You’ll remember that, in recent blog posts, I just spent an excellent week camping at Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula. When I got home, a friend of mine told me that, because I was over on the Peninsula, he was prompted to search online for websites relating to the Olympic Peninsula. One of the websites he found that he liked the best was info about a man who is a salmon fishing guide, who guides and fishes all over the Olympic Peninsula and has fished worldwide.
I love to eat salmon. But I also know that many salmon runs are endangered (or worse) and that all of us need to pay attention and help where we can.
In addition to that email from that friend of mine, when I got home I found the latest issue of AAA magazine in my mailbox. I sat down that evening to read it and, what do you know, there was an article about exactly the same salmon fishing guide! Here’s the AAA article below … (click to enlarge, most apps will allow you to click on the article a second time and enlarge it even more).
Whether you fish or not, want to fish or not, have absolutely no interest in fishing, or are completely and totally passionate about fishing … whatever your interest is in fishing, Lael Johnson is interesting because of the water and the country he lives in when fishing, because of his love of fishing and the water, because of his professional experience, and because he employs a professional art and thoughtfulness or kindness in the way he fishes.
I have a couple of friends who fly fish, they can’t live without it, and one in particular who is a fanatic about it, who teaches it. When I watch Lael Johnson talk on these videos, he sounds just like those friends of mine … perfectly comfortable with and knowledgable about the environment, the fish, the equipment, the timing, the weather, the temperature of the water, everything. These folks are professionals who care very much about the fish and the environment.
More and more people are fishing catch-and-release in order to maintain native fish populations and reduce dependence on hatcheries. And yet hatcheries still have their place.
But if you’re fishing an area where you can catch and KEEP a salmon, then, well, you gotta cook it and eat it, right?
Here’s a LINK to an internet webpage that has an audio recording of an interview with Lael Johnson. After the webpage opens, scroll down a bit and click on the orange circle to start the audio recording … be sure to turn your sound on first.
And here is Lael’s Instagram website … https://www.instagram.com/flygyde/. You can see some photos there without an Instagram account, but to see more than that you’ll need to have an account. It’s easy and free to set up an Instagram account.
If fishing isn’t your thing, then I hope that you still enjoyed the scenery and the water in the websites and videos and links above. What a beautiful environment to spend your time in. For a professional like Lael Johnson, it makes “going to the office” pretty darned nice!
Well, I’m not really rational on this subject. Sports catch and release fishing sits in my thoughts and emotions in the same place as trophy hunting does. I know catch and release is a subject of vigorous debate in the fishing community along with animal welfare groups. Apparently it’s been banned in Germany and Switzerland. Conversely it is sometimes used in the US as a means of conservation of fish populations I am grateful that those who feel okay about fishing or hunting for recreation are increasingly conscious of environmental issues and I thank them for that. It’s one world, with great diversity of thinking. I must keep reminding myself that Right and Wrong are not absolutes.
Jan, I have mixed feelings about this for sure. I want to love and protect all living things, trees and bushes too. I eat meat, and someone kills the animals that I eat. But I surely do NOT have to eat meat or cause those animals to be killed. We drive cars (and trains and airplanes) that pollute and destroy animal habitat (even “green” electric cars use petroleum products to construct and to maintain). We buy computers and other toys that we surely don’t need and that too harms animals of all sorts. So where does one draw the line? I don’t know. I guess we each draw our own line where we are comfortable drawing it. I appreciate your honesty and openness … you started a really good conversation that we can all learn from.
Jan, I’ve read some of the same concerns in online forums. I can’t agree with you more about trophy hunting, makes me sick. So maybe fish catch and release isn’t the best but its a darned site better than catch and kill which is why there are so many endangered or permanently gone fish populations. But today, many hatcheries have closed completely because of catch and release and the native fish populations are returning in those areas and are healthy and sustainable again in some areas. With human population growth, I don’t know what the answer is. With catch and release at least we are letting the fish live and reproduce.
On my camping trips here in Washington over the past three years, I’ve visited two hatcheries that had been shut down because native fish populations had become vibrant again. I read that it’s partly due to catch/release fishing. I’m all for that. And yet, why do we insist that it’s ok to hook a fish with the intention of simply releasing it, maybe usually not doing “too much” damage, but sometimes the hook does a lot of damage? Your comment, Tim, about the human population growth seems so pertinent. Do we simply keep spreading and invading the entire earth until we destory our own selves? Pretty grim stuff. But maybe something that we all need to think about.
We used to fly fish catch and release, but we almost never kept the fish we landed, almost always released them. So we decided to stop fishing rather than risk damaging the fish. On the other hand, hatcheries in our area have closed and local, native fish are coming back in force, because of catch and release. So who’s to know. We see both sides. If being out in the “wild” is your thing, then certainly you can do that without hurting animals and that includes fish.
This was a great blog post again Ann. Lael seems incredibly responsive to the environment. And, as you say, just being out there in that environment and either in or around the water is really extraordinary (and one of the two of us REALLY misses that). Great website links to great info.
That’s a great argument, M&M … every one of us can be out in the “wild” if that’s our thing without hurting animals and that includes fish. This topic and everyone’s comments has reminded me of a man I knew many years ago who loved to go fishing, but “catching” fish held no appeal to him. He had the whole kit, lines and lures and flies and tippets and weights … all of it. But he never used a hook. He just went out there in the rivers and stood there and cast and cast and cast for hours. I don’t know though, that just seems to leave a whole lot lacking if you love to fish, for fish. Again, what’s the answer?
