Howdy all,

I am hearing rumors from some fairly decent sources that there were large qty's of nails dumped at the waterlines of the upper Skagit River ramps (Marblemount and Rockport).

Apparently, there is some long standing bad-blood between the Bald Eagle lovers and fishermen...??

Did anyone launch up there yesterday? See any nails, or have problems with Eagle watchers?

Mike

One month, two days, 21 hours, 25 minutes and 26 seconds. 1186 cigarettes not smoked, saving $237.25. Life saved: 4 days, 2 hours, 50 minutes.

About ready to give up on the above..it just ain't worth the stress of NOT smoking.

Eagle watchers are dumping nails?

"Eagle watchers are dumping nails?"

Yeah, they have a surplus since they are no longer pounding them in trees.

ISO, I'll take that boat off your hands if you start smoking.

Yeah they are such a freindly bunch up on the skagit. I've gone by them in the upper strech by sutter creek while they shake their fists in joy, shout at the top of the lungs and tell I'm number one with them! Real updstanding examples of our mutual respect for each other.

Assuming that this is an "eagle watcher" phenomena...assuming...

Some folks just don't get it.

If they really want to protect the habitat that eagles use, wouldn't you think that recreational fishermen would be a good group to have on their team?

They like (and their fishing requires) the same type of habitat...LWD, trees to the river bank, clean water, and lots of fish, that eagles do.

Fish on...

Todd

1. What issues do Bald Eagle Lovers have with us river DB/anglers?

2. Why did they need nails for pounding into trees?

I hope dumping nails at the boat launch is just a rumor and not a fact.

they have allways been very polite to me and i really doubt that it was eagle watchers that did that. whole communities full of meth heads on the upper river and it was probably the damn eagle watchers...... give me a break

PS maybe it was the nail lovers that shot the eagle and hung it from a tree that was on the news the other night

Eagle watchers! PETA! Tree-huggin' Hippies! It's a g*ddamn conspiracy I tell ya... :rolleyes:

Gotta love a good rumor though...

Ok Guys...here's the "straight scoop"..

My neighbor drove up to the Marblemount ramp, and there were two Park Ranger enforcement vehicles blocking the driveway entrance to the ramp area.

He walked down to the ramp, and there was a ranger there. My neighbor picked up about a half-dozen nails he saw on the surface there...and the ranger was picking up dozens more from the gravel, right at waters edge.

They (Rangers) closed the ramp (tape across it) and apparently are considering ways to get the nails out, or to remove all that gravel and replace it with "nail-free" gravel.

Honestly, I have no idea WHO did this...but the general thinking is that it has to do with the eagle watchers, the eagle watching raft guides, and the fact they (the purist eagle watching crowd) feels us fishermen disrupt "their" eagles. (Which for anyone who floats this river enough times knows that is pure BS as the eagles could care less about the boats.)

The other ramps in the area were apparently not effected or damaged. I would still carefully check before backing down them, however.

Mike

No longer smoke free. Starting over...from -0-. NO, you can't have my boat...I WILL do this.

Maybe it was all of the hatchery brats I've killed in front of them

Tight lines

Kevin

I know that you can do it Mike

hopefully they will use the cheap route and use a construction magnet. if the nails arnt on concrete they probaby wont pop anything. on job sites we drive over hundreds of nails daily and dont have any problems as long as it is not on pavement or very hard earth. that really sucks that foks are doing that cuz i am a roofer and i will surely not realize that it was someone else and blame myself for it if i get a flat.


in general though the eagle antipathy stuff generally comes from the money lost to eagle tour guides (who can really pack alot of folks into a raft) when the eagles started leaving in droves due to poor fish runs. has a bit in common with the "why is the skagit not on the top 20 anymore thread"

it is just sad that the rfishery has been abuse to the point that people are turning on each other.
anyway hope noone got a flat

if it was the "eagle watchers", sweet justice would be if their inflatable rafts-pontoons caught one of those nails- phooossshhh!

MAV,

I was just thinking, why assume it was the eagle watchers leaving the nails for fishing rigs, as most fisherman are launching hard bottom boats. It's the eagle watchers and their tour guides that are most vulnerable with their inflatable rafts. So it seems at least as likely that a fisherman would leave the nails hoping to deflate an eagle watcher's raft as for an eagle watcher to leave the nails hoping to cause a flat tire to a fisherman's boat trailer or tow vehicle.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

To all:

I guess I need to aplogize, as it was an "assumption" on the part of the person that gave me the info that it was the eagle people that left the nails. Apparently, for many a year, they (eagle watchers) and the fishermen have had "issues" with one another up at that area.

I know I've been there waiting to launch, and the eagle raft guys have it all blocked up for waayy too long while they pump up their rafts, leaving their rigs sitting on the ramp while they inflate. I did not have any confrontation with them...(guess I'm too nice a guy), but I know they have had issues with other fishermen launching there.

I did not mean to offend, and at this time it is unsubstantiated as to who actually tossed the nails.

Note: The "Eagle Fest" is next weekend...so if your planning to fish up here, be prepared for eagle watchers to be everywhere, including stopping in the middle of the hwy to take pics, if it suits them.

Try to be nice...Concrete/Rockport and Marblemount all need the $$ from these tourists to survive.

Mike

1 hour, 42 minutes and 39 seconds. 2 cigarettes not smoked, saving $0.50. Life saved: 10 minutes.

A couple things about this that might open some eyes a little. First off if your a eagle watching guide you probably don't back down to the waters edge to pickup your raft. Most I've watched on the Skagit back up to the parking lot at the Howard Miller launch and get 4 guys to pick em up and carry it to the flat-bed trailers. This is because they're trying to get along with the boat guys that obviously don't have this option.

One of the reasons that Mike's friend (I know who it is) may have assumed it was the eagle watchers is because there has been a long standing hatred between the eagle watchers and the sledders on the Skagit. The drift boat crowd may not see as much of it but if you've got a sled you'll likely know what I mean. I wasn't joking when I said they shake there fists, shout obscenities and give me the finger up by the Sutter creek rest area. I still smile and wave back. I'm not at all impressed with the conservation elitest attitudes of some of these people.

The bad thing is that eventually I'm afraid they will succeed at forcing the sledders off the river because they are uniting. They claim that we are disturbing the eagles feeding patterns and roosting patterns up by the sactuary. I for one observe the rule about not going up river past the Rockport bridge until noon just so they have less ammunition to shoot with.

I have fished up there as much as anybody and have never had any problems with the eagle people, theres a sweet dolly hole around the eagle viewing area,eagle lovers have even cheered us on while landing dollys!

forgot to add,get right back on that wagon,I'm pulling for you!

Salmo g, please note the word : If : on my earlier post!