Montana Considering Cloudseeding to Increase Big Hole Snowpack

With changing weather conditions spurring on fall fly-fishing action, it’s time to sit down, sip some hot coffee, scan the latest weather report, and see what’s new in the Fly Fishing news world:

Montana Cloudseeding Considered to Increase Big Hole Snowpack

While the authorship of this quote–often attributed to Mark Twain–is in doubt, someone once said "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it."

Perhaps that was true once upon a time, but it doesn't appear to be the case now with a report that officials with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation are considering the idea of cloud seeding to see if snowpack in the Big Hole Watershed can be increased.

It's not reality yet according to Montana television station KXLF, but state officials are conducting a study right now to see if the release of silver iodide into the air during the winter months could theoretically increase the snowpack, and eventually, the water flowing downstream.

If the study finds out that the idea could work, Montana DNRC officials indicate that the Big Hole Watershed–where they believe the project would have the best chance of success–could create as much as 15 percent additional snowfall during the winter season.

"This is another tool in the toolbox for water management and if we can increase our snowpack by 10 or 15 percent, that's enough in plenty of years to stave off some of those water shortages,” noted Michael Downey of the DNRC to KXLF reporter John Emeigh.

A meeting was recently held at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, more informational meetings might be seen in the future, and the study should conclude sometime this February. Then state officials will have to see if they believe they can make it snow more than normal. 

Updates Continue for Striped Bass Legend Bob Popovics

As we've reported over the past month, renowned New Jersey fly angler and fly tier Bob Popovics has been slowly recovering after the striped-bass-fishing legend was critically injured on September 26 in a hit-and-run accident.

Last week, news came that indicated that Popovics has made a significant step in his ongoing battle in a New Jersey hospital's intensive care unit.

"I know that it has been a bit since my last update about Bob," wrote Bob's daughter Alexis on the Shady Rest Restaurant's Facebook page. "There hasn't been much to share. He is still in the Surgical ICU at JSUMC [Jersey Shore University Medical Center]. He is progressing, but much slower than the doctors have predicted. Still, there is forward movement, no matter how small. 

"He is still intubated and sedated, but they have done a tracheostomy to make him more comfortable," noted the social media page for Popovic's restaurant. "Neurologically, he had a brain bleed, but that does seem to be resolving. When sedation is lightened, he sometimes follows commands such as opening his eyes or wiggling his toes. 

"We are still overwhelmed and touched by the outpouring of love and support from both the restaurant and fishing communities. We see you. We see your signs, we see your flies on flagpoles, we see you coming out to support and love on us at the restaurant. I also promise that I see your messages, even if I don't always have time to reply. I've always known what a wonderful man my father is, but I never realized just how much he means to all of you as well. Please keep praying, thinking good thoughts, whatever it is that you do; Bob, his family and friends, staff, and medical team need them. We truly love and appreciate you all. -- Alexis."

A day after that post, Popovic's daughter added an update that brought many smiles, regarding on a spinal surgery on October 15: "BOB's SURGERY WAS SUCCESSFUL! Thank you for all of your prayers and kind thoughts, you were all with Bob and his medical team this evening. ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME!"

Stay tuned, we'll keep you updated on Popovic's condition and progress as news comes out of New Jersey.

Fallout Investigated as Jackson Lake Dam Sees Water Drawdown

With water and good stream flows always being a hot-button topic in and around many of the famed fly-fishing waters of the Rocky Mountain West, it isn't surprising that there's yet another news story about this ongoing and vexing issue.

That includes the recent story in the Jackson Hole News & Guide newspaper website, which wrote in September about flows dropping from Jackson Lake as planned a few years back. Now, as that plan gets put into action, biologists and concerned angling citizens are investigating the fallout.

Here's a little backstory on the issue from the JHN&G website as author Billy Arnold, the newspaper's environmental reporter wrote: "In the fall of 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation proposed slashing flows from Jackson Lake Dam, prompting outcry from river watchdogs who worried about fish getting stranded in Snake River channels and dying.”

Arnold wrote that Trout Unlimited’s Leslie Steen was there when federal water managers proposed cutting releases from 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 280 cfs over five days.