An interesting chat about the pros and cons of catch and release fishing for sure. But also some super views of fishing on the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula. It’s so beautiful there!
Oh it is indeed beautiful. I hope you’ve been there Bill … or get to go there. It’s spectacular.
Do you remember fishing on Lake Pearrygin outside of Winthrop? We certainly were no threat to the fish population!
It was really about being out there on the mountain lake with good company.
Good memories!
Yes, I certainly do remember at least one time “fishing” on Lake Pearrygin … we really didn’t have a clue what we were doing, did we Fritzi. You are certainly correct that we were no threat to the fish, ha! I just looked up Lake Pearrygin on the internet and learned that there’s a Washington State campground there … so what could I do but book six days there? Late September should be gorgeous, and the roads will still be open with no snow yet. Thank you for that memory.
When I was a kid we fished for sunfish off the dock in the back yard. We used canned corn as bait. We used moms potholders to get the few fish we caught off the hook, then plopped them back in the lake. I didn’t have any idea catch and release was a controversy
Oh what great memories. 🙂 That reminds me that my brother and I used to do pretty much the same thing from a small wooden row boat on Big Lake in northern Washington State, where our folks had a cabin. My dad did the rowing. I’m not sure my brother or I caught anything but we had fun. In fact I have an old photo of both of us kneeling on the aft seat and peering down into the water.
Your mom must have been wonderfully understanding to loan her potholders! 🙂
Well, we didn’t exactly tell her…
LOL!! 🙂
I did a lot of wilderness or backcountry hiking when I was younger and worked as a guide for awhile. Stayed in touch with a couple from Europe and asked them yesterday about the catch-release issue in Europe. They say the animal rights groups insisted on banning catch-release because of possible harm to fish, but now it has reversed. The animal rights groups have changed their minds. The huge numbers of non-native fish are killing off native fish. Used to be that fishermen would catch the non-native fish and dump them in the garbage, but they would release the native fish back into the rivers and lakes. Now they can’t release the native fish any more, they are required to kill them so the native fish populations are dying. Now the animal rights groups are saying they want catch-release back! The problem, as Tim said, is too many humans … commercial ships that dump their bilges inside the harbor which introduces non-native speices … more and more people who live in areas that used to be wild, people who want a hobby, and who want to help the native fish populations. If our streams and lakes were still healthy, I’d be against catch-release too. It’s a fine line to walk. Sometimes I think the only solution is to reduce the number of humans, but I bet that idea won’t go over any time soon.
I don’t get outdoors much any more. It was really nice to see the country that Lael Johnson fishes in. Thanks for a super blog Ann. And thanks for a way for all of us to share information and thoughts with each other. This seems like a comfortable place to do that where no one judges or criticizes.
Steve, thanks for the update directly from Europe. It certainly is a tricky issue evidently all over the world, especially with non-native fish becoming more and more invasive. Yep, you may be right … it’s the number of humans, the glut of humans in the stream, that may be the problem. How about we do a little catch and release on humans? Ha! ok, maybe not. 🙂
You are very welcome for this blog. Thanks for your nice words. I’m glad you’re here. And yes, it’s true, no one judges or criticizes here.
Having been a boater for several decades in Puget Sound and Canada, I think I know some stuff about saltwater fishing, but I know nothing about fresh water fishing — catch/release, etc. So I have no opinion! But I do really like the views of the Olympic Peninsula and its streams and rivers that you shared with us, that I’ve never seen. Rich people will buy whatever they can buy, but I suspect MOST fly fishing is done by just us regular folks who are spending a day in paradise, whether for food or pleasure. So MUCH we do for our own pleasure damages the environment and hurts the animals that live here with us. I suspect the two people here who talked about too many humans probably hit the nail on the head. Nonetheless, I liked this blog post a lot Ann. Thank you for sharing views of things I’ve never seen.
You are welcome Rob. Thanks for the comment, as always. 🙂 When I owned a boat that I ran on Puget Sound and into Canada, I sometimes worried about how much that boat polluted, all boats do. This big white truck that tows my travel trailer does too. In my blog, I try to share the enjoyable things that I see and do. Nevertheless, we can all learn from each other, eh?
I met Ann a few summers ago and we’ve had several chats about lakes and streams and fishing in BC and Washington State. I even got to give Ann a fly casting lesson one afternoon.
As with anything, even catch and release involves thought and care which must be taken in how I handle the fish as my intent is to preserve.
Everything from ensuring the net is wet, my hands are wet, with minimal handling of the fish and also ensuring the fish is revived and strong before letting it swim away, by trying to keep it in the water as much as possible.
I don’t hang my fish up in the air for a photo op and then try and let it go!
Everything is approached like a “religion” and can be a reflection on the fisherman’s ethics and character.
A huge factor in British Columbia is we must de-barb our hooks.
Just picture a barbed hook caught in your sweater it is impossible to remove – but a sharp de-barbed hook removes cleanly and easily.
Bait fishermen generally find fish have inhaled the hook along with the bait, and that involves more trauma to remove.
In general, fly fishing lends itself to catch and release principles, but only if the person embraces the entire process.
Thanks Mark. You not only taught me a good bit about fly casting, but you taught me about the thought and care that go into catch/release, a good fisherman’s ethics and character, and proper handling of a fish in order to preserve its life and health. And I learned about the deeply-felt joy and peace of being out in that environment and of fishing the way you do. Everything we humans do in life affects our environment and other lives. We all make choices about our activities. Making those choices thoughtfully and with care is what matters to me. Thank you for the great comment here.