First Salmon Return to Oregon's Klamath Basin After Dam Removal 

Following the removal of the former J.C. Boyle Dam, officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have confirmed that on October 16, a fall run of Chinook salmon was identified by ODFW biologists in a tributary of the Klamath River.

With that sighting, an ODFW news release reports that the event marks the first anadromous fish sighting in the tributary in the Klamath Basin since 1912 when the first of four hydroelectric dams were constructed. That series of dams blocked the migration of Chinook salmon until that moment. 

According to the agency, the salmon observed–and likely others not seen–are likely to have traveled approximately 230 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the tributary only months after the removal of the four Klamath River dams that had blocked fish passage from California to Oregon.

Mark Hereford, ODFW’s Klamath Fisheries Reintroduction Project Leader, was a part of the survey team that identified the fall-run Chinook and he admits that the team he was on was ecstatic over the discovery of the first salmon.

“We saw a large fish the day before rise to surface in the Klamath River, but we only saw a dorsal fin,” said Hereford. “I thought, was that a salmon or maybe it was a very large rainbow trout?” 

But when the team returned on October 16 and 17, they were able to confirm that salmon were indeed in the tributary. And as you might expect that news touched off an enthusiastic response from both tribal leaders and state officials.

"c’iyaal’s are culture carriers,” said Natalie Ball, a Klamath Tribes Council Woman, in the ODFW news release. “I'm excited for their return home and for us to be in relation with them again.”

“The return of our relatives the c’iyaal’s is overwhelming for our tribe," added Robert Frost, Klamath Tribes Secretary. "This is what our members worked for and believed in for so many decades.

“I want to honor that work and thank them for their persistence in the face of what felt like an unmovable obstacle," added Frost. "The salmon are just like our tribal people, and they know where home is and returned as soon as they were able."

Popovics Memorial, Scholarship Fund Planned

Fly-angling icon Bob Popovics will be remembered by family and friends in a Veteran’s Day viewing and a memorial service the following day. Popovics passed away November 1 following a hit-and-run accident. 

"Bob's viewing will be held on Veteran's Day, Nov 11, at Timothy Ryan Home for Funerals on St. Catherine's Blvd in Toms River, NJ from 3pm-7pm," indicates a Facebook post from Popovic's Shady Rest Restaurant. "Roman Catholic Church service will be held at St. Catharine's Church in Seaside Park, NJ on Nov 12 at 10am, followed by a procession to The Brigadier General William C Doyle Memorial Cemetery with Honor Guard service at 12:30pm sharp."

Popovic's longtime business also noted that there will be an ongoing memorial for the iconic angler as the month of November progresses.

“The Bob Popovics Memorial Scholarship Foundation account will be set up tomorrow, Nov 5. Details for donations in lieu of flowers to follow.“

We'll keep you updated on the Bob Popovics Memorial Scholarship Foundation as details become available.

Denver Fur Ban Opponents Declare Victory Over Ballot Measure

While the nation watched as the results were called on Tuesday night for national, state, and local races along with a variety of state and local ballot measures, fly anglers in the Denver area were nervously watching to see how the vote had gone on Ordinance 308, something we looked at last month.

As you might recall that ordinance sought to prohibit the manufacturing, sale, trade and display of fur products, a measure that could have proved devastating for local fly shops, as well as hat makers and others who might wish to purchase fur products.

While the final official vote tally wasn't available as of this writing, opponents of the measure had seen enough to declare victory after an apparent voter rejection of the fur ban products ban.

According to the Denver Gazette, an update late in the day on Thursday, November 7 showed that, "The proposal was trailing by 15.5 points, with 42.1% of voters supporting it and 57.9% in opposition, according to the latest results posted on the Denver Clerk & Recorder show."

The measure, which was reportedly not supported by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, also drew opposition from the National Western Stock Show, Visit Denver, and other groups that included a group named "Hands off my Hat."

