TU Study Confirms Salmon are "Red Gold"

Excerpted from the Trout Unlimited Press Release:

(Juneau, Alaska) - A new study commissioned by Trout Unlimited Alaska finds that Southeast Alaska's healthy salmon and trout populations pump nearly $1 billion into the local economy every year and account for more than one in ten jobs.

This is the first study that takes a combined look at the economic valueof all four sectors of the region's salmonid fisheries - commercial,sport, subsistence/personal use and hatchery production. Previous studies have looked at each of the sectors separately."The study shows the healthy and abundant salmon and trout populations of Southeast Alaska are a huge driver of the regional economy. "The reason we have such rich and sustainable fisheries is careful harvestmanagement as well as a lack of the dams, pollution, and agriculturaland urban development that have decimated so many runs in the Lower 48,"said Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited Alaska.

The following are some of the study's highlights:*

$986.1 million: estimated annual total economic outputgenerated by commercial, sport, subsistence and hatchery production ofsalmon and trout in Southeast Alaska, as purchases made in each sector ripple through the regional economy*

$466.1 million: estimated annual value of salmon and trout topeople who fish them commercially, for recreation and for subsistence and personal use*

7,282: estimated number of full or part-time jobs sustained bythe four fishing sectors*

10.8 %: approximate portion of regional employment that stemsfrom salmon and trout fishing *

$188.9 million: estimated annual personal income generated by salmon and trout fisheries and hatcheries"

The full report and an executive summary can be downloaded at: WWW.TU.ORG/CONSERVATION/ALASKA/TONGASS

Gear: C&R UV Buff to Benefit TU

**Editor's note - For the first time in three years we won't be attending Fly Fishing Retailer. We will certainly miss the New Belgium ale, seeing new gear first hand, and most of all reconnecting with good friends. If any readers are planning on attending and want to guest blog for us during the event, drop us a note at (editor at Flyfishmagazine.com replace the at with an @). In the mean time we will be attempting to keep you informed using our vast network of industry contacts whom we have promised to buy a round the next time we see them in person.

Buff, Inc. Launches New Catch and Release UV Buff and Promotion at Fly Fish Retailer 2009 to Benefit Trout Unlimited

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (September 10, 2009) – Buff, Inc., known for their innovative, versatile and multifunctional headwear loved by anglers worldwide, will be launching the new Catch and Release High UV Protection Buff as an exciting new addition to Buff’s Angler Series at Fly Fishing Retailer 2009.
In Addition, Buff will be running a promotion on the show floor of Fly Fishing Retailer 2009, where the new Catch and Release UV Buff will be sold for $10 to benefit the national coldwater conservation organization, Trout Unlimited (TU). 100-percent of proceeds garnered at Fly Fishing Retailer 2009 will be donated to directly assist with Trout Unlimited’s conservation efforts.

“Buff is honored to play a role in Trout Unlimited’s restoration and conservation projects and hopes to continue to help moving forward with the success of Buff’s products that resonate so well within the angling community,” says Shirley Choi Brunetti, vice president and general manager of Buff, Inc.

“The functionality and versatility of the High Protection UV Buff has proved to be an essential fishing accessory for anglers worldwide to the point where they’ll turn the boat around if they forget their Buff before a day out fishing. We’re very excited about the design and message of the Catch and Release UV Buff” continues Choi Brunetti.

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.

“Support from our corporate partners is invaluable to the success of TU’s on-the ground conservation projects,” said Liz Ogilvie, TU’s corporate marketing manager. “Buff, Inc.’s commitment to TU’s mission helps us accomplish our restoration goals around the country.”

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, TU has helped to restore over 10,000 miles of rivers and streams around the country and is dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. TU has more than 400 chapters around the country. TU’s national headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia.

The UV Buff is designed to offer technical performance and to block 95-percent of harmful UV rays. It can be worn over 12 different ways to accommodate varying weather conditions and offer a custom fit. Additionally, the UV Buffâ is made from CoolMaxâ microfiber fabric to provide superior moisture wicking and dry comfort properties, as well as to reduce skin temperature and maintain hydration.

All Buff models, except for the new Merino Wool Buffâ, incorporate Polygiene technology for active odor and sweat control by releasing non-toxic silver ions to break down odor-causing bacteria.

