Category Archives: current events

Banning Me I can understand, but the rest of you are clean, polite, and well manicured

nofishing Emboldened by our shrinking numbers is my guess, I can’t figure it any other way, our mistake was assuming other people wouldn’t mind our archaic pastime, and that’s proving to be wrong. Me, I can understand, as I giggled at “glamper” jokes, belittled the “Vente Frappachino” and alienated all them swells at Aberchrombie and Fitch…

You guys was polite, well groomed, and conspicuously silent but none of that matters…

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has issued detailed proposals making it the first local authority in Ireland seeking to ban beach angling.

In its new “Draft Beach Bye Laws”, the council classifies fishing as a “nuisance” – a description which has infuriated anglers – and seeks to ban the sport from all the beaches in its jurisdiction.

So we’re a nuisance now, some vestige of a bygone era that no longer has a place in the out of doors. I can just see the science teacher explaining the lifecycle of fish to future generations…

…fish eggs are deposited into the grocery store’s freezer, they are fertilized by the male when it’s placed into the Styrofoam container, prior to being sealed in plastic. This styro-Plasticine yolk is gradually consumed by the fry until they mature as a Fillet O’ Fish sandwich…”

I think I’ll urge my kids to cut class.

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Thermo-political Fission, the "Adios Muchachos" kind

A political hot potato in the making The Singlebarbed Legal department is keeping a close watch on the Georgia drought issue, in part because it’s likely to become a big issue for us fishermen, and part because they smell blood in the water.

Last week Georgia sued the Army Corp of Engineers to reduce the outflow of water from Lake Lanier, the Army Corp of Engineers being bound by the Endangered Species Act to keep flows at a specific level.

In response, the Governor’s of Alabama and Florida have appealed to the White House:

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist wrote a letter this week to President Bush saying his state is “unwilling to allow the unrealistic demands of one region (Georgia) to further compromise the downstream communities.”

Crist said allowing Georgia to fight drought by slowing water flow into Florida would imperil commercial fishing along the Florida Panhandle, and contended the three states need to work together on more research into alternative water sources.

His letter echoed a similar one that Alabama Gov. Bob Riley had sent to the president.

What makes this issue doubly important is that much of the power generation in the area is water-based, and reduced flows means reduced power. Your choice of a brownout or dehydration, neither being palatable to voters.

…and one of those plants is Nuclear, which requires plenty of cooling water around the reactor core. If memory serves a reactor can be shutdown with some planning, but the startup takes a great deal longer.

No, there is little chance of a large mushroom cloud – but as this issue heats up there could well be the political equivalent.

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…and I thought I was hardcore

magnet.jpgIt sure won’t make the pages of a fishing publication, but I was feeling my oats – a couple days growth of beard, unshowered, standing in “pooty” water swinging a nymph past a waterlogged couch..

That ain’t hardcore – hardcore is tying a magnet to the end of the line and fishing for slag. As the price of metals increase, Chinese anglers are doing just that – fishing magnets in local streams for iron ore.

No, it isn’t catch and release, it’s catch and eat, and my only question is what kind of retrieve works best. I’m guessing it’s strictly a downstream presentation – but is it the “hand twitch” or the “steady strip?”

Pure Hardcore. I promise to quit whining about the Little Stinking being off-color, and am scared to ask what these stalwarts are standing in..

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Georgia Peaches threatened by Florida Sturgeon

drought I’m watching the Georgia drought issue closely as it may well be an important litmus test between the rights of humans versus wildlife. On one level, it’s not much of a battle as our political system does not recognize the rights of sturgeon to vote, ditto for freshwater mussels..

Much of the South has been in the grip of an “exceptional” drought for some time, only recently has there been the fear that Atlanta may run out of water completely. Four million humans live there, and much of the Georgia political machine is engaged in a fight with the Army Corp of Engineers, who are required to release water from Lake Lanier to save endangered sturgeon and mussels in Florida.

It’s part of the growth issue that many states are wrestling with – and my state, California, is no exception. The issues surrounding all of this is compelling; growth versus quality of life, tax revenue for city, counties, and states – versus farmland or open space, and giving life to arid desert at the expense of all else.

Passionate, motivated, and well funded forces will array themselves on both sides, with us fishermen possibly in both camps.

Much of that sprawl of lawn and homes in near default due to ballooning interest payments – 64,000 homes in my area alone. That’s a lot of paved over farmland, or enough water to save quite a few fish..

