The story holds true and when one looks at what is happening in Montana, Colorado and Wyoming, states that see far more flyfishing pressure than we do out here in the NW. It is true that when fly fishing started to gain popularity in the late 70's blue ribbon trout rivers in those states improved immensely. The push for C&R brought new life to many rivers that had been fished out like the Madison River and many others. Fish became healthy, numerous and big in a few short years. Folks who had fished the rocky mountain states for years said that fishing had become the best it had been in thirty years or more. We all took pride in our pushing for catch & release we were seeing our rivers become healthy before our very eyes.
But good things can go bad just take a look at our national forrest trail systems. Because of the popularity of back packing we now have many, many new trails to hike, that can be a good thing if your into it. But to ask someone who has been into back packing for 25 years or more if back packing is better now and you will usually get a yes and no answer. Trails are more crowded than ever, damage to the enviroment due to over use is growing. The opportunities yes are more but the chance for a quality back packing trip just keeps getting harder to find.
The same goes for fishing, all types of fishing. I'm 99% a fly fisherman and have been for 38 years. This is not about the good old days but now and the quality of fishing we have now and what it will be like in the future. We are seeing throughout the country the once gain on quality of fishing due to conservation and due to the new interest in fishing in the late 70's right through till now begin to go down hill. Why? We are loving our rivers to death by over use and over use no matter how carefull we are results in a down hill slide. Why do you think rivers are private in Europe? because there are just too few rivers and too many people and they have realized for so many years that no matter how carefull you are too many people will ruin it for all. We have seen the introduction of whirling disease spread, trout streams where once wild trout have become virtuale pets that know the game and once hooked will not fight for there life anymore they somehow know they will be released or maybe they are just so damn exausted from being caught often they can't put up a fight again. We have now seen many trout rivers void of certain insects that once were so plentiful hatches were in the blanket form across the entire river. Why? The studies are just begining to come and we are finding that it is not raw sewage or over developement it is we the fisherman with our over population on these rivers and our wadding habits even though carefull that are killing off the aquatic life. Another loss of quality we see happening from year to year is the plain good old act of just going fishing and being able to enjoy it. We only need to take a look at all the complaints here on Bob's site about low holeing, noisy jet boats, etc,etc. Yes these guys who think they are better for the enviroment with their 50 fish days of C&R are as every bit destructive as any killer of fish. We the fisherman are just begining to realize what fish&game departments across the states are begining to talk about behind closed doors that good conservation does not a damn bit of good if more is better be he a dead fish for the fire or fifty fish caught & relaesd and 5 of those fifty could be wasted also.
I will defend C&R where it is truely needed but I am sick and tired of seeing our beloved sport of fishing become something it was never ment to be through slick greedy marketing by the industry and their conservation preaching so they can have more fish for more fishermen which means more money. If that does not make sense to you then watch any fishing show and you will see conservation and sales side by side. We may now be reaching the top of the falacy that through conservation that everyone can have their cake and eat it too. Are we not seeing more privatizing and restrictions of our fishing places. It's just not greed but the fact that there are too many of us fishing and no matter how conservation minded we are we are still destroying that what we love.
How do we decrease the amount of us fishing without infringing on the right of everyone to have that right to fish????