Please stop by Buff’s booth, number 517, at Fly Fishing Retailer 2009 to buy your Catch and Release UV Buffâ in support of conserving, protecting and restoring national fisheries. Also, additional donations are made through the Trout Unlimited website.

Please visit the Buff, Inc. website and Social Media Release webpage for new, featured products, up-to-date company news, video, images, and much more. Also, please join the Buff, Inc. Facebook fan base.

About Buff, Inc.
Buff, Inc., located in Northern California, is a subsidiary of Original Buff, SA Spain, and established its U.S. presence in 2003. Popular for more than a decade in Europe and used since the show’s inception on CBS’ Survivor television series, Buff, Inc. is distributed in more than 45 countries. Buff performance headwear is all about versatility and simplicity – one garment serves many functions. Among other uses, a Buff can be worn as a hat, neck gaiter, balaclava, bandana, scarf, hair band, helmet liner, headband, and pirate-style cap or as a sun, wind or dust screen. Designed to offer technical performance and protection from the elements during a wide range of outdoor activities and sports, Buff models are available in hundreds of styles and designs. For more information on the entire line of Buff, Inc., call 707.569.9009 or visit the Buff, Inc. website.

Buff To Sponsor the Save Wild Steelhead Festival

Buff Headwear today announced sponsorship of the Save Wild Steelhead Festival in Bozeman, Montana.

Buff® Headwear, known for their innovative, versatile and multifunctional headwear, will be providing custom Save Wild Steelhead UV Buff® head and neckwear to the Save Wild Steelhead Festival on November 5, 2008 at the Emerson Cultural Center in Bozeman, Montana. Additionally, Buff® is slated as a hosting sponsor with proceeds benefiting Trout Unlimited and the Wild Steelhead Coalition non-profit organizations.

“We are proud to sponsor the Save Wild Steelhead Festival and contribute to such a unique, environmental cause. Buff resonates so well in the angling market and we are so happy to take part in the action,” says Shirley Choi Brunetti, United States general manager. The Save Wild Steelhead Festival http://www.flyboysfishing.com/conservation/save-wild-steelhead is a fundraising event focused on uniting anglers, filmmakers, photographers and conservation groups to bolster awareness and education around influential issues regarding wild steelhead. Wild Steelhead are one of the most valued freshwater game fish on the planet and wild stocks are at an all-time low. The festival will be composed of documentary films, slide show presentations, guest speakers, and raffles. All proceeds generated at the event will go to Trout Unlimited and the Wild Steelhead Coalition.

“With this event we hope to have a profound impact on the future of wild steelhead. For it is up to us to save these fish and this sport for future generations,” says Joshua Brandner, event coordinator, Fly Boys Fishing Team.

Buff will donate 80 custom Save Wild Steelhead UV Buff® samples. The UV Buff® protects against 95-percent of damaging UV rays and can be worn over 12 different styles. The UV Buff® is made from CoolMax® fabric that provides moisture wicking and dry comfort properties to keep you warm in cold climates and cool and dry in warmer climates.

Editor's note: Keep an eye out for more information about Buff products. We are currently working on reviews of several Buff products as part of an upcoming series on cold weather gear designed for anglers. The temps around these parts are finally getting cold enough for a proper field test.

Counting the Cost - 22,710

A broken pipe, a valve turned in error and twenty-two thousand trout are dead. An update on the recent Davidson River fish kill via BlueRidgeNow.com reports:

State environmental officials also say the fish were killed not only by oxygen being depleted from the water, as federal officials originally said, but also from direct contact with acute concentrations of toxic chemicals.

Officials of the N.C. Department of Public Health initially identified the pollutant which spilled into the river from the shuttered Ecusta paper mill as sodium hydrosulfide, a caustic compound used during decades of paper making.

TU vs ATVs?

A curious article on the Vail Daily website talks about support from both hunters and all terrain vehicle owners alike, (at least some of them) that would propose fines for people who ride their ATV's where they shouldn't. The curious thing is that the quoted comment in the article is from a Trout Unlimited representitive.

Dave Petersen, a bow hunter who lives near Durango, said he saw plenty of elk on a scouting trip in August.

When he returned with his bow a few days later, Petersen didn't find any elk but he saw tracks from the ATV he figures scared them away."It completely ruined my hunting trip, and that just happens all the time," said Petersen, who works on off-road issues for the conservation group Trout Unlimited.

