Volunteer season begins!

Another great volunteer opportunity!

It may be the start of the serious fishing season, but it is also the start of volunteer season.  I'm about to call out our community, and I hope to be proved wrong.

For the past decade, I have put together volunteer events for various conservation organizations as a student and employee. I have also attended countless events because they are fun and a great way to meet people and network.  Over the years, I have tried again and again to tap into the fly fishing community for volunteers and have always been severely disappointed.  For the most part, fly fishers don't volunteer for projects that directly help and improve the streams that they love and use.  NOT COOL!

If you truly love the fish and everything that comes with them, get off your lazy ass and help out. There are no shortage of opportunities, especially this time of year.  It's not about being righteous, it's about having fun, meeting really cool people, and contributing to the systems that give so much to us.

Do it!

Kelly Galloup Fly Tying Event in Butte

GEORGE GRANT TROUT UNLIMITED GGTU to Sponsor Fly Tying, Fly Fishing Seminar March 28 The George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited is proud to sponsor a fly tying and fly fishing seminar March 28, 2015 in Butte featuring Kelly Galloup, a well-known fly fishing guide and fly tier, television host and owner of the Slide Inn on the upper Madison River. The seminar will be held from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Perkins Restaurant on Harrison Avenue. Kelly Galloup has earned a reputation for catching trophy trout using large streamers he has developed such as the Zoo Cougar and Sex Dungeon and his specialty is articulated streamers. The seminar will emphasize tying some of Galloup's creations and he is certain to entertain the participants with tips on fly fishing. The seminar is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted. For more information call Bob Olson at 560-3791 or email him at robolson@bresnan.net. SAVE THE DATE !!! THE ANNUAL GEORGE GRANT TROUT UNLIMITED BANQUET WILL BE SATURDAY, APRIL 11th, 5pm AT THE STARLANES PLEASE forward this email to a friend, if they'd like to be included ask them to send us an email STAY CONNECTED LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

Today's wisdom

Sometimes it's a good day to die, sometimes it's a good day to go fishing. 
-Play on an old Sioux saying also used in Sherman Alexis' Smoke Signals

Going to hit the Lower Big Hole for the first time this year before a balls-to-the-wall week at work/school.

Two groups pushing for more Silver Bow Creek Restoration

Photo courtesy of http://www.geochemicaltransactions.com/

Butte, MT's Silver Bow Creek was the original "Shit Creek."  It was used as a sewer; industrial mine waste, reduction, and smelting dump; as well as being polluted from secondary industries to the mines.  For many years, the "riparian" area of Silver Bow as it flowed out of Butte towards Anaconda looked more like Mars than a stream in Montana.  While the creek still has some serious pollution problems, the majority of its length has seriously benefited from restoration activities stemming from the Superfund listing in the 90's.

However, the "creek" upstream from the confluence with Blacktail Creek right in Butte, is not considered a creek at all.  It is technically Butte's Metro Storm Drain.  This classification allows for much less regulation and protections than if it were a true "stream."

Two groups, the Silver Bow Creek Headwaters Coalition and Project Green have rallied to push for stream restoration for the Metro Storm Drain.  Silver Bow Creek Headwaters Coalition even filed a lawsuit (2010) over the Metro Storm Drain classification.   

While I'm all about stream restoration, there is a lot to be considered here and currently I have no strong stance on the subject.  Here's what I do know. This section of Silver Bow is dry unless there is a major rain event as the water that would flow in the creek is diverted to an underground storm drain system. The restored part of Silver Bow downstream is becoming a great fishery (believe it or not) and I really enjoy the new, super long trail system that runs along it.  However, by midsummer, the flows and temps in Silver Bow get really low and warm, threatening this great new asset.  If the Metro Storm Drain section was to be restored, I'd hope this would add significantly more water to the system.  Furthermore, there would be a great natural conduit for delivering more clean water to Silver Bow once the water treatment begins in the Berkeley pit.

No matter what happens, it's good to see people give a damn about Silver Bow.  Get the full story in today's MT Standard.  

        

How a Skwala swims, with jazz

This video of a Skwala stonefly swimming in a Skwala sized swimming pool (dog bowl?) is great.  You can really see how they wiggle their little asses across the water.  At 0:30, the Skwala is flipped on its back and you get a trout's view.  Notice the large, black egg cluster on its butt.  All of my Skwala dries have an egg cluster usually made from a ball of peacock. 

Video by Ken Burkholder 

Get your 2015 Montana fishing license - Happy Fishing New Year!!

Don't forget your 2015 fishing license.  Happy fishing new year!  Should be some great fishing statewide with the warm-up this weekend.