New Rule

When your monster Kispiox steelie goes viral, then lands on the cover of Fly Fisherman, you should make the Picassa gallery of the other 60 shots of you manhandling the fish private.

The gallery has recently been edited but not before someone grabbed some screen shots.

Some of the deleted images were posted on the forum pages of Piscatorial Pursuits back in February. According to the forum post there were 61 images of the fish out of water.

Here at the Chum we've never met a big fish picture we didn't like, but we do our very best to minimize the amount of time a fish is out of water for photography. The excitement of the moment probably contributed to the excessive documentation but it's no excuse for not handling fish responsibly.

The World's Best?

I came across this link to a 1974 Russell Chatham Sports Illustrated story on the legendary Bill Schaadt via a forum post response on Washington Fly Fishing by someone associated with River of a Lost Coast.

LINK (Via: Sports Illustrated)

The intial forum poster, who gave a shout out to the film, but who had never heard of Schaadt, could not get their head around the fact that a Californian is considered by many to be the world's greatest steelheader. What followed was six pages of forum responses including many from some other well known names in steelhead angling.

The forum thread. Greatest steelheader ever a Californian?

Quality Waters?

One of the biggest impacts on the quality of steelhead fishing on the Skeena is the commercial gillnetting bycatch that damages critical early steelhead runs. Despite reports that have shown the economic benefits of the sport fishery far outweigh those of the commercial fishery, the Canadian Department of Fisheries continues their misguided management of the resource.

With just three months before the start of the commercial fishing season, the North Coast Steelhead Alliance has sent an open letter to the Canadian Department of Fisheries, taking them to task for not implementing strategies to reduce the commercial harvest impact on steelhead runs. 

LINK  (Via: Skeena Fisheries Blog)

Tillamook Steelhead and Salmon Need Your Help

Logging on the North Fork of the Trask, looking NW across Hembre Ridge towards the Wilson River. How many clear-cuts can you count? This photo was taken last summer. Yet timber interests want to double harvest? Photo courtesy of Jeff Mishler

Oregon's rural counties, backed by the timber industry, have introduced legislation (HB 3072)to help them double timber harvest from the Tillamook & Clatsop state forests. This after state forest managers suggested a reduction of harvest due to unsustainable logging already underway.

You can help!  Become informed by following this and that and thensome.

And, write letters in opposition to HB 3072 to these legislators:

Brian Clem, chair (Salem)

rep.brianclem@state.or.us

Arnie Roblan, past chair (Coos Bay)

rep.arnieroblan@state.or.us

 IMPORTANT: all emails to the above should include a cc: to the Committee Administrator, Beth Patrino

beth.patrino@state.or.us

Stay tuned for more. This will be a tough battle, but one worth fighting.

March Slab of the Month: Squamish Steel

Bryce Franks sends us a snap of his first winter steelhead on the fly stating "I guess I should hang up the rod and call it quits now."  Not a bad idea.

Winner - Feb. Slab of the Month: Kispiox Steelhead

Winner winner, chicken dinner?  Mike Berry takes on the SOTM with reckless abandon.

Berry takes the cake in Feb continuing a strong tradition of big 09 Steelhead.  Send us your March slabs now!