Personally, I would hate to see ATV's running up and down my favorite trout stream or have to endure their engine noise while trying to thread a size 22 midge.

TU to Join Stream Access Fight.

Bill Schneider of NewWest.net is reporting that Trout Unlimited has decided to reaffirm its commitment to stream access issues. Or rather a policy that allows its local chapters to join the access fight where they see fit.

“We’ve largely resolved this access flap,” assures Farling in an interview with NewWest.Net, “and we’re back we started.”

At a September meeting in Boise, TU’s Board of Trustees and the National Leadership Council, composed of one member from each state chapter, strongly supported the 2006 policy. In fact, the leadership council voted 29-1 (with New York dissenting) on a resolution brought to the table by Montana Trout Unlimited that re-affirmed the 2006 policy allowing state chapters to intervene in access disputes such as the recent controversy over bridge access points to streams in Montana.

Cue the old light bulb over the head thing.

“Having TU involved in access disputes is actually wildly popular within our organization,” countered Farling. “Basically, we went through this, unnecessary, unproductive, gut-wrenching exercise that we didn’t need to do, and now we are back at square one.”

NFFC: Final Results

The 2007 National Fly Fishing Championship is in the books. George Daniel of Pennsylvania took the top spot with Carolina anglers Josh Stevens and Eddie Pinkston taking the silver and bronze medals respectively.


George Daniel - Gold Medal Winner (Mark lance Photo)


Josh Stevens - Silver Medal Winner (John Crane photo)


Eddie Pinkston - Bronze Medal Winner (John Crane photo)

Competitor Name
1. Daniel, George
2. Stephens, Josh
3. Pinkston, Edward S.
4. Erickson, Pete ©
5. Naranja, Anthony ©
6. Robertson, Scott ©
7. Sexton, Mike
8. Lumsdon, Graham
9. Courtoreille, Terence
10. Egan, Lance
11. Williams, Loren
12. Kimmel, Brian
13. Walter Ungerman
14. Bishop, Brett
15. Roberts, John
16. Maktima, Norman
17. Kolanda, Rob
18. Olsen, Devin
19. Croucher, Andy (Captain/Mgr)
20. Ricks, Jake

Photo's used with permission Colorado Trout Unlimited.

The National Championship is sponsored by Colorado Trout Unlimited and the associated Trout Unlimited Chapters in the State of Colorado. It is also supported by many commercial fly fishing companies locally and nationally, including the American Fly Fishing Tackle Association.

NFFC Standings: Day 2

**UPDATE** final standings will be released Saturday (10-6-2007) at 12 noon Mountain Time.

Here are the individual standings through Thursday for the National Fly Fishing Championship near Boulder, Colorado.

1. Stephens, Josh
2. Erickson, Pete
3. Lumsdon, Graham
4. Daniel, George
5. Pinkston, Edward S.
6. Williams, Loren
7. Sexton, Mike
8. Robertson, Scott ©
9. Naranja, Anthony ©
10. Walter Ungerman
11. Courtoreille, Terence
12. Maktima, Norman
13. Galvin, Chris
14. Kimmel, Brian
15. Egan, Lance

We aren't too biased, (OK maybe we are) but it sure is nice to see a North Carolina angler atop the list! Check back often as we continue coverage throughout the weekend.

NFFC Update: Josh Stevens

Making the Catch

Running to get it scored

Now back to work!

North Carolina's own Josh Stevens is shown here getting the job done during day 2 of the competition. Josh helped put on the Southeast Regional and also helped conduct the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team's "Big fish Boot Camp."

Let's just say Josh is a local favorite around here. We have it on good authority that during this session Josh caught five score able fish on five casts in succession.

Our next post will have the Standings after day two. Lets just say that Josh is doing very well.

Photo Credit: John B. Crane

http://www.johncranephotography.com/

jbcrane.zenfolio.com

Used with permission of Mr. Crane and Colorado Trout Unlimited.

NFFC Update: Heather Seitz

Paul Prentiss of Colorado Trout Unlimited writes to us live from the river bank at the National Fly Fishing Championship:

"Here are 3 shots I took today of 18 year old Heather Seitz of Hampton, PA. competing for the South East on the Big Thompson in the NFFC. In addition, I threw in a shot of the competition water on the Poudre River."