Makes a fellow wonder, keep an eye on the outcome.

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First Blue, then Brown, now Whitelining

I can only imagine the effect on the fish The War on Drugs has a silver lining for the Miskito Indians, as a unique combination of wind, tides, and interdiction has caused one of Nicaragua’s desolate coastal areas to be the recipient of tons of adrift cocaine.

Villages that once eked an existence on shrimp and red-tinged lobster have been transformed. In place of thatched wooden huts there are brick houses, mansions and satellite dishes.”They consider it a blessing from God. You see people all day just walking up and down the beaches keeping a lookout to sea.

Colombian traffickers and Nicaraguan middlemen trawl villages offering finders $4,000 (£1,960) a kilo, said Major Perez – seven times less than the US street value but a fortune to a fisherman.

I’ve never heard the words, “fishing” and “profitable” used in the same sentence before, I guess there is a first for everything.

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What are 14 Named Pools and 415 salmon worth?

The River Tay, ScotlandA lot. $3,162,000 by the current exchange rate.

The Upper and Lower Kercock of the Scottish river Tay is on the market. This is 2.5 miles (both banks), comprised of 14 named pools, divided into 12 beats. Included in the price is two “well appointed” fishing huts – sorry, no castles or titles come with the property.

The 2006 season yielded 415 salmon and 40 sea trout. The fishing is handled by a third party, with two full times ghillies and two boats. The per rod fee is $50 per day. The season is 235 days long as Sunday fishing is not permitted.

Anna Thomas, of Savills in Edinburgh, said: “This is not a high price at all for this kind of thing.

“Salmon fisheries can sell for up to £10-12,000 ($20,000-$24000)per fish. This one has produced up to 300 a year for the last five years.

“At £1.55m, that works out at just over £5,000 ($10,000) per fish.”

I have always been interested in the reverence and precision that is European fishing, it’s my theory that our blue ribbon fishing will move to the same model over time. Restrictions on anglers are listed below:

Fishery Conditions

1.All Anglers must report to Dennis Buchan, the Ghillie, before fishing, and they should meet at the top Fishing Hut.
2. Fishing is from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Evening fishing is at the discretion of the ghillie. The owner reserves the right to fish an additional rod throughout the season at any time.
3. The Kercock Fishings are fished with a maximum of 12 rods. A boat is available at the discretion of the Ghillie, the cost is included within the rent.
4. At the discretion of the ghillie, if there are more than 6 rods fishing a rotation arrangement may be imposed, alternating between the upper and lower beat (formerly Upper & Lower Kercock) on a daily basis, with changeover at midnight. If the rotation is in place, each party will use the hut pertaining to that beat.
5. Life jackets should be worn at all times, and these will be available from the top Fishing Hut. Tenants who do not wear life jackets do so entirely at their own risk. A charge of £20 will be made for replacement gas cylinders.
6. Pools are fished in rotation, starting at the top and gradually moving downstream. Do not enter a pool downstream of fellow Anglers.
7. Sharing of rods is not encouraged and, if it is done, must be on a half day about basis and not on a shorter period. Notice must be given in advance of the intention to share a rod.
8. All salmon/sea trout caught must be reported to the Ghillie, who maintains fishing records. All fish remain the property of the tenant. Should the ghillie be absent, tenants are requested to leave a note of catches in the top fishing hut.
9. The Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board is undertaking a conservation initiative, particularly of spring fish, and we would be grateful if you would adhere to the Board’s catch and release recommendations. Details available in top Fishing Hut. All foul hooked/unseasonable fish must be safely returned to the river.
10. Any legal method is permitted (includes fly fishing, spinning and worm fishing).
Please note that shrimp and prawn fishing are prohibited, as is the use of a gaff, fixed rods and set lines.
11. No litter to be discarded. Please bring it back to the Fishing Hut to be disposed of by the Ghillie.
12. Follow the Country Code, particularly in relation to dogs, risk of fires and gates.
13. Be considerate to fellow Anglers.
14. The tenant shall not be permitted to assign his tenancy or to sub-let except with the express permission of the proprietors or their agents.
15. The ghillie’s word is final. The proprietors shall not be bound to refund any rents paid in the event of cancellation for whatever reason.
16. Rents are payable as follows: a 50% deposit, which will be non-returnable, must be paid to confirm a booking, and the balance will be payable before the end of the month prior to that in which the fishing is booked or, where bookings are made in the same month as the fishings, the rent is payable in full to confirm the booking. Please note that all rents are quoted on a fully inclusive basis, and include agency commission and VAT on commission only.
17. The proprietors will accept no liability whatever for damage, injury or loss to the persons or belongings of the tenant, or those in his party, from whatever cause arising, nor can they be held in any way responsible for adverse weather conditions or acts of God.
18. The tipping of the ghillie is a traditional part of British etiquette and tenants are encouraged to do so. As a guide we would suggest a minimum of £10 per rod per day.

