetic talents and predispositions that are yet to be discovered. We need to think about preserving them for the next plague. What ever it may be.
.. The NPR website just published an article about the diatom Didymosphenia geminata -DIDYMO, for short, (Rock Snot, for the rest of us.) .. Now that the little slimy nuisance has made it to the Delaware River, the problem is less a 'Western Problem' and is making inroads into the popular press. This is a good thing. .. NPR even went to the trouble of building an interactive graphic of five of the most loathed invasive species. This too, is good. Now we just need to hear more about the continuing threats to our fisheries from the industry mavens, bloggers, and sports writers. .. The insidious thing about invasive species is that they live mostly out of sight and do their damage away from the photographer's lens. Photographs of Rock Snot are not nearly as sexy as an old fart holding a fish and so they are not published. .. Didymosphenia geminata has gone from an isolated western Canadian phenomenon to a North American scourge in just a couple of decades. It has mutated into several forms that bloom and recede or bloom and cover river bottoms from bank to bank. Currently it is creeping into Yellowstone along the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming. .. This little critter has become a world traveler and is found from Mississippi to New Zealand and from California to Connecticut. Visit Protect Your Waters and the Invasive Species Weblog for information about these things.
visit the gibbon for fun Wyoming To Ignore Rock Snot
..The sunshinehas prompted thoughts of an extended Fall season in Yellowstone - so? There's only one week left and the glorious days have not hampered the catching at all. The crowds have diminished a bit, and the hatches are just excellent, instead of spectacular - so? .. The Madison River is now in 'Full Fall Bloom,' and all of the usual places have fish, fishers, and watchers. From the park line to National Park Meadows there are fish from Hebgen Lake. The density of fish is less than in some years-past, but the declining numbers have not led to too many disappointed fishers. .. The thin water has revealed some of the "local holes" along Riverside Drive, and the catching in this stretch has been excellent for those willing to observe the water and plan their approach. Small White Zonkers and Yellowstone Spruce Flies along with Woolly Buggers and large Soft Hackles have produced in this stretch. It's the time of year for the Halloween Leech: we tried it last year too. .. The Firehole River is producing fish to 16" and it's almost easy if you read the river right. The water seems deep, but it's only about 80% of seasonal average flows, and running around 55 degrees - not perfect but damn near. The deeper runs and holes are holding the fish and they are holding tight. The hatches of Baetids around Biscuit Basin,the Iron Bridge, and Goose Lake have proved stronger than sunlight and we've fished the same double fly rig that we've used since the neighbors introduced us to it last week: a Baetis Cripple and a Baetis Emerger from Buzz's fly Shop. .. The fish have become spooky during the last few days but it's still not "First Of July" spooky. Good numbers of fish are holding in the canyon section, and the riffles and runs on either side of Dipper Cliff have little parking that is safe along the roadside. .. These quick sections are excellent places for a Soft Hackle in tandem with a Prince Nymph. Float the Soft Hackle, it'll take as many as the drowned fly even if there is no hatch. The foam lines are the key here. Don't leave the water too early because the Caddis, (bless their smoky little hearts,) are still a distinct possibility during this gentle weather. .. Entertainment of the less crowded sort is still available on the Gibbon River. The thin water above Norris Campground is still full of eager little fish, (to 10".) The big meadows are rumored to have larger fish but the walk, and approach, and effort keeps us from verifying it. The meadows above Virginia Cascade have become popular on these gentle days and the riffles and deep, (relatively,) bends below Wolf Lake have an interesting assortment of bright fish.
.. Sometimes called Sea Snot,the diatom Didymosphenia geminata - DIDYMO, for short, has been documented in the Snake River Drainage just south of Yellowstone National Park. We've posted several notes about this threat to Yellowstone Waters over the past year. .. This is a threat to the rivers and fishing in Yellowstone National Park and it is immanent! The latest report of the deadly goo comes from the USGS after they discovered it in Lake Creek near the Moose-Wilson Road bridge, and notified Grand Teton National Park last week. .. According to a story in the Jackson Hole Daily, (jhnews and guide.com,) Lexey Wauters, executive director of The Snake River Fund has stated that Didymo has the potential to “really decimate a watershed.” .. Research in New Zealand has provided promising results for the battle against Didymo; these have been reported by Protect Your Waters. We posted an extensive note about the possibilities for containment in February of this year. .. Max Bothwell, of Environment Canada, broadcast a segment on the radio show Quirks & Quarks in March of this year - (Listen to it here, open it in a new tab and listen to it in the background.) .. The Didymo organism can alter the food chain by covering the river bed with a slimy mat that kills the benthic invertebrates that trout eat. The best research suggests that fly fishers are the major culprits in the spread of this menace. The mechanism is felt-soled-waders that can carry unique genomes of indigenous variants of Didymo to new environments thus allowing the diatom to behave as an invasive species, rather than an endemic species. .. Clean and dry waders are a necessary tool in the battle to prevent the spread of this fresh water organism. Check out the non-felt wader boots at the Trout Underground. (Click on the images below for a better view.)
