The Field Coffee Diary - ep3 - To Catch a Baltic Salmon

Episode 3 continues the excellence...

The Field Coffee Diary - ep3 - To Catch a Baltic Salmon from Rolf Nylinder on Vimeo.
Music:
Jazz and Fly Fishing - Parmachene Belle

Welcome to ICELAND -- Full Film

Block out 20 minutes this weekend and take a trip to Iceland.

"Welcome to Iceland" Full Film from BrothersOnTheFly on Vimeo.
After a lot of thinking, we decided to release the full "Welcome to Iceland" Film for totally free, despite having invested a lot of money and time in the project.
All we ask is that you tell us what you think in the comments and if you liked it, Share!!!
Coming from a country where Catch and Release is still officially prohibited, two brothers went to Iceland to find out about the state of conservation in a country where fish and free flowing rivers are still abundant, and they came across interesting people along the way.

Ted Kooser Interview

Jim Harrison has been a popular poet on this blog. His recent death prompted a spike in blog hits as people sought out his poetry.

One of Harrison's poems I had posted just days before his death is "Kooser called from Nebraska to say he'd found..." Maybe some wondered who the "Kooser" is immortalized in Harrison's poem.

Well, here he is, fellow-poet and friend Ted Kooser. The Writer's Almanac recently posted this interview. You'll find Kooser to be another voice speaking from the calm quiet heart of the chaos around us.

Ted Kooser was born in Ames, Iowa, in 1939. Like Wallace Stevens before him, he took a job in the insurance business, where he worked for many years. He would get up early and write poems for an hour and a half before he went to work. By the time he retired in 1999, Kooser had published seven books of poetry, including Not Coming to Be Barked At (1976), One World at a Time (1985), and Weather Central (1994). He resigned himself to being a relatively unknown poet, but he continued to write every morning. Then, in 2004, he got a phone call informing him that he had been chosen as poet laureate of the United States. He said: “I was so staggered I could barely respond. The next day, I backed the car out of the garage and tore the rearview mirror off the driver’s side.”

Kooser served as U.S. poet laureate from 2004 to 2006, one of the first poet laureates to be selected from the Great Plains, and during that time, his book Delights & Shadows (2005) won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. He also began a weekly newspaper column called “American Life in Poetry.” His goal was to introduce simple poems about ordinary subjects to people who might not otherwise read poetry. He lives on a 62-acre spread near Lincoln, Nebraska, with his wife, Kathleen Rutledge. His latest collection, Splitting an Order, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2014.

Read the interview.

Don't Be Late for the End of the World

From the folks at Chi Wulff, who keep a sharp eye on the Montana/Yellowstone/Wyoming Golden Triangle:

New Hydrothermal Vent in the Shoshone Probably Doesn’t Mean the World’s Ending

Amazing what a new hydrothermal feature, in one of the most geologically active regions on the planet, can invoke among folks these days.

A new vent opened in the bed of the Shoshone back on March 25th near Cody, damned unusual though apparently not unprecedented; it’s all over alternative and social media these days and wasreported in the Billings Gazette here on the 11th; screen cut of the article to the left.

As interesting as the concept may be, and despite the breathless ‘end of the world’ reporting covering the phenomena, our money is on the caldera NOT blowing in the next few weeks. (Try a web search for ‘shoshone river boiling’ if you need some Chicken-Little-oriented entertainment…)

Ultra High Definition Crew Earth Observations

When the world seems out of focus, maybe it will help to see the earth in ultra hi def.

Published on Apr 18, 2016

NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. The International Space Station hosts a variety of payloads and experiments supporting climate research, weather predictions, hurricane monitoring, pollution tracking, disaster response and more.

For more on how NASA uses space to understand our home planet, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

Read more on 4K in space:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sta...

*To view in 4k, be sure to change resolution under "Settings" menu in YouTube viewer to "2160p 4k".
(Video: NASA)

HD download: https://archive.org/details/NASA-Ultr...

Revive, Spring 2016

Find it HERE.

Rocky Ford Creek Report: July in April

Life is busy, but you get a chance to make that trip to Rocky Ford. On the way, balsam root covers the hillsides, weeks early.

The day is hot and bright. The 80 degree barrier goes by the boards. It's like July in April.

The trout are busy sipping mays on top and just under. There are callibaetis...and others. You have those new ties, and a handful of old flies, but when it comes right down to it nothing you have seems to match the hatch. At least the hatch those fish are working.

It takes a long time to find the right combination of fly and presentation. When you do, a fish slams the fly instantly. Or it could have been blind luck.

It works on one more fish. It slashes at the fly but ends up foul-hooked. Live and learn, little fish.

There's another long stretch where nothing works. It's hot. You wish you'd brought more water. You're well-prepared for an April day, but for July, not so much.

You go to some of the old standby flies. The Lady McConnell is consistently spurned. A good fish grabs the new black Humpy and runs away with it, tippet and all. You have some more of what worked before, so you go back to it. It works again.

It slows again, though the fish are still active. You take the opportunity to notice new life all around you.

