The Gill Net Quandry: Part Three (A Compromise)

UPDATED - Parts four and five added.

Part Three of Five in the Rocky Mount Telegram's coverage of the gill netting issue. Is it possible for a compromise? Today's money quote indicates that it might be a good idea to keep the two sides apart:

Marine Fisheries allowed flounder gill netters to place their sets in the sound one-half hour after sunset. By law these nets were to be retrieved by one-half hour before sunrise.
The plan worked. The two different user groups met rarely, only in passing. Flounder tend to move more at night, so most of the commercial fishermen were happy with the compromise.

The Gill Net Quandry: Part One (The Issue) - Debatable Catch
The Gill Net Quandry: Part Two (More Nets, Problems)
The Gill Net Quandry: Part Three (A Compromise)
The Gill Net Quandary: Part Four (Recreational Use)
The Gill Net Quandary: Part Five (For The Fish)

The Gill Net Quandry: Part Two (More Nets, Problems)

Part two of the Rocky Mount Telegraph's five part series on the clash between commercial gill netters and recreational fishermen is out today and it points out a new player in the mix. The recreational commercial gill netter:

As Montgomery sees it, the problem with the weekend netter is that he is not doing it for a living.

“He is likely to set his net in the wrong place,” Montgomery said. “And if the weather gets bad, he’ll probably just check it tomorrow

There is even a quote from FlyFishMagazine.com's, soon to be properly announced, Saltwater Editor - Gordon Churchill, about a proposal to require attendance of gill nets in Carolina waters:

“No matter who owns it or what type of license, this should not be allowed,” he said. “It results in dead fish that cannot be sold due to being rotten or are not the targeted species and are therefore wasted regardless of condition.”

Read the entire article here:

The Gill Net Quandry: Part One (The Issue) - Debatable Catch
The Gill Net Quandry: Part Two (More Nets, Problems)

FFR Show 2008: Buff now with Insect Shield

I've been wearing a Buff (and getting some odd looks from the worm dunkers) on our area trout streams and lakes for several months now so I was pleased to hear that Original Buff has announced the addition of Insect Shield (FKA Buzz Off) to their popular and versatile line of sun and wind protective head gear. My own, non-insect repellent Buff, kept my nose warm and my neck pale in grand fashion during the trip but it would have been great to have it keep the bugs out of my face as well. From their recent press release:

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (September 14, 2008) -Buff ® Headwear, known for their innovative line-up of stylish and multifunctional headwear, continues to deliver with the Insect Shield ® UV Buff. Buff Headwear is coveted globally by outdoor enthusiasts who will now be able to focus more on fishing and less on bothersome insects thanks to the added protection of the Insect Shield technology.

Beyond the guaranteed insect protection apparent in this new product, the Insect Shield UV Buff offers enhanced UV protection, blocking 95-percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays. The Insect Shield UV Buff, among other Buff models, comes complete with a non-toxic Polygiene treatment that prevents odor-causing bacteria and leaves your Buff fresh and odorless. Additionally, the CoolMax yams provide moisture wicking, dry comfort.

The Insect Shield process binds insect repellent to fabric to repel mosquitos, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, midges and no-see-ums. This technology helps protect against insects that carry the West Nile virus, Lyme disease, malaria, dengue fever and other insect-borne diseases.
"The Insect Shield technology is just another value-added feature that will enhance Buff products," says Shirley Choi Brunetti, Buff general manager, United States. "For outdoor enthusiasts who are exposed to mosquitoes, ticks and many other annoying insects, the Insect Shield UV Buff is a dream come true since it reduces the need for a topical repellent."

For more information about Insect Shield (A North Carolina Company) visit their website.

FFR Show 2008: Cover Your Butt

Do you suffer from embarrassing fighting butt injuries? After a fishing trip, does your wife suspiciously question those circular shaped bruises on your normally pristine six pack abs?

Coming soon to a fly shop near you, the solution for tender bellied anglers everywhere, Cover your Butt reel seat cushions.

No word yet on the retail price but being called a wimp by your fishing buddies.....Priceless.

FFR Show 2008: Wright & McGill's Quik Drop

Little things that make our angling life easier amuse us greatly. After a day of digging around our fishing vest for a plastic bag of split shot then trying to get one out without spilling them all over the place, the Qwik Shot from Wright and McGill caught our eye. Think Pez dispenser for your non-toxic shot. This item got one of our votes for best new product at the show. Here is the description from the Wright and McGill website (the all caps thing is them not us).

THIS IS THE NEW NON-LEAD, SPLIT SHOT DISPENSER FOR THE FLY-FISHERMAN. EACH MODEL WILL HOLD AND DISPENSE TWO DIFFERENT SIZES OF ROUND, NON-LEAD SHOT. ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR TWO HANDS AND THE LOSS OF SHOT FROM TRADITIONAL ROUND SHOT DIAL PACKS.