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.. On a lighter note, our Friday biscuits and gravy breakfasts are mightily enhanced by the good folks over at The Horse's Mouth. .. We heartily endorse their sentiment HOORAY, IT'S FRIDAY ! .. And, by the way, the Fish on Fridays post is just as spectacular as the Weekend Wahine. All the old grunts at the breakfast table are eagerly anticipating this winter's posts as hungrily as we look forward to the next shipment of Viagra to this remote location. .. Speaking of Viagra, have you seen the Obscene Bangers at Get Outdoors? Ugh! A Slaw Dawg it ain't! .. Straight from Thee Ass Hooked Whitey comes a video so full of giggles that we fell off the bar stool. This is not just another flying carp piece - it's too good to pass up. .. On the sidebar we've added the link to Yellowstone Wilderness Outfitters. And, like Yellowstone Mountain Guides they are truly expert guides, outfitters, and most importantly fishers. These folks are the backcountry pioneers and experts of Yellowstone. If you would like to catch a trout as it swims over the continental divide, check out the animated Thorofare Map. The water's low in the backcountry too - but the fishing pressure is ever-so-slight. .. A note at Yellowstone Park News led us to read about the low water and melting glaciers in Glacier National Park. It seems that many of the rivers, containing glacial melt water that feed the lakes, are not getting to the lakes. This is definitely hard on Montana's very rare Bull Trout. The Missoulian carries the story and the situation sounds dire at best.
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.. There are quite a few lake fish moving into the Madison River. They are moving slowly, (though we anticipate that this spate of cool weather will speed them up,) and are stalled at the park line. Although a few fish have made it upstream, the large schools of fish have podded-up between the estuary and Baker's Hole. You'll need a Montana fishing license if you fish outside of the park. .. The neighbors are now using a variety of flies for these recalcitrant migrants. The old favorite Hornberg is making its fall appearance. It is fished both wet and dry and is on the end of many a fly line. Use the bigger sizes for the wet version, (4 - 8,) and the smaller sizes for the dry, (10-14.) The wet is fished as a streamer on the drift with a full swing to a tight line at the end. Some neighbors can strip this fly faster than the current - if you can do it this, it is a deadly technique for the deep holes. .. The Yellowstone Spruce Fly and the Yellowstone Winter Grub are making their appearance along side the Dark Spruce Fly and the dark olive green Woolly Bugger. .. A local cult has sprung up around the Hairwing Dark Spruce Fly. You can find it at the Thread & Feathers section of Montanawild Gallery. It's a fairly old rendition of the fly that has been experiencing a renewed vitality among the neighbors. .. Soft hackle flies are doing their share of the work as well. The visitors are buying what the fly shops sell and are doing all right, the neighbors are sticking with the Royal Prince Soft Hackle and doing a bit better. Although the run is on, it should get better very soon. It should also get more crowded - and it's already full of fishers in the traditional places. Rumor and tradition do a lot to mitigate against the understanding that the river changes annually and with its flows. Try some new water, Try a different fly - you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. .. Try this little beetle fly in the slow deep water of undercut banks. Toss it into a foam line and let it float lazily along its merry way - hold on tight!
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.. We're headed to the park to see if the log jam has broken. There are rumors of big fish as high up as the falls on the Gibbon River - we'll let you know.
.. The gentility of the weather has produced a bumper crop of visitors to Yellowstone National Park. The glorious Fall weather is occasionally punctuated by a snow flurry or cold shower - often accompanied by a bit of a blow. All-in-all it's just too nice to be the middle of September, (we're waiting for October's revenge.)
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.. The fourth grizzly bear attack occurred yesterday. This one was in the park. As we noted earlier the bears are restless this year - numerous too! Click over to The Seattle Times or the Bozeman Daily Chronicle for the story and the YNP page for the press release. Just before you get your fresh leader and specialty flies you should get a big canister of bear spray. Wear it where it is quickly and easily grabbed - not in your back pack. Get the big one and practice how to use it. Portions of Yellowstone and adjacent Forest Service lands have been closed to human entrance because of the attacks. It's interesting to note that no report of the attack said anything about bear spray. Despite the video below, karate does not work!! .. Bears are not the only cranky animals in Yellowstone. Elk and bison can also do serious harm to humans during the "Testosterone Season." The video clip below shows how not to view animals in Yellowstone.
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.. If you are planning to fish in the Norris area on Monday, be advised that a 65 acre prescribed burn will take place southeast of Norris. This could affect your eyes if you're planning to fish the meadows around Wolf Lake or Virginia Cascades. Additional information and instructions for the press are included at the NPS site. The fire in the Cascade Corner continues and is not of any immediate danger to fishers on the Bechler River or Boundary Creek. However some backcountry trails and campsites are closed.