There is a city of pelicans here now, and you watch them while away the afternoon. A fisherman upstream suddenly shouts like a fool. You realize he's trying to scare the pelicans away from "his" water. There follow accounts of pelicans eradicating trout from entire river systems. One would think that he believes humans were here first, and pelicans were the ignorant and destructive interlopers.

A scattering of sandhill cranes passes overhead. They must be outliers of the great flocks taking refuge in the open fields farther south.

The sun settles down, and clouds of mosquitoes rise up.

You fish through it all, but your flies seem to be invisible. The pelicans call it a day, and you decide it's time you did the same.

You hike out while the sunset flares and fades.

You pack up as quickly as possible and rush straight to the first convenience store and a tall, cold drink. Ahhhhh. That feels good.

 In fact, it all felt good.

Take Action for the North Fork of the Smith River

Protect the North Fork of the Smith River water quality by providing comments to the Oregon DEQ Please take a moment to express support for protecting the invaluable North Fork of the Smith River which waters flow into the iconic Smith River in northern California. Eight decades of important protections have been secured for the Smith River through the Redwood State and National Park, Wild and Scenic river designations as well as the Smith River National Recreation Area Designations. Incredibly, in spite of all this great work to protect the Smith - a threat still exists.  An international mining company is actively pursuing plans to develop a nickel strip mine in the headwaters of the wild and scenic North Fork of the Smith River here in Oregon.  The Red Flat Nickel Corporation would locate their mine south of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness within the Baldface Creek drainage, which is a key tributary to the NF Smith. By protecting Bald Face Creek we protect superb habitat for steelhead and protect the water quality within the Smith River basin which will help all the steelhead that call the Smith home. Support the proposal to designate outstanding resource waters in Oregon.  Comments are being accepted until April 20th! Simply go to to the Oregon DEQ's website, HERE, and add your support. Below is a sample letter you can copy and paste if you like. “My name is_________________ and I support and encourage the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission to designate the North Fork Smith River and its tributaries located in southwest Oregon, as Outstanding Resource Waters.  State and Federal agencies, sportsmen and recreation enthusiasts all recognize the exceptional water quality of the NF Smith and the valuable fisheries, which includes threatened species and critical habitat.  The watersheds of the North Fork Smith River have ecological significance, as well as, hosting many rare and unique plant species.”  Please share and thank you for supporting wild steelhead protections.

Tempus Fugit 2

TEMPUS FUGIT 2 from Dr. Nicholas Roemmelt on Vimeo.
TEMPUS FUGIT 2 , the sequel of my first timelapse movie „Tempus Fugit“ (https://vimeo.com/69844748) took me three years to shoot. I was visiting a lot of popular and well known places around the world but quite remote and deserted spots, too, in the last three years. Sometimes I had to hike for hours with heavy equipment to come to the spots. You will find locations in Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and USA (California, Utah, Washington, Oregon).
The final movie consists of roughly 6.500 frames and had been cut out of 100 timelapse sequences with more than 30.000 frames altogether.
I am quite happy to have the exceptionally gifted composer Phil Rey on board again with his epic masterpiece „Lion Heart“.

Stunning Arctic Wildlife

They don't lie when they say "stunning."

"April in Maine" by May Sarton

"Willard's Coat" by Andrew Wyeth, 1968

The days are cold and brown,
Brown fields, no sign of green,
Brown twigs, not even swelling,
And dirty snow in the woods.

But as the dark flows in
The tree frogs begin
Their shrill sweet singing,
And we lie on our beds
Through the ecstatic night,
Wide awake, cracked open.

There will be no going back.


"April in Maine" by May Sarton from Collected Poems. © W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.

America's Most Endangered Rivers

This report identifies the 10 most threatened waterways in the country and highlights the urgent need for conservation, greater efficiency, and better management of water resources to prevent further harm to river health, wildlife, fish and recreation. Fierce competition for water from rivers under ever greater strain from growing demand and the impacts of climate change is threatening the health of rivers across the country. As pressure on limited water resources grows, conflict must give way to cooperation if we are to satisfy the nations’ growing water needs and maintain clean and healthy rivers.

America’s Most Endangered Rivers is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers’ fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes including the removal of outdated dams, the protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and the prevention of harmful development and pollution.

This year, we found that outdated and ineffective methods of water management threaten major river basins on both the east and west coasts. The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin, which includes portions of Alabama, Georgia and Florida, ranks number one on the list, followed by the San Joaquin River in California at number two.

More than eight million people depend on clean drinking water from these two systems combined, and water shortages threaten billions of dollars in agricultural production and fisheries.

The America’s Most Endangered Rivers list spotlights rivers facing urgent threats across the country. The Susquehanna River, for example, which flows through Pennsylvania and Maryland, is threatened by harmful dam operations. In Montana, the Smith River is at risk from a proposed mine and remains on the endangered list for a second year.

Break it down at American Rivers.

The Field Coffee Diary - Ep2 - From the Beginning

More goodness from Rolf. Can't wait for Episode 3.

