How Pebble Mine Hurts America: Action Required by June 30th
By Dan Frasier
We have until June 30th 2019 to speak out against the Pebble Mine and for America.
We live in a particularly divisive world these days. Issues that used to be fodder for spirited conversation amongst friends and family now create permanent rifts; dividing and alienating people from each other. So it’s rare to find an issue upon which even the most extreme believers from either side of the aisle can agree. Fortunately, that issue is an important one and one which, thanks to the comment period being open until June 30th, we can voice our opposition to from either side of the aisle. Of course, I’m talking about the current Pebble Mine proposal being reviewed by the Army Corp of Engineers.
The environmental opposition to this mine, a topic that tends to resonate more with left-leaning voters, though not exclusively their domain, is very clear. In the history of mines of this type, never has one managed to avoid serious detrimental impacts to clean water. Add to that the unique and fragile ecosystem upon whose headwaters this particular mine sits and you have a recipe for environmental disaster. Little more needs to be said to rally environmental support for preventing the construction of Pebble Mine.
What I think is far less understood is the business and economic reasoning for the elimination of this threat to a great American industry. A reality that should motivate anyone who supports the current administration’s economic policy to oppose this mine. There is a lot of misinformation and some complicated corporate structure here so allow me to explain.
Pebble Mine is a figment of the imagination of a Canadian shell corporation.
That’s how these things work. A small speculative company, in this case, Northern Dynasty Minerals (ticker: NAK), will buy a mining claim. They have no real assets aside from the claim, and absolutely no ability to actually construct a mine. What they do have is some cash and a prayer. They spend that cash speculating on there being ore in the ground on the claim they’ve purchased. Very few have this bet pay-off but when it does, it pays off big. If they find ore, they then put together a partnership of legitimate mining companies who develop a mine plan, help shepherd the plan through the appropriate regulatory agencies, and then actually own and operate the mine. That’s how it usually works. But not in this case.
Here, Northern Dynasty tried to follow that plan, but all of the partners backed out a number of years ago as they recognized the environmental, economic, and reputational risks and infeasibility of the mine. In fact, one of the ex-partners gifted their shares to two Alaskan charitable organizations. Leaving a TINY Canadian company holding the claim on some potential ore in the Bristol Bay headwaters but without any approvals or the actual ability to build and operate a mine. So Northern Dynasty decided to attempt to get the approvals themselves, and then bring in partners later. And that is where we currently stand. Tiny Canadian shell company, no partners and no approvals.
So what happens if the Army Corp approves the current plan?
Read More »Sunday Classic / 3 Reasons Fly Fisherman Should Consider Wearing A Long-Bill Hat
When I look at a long-bill hat, images of Ernest Hemingway, swinging wet flies on one of his favorite trout waters pops into my head. Next, I see the silhouette of the legendary fly fisherman and guide, Flip Pallot, with his masculine beard protruding beneath his long bill cap, as he stands on the platform of his skiff, pointing out a pod of tarpon to his client, at 11’oclock. There’s something really macho about dudes that can pull off wearing this type of hat. For the record, I’ve never seen myself capable of pulling off this machismo look, and in turn, I’ve spent the majority of my fly fishing career, opting instead for wearing the conservative short-bill cap. Plus, there’s no doubt that I look like a complete tool in a long-bill hat. That said, looking good on the water doesn’t help any of us catch more fish, it only helps the photographer looking through his/her lens shooting us. I’ve learned that performance is really what fly fishers, that get it at least, are really after when it comes to searching out what gear they use. For this reason, I made the decision recently to set aside my biased stance on long-bill hats, and actually wear one during a recent fly fishing trip of mine to the salt. Thank you Louis for being the friend that loaned it to me for the day, because it opened my eyes to how special and functional long-bill hats can be for not only me but to all fly anglers. Below are three reasons fly fisherman should consider purchasing and wearing a long-bill hat on their next fishing trip.
REASON #1: LESS GLARE AND SUN IN THE EYES, EQUALS BETTER VISION ON THE WATER.
Polarized sunglasses work great for allowing anglers to see into the water they’re wetting their flies in, but they will perform twice as good if they stay in the shade. The extra roofing area atop your head that a long-bill hat provides, is substantially larger than what traditional or short-bill hats provide. No longer will you need the sun high in the horizon before the bill of your hat begins to block out the suns rays. Wearing a long-bill hat will give you an edge, helping you to keep your vision acute and your presentations accurate.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Wade Andros
Great shallow water bonefishing on South Andros in the Bahamas.
