Opening Weekend

I spent opening Saturday morning fishing the Warm River about 2-3 miles above the Campground. Overall fishing was slow with a few fish caught (seven - myself; six - my dad) , but we both caught a couple above 14 inches with one nice cuttbow over 16 that was between 2-3 pounds. Many of the smaller rivers and streams in SE Idaho are still high and murky with runoff and thunderstorm water. Two weeks from now should be spectacular.

Nightmares

The elusive weeks before fishing season opens are a tortious experience for a flyfisherman. Daily checks on fishing conditions and idle chat with the local fly shops only fire an already out of control blaze within the soul. There is nothing better than standing knee deep in an icy stream casting for the rising adversary. Images of fly water and rising trout permanently engrave themselves upon my soul every time I step into the water - the hope of catching a trout in the next hole keeps the fire burning year round. One and a half weeks before opening - hopefully the fire doesn't consume my soul before the first fly hits the water...

Rain

It has been raining pretty steadily here in SE Idaho for the last couple of weeks bringing water levels closer to normal amounts. Why is this important? One word - RUNOFF. Many of the streams that I have fished recently have been full of sediment and trout need clean river rock streams to survive and spawn. Hopefully all of this rain will keep runoff levels high enough to flush Idaho's streams and improve fishing this year. Opening day is in two weeks!

Will the evironment and the last wild places in America survive the Bush Administration? Bush recently revoked the Roadless Area Rule which provided significant protection for the last roadless areas in the U.S. Now the decision to protect or exploit roadless areas falls to local state governments (specifically the governor) and local forest managers. Hopefully local forest managers will protect roadless areas and their pristine states but there is no guarantee that the forest managers won't give in to industry and forget the individual that uses the area for solitude. In Idaho, many of the roadless areas are refuges for wildlife and contain spawning grounds for many of Idaho's endangered and threatened fish species. Big game animals use roadless areas as a resort to escape hunting pressure. In many areas the quality of Big Game herds has diminshed greatly, mostly due to increased access via ATV's.

Will there ever be a place on our planet where a person can reach solitude? Or will we constantly be surrounded by the roar of gasoline powered engines? Will we ever see record big game or a restoration of trout fisheries? With the current pressure from ATV users and the deregulation of roadless areas, there may never again be areas that offer the type of seclusion, and trophy big game and fish, that was enjoyed just ten years ago.

Wouldn't it be great if government actually looked after the best interest of the majority instead of the specific interests of industry? Maybe its a sign of the times - government corruption swayed by big money and little else.