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.. West Slope Cutthroat continue to attract the attention of concerned citizens. New West reports of an effort by the Bonneville Power Administration and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks to begin restoration of Cutthroat populations in the Flathead River Basin including parts of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The restoration effort will take place over the next 10 years and use rotenone to kill the entire aquatic population of fish in several stream segments and lakes. A large population of Whitefish and Bull Trout, (a threatened species,) will also be killed. We anticipate that a similar effort will take place in the future on Slough Creek in Yellowstone if fishers continue to release Rainbows and the hybrid Cutbow population continues to grow. The online version of the Yellowstone Fishing Regulations, (pg. 16,) says:
Non-native rainbow trout also interbreed withnative cutthroat trout, producing hybrids.Once this happens, a cutthroat population canbe restored to genetic purity only if all fish areremoved from a stream and genetically purecutthroat are reintroduced. To reducehybridization in the park’s cutthroat troutwaters, anglers are encouraged to harvestrainbow trout.
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.. Hebgen Lake and Quake Lake continue to provide great catching as does the Hebgan Tailwater. The morning gulper fishing is still rewarding but the Callibaetis are thinning out. Late afternoon at the narrows or in the Madison Arm are still a viable proposition with hoppers - (we're surprised and delighted at this.) Midges and a few Caddis continue to keep the area around Campfire Lodge a viable proposition throughout the day. From Awkward Bend to the Choice Hole eagar fish are taking both the small Caddis nymphs and dark green Woolly Buggers. The fish seem to have moved from the edges to mid-channel as they move up from the lake. .. Some small pre-spawn fish have moved into the South Fork of the Madison River and are podding up in the estuary. The neighbors with worms have found the fish in the estuary but the willows make access difficult upstream. Small streamers and Hare's Ear or Prince nymphs should gather up some nice 12" - 16" fish. There is no sign of the run above the highway. .. The Madison River between Hebgen Lake and Baker's Hole is jam-packed with parked fish that are slow in moving further upstream. The neighbors are reporting some fish to 20" - all Rainbow Trout so far. Besides worms, Thunder Creek, Dark Spruce, Yellowstone Spruce, and black Woolly buggers seem to be the ticket to dance in this segment. There is the beginnings of a Caddis hatch at about 4:30 - 5:00 around Baker's Hole - sparse at best; the afternoon winds may make it hard to see the bugs and the rising fish. Size 16 Elk Hair Caddis on top with a size 14 Rock Worm dropper is an excellent prospecting rig.
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.. Salubrious weather and low flows continue on the west side of Yellowstone National Park. The Madison River from the park line to 7-mile bridge has some medium-sized Rainbows that are causing a rustle in the pubs. The early morning Trico spinners are getting very sparse and the evening Caddis are even less apparent. From National Park Meadows to 9-Mile Hole is a desert during the mid-day heat, (rightly so,) and only two fishers were seen in this six mile section today - wonder why.
.. The Gallatin River can be fished all day if you choose. Cover a lot of ground and prospect with a hopper - dropper rig during the heat of the day. Sometimes a pair of drowned hoopers of different patterns will produce. Stick with the smaller hoppers and beetles. .. The best fishing on the Gibbon River continues to be above Norris Campground. Afternoons with a 3-weight and a box full of terrestrials and attractors will provide you with many dances if you're willing to stroll from hold to hold. It's a wonderfully pleasant way to enjoy this sterling little river. Be sure to look around and watch for bison and bears - a few bars of your favorite drinking songs will go a long way to keeping you safe. The riffle and run waters of the canyon are holding some nice Brown Trout, as is the pocket water around Chocolate Pot Spring. Again nothing fancy other than your approach is needed. .. Slough Creek is producing excellent fish in from the late afternoon to the evening. It is clear, cool, and low. Terrestrials are present and will move fish -- BUT -- don't be sloppy. The big fella's are not likely to be taken with the same poor approach twice. There is a growing hatch of BWO's and midges to accompany the still present hoppers. Soda Butte Creek, in the confluence meadows, is full of late-blooming hoppers - as is the Lamar River from Buffalo Ranch to Cache Creek. A little color creeps into these waters from afternoon showers, but so far the rains have been light enough to allow pretty good fishing, (we know it won't last.) .. For those willing to work for fish the Yellowstone River, in it's popular sections, will yield 15" - 20" Cutts on well presented Baetis imitations. Prince & Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear nymphs will produce good fish if you are very attentive. Keep the flies on the small side, (16 - 20 on top and 12 - 16 below.) One area that has gathered up a dense population of fish is the area immediately downstream from Tower Creek. There are also fish to 18" in the lower stretches of Tower Creek. .. Down south, Jack Dennis reports that the lakers are podding up for the spawn in Lewis Lake. The reports for the Gardner River system from Parks' Fly Shop suggest that if you pick your place, day and fly you should be amply rewarded. Give them a call and tell them hi for us.
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.. From Protect Your Waters comes good news about the battle against Rock Snot. They also bring us a bit of bad news about the two species of Asian Carp that have invaded the Upper Mississippi River Drainages. These flying carp would be a bit more entertaining were it not for the impact that have on indigenous fish -- and fishers. The Tunica Times has an excellent article about the impact in Mississippi on the lower river. And there is yet another video of flying carp produced by the Illinois Natural History Survey, Great Rivers Field Station. ..
.. A couple of year's ago we mentioned that the Kiwi's were doing battle with Didymosphenia geminata - "Didymo" or "Rock Snot," for short. We've been watching the developments and now Uncle Jack's Didymo Killer is a proven winner for killing the snot.
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