South Andros is my favorite place on Earth. There’s a shocker! One of the things I love about it is all of the great wade fishing opportunities. There’s nothing like stalking bonefish in shallow water, catching them, sometimes, with their backs out of the water. It doesn’t get cooler than that.
This film, by todd Moen, is a little unusual in that the cast is all female. I don’t think it’s news that plenty of awesome women anglers catch bonefish. If it is to you, you should get out more.
If you’d like to see South Andros for yourself, join me at Bair’s lodge for the Bonefish School. There are still a couple of spots in June and a couple next January. Get the details here.
WADE ANDROS
Read More »Setting up Skagit Heads and Other Spey Lines: Video
If you are just getting started in two-hand fly casting, you may be confused about how to set up the lines.
Spey lines are intimidating to the uninitiated with their many parts, options and loop to loop connections but there’s no need for alarm. Spey lines, in both form and function, are much the same as traditional fly lines. Think of them as traditional lines that have been cut into sections with scissors.
What their design offers to the Spey caster is instant flexibility on the river. In a Spey system the running line, the head and sometimes the tip are separate. They serve all the same functions as their counterparts in traditional lines but the caster is free to choose from interchangeable heads and tips to meet his or her immediate needs.
WATCH THIS VIDEO AND LEARN TO SET UP A SKAGIT HEAD.
Read More »A Powerful Fly Cast Is All In The Thumb
PICTURE YOURSELF GRASPING A BROOMSTICK AND DRIVING IN A TACK WITH YOUR THUMB.
I get the opportunity to work with a lot of anglers who are making the transition from freshwater fly fishing to saltwater. Not surprisingly, most of them struggle with generating the casting power needed to deliver a good presentation in the kind of wind often experienced in flats fishing. Almost everyone has the same pesky problem. They try to generate a more powerful cast and everything breaks down. The problem is not in their arm or elbow or wrist, but in their head.
It’s a problem of understanding the mechanics of the cast. It seems logical to think that more power in means more power out and I guess that’s true but there is a common misconception about where that power is coming from. Most anglers, when trying to add power to a cast, focus on the fly or the line. They visualize throwing that line to the target. The result is a casting stroke that resembles a pitcher throwing a baseball. Including the wind up in the worst cases.
This imagined model of throwing a static object puts all the wrong physics in play for a good fly cast. The resulting casting stroke relies too heavily on the arm and takes the rod out of play. Our instinct tells us to throw harder but the arm is a poor tool for throwing a fly line and our cast fails. The answer to a powerful fly cast is timing and technique, not power.
I’m going to give you a simple tool to help generate a powerful cast but first let’s look at the mechanics.
The fly cast is all about the transfer of energy
Sunday Classic / Don’t Throw The Hail Mary
FISH, FISH EVERYWHERE AND NOT A FISH TO CATCH.
I was trout fishing with a friend in North Carolina the other day. We were fortunate to find a nice piece of water which held a good size pod of fish. Maybe a dozen total spread across the tail out. A couple of them were really nice fish. I called my buddy over and pointed them out to him, insisting he take a shot at them.
He’s fairly new to fly fishing and was a little intimidated by the sight of all those fish. He didn’t know exactly how to approach the situation. Option paralysis took over and he made a choice that I suspect a lot of anglers make in that situation. He dropped his fly upstream of the pod and hoped for the best.
Casting to the geometric center of a pod of fish is sometimes successful but never optimal. Often you spook the whole pod and walk away empty-handed. If you catch a fish it will likely be the small enthusiastic fellow darting around taking what he can get. The big guy is not going to move to your fly. He’s going to play it cool.
Any bird hunter will tell you, when you flush a covey of birds, you don’t fire into the group. You will only end up shooting
Read More »Saturday Shoutotu / MOM: The Motivator
Tomorrow, moms are having their day of appreciation.