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What color wraps do you want on your transparent rod

Watch that car door They’d better be really bright or that new rod is going to be sundered cleanly in your car door.

Singlebarbed is used to nano-technology, most of our fish defy measurement in integer numbers, so we’ve used nano-terminology to make them sound really big.

The rest of you had better crack the science books, as the next big material in rod construction may have its roots in nano-science.

This effect, coupled with the arrangement of the nanosheets in a brick-and-mortar structure, make the final product (as thick as a piece of plastic wrap) very strong. The developers say that the product could be widely available in a relatively short period of time.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a plastic stronger than steel using nano-building blocks. It may even be strong enough to resist them big feet of your partially inebriated fishing buddy, details are still sketchy.

Only two certainties we can count on; your spouse will balk when you insist you need one, and somewhere in the process the “nano” will be replaced by “mortgage busting credit killer” on the price tag.

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Not Jailbait, real Bait – and suddenly the Dry Fly Purists know humility

billIf you were bait what piece of you would be irresistible? A UK fisherman wants his corpse ground into chum so his pals can catch fish.

Donating your body to science, that’s passe’ – what better way to make nice with the Big Guy Upstairs, neutralize all that negative karma by having the fish chew on your ass for a change?

I’d say this bloke is ahead of his time.

I would do likewise, but my pals know that my flesh would repel fish, not attract them. Factor in all of the self inflicted toxins, the orgy of fast food that factored in my demise, and all of the transgressions of youth that stunted growth and eliminated brain cells, and you would have to file an environmental impact report before disposal of any kind.

In either case, here’s a fellow worth mourning. Hat’s off if’n you please.

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Too old to stand in cold water? glimpse the future

By the time we’re ready for this it’ll be cell phone sized with superhero option. I don’t need to leap a tall building. I’ll settle for getting my last dry fly out of that dangling tree limb.

Can I get the miniaturized cell phone version?

Our skills have been diminishing steadily with the increase in paunch, this may be the Fountain of Youth we’ve been seeking.

“The suit, which weighs four kilos, presents “some safety concerns for elderly people,” he said.

“So for now we have limited the suit to caretakers or even construction workers whom I think would benefit greatly from this. But we hope in the future this will give old people more mobility with their arms,” he added “

We have breathing room, but once the wife straps this on and limits your couch time – urging you to “get off your backside and mow the lawn,” Malekind may be doomed.

The NFL will be taking a significant ratings hit on Sundays, at least until we can afford two of them.

A small cooler clipped into the belt, with on-demand four wheel drive, and I am all over this.

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Sushi threatens Mediterranean Tuna

Unfortunately, this may be true soonI don’t care to linger on bad news, but the terrible truth of these salt water statistics cannot be ignored. I guess as long as the local grocery store has something on the shelves, these issues can be held at arm’s length. At 6% of the historic population remaining, is that arm long enough?

It’s not right that a resource that has sustained thousands of families for 3,000 years should be finished off by a new technology in 10 years.

The Atlantic Bluefin tuna is among the most expensive and prized of sushi flesh, and Japanese consumers pay as much as $75.00 per quarter pound. Historically these fish have weighed as much as 500 lbs each, but the competition and harvest rates have reduced the Mediterranean population by 94%, and cut the average size of the remaining fish in half.

I watched with great interest the lively “damn” debate at the Trout Underground, both sides seemed to be literate and semi-lucid. Economic benefits of each side were noted (not necessarily agreed upon), and each camp retired unsatisfied.

How much longer will we be able to ignore the precipitous decline of the world’s fish stocks, before we are compelled to tear up cities and uproot established citizens so that we can nurse these fish back from the brink?

This isn’t about air conditioning in Seattle, it’s going to be about someone wanting to nuke somebody.

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