Trophy Fish Smaller Than Years Ago

A graduate student as the Scripps Institute of Oceanography has estimated that trophy fish (predatory) have declined in weight by as much as 88% as compared to 50 years ago. Her analysis was based on the study of archival photographs over the last 50 years. Although this is not the most accurate method of doing such a study it will give you good ball park figures in my estimation (here's series of links on science for this study).

Other studies have shown similar trends. Ms. McClenachan believes it's over fishing of trophy fish that has caused this problem. However, I believe that it's not as simple as just over fishing and that conclusion should be revised. The amount of habitat for fishing in streams, lakes and the oceans has been diminishing in the last 50 years. Furthermore, the chemical soup from air, water, and land that empty into our waters has both cumlative and synergistic properties which must be considered.

Most fishermen will tell you that they believe that the stocks of trophy fish have been dwindling in both quantity and quality. But there are also other avenues that need exploring including the fact that commercial fisheries have better equipment and are much more efficient in locating fish and capturing them during the last 50 years.

Putting all of these things together gives you what the trophies look like today. Even in trout streams of a reputable nature for instance like the Letort Spring Run in Carlilse, Pennsylvania there are few trophy fish compared to the 40's and 50's. And this is according to the Pennsylvanias Fish and Boat Commission's data. Was it over fishing that killed this gene pool? Or was it environmental degradation of the stream with repeated assults of pesticides and herbicides from the nearby water cress farms over the years as well as increased sedimentation?

On Penns Creek 50 years ago there was a strain of large brown trout larger than anything that you would catch now. What happened to this race of big trout? Well my old fishing buddies who have passed away told me two things killed the gene pool: waders and the spinning reel! Yes, waders! Why? Because anglers 50 years ago didn't wade very far out into the stream (especially a rough large river like Penns Creek). But cheap waders allowed fisherman to explore areas they couldn't with hip boots.

The spinning reel took care of the rest. Because most fisherman even bait fisherman used a fly rod and reel back then for fishing. The new spinning reels allowed anglers to toss bait, and hardware in places that few anglers could reach in previous generations. As was the custom back then anglers kept whatever they caught including numerous large brown trout which many old timers thought were the genetic brood stock of wild trout in the stream.

In places like the wilds of Canada it is said that the stocks of large trophy fish have dwindled also. This make sense because for the most part those waters are oligotrophic (lakes with limited productivity in terms of nutrients and therefore the fish grow very slowly). So the trophies are pretty old fish and the theory of catch and release is just catching on in the last few years as compared to 30 to 50 years ago.

There is no doubt that our fisheries are threatened by a vast array of perturbations and problems but fisherman must do everything they can not be one of the problems on this list!

Two New Fly Fishing Videos Added!

I have added links for two new fly fishing videos. Unfortunately, Google changes your video into flash which degrades it to the point it's almost useless. The following videos are in Windows Media (wmv).



Here are the videos: Spring Creek Monster Trout: http://www.limestoner.com/

and Brook trout feeding on a fly hatch: http://www.flyfishingforbrooktrout.com/



I hope you enjoy the videos. Until Google gets its act together almost all fly fishing videos are ruined by them changing the video to flash because the frame rates are too slow.



tight lines

guido

The Green Drake Hatch Will Be Here Soon

It's May 14th. A week from now visions of giant mayflies dancing on the stream is what I'm dreaming of. I think the hatch will be late this year. Perhaps starting around the 25th. But one can never tell. Last year it was early. We've had a cold spring in the East this year. I expect it even later on the world's best Green Drake stream, Penns Creek in Central Pennsylvania.

I've chased the drake for over 35 years. In fact, I've chased it before I was old enough to drive. I hit it 25 consecutive years in a row on Penns Creek before I missed a year. I haven't been on Penns for it in the last 3 years. Hopefully this year I'll make it back.

It's a weird hatch and I've studied it for years. On streams like Penns the best fishing is actually at night. Penns is a dangerous stream to fish even in the day but at night you better know what you are doing. It's actually surrealistic at night and you are in a world of your own. There is just something strange, special and exciting about using your sense of hearing and limited vision to try and fool a fish in the dark.

Some of the happiest moments of my fishing life have occurred on the drake hatch. I can remember driving down the winding road going into Poe Paddy in the middle of the night. And from the darkness I spot a lone campfire ablaze and 10 of my fishing buddies waiting for me with a beer and a good cigar. She's just starting...the lady has just begun to hatch. Let the insanity begin. Like a woman you cannot tame or understand the Green Drake hatch stands alone in the world of the fly fisherman.