IT IS SILLY TO THINK THAT ONE, SINGLE, SOLITARY DAY OUT OF THE YEAR IS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO THANK OUR MOMS FOR EVERYTHING THEY HAVE SACRIFICED TO ENSURE THAT WE GREW TO THE HUMANS WERE ARE ON THIS DAY. FROM COOKING MEALS TO FOLDING CLOTHES AND WIPING AWAY TEARS FROM “OUCHIES.” BASEBALL GAMES, BOY SCOUT OUTINGS, BIRTHDAY PARTIES…. YOU NAME IT, MOM WAS THERE COORDINATING CARPOOLS AND PLANNING TIRELESSLY TO MAKE SURE WE KIDS HAD EVERYTHING WE NEEDED. IF OUR MOTHERS WERE TO LIST ALL OF THEIR PRIORITIES ON A SHEET OF PAPER YOU WOULD FIND THAT THEIR OWN INTERESTS AND WELLBEING WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY BE LISTED SOMEWHERE ON THE VERY BOTTOM OF THAT PAGE, IF AT ALL.
MOMS SELFLESSLY GIVE THEIR ALL TO THEIR FAMILY 24/7/365 AND THOUGH NO TWO MOMS ARE THE SAME, YOU WILL OFTEN FIND THAT, AT THEIR CORE, THEY HOLD THE SAME PRIORITIES, VALUES, AND ASPIRATIONS FOR THEIR CHILDREN. OF COURSE MOTHER’S DAY IS MEANT FOR US TO SHOW OUR MOMS HOW THANKFUL AND FORTUNATE WE TO HAVE THEM IN OUR LIVES, BUT IT SHOULD ALSO BE ALL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT, EVEN IF FOR JUST ONE DAY, MOM GETS TO PUT HERSELF FIRST ON THAT LIST OF PRIORITIES.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE! WE HOPE IT’S A GREAT ONE!
Stacking Running Line For Better Spey Casting: Video
How do you shoot a hundred feet of running line without a tangle?
It’s easier than it sounds. There’s a very specific technique for stacking running line when spey casting. When it’s done right, everything comes off without a hitch. If you are learning to cast two-hand rods, it’s a skill you’ll need to learn pretty quickly. It’s challenging to write about, so here’s a video, which should make it pretty clear.
WATCH THE VIDEO AND LEARN TO STACK LINE FOR BETTER SPEY CASTING.
Read More »A Friend in Need
Anyone who has fished at Bair’s Lodge, South Andros, will recognize Harland Sands.
To say that Harley is a character would be the hight of understatement. If you have spent a day on his boat, you likely remember two things. Catching a lot of bonefish and your sides hurting from laughing all day. There’s no such thing as a bad day on Harland’s boat.
Unfortunately, life off the boat is not so simple. The other day while Harley was on the water, his home, his car and his personal boat burned. Literally everything he and his family had, gone in moments. Luckily the family was not harmed. It’s been a tough year for the Sands family, having lost a son not long ago.
South Andros may be a tropical paradise, but life there is not easy. It can be especially rebuilding a home and replacing vehicles. Harland and his family face a hard, uphill battle. The community on South Andros is rallying to help and it’s time for the fly fishing community to do the same. Let’s face it, if we can afford to fly fish, we are truly blessed. Let’s show our true nature and help a friend in need.
Bair’s Lodge has started a Go Fund Me page and made a healthy donation to start. Please follow the link and help the Sands family rebuild. You’ll feel great about it, Harland and his family will know you care, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you banked some sweet fish karma in the process.
Thank you deeply for your support!
Read More »Tom Rosenbauer’s 8 Tips to Becoming a Better Fly Fisher
THERE ARE FEW GUYS OUT THERE SQUEEZING CORK WITH THE ANGLING CHOPS OF TOM ROSENBAUER.
Tom is the author of nearly two dozen books on fly fishing and too many articles to count. Add to that his podcast and posts on Orvis News and it’s fair to call him one of the leading educators in the field. Tom’s been an angler his whole life and was tying flies commercially when he was just fourteen. He has fished all over the world, including the English chalk streams, Christmas Island, and Kamchatka. He invented stuff you use every time you fly fish, like the magnetic net keeper and tungsten beads for fly tying.
Tom is now the Marketing Director for Orvis and a driving force in the rejuvenation of that great brand. A few people know that he also makes his own chocolate from the beans, which is incredibly technical not to mention amazingly delicious. He’s a hell of a nice guy and a good friend.
Tom has a lot to share on the subject of fly fishing so we asked him for some broad strokes. Some basic tips that will help you be a better and more satisfied angler. Here’s what he got back to us with.
Tom Rosenbauer’s 8 Tips To Becoming a Better Fly Fisher:
1. Observe everything. Look around every time you catch a fish and figure out why it was there and why it ate at that particular time. Look at the sun angle, the surrounding terrain, current threads in rivers, or highways on the flats.
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