It comes preloaded with shot and refills easily.

Gill Nets In The News

The battle between recreational and commercial fishermen over unattended gill nets on the Carolina coast is heating up and making news. The Rocky Mount Telegram is running a series of articles about the conflict. From "The Gill Net Quandary: Part One (The Issue) - Debatable Catch"

The recreational guides say the commercial fishermen see their clients “hooked up” fighting red drum on certain areas of the sound. The next day or even later that same day, flounder nets are stretched out to cover the entire area wiping out the drum. And it’s totally legal.

Swansboro guide Rick Patterson said, “I’ve had guys look me in the eye and say they’re going to kill every drum they can. I have no idea what they want to accomplish, but it’s a twisted mentality.”
Although commercial fishermen refer to guides and their clients sarcastically as “pastel shirts” because of their brightly colored fishing clothes, they deny targeting drum with their flounder nets.

Friend of FlyFishMagazine, Capt. Gordon Churchill is a leader in bringing this issue to the attention of his fellow anglers. His position is stated on his facebook cause page which we suggest concerned anglers join:

Unattended gill nets are a wasteful fishing method and should be attended all times to stop wasteful killing of non-targeted fish species.
Mandatory attendance would stop the waste due to the person fishing the net being right there and able to release the fish before it dies.
We support commercial fishermen and their desire to make a living from the water and also support fishing methods that are unwasteful.

Part two of the five part series runs Monday.

Friday "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky" Break

This should get you pumped for the weekend. The Young @ Heart Chorus does Hendrix.

FFR Show 2008: Patagonia Reception

Every year at the retailer show, the good folks at Patagonia put on a reception at their Denver store. We attend and always snap a few paparazzi pics along the way.

Bill Klyn - The guy behind Patagonia's World Trout Initiative and 1% for the Planet.

Steve Apple of Rollcast Productions and Fishizzle! fame gaves us the Al Braughtinwood update and let us know about his latest project.

"Get that camera out of my face," might have been heard as we spotted TC of Trout Underground infamy interviewing the movers and shakers of the fly fishing industry.

Even Trout Fish Bums have to eat. We spotted Chris Owens of AEG Media enjoying a tasty bite. There was no fermented Yak milk to be found.

Finally, we managed to snap this rare photo of two bloggers in their natural habitat, In this photo, taken from great distance via telephoto lens, we capture FlyFishMagazine.com's Jay Moore and Trout Underground's Tom Chandler, sitting around the schwag pile and enjoying some gratis beverages.

Thanks to all the folks from Patagonia for a great evening. Patagonia is a company that really puts their money where their corporate values are when it comes to doing things correctly for the environment. Somehow Patagonia fly fishing gear guy Brian Bennett of Moldy Chum escaped our lens this time.

11 Mile Canyon

As you can see from the picture of Eleven Mile Canyon, Lee and I did not spend our entire time in Denver at the Fly Fishing show. We managed to find time to do some fishing in the Colorado Springs area. While we didn't exactly slay them, we did both manage to catch some fish and we saw some beautiful country. We fished a stretch of the South Platte near Fairplay, The Dream Stream and eleven Mile Canyon during our stay.

My first impression of the show was that of a kid in a candy store. Just about anyone in the industry you can think of was on hand to show their new products for 2009. We will be writing about some of the things we saw in the near future. I want to thank the following people for spending time with us and making us feel welcome.

Chris and Sven with EXOFFICIO

Scott with Pale Morning Media

Kate with The Original Buff

Will with Kaenon Polarized

Greg with Smith Optics

Brian with Patagonia

There are sure to be some items from them in this years Christmas wish list.

Also thanks to Ali Hassan for showing us some of his favorite fishing spots!

FFR Show 2008

Wherein we resisted the urge to offer to help this nice lady string up her fly rod. However, Jay Moore and Tom Chandler did manage to give her some casting advice.

FFR Show 2008: MicroTrash Container

Fishpond launched a tiny little trash can with a no spill top. You can carry on your belt to hold all those bits of mono and used non-toxic split shot. In a pinch it also makes a really nice holder for your night crawlers and corn.

FFR Show: Best book title

Here's a new fishing book with one of the best titles ever.

FFR Show: Cliff's "Justin" Case

Cliff Outdoors is famous for large fly boxes but this one takes the cake. Designed for the angler who needs everything he owns with him at all times. We loved it but can't figure out how to fit it in our fishing vest. More on new products from Cliff Outdoors later.

FFR Show: .Malibu kayak with Raised casting platform

From the fly fishing retailer show floor. Yes you are seeing it correctly that kayak has a raised casting platform. We couldn't help but picture our pal Captain Gordon stalking big bull red's in one of these. More info will follow in the near future.

FFR show: Patagonia warms feet

We don't know why anyone never thought of adding Merino wool to there wader stocking feet before. Our cold feet approve.