“People were frustrated and worried about negative impacts to the ecosystem but didn’t feel like they had any agency," he wrote.

Now, those reduced flows are real news as the Bureau of Reclamation recently unveiled its plans in mid-September for this fall's drawdown. Arnold wrote that the mood for those in attendance was better in 2024 than it was in 2021, partly because the plan is a bit different now: "Over four days, water managers plan to decrease flows 12 times, reducing the flow of water from the dam from 1,380 cfs to 325 cfs—a much smaller decrease," he wrote.

Also boosting morale a little bit is the fact that this year, citizens and researchers from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, as well as Idaho State University, are going to study how decreasing dam flows here impacts the Snake River and its fisheries.

“Three years later, the work that we did then—and the concern of the community—has led to a lot of positive outcomes,” said Leslie Steen, a river advocate and the Wyoming State Director for Trout Unlimited. “This time around, it’s less of a reaction and more looking forward to how can we get the information we need for the water managers.”

The story notes that fisheries biologists are looking for volunteers to float the Snake and help out with the project this year. If you'd like to get more involved, email Steen at leslie.steen@tu.org.

Questions Linger with Good News on Skeena Steelhead

Reports that the beloved Skeena River steelhead fishery is having a good year should bring smiles and buoy morale and enthusiasm among fly anglers. But a recent report from the Wild Salmon Center (WSC) asks an important question: What does this good news for this year actually mean when compared against historical trends and trouble facing the Skeena basin?

The short answer from the WSC? Fishery experts are indeed happy, but they aren't making party plans just yet.

Press release author Ramona DeNies wrote recently that "...in late August, sighs of relief echoed across the Skeena Basin. Numbers were in from the Tyee Test Fishery: more than 33,000 steelhead had passed the lower Skeena—up from 2023’s run of 10,000 fish, and the 13th best return on record."

But read on for some context.

“We’re happy that returns are strong,” said Greg Knox, Executive Director of SkeenaWild, a core Wild Salmon Center partner, in a news release. “But one year doesn’t make a trend.”

The reason for that caution is that Knox and others note that the steelhead community is only three years from the river's lowest steelhead returns on record when only 5,400 steelhead passed through a test fishery. And for the past year, Knox indicates that despite the good news, the Skeena and its steelhead returns have remained stubbornly low when compared to the data from the Cumulative Steelhead Index taken annually from 1956-24 at the Tyee Test Fishery.

It's important to note that this year hasn't just been good for the Skeena steelhead population, because numbers are up in other parts of northern and central British Columbia on rivers like the Nass and even into the Columbia River basin (more on that in a future edition of Fly Fisherman’s News Briefs).

But for now, Knox says to hold onto the party planning for the Skeena River and its famed steelhead.

“There can be a sense, with a strong year like this, that everything is fine again,” he said. “But we’re not. If we’re serious about the long-term health of these fish, we have to consider the bigger picture.”

Belize Government Moves to Acquire Angelfish Caye

One of Belize's premiere flats fishery spots is in the news as was recently published in the Amandala, the nation's leading newspaper, that GoB is moving to acquire Angelfish Caye.

"In August, copies of a Gazette publication dated August 24 included an item on Angelfish Caye, which fly fishers know as Will Bauer Flats, stating that the Government was acquiring the two parcels of land totaling 2.27 acres for a project site located within the Spruce Caye area of South Water Caye Marine Reserve," notes the Belizean newspaper. "The location, some 10 and ½ miles from Hopkins, is key for the fly fishers’ livelihoods, and they all felt their world was about to come crashing down earlier this year when they started noticing development around Angelfish Caye."

And it's that development that has fly anglers concerned about one of the world's premiere spots for saltwater flat's fly fishing for bonefish, permit, and tarpon. That seems apparent in when you examine news on how Eworth Garbutt, president of the Belize Flats Fishery Association, was even charged with damage to a textile curtain valued at $1,200 reportedly caused by Garbutt's said "activism" back in February (Garbutt pleaded not guilty).

The paper says that now, three months down the road, Garbutt is happy and said in an interview that the government has done the right thing.

“We’ll keep the fire burning ‘til the sweet ending, noh, because we won’t have a bitter one," he told Amandala.