“Today’s victory by the ‘Hands Off My Hat’ team and supporters is a testament to the people of Denver who value tradition, respect local businesses, and recognize the unique cultural contributions that artisans and craftspeople make to our community,” said Landon Gates, spokesperson for "Hands off my Hat," in the Gazette report. “By voting down Ordinance 308, Denver has chosen to protect jobs, heritage, and personal choice, allowing our residents to continue enjoying the products they love and our city’s iconic Western culture.”

Since some Fly Fisherman readers also enjoy big game hunting in the Centennial State, another controversial measure that would have banned hunting of mountain lions in the state, was also defeated.

"The hunting of mountain lions and bobcats will remain legal in Colorado after voters rejected a proposition that would have banned the practice," reported the Steamboat Pilot & Today news site. 

The newspaper noted that while election results were still unofficial at the time of the story's writing, the Associated Press had called the race at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 6 after 58 of Colorado’s 64 counties voted against the measure. 

"By midday Wednesday, Proposition 127 was failing by just over 270,000 votes with about 56% of the votes counted against it," indicated the Steamboat Pilot & Today report. "Nearly all Colorado counties rejected the measure, aside from four on the Front Range and two in the southwest corner of the state.

Loop Tackle Purchased

A few weeks ago, Atlanta, Georgia-based Cox Enterprises announced that it had acquired Loop Tackle, a fly-fishing equipment brand that is dedicated to the conservation of wild fish populations.

As a Cox Enterprise news release announcing the acquisition notes, many fly anglers are familiar with Loop, a Swedish company founded by Christer Sjoberg and Tony Karpestam back in 1979. By making top-end fly fishing gear while seeking to foster a deeper connection between users and the natural world where such gear is utilized, Loop is dedicated to conserving wild fish, wild rivers, and wild spaces that are pristine and in need of protection.

"Loop’s brand is synonymous with conservation,” said Alex Taylor, chairman and CEO of Cox Enterprises, in the company's news release. “They’ve been the top name across the North Atlantic for many years in making the best technical gear for fly-fishing and connecting with those sometimes cold, wet, wild habitats. We hope to build on that ethos to foster a company that makes great gear and, in the process, leaves the world in a better place for the next generation.”

Some might be wondering who and what Cox Enterprises actually is. The company describes itself as "...a leader in the broadband, automotive, and media industries, as well as a leading investment platform with strategic positions in emerging technologies driving the future of agriculture, renewable energy, health tech, and public sector software. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox is a global company with $23 billion in annual revenues and a proud history spanning more than 125 years."

The Cox Enterprise name—and that of the company’s chairman—might strike a chord of familiarity for some fly anglers who might remember a court battle a decade ago that saw the Montana Supreme Court eventually decide to uphold the Big Sky State's stream-access laws, while also indicating that landowners can't close off paths to public water and land where there is a history of recreational usage.

"The 5-2 ruling allows continued public access to the Ruby River along Seyler Lane in opposition to the claims of millionaire landowner James Cox Kennedy," noted a January 2014 story about the case that appeared in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

The story, authored by Laura Lindquist, also noted that, "After moving to Montana and buying his Madison County ranch, Kennedy closed off three public bridges leading to his land across the Ruby River and denied fishermen access through a public right of way to get below the river's high-water mark."

The Daily Chronicle story also went on to note that the case came after the plaintiffs in the case, the Public Land and Water Access Association, sued Madison County in 2004 in an effort to have the bridge barriers removed.

“It was about everything we could have hoped for," said John Gibson, the association president at the time, in the 2014 newspaper story about the Montana Supreme Court decision. "The idea that recreational use can qualify a road for a prescriptive easement is very important to us. We all won this one. Everyone that fishes or floats or enjoys the streams–it's a great victory for the public trust.”

Colorado Angler Resumes Fight for Freedom to Wade in Centennial State Rivers

Roger Hill, the 83-year old Colorado resident who has been in the Fly Fisherman news digest previously, has started up his campaign for public freedom for anglers to wade in the state's rivers.

