Righteous Indignation ?

YOURS OR MINING ?

Smith River Mine Meeting

see before it's pulled

..

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Resources:

>> KTVQ, Billings,

>> Missoulian,

>> Great Falls Tribune,

>> Montana Cowgirl, READ THE COMMENTS !

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WALLPAPER:   ROAST BEEF

Brookings Redux

THE RIVER RISES

The Fish Flip Us A Fin

waiting for visibility

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.. As the rain and cold descend into the Chetco River Valley, the kings, (and a few steelhead,) are grabbing air without being stabbed in the lip.
.. Anglers are gathering for the break in the weather forecast for Thanksgiving. Bitter cold is also forecast for the Cascades and inland valleys. It's time to soldier-up and put some grease on the guides.
.. The returning Chinook population has a few below average intellects - but none so dumb as to get taken by us. Even the seals have abandoned the Chetco River this year, (except for the two residents asleep in the fishing fleet harbor.)
.. There have been no fly fishers under 60 years old spotted around Social Security Bar, (or elsewhere that we have been.)
.. There's not a single fly rod in the racks at the local tackle shop. This is gear heaven!
.. Fish are charging into the system and a few are getting caught down deep in the main channel. All that hardware must be worth it's weight in titanium.

.. Gear sales are up as is angler population. The Smith River is also sprouting a fine crop of elbows. We may add to the crowds in a few days.
.. We're about to pull on the silk undies, followed by long handles, followed by woollies, followed by something to delay cold rain. We may be able to walk to the river.

.. Stopped at the local tackle shop and found a lovely hollow-built salmon net from our old stomping grounds down in Queen Califia's Kingdom. Brought back memories of a different era. The price is right but our need is not. If you need it it's hanging from the ceiling and is beautiful to behold.
.. Well, a couple more days of torture among the catchers and others on the beautiful and chilly Chetco River. This is beautiful and strange country.
.. The deer are the size of doberman pincers and the fish are the size of watermelons.

.. The fog is everywhere and nowhere, while the trees hide the hills and mothers hide their children from the infrequent yellow orb that periodically appears in the sky. There's green of every imaginable shade and rain of every imaginable density.
.. Such a place. More later.

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.

Gold Fever *

JUST THE THOUGHT HURTS

We've Been Snookered

go anyway ?

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.. Via Moldy Chum, we learn of a sneak attack on the Chetco River.
.. Last November we ventured that way to dance with some fins in the CALGON corner of the world.
.. Catching was spectacular, access varied from easy to suicidal. The fish were strong, willing and beautiful.
.. Places like the South Fork of the Smith River and the remote sections of the Chetco River, and even the less accessible parts of the Coquille River rival the Yellowstone backcountry for wild fish and wilderness.

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AND NOW THIS

.. An old mining claim combined with a clever developer in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness of southern Oregon, has resulted in the bringing in of helicopters, gas-powered dredges and paying customers to a remote location on the Chetco River. We fear for the fry.
.. Read the blood - Guts - & - Gore --> HERE.

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*an abnormal condition of the body, characterized by undue rise in temperature, quickening of the pulse, and disturbance of various body functions.

OH NO, Mr. Bill

SCUTTLED AT THE END

HB-455 Probably Dead

Big Sky Rivers Act Flushed

.. As we promised, we've monitored this bill. Sadly, for Montana's streams, the big money and thoughtless greed of real estate interests have dumped it in the toilet.
.. Votes in the House Local Government Committee and executive actions seem to have doomed the bill.
.. Thank your local real estate developer the next time you see them. Now rivers such as the Yellowstone, Gallatin, Madison, Jefferson, Smith, Missouri, Clark Fork, Blackfoot, Bitterroot and Flathead will soon have their banks covered with palaces of the rich and invasive.
.. Major development of condominiums and luxury retreats will sprout like the riparian vegetation that is there now. Stream access will fall to "property rights" defenders, and soon Bozeman will look and smell like Central Los Angeles, or Downtown Milwaukee. The invaders should feel right at home.
.. No 250 foot setbacks will be enacted. "Local Control" added to the bill did not satisfy the plutocrat's of development. Their watch words seem to be: "IF IT'S THERE - BUILD ON IT!"

READ THE UGLY DETAILS HERE.

.. Best get to the Gallatin River before you can't see it!