But Garbutt also noted that the government's response was nothing more than so-called lip service. The paper's recent report indicates that Garbutt "...was confident that the project would be permanently halted. He lamented that, apart from doing the right thing, the Government also needed to get the timing right."

Garbutt also said “The time was yesterday, but we still will tolerate today. And it need[s] to be done and need[s] to be done now! The people of this nation and the future generation deserve it. Not just for [the] conservation aspect of tourism, but for the whole cultural heritage of Belize.

“It’s a flat where bonefish thrive, where all the ecosystem[s] thrive; everything there is so vibrant and alive.”

Stay tuned, we'll keep you updated here at Fly Fisherman.

BTT, Fishpond Team Up for Bahamas Mangrove Restoration

On August 24, 2019, Category Five Hurricane Dorian roared ashore on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and gusts to 220 mph, a storm surge up to 25 feet deep, and a barometric pressure crashing into "Top 15" territory. The hurricane caused $3.4 billion in damages and took at least 74 lives in the Bahamas.

While the humanitarian toll was horrific and has spurred ongoing recovery efforts, there was also plenty of environmental damage.

That includes mangroves, thousands upon thousands that were killed by the winds and high saltwater storm surge. Like other rebuilding efforts, there has been an ongoing mangrove restoration effort the past several years by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, volunteers, and various partners to help replenish the mangroves that are so critical to the health of Bahamian saltwater flats and its legendary bonefish. To date, some 75,000 have been planted and the eventual goal is 100,000 to be planted.

To that end, BTT and Fishpond, the Denver-based manufacturer of fly fishing packs and other gear, are creating a co-branded line of products in to raise money for mangrove restoration. The BTT/Fishpond partnership will feature items like the Dakota Carry-On Rod & Reel Case, Tacky Pescador Large Fly Box, and Boulder Briefcase. Specifically, the news release indicates that Fishpond will donate $95 from each Dakota sale, $25 from each Large Pescador sale, and $95 from each Boulder briefcase sale to BTT in support of Bahamian mangrove restoration and conservation. 

“At Fishpond, we are deeply committed to sustainability and the preservation of our natural ecosystems,” stated Jack Reis, Fishpond Director of Marketing, in the news release. “Partnering with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust allows us to not only support vital mangrove restoration efforts in The Bahamas but also to give back to the communities that rely on these habitats.”

“We greatly appreciate the generous support of Fishpond and its commitment to restoring and conserving mangrove habitats, which are so vital to the health of The Bahamas’ flats fishery and coastal communities,” also noted BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie. 

Aggieland Hosts FFI Casting Instructors Event

Fly Fishers International’s "2024 Gathering of Casting Instructors" is coming to College Station, Texas on Sunday, November 10 according to an FFI Facebook post.

"Join us for a five-star instructor skills course in the Lone Star State," reads the social media post. "The 2024 Gathering of Casting Instructors, Sunday, November 10, 2024, College Station, Texas. Hosted by Good Fly, Texas Council FFI, & Fly Fishers International.

"Sign up now for a fantastic opportunity to enhance your skills as an instructor or CI candidate! This event, guided by FFI Master Casting Instructors, is tailored to match your experience level, so be sure to select the right track for you. Don't delay, as spots are limited!"

According to the post, those interested in attending can register at www.goodfly.org.

Hatch Reporting for Henry's Fork Foundation

The Henry’s Fork Foundation is requesting help from anglers with up-to-date hatch reports that will help them build an important database for the future.

“Will you be our eyes on the river 👀?,” the conservation group asks on its Instagram page. “Please report your hatch observations to HFF's hatch survey at tinyurl.com/hfhatchreport to help us build a much-needed dataset for science-based river management for local fisheries conservation.

“Did you see a hatch on the river today? We want to know, even if the answer is no!”

The survey can be found at the webpage Henry's Fork Hatch Report. It's a simple process that asks several questions, the answers to which will help the HFF learn about what is hatching on the river and where and when–or not at all–all of that is taking place. The organization will not share the information gleaned from this effort publicly in real-time, but it will summarize the help and publish it in annual and/or seasonal reports.

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