The Field Coffee Diary - Ep2 - From The Beginning from Rolf Nylinder on Vimeo.
Filmed and edited by: Rolf Nylinder - rolfnylinder.com
Music:
Olle Nyman - Don't let those bastards reel you in

Early Lake Report: Time For a Road Trip

You go back to Early Lake in the evening. Looking forward to catching a few little trout.

You fish rises by the intake.

You fish rises out in open water.

You fish rises around the lovesick grebes.

You fish rises until the sun goes down.

You fish rises until Jupiter comes out.

They're all bluegills. Not a trout to be found. The gills are out early this year.

Don't want to be a trout snob. But you tie up a handful of Rocky Ford flies.

Time for a road trip.

The Wild Steelheader, April 7, 2016

When truly great things happen for wild steelhead recovery, it is important to share the news.   We took one of the greatest steps forward in wild steelhead recovery yesterday at the mouth of the Klamath River.  Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, California Governor Jerry Brown and Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed new amendments to the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement (KHSA) and a related Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement.  The revised KHSA will ensure that removal of 4 major dams on the Klamath River takes place as scheduled in the year 2020, opening about 500 miles of wild steelhead habitat.  Take a moment to thank Secretary Sally Jewell, California Governor Jerry Brown, and Oregon Governor Kate Brown.   To learn more, read the story by Sam Davidson below. Major win for one of America's best coldwater fisheries By Sam Davidson Five hundred miles. That’s a pretty significant distance, right? Now, imagine swimming that far. That’s how many river miles will re-opened to native steelhead in the Klamath River under the terms of a revised agreement between the federal government, the states of California and Oregon, and the utility company PacifiCorp. The amended Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement, and the Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement were signed today at the mouth of the Klamath River by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, Gov. Edmund G. Brown, Jr., of California, Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon and PacifiCorp CEO Stefan Bird. Under the new-and-improved KHSA, four old, unproductive hydropower dams on the Klamath River will be removed beginning in the year 2020. This action will open up 500 miles of habitat for steelhead and some 420 miles for salmon. PacifiCorp and the state of California will pay for the cost of dam removal using existing funds already set aside for this purpose. No federal funds will be required. “This is a major win for one of America’s greatest coldwater fisheries,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “The river restoration called for under the new KHSA will be the largest in U.S. history. TU is proud to have played an important role in the long effort to bring about this restoration and to resolve one of our country’s most intractable water challenges.” TU California Director Brian Johnson has been closely involved in the many years of difficult negotiations that led to the amended agreement. Johnson attended the signing ceremony today and spoke to the benefits of the agreement for fish—and people. “The Klamath, historically, has been the third most productive river system for salmon and steelhead on the West Coast,” he said. “Thanks to the leadership of Secretary Jewell, Gov. Brown of California and Gov. Brown of Oregon, and PacifiCorp, we now have a real chance to return it to its former glory.” At the same time, Johnson added, “TU remains dedicated not only to restoring one of America’s greatest salmon and steelhead fisheries, but also to adoption of durable water-sharing agreements that will provide greater water security for tribes, upper basin agriculture and communities up and down the river.” TU issued a joint statement today on the signing of the amended KHSA, with the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, California Trout, the Northern California Council of the International Federation of Fly Fishers and American Rivers. The statement declares strong support for dam removal on the Klamath and calls for renewed commitment to a “basin-wide solution for water sharing, water supply infrastructure, and habitat restoration.” Johnson is quoted in advance reports on the KHSA signing ceremony from theAssociated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle. An overview of Klamath River water issues and the settlement agreement process can be found here and here. Sam Davidson is California Communications Director for Trout Unlimited. Lower photo: Brian Johnson just below Iron Gate Dam, Klamath River. Click the link below to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/AD1LEfns2QipqwFXZ8Kt0g

Eat Sleep Fish, #52

Always enjoyable. Get it HERE.

High Country/Long Wands

They've got some trout Down Under.

High Country | Long Wands from Tom Clancy on Vimeo.
Spending the Australian 2016 Easter long weekend in Armidale, NSW and surrounds in search of trout and natives on fly. Three separate and distinct river systems were explored with over 60km of hiking over the four days. This is just a snapshot of the awesome fishing we experienced - we hope you enjoy!

"Birds Again" by Jim Harrison

A secret came a week ago though I already

knew it just beyond the bruised lips of consciousness.

The very alive souls of thirty-five hundred dead birds

are harbored in my body. It's not uncomfortable.

I'm only temporary habitat for these not-quite-

weightless creatures. I offered a wordless invitation

and now they're roosting within me, recalling

how I had watched them at night

in fall and spring passing across earth moons,

little clouds of black confetti, chattering and singing

on their way north or south. Now in my dreams

I see from the air the rumpled green and beige,

the watery face of earth as if they're carrying

me rather than me carrying them. Next winter

I'll release them near the estuary west of Alvarado

and south of Veracruz. I can see them perching

on undiscovered Olmec heads. We'll say goodbye

and I'll return my dreams to earth.