GLORIOUS GIFT

MONTANA RESIDENTS GET SMITH RIVER ACCESS

.. It's not Yellowstone but it's great fishing. New West scribe Matthew Frank lets us know that Dennis Washington will donate 240 acres of Smith River land to the State of Montana.
.. This is a stream dear to our hearts and more access is a good thing.
..The Smith River is the only river in Montana that requires permits for public and private use of the river. Smith River permits are highly coveted. For the 2007 season, 5,012 people applied for permits, and the department issued 844 permits. Last year, 4,736 individuals floated the river, including both private and outfitted floaters.
LEARN MORE:
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
- Helena Independent Record
- BIG SKY FISHING
- Moldy Chum
- Smith River Fly Fishing

BLOG OF THE YEAR

CONGRATULATIONS TO US ALL
We Blog When We Don't Fish
we fish when we don't blog
and work if we have to
_______________________

..This could have been a more productive journey into the maw of steelheading. It has however, produced more computer time than usual. And, truth be told, the fishing realm of the blogsphere is of a far higher quality than most of the rest of it.
.. The posts, from frivolous to fantastic, display a level of humor, erudition, curiosity, and diversity not shown in the majority of the mundane blogs in existence. We should be proud.
.. From the personal through the professional to the crass commercial there is a ring of authenticity in our bloogging that reveals an honest and sincere interest in our chosen pastimes - Blogging & Fishing.
.. Even the most cranky of the bulletin boards shows a surprising continuity of subject matter and insight into our souls. They are an interesting form of combat as well as information sharing.
.. The generally unselfish nature of the tone and presentation in fishing blogs is refreshing. Compared to "MY (ego) SPACE" or other first person deliveries, the fish blogs - (even if written in the first person) - are more frequently information based and delivered as a service.
.. Happily, our bloggers are also surprisingly talented and deliver entertainment as well as information. Waxing poetic is not to be left aside, and it is notable that the authentic voice that our community speaks with seldom engenders meaningless rants or diatribes.
.. Feel free to copy the Time Cover above and place your own blog in it - YOU DESERVE IT! {Special thanks to Karmasoup.org for the "Typewriter Full Of Fishies" image.}

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.. Before we return to the easy chair and some warm Brie & Brandy a bit of fish reporting is in order.
.. The wonderfully wet coastal weather has provided challenging situations for the stalwart steelheader. The sage fisher folks have retreated to the shorter coastal streams that clear more quickly - no names, you know them well, some even have sea-run cutts. Most of the bars have been blown out, and the breaks in the deluges provide excellent fishing. Even the chromies know enough not to brave the silt and seals. We'll be heading to the Smith, Gualala, and maybe even further south next week. Just look for the fishmobile.
.. The amazing volume of water that has been dumped in the last two weeks raised the Deschutes, Snake, Clearwater & Grand Ronde variously to as much as 3' overnight. The combined bed load and suspended load of these rivers guarantee that next year's anglers will find significantly different rivers next spring and summer.

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As a parting thought, (borrowed from Gary Gao,) EMBRACE THE BLUR
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SHOULD'A STAYED HOME

900 MILES LATER & SNOW

is there no justice

.. We have caught some fish, braved some elements, and changed our priorities for accommodations: fireplace in the common room, attached saloon, high-speed, and a mud room. There was no need to leave West Yellowstone to find weather like this.
.. Fishing the Web is akin to surfing the Web, in that, both take time and require some quiet corner with a bit of glow from the fire and some warmth from a nice single malt.
.. Surfing, we're led to believe is energetic. Fishing, on the other hand, is far more salubrious and relaxing. We prefer the latter. Here are some results from the glow of the fire while fishing the web.

.. Deer On The Net, (via The Outdoor Pressroom,) Bet the girls really like that decoration.
. . With the rain and snow and poor catching there was time for web fishing for slabs in honor of the apparent glories of the large fish.

..Found a couple of slabs for the folks at Moldy Chum - Check out the kid's slab at Dave Jacobs web site.

.. And just look at what the folks in B.C. think of fishing and architectural slabs.

.. Jenny's "ifish,net" has grown since we were last by this way. Check it out for good news, good deals and good vibes. She's got a slab of her own.

.. We fished the deep waters of C.E. Chaffin's Blog and found a poem about Fishing On The Lost Coast that sucked our soul right into the laptop.

.. Voting on the side bar poll lets us know that our readers are sophisticated and prefer the more intimate streams to the big name glory waters. That means we get to fish where we usually do next year. Avoiding the crowd is always a good thing.

.. After a rest tomorrow we're going to flip a coin and decide whether to go north or south. The Gualala and the Smith are calling, so too the Cal-Salmon. The weather maps and fish maps up here are too coincident for our taste.

..

.. Well, its back to the warm glow and then some dinner. There's also this nice little girl fishing guide that is 40 years our junior and humors us with feigned interest in fly boxes - thank god for 50-year-old Wheatley's and 18-year-old scotch.