The Truth About Fly Fishing Equipment

I have some very expensive fly fishing equipment. Over the last 30 years I have bought and used a variety of equipment to say the least, much of it very expensive. But there is a very big secret that is ready to break in the fly fishing world. You can now by graphite fly rods in the $75.00 to $200.00 range that will match the most expensive rods out there! Rods from Okuma, St. Croix, and other manufacturers that will amaze you. The same can be said of fly reels too. Then why hasn't there been a mad rush to buy these products?

Well most fly fishing manufacturers have been able to convince most of the fly anglers that a $600.00 rod will outperform a $150.00 rod. That no advanced or expert fly angler would be caught dead on a trout stream or salmon river, or on a bonefish flat with such inferior equipment. I speak of this knowledge from the following positions, as professional guide, a riverkeeper, over 35 years experience as a fly angler and one more: I used to own a fly shop!

If the labels were taken off the rods I would bet anyone any amount of money that most if not all fly anglers including so called writers and experts would be unable to tell which rods cost what! Furthermore, much of the cheaper equipment may actually outperform the expensive stuff by a long shot. I know I bought some of it.

In a future article I will actually detail the best buys in the fly fishing world and all the money you will save if you buy it. In fact, if you can get over the snob appeal of rich stuff you'll be missing you probably save enough money for a few more fishing trips!

The Riverkeeper and a Trout Stream

I'm a riverkeeper on a private trout stream. The club has about 70 members. The anglers are from all different walks of life but get a long very well. I manage the stream with the best science that we can find. The stream is unique because it's part of geologic anomaly and looks basically like a mountain stream in northern Pennsylvania or upper New York State. It's not a rich stream and its channel often changes from year to year when the spring floods hit.


Each year we do some stream improvement but we know most of it will be wiped out when the floods come. The stream has some natural reproducing spring spawning rainbows. These fish are from fingerlings stocked years ago. It appears there are a few wild browns also. We stock a few brookies and some other age classes each year. Many fish hold over and become wild. This year we put brookie fingerlings in as well and they appear to be surviving. It's possible we may see spawning brookies this coming year.


Recently, we've noticed some fall spawing rainbows. Evidently from another strain in the stream they have begun to spawn. I watched them the other day and caught a male over 5 pounds. I watched the male and female on a redd. Unbelievable to watch the male and female go through their gyrations.

There are many lessons to be learned from this stream that are adaptable to our public waters. Unfortunately, most of public waters are managed by politics instead of the best science. The stream has proven a number of things including that if you stock trout below 3 inches and they survive you have a good chance of wild populations. We believe this because these fish in order to survive learn to feed on the smallest of life in the stream and thus are on their way to surviving the winter and summer conditions. This one of the most important things in survival for a trout and is the main reason most hatchery trout fail to survive in streams where they are stocked if other environmental conditions are favorable.


It also shows what can be done when the amount of fishing on a stream is limited to the environmental well being of the stream. The stream is not pounded like many public waters are. The stream is work in progress. Each year I learn something new and hopefully I will be able to transfer that knowledge in saving our public waters.

Contact me: guido@flyfisher.com
and stop by all our websites: www.flyfisher.com; www.riverandgamekeeper.org; www.eugenemacri.com

Death in Fly Fishing

Over the last number of years many of my fly fishing buddies and friends have passed away. These include legendary anglers like Ross Trimmer, Charlie Fox, Tommy Thomas, Ned Smith (the world famous wildlife artist) just to name a few. Recently, Ernie Schwiebert Jr. and Norm Shires departed in 2005. Many others are in their late 70's and 80's and I fear that phone call from a friend saying we've lost another one. (photo on left of Ernie Schwiebert in 1990 at Entomology Convention in Baltimore MD)

Fly fishing lets us be kids. We steal time when we fish but sooner or later we must face our own mortality. It seems just like yesterday I was a very young man practicing my art in Western Pennsylvania. But in reality that was a long time ago. (Photo on right of Charlie Fox cutting a birthday cake at the Letort Regulars Picnic on the Letort).

So send an email to your fishing buddies or a note in the mail or give them a call. Life is short; make the most of it. And remember what the legendary Ted Trueblood once said:

The Worst Day of Fishing is Better Than The Finest Day of Work!

So go fishing, tie flies and go for a walk on your favorite stream!

Tight Lines

(for articles on Fox and Schwiebert please go to www.flyfisher.com)

Welcome To Fly Fishing With Guido

Welcome to my fly fishing blog. Many of you know me by articles, scientific work, and other websites such as: www.flyfisher.com, www.eugenemacri.com, and www.riverandgamekeeper.org. I've been fly fishing for over 35 years and it has been quite a ride. I welcome you to this site and hope you will contact me or stop at my other sites. This site will contain some of my fly fishing philosophy as well as personal stories and photographs. Please let me know what you think.


Gene “Guido” Macri
Fly fisherman
And Scientist