And according to a story in The Denver Post by Bruce Finley, Hill's resurrected crusade is one of civil disobedience–the Colorado Springs resident doesn't mind if he gets arrested–done by donning his hat, grabbing his fly rod, and wading into the Arkansas River near Cotopaxi.

Hill's late August return trip to the Colorado stream didn't end the way he wanted, even after he reportedly notified the Fremont County Sheriff's Office of his impending trip to toss flies on the Arkansas River.

“I didn’t catch a single fish and I’m pissed off that I wasn’t arrested,” Hill said in the Denver Post story. “Somebody’s got to do it…. Strength in numbers would help.”

As you might recall, this story began in 2012 on the same stretch of the Arkansas River, just up from the confluence of Texas Creek and the river near Cotopaxi when a landowner tossed baseball-sized rocks in Hill's direction. A few years later, the Post reports that the landowner's husband fired shots at Hill's angling friend that day. 

That's when the retired physicist filed a lawsuit claiming a public right to wade on riverbeds. Hill won that case initially, but after the landowners appealed the decision to the Colorado Supreme Court—and with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser's support—the state's High Court dismissed Hill's case in June 2023, ruling that he lacked legal standing to sue in order to establish the public right to wade in streams and rivers.

And that's why Hill is angrily desiring to be arrested, to establish the legal standing he needs in the case to push it further and gain the legal standing that the Supreme Court has required to have the core components of the stream access case heard.

Right now, Hill is being in essence frozen out of his desired arrest, since the Post reports that Fremont County Sheriff's Corporal Caleb Chase indicates that the county will leave any enforcement to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). And the state agency? A CPW spokesman told the Post that the agency does indeed oversee fish in Colorado, but it lacks jurisdiction over water and land adjacent to streams and rivers.

What does Attorney General Weiser say about the case? He reportedly declined to comment to the Denver Post.

For now, the fight is in a bit of a stalemate as Hill looks to force a trespassing citation from Colorado law enforcement authorities. But at least one person on Hill’s side says that the legal response from authorities isn’t actually necessary by the letter of the law.

“You don’t have to put yourself in harm’s way in order to test your legal rights," said University of Colorado law professor Mark Squillance in the Post story.

Squillance, who has been critical of both the landowners and state officials involved in the case, has also noted that last summer's Colorado Supreme Court ruling didn't properly interpret some well-established principles in Colorado law. 

Even so, Hill and his supporters appear to have an uphill battle at the moment.

“People should exercise their right to use the beds of navigable streams,” Squillace said to the Post. “Unless we can get somebody arrested or ticketed, or something, we don’t have a way to get into court.”

Off-Roading Case Draws Montana FWP Citations

As a recent case in Montana shows, social media posts can provide authorities with the means of bringing legal cases against those who aren't following the rules.

That’s the case after Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) game wardens issued four citations after four individuals were involved in an off-roading incident on the Big Hole River on September 28. 

The state agency notes in a news release that it first became aware of the incident when videos were posted online showing side-by-side vehicles driving in the Big Hole River at the Salmon Fly Fishing Access Site near Melrose, Montana.

With plenty of video views, and a lot of publicity, several tips were generated from the public, tips that enabled FWP game wardens to gather information as they proceeded with their investigation. 

Following that investigation, FWP reports that four individuals were cited for violating Administrative Rules of Montana 12.12.115, which prohibits operating a vehicle off authorized routes. The citation comes with a $135 fine.

FWP officials also note that there isn't much excuse available for the four individuals–or others who might be tempted to do the same thing–since the Salmon Fly Fishing Access Site has signs posted that let visitors know that off-road travel is prohibited at the site. 

Should you observe such off-roading actions on restricted spots, FWP game wardens remind Montana citizens that they rely on tips from the public. To report a crime against wildlife or state lands in the Big Sky State, visit the website at tipmont.mt.gov.

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