Saturday, November 29, 2008

After a long delay...

We are back to tell you that your local rivers are on a sharp rise today after the rain and warm temps. Not much snow in the mountains that's staying yet.

There are some early winter steelies and still chums to be had around but it'll have to wait a few days. Lake fishing is hot right now and you can't go wrong in the South Sound. Get some.

Also, there is a new DVD out now called Drift. It's one of the very best pieces of flyfishing production we've seen. Not flashy and hip just well filmed and edited fishing and refelctions. We have several copies in stock. It's worth a look, I promise.- BW

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Red Gold

The outstanding doumentary film Red Gold will be screened at the Seattle Art Museum on Wednesday Nov. 19th @ 6pm.

This film chonicles the lives of Alaskan salmon, fishermen and natives and the potentially devastating impact of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. It's an excellent film and will give you an excuse to go see some art too.-BW

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Better Fishing to Come?

Agency releases Puget Sound cleanup proposal
By PHUONG LEASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

SEATTLE -- The Washington state agency charged with cleaning up Puget Sound released an ambitious list of fix-its Thursday that includes buying up critical land, restoring estuaries and promoting low-impact development.
The Puget Sound Partnership's draft action agenda outlines steps the state should take to meet the goal of restoring and protecting the sound by 2020.
David Dicks, the agency's executive director, said the total bill for improvements won't be known until the draft is adopted later this month and presented to lawmakers by Dec. 1.
The agency plans to ask for $200 million to $300 million in the state's 2009-11 biennium budget for initial projects. That's on top of $570 million the state now spends per biennium on cleanup efforts.
Karina Shagren, a spokeswoman for Gov. Chris Gregoire, said cleaning up the sound is a top priority but "it's way too early to say" whether she'll include that amount in her budget.
The state is facing a projected $3.2 billion budget deficit.
Gregoire and lawmakers created the agency last year to figure out what threatens the sound and how to fix it.
One of the biggest threats is stormwater runoff. Two state Department of Ecology reports released Thursday blame people's everyday activities - not industrial pollution or municipal wastewater discharges - as the main sources of the 52 million pounds of toxic chemicals, such as oil, PCBs and heavy metals, that end up in the sound each year.
"We've got to stop the bleeding," Dicks said. "We've got to deal with the onslaught ... of toxic chemicals still getting into the sound."
He said the most pressing goals are to protect remaining ecologically sensitive lands and curb the stormwater pollution through low-impact development.
The draft agenda for cleaning Washington's inland marine waters and the surrounding land includes proposals to advocate for more wilderness designation, require conditional use permits for bulkheads and docks and set up no-discharge zones for vessel sewage.
Among the more immediate fixes, the agency plans to use one-fourth of the $12 million in federal money it already has secured to finish removing dikes and restoring 762 acres of the Nisqually River Estuary between Tacoma and Olympia. It also wants to find state money to speed up the removal of two dams on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula to allow fish passage.
The agency will refine the plan and develop a list of priorities after taking public comments through Nov. 20, Dicks said.
"We know we need to control storm water, stop destroying habitat, restore dams, get toxics out of waters," said Kathy Fletcher, executive director of People for the Puget Sound.
"What's been impeding progress over the years is lack of funding and accountability."
Dicks said his agency will look for ways to redirect existing resources. The agency is also considering creating an improvement district for Puget Sound to raise money.
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On the Net:
Puget Sound Partnership: http://www.psp.wa.gov/

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Missunderestimated

Contrary to popular belief and even what I have told people recently the local rivers at this moment, are coming down. Yes, that's right, there's no snow in the mountains to melt at the moment so the rain alone can't make it flood. Tons of chums are pouring into the Sky and Snoqualmie as well as Skagit. The Skagit turned into catch and release for chums too so don't keep any. Not that you would really want to anyway but you know... Things are still out of shape at the moment but dropping so keep your eyes open.

Beaver Lake is in full bloated, broodstock swing. Hare's ears and white wooley buggers, or, really any wooley buggers. Be prepared for company.-BW

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Post Election Meltdown

Oh wait, nothing has exploded yet. Things might turn out ok... and at least with Sarah Palin not in office there still might be a chance to stop the Pebble Mine. Well the chums don't care who won the election they just want to spawn. Their thick in the Wallace right now and they have to swim up the Sky to get there so try to intercept them.

The Snoqualmie, Green and Skagit also have chummies and plenty of anglers to go around too. Bring lots of flies. Comets, marabous, glo bugs, chum candy and switch it up until you find one they want.

Also, for those that still think steelhead are a myth, get onto Washington Flyfishing and look at the recent photos. There's a 45.25" x 25" fish caught recently on the Skeena system. Yup, that mean somewhere in the neighborhood of 40lbs. That's bigger than your 8 year old. -BW