Winter Water
I still have within me the lust to search for living water with quiet talk to the rock or with frenzied blows.
-Yehuda Amichai
A home river is the rarest of friends, the one who frequently surprises you with new elements of personality without ever seeming a stranger.
-Paul Schullery, Home Water
" One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, what if I had never seen this before?
What if I knew I would never see it again?
-Rachel Carson
Chiaroscuro "...transformed with every change of light in a vastness where light is never long the same."
-Bernard De Voto, The Course of Empire
Shooting Winter Water photographs got me thinking about my impact on all the places I have fished. For the most part, I rested the water this winter making few casts; instead, listening, observing, thinking and snapping the shutter of my camera.
I also took my best friend Paul Guernsey's book, Beyond Catch and Release off my shelf and re-read it and also revisited a thoughtful essay by Erin Block called, "At What Price Glory?"
Fishing the waters of the West for close to 25 years, I have seen changes to the waters I fish, even the once remote secret spots that were absent of pressure just a few years ago. But demand has been building all these years, and my denial of the pressure is not a cure for the disease which has contributed to the stress on the waters of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem(GYE) where I live. The demands keep increasing from : agriculture, ranching, irrigation, the unrestrained boom in building, local and visiting fishers, outfitters and rafting companies that continue to expand with little or no conversation about a sustainable tourism management plan.
I fear if this unprecedented pace continues and we avoid the discussions that will require sacrifice by all recreational users, we will surely ruin what we love.
The conclusion I came to for myself this year will be to rest more water by fishing less and enjoying the beauty of the water by listening, observing and capturing water and fish with my camera.
I will consider some of the suggestions in Paul Guernsey's book, Beyond Catch and Release, in "The Future of Fly Fishing" chapter using the technique of hookless fishing or "touch and go." When I fish, I will be aware of the water temperature in all seasons and not as concerned with landing a fish. I will take location tags off my photos. I will continue to support the groups that share my concerns for the water in the GYE and contact and write letters to my local, state and federal representatives about my concerns. I will attend more meetings on local water issues that directly impact the GYE.
It wasn't long ago when fisherman thought Catch and Release fishing was a strange concept. And while C&R has kept some fisheries healthier, it is still a technique that kills fish. The pressure from fishermen, outfitters and the recreational watercraft businesses have been responsible for the spread of invasive species and disease. Our attitudes and ethics about bragging of 20 plus fish days, "Rippin Lips" and posting the deadly "Grip and Grin" photos and daily boosters on Instagram and Facebook I suspect have also contributed to pressure on the waters.