National Fly Fishing Championship: Standings

Here are the individual placings from the first day of the National Fly Fishing Championships:

1. Scott Robertson USA-3

2. Anthony Naranja USA-2

3. Graham Lumsdon British Army

4. George Daniel USA-2

5. Mike Sexton USA-1

6. Chris Galvin Midwest-2

7. Tim Emery Midwest-1

8. Loren Williams West-1

9. Edward S. Pinkston USA-3

10. Pete Erickson USA-1

11. Riley Cotter USA-3

12. Josh Stephens USA-1

13. John Buckley Shamrock

14. Norman Maktima West-2

15. Jay Buchner USA-2

The team competition standings thus far look like this:

USA-1 49 Placing Points

USA-2 55 Placing Points

USA-3 63 Placing Points

West-1 66 Placing Points

West-2 69 Placing Points

Stay tuned for daily updates through out the competition. Standings in these events can change quite rapidly.

National Fly Fishing Championship: Day One

Thanks to some good friends, (Paul Prentiss of Front Range Anglers and Colorado Trout Unlimited), we are happy to bring you coverage of the first day of the National Fly Fishing Championship currently taking place near Boulder, Colorado. We don't have all the anglers names yet but regular readers will know that we recognize the determined young lady in the Penn State cap. She is Southeast Qualifier, Heather Sietz.

Communication from the competition site is at best difficult, but we should have some updates on the various angler's standings in the very near future.

All Photos are credited to John Crane of John Crane Photography, P.O. Box 270166, Fort Collins, CO 80527-0166 tel: +1 970-229-1462 and used with the permission of Mr. Crane and Colorado Trout Unlimited.

National Fly Fishing Championship: Oct. 1st - 7th

The National Fly Fishing Championships are being held October 1st -7th. Participants in the event will fish two lakes and three streams in an effort to qualify for a spot on Team USA.

Since we just got back from the FFR show we couldn't manage to be in Colorado to cover the event ourselves. However, Colorado Steering Committee Member, Paul Prentiss has told us that he will endeavor to keep us in the loop. Paul is part of Colorado's Trout Unlimited who spends countless man hours putting on the event.

Here is a link to the schedule. We are trying to get some additional reports from this year's event. If you are a participant or otherwise involved and send us regular reports, we will gladly dig through our bag of schwag and send you something cool for your trouble.

In case you missed it, here is a link to our slide show from the Southeast Regional.

Can't say there's nowhere to fish in N.C.

The Charlotte Observer brings us news of Pawley's Island angler and Table Rock Trout Unlimited Chapter member, Bobby Kilby who has just completed his 12 year quest to catch trout in 1000 different North Carolina streams. Just to make sure his goal wasn't too easy, he imposed a two trout minimum on himself before allowing the stream to be counted. He caught trout in his 1000th stream while fishing the Henry Fork located in South Mountains State Park near Morganton, NC.

Since 1980, Kilby has logged every fishing trip, with stream name, location, date, number and kind of fish caught, a rating (A-D) and comments. The logs fill 16 notebooks. He keeps a record not only of his 1,000 N.C. streams but also of 610 other streams he's fished, in states from South Carolina to Vermont to Idaho.

Kilby began his quest in 1995. That year, for the first time, he exceeded fishing 100 streams and catching 1,000 trout. In 2006, he hit 199 streams and 2,151 trout. "In the early years, 1995-1996, when I first said I want to catch trout from 1,000 streams, I thought that was as good as you could possibly do."

Congratulations Mr. Kilby on this milestone. Now how can we get our hands on that logbook?

Want to Produce a Movie?

Chapel Hill North Carolina native, Ben Knight, of Felt Soul Media snapped this excellent photo while working on their new film "Red Gold." Red Gold is part of Trout Unlimited's educational effort to save the Bristol Bay, Alaska area from becoming "an open pit mining district" aka the Pebble Creek mine.

You can help by donating funds towards the production of the film. Donations are tax deductible and if you give more than $500 to this worthy cause your name will be featured in the credits of the film.

Think of it as your big break into show business all the while helping preserve a beautiful and yet unspoiled part of the world.

Link to the Felt Soul Media site.

Link to their blog, "The Wire."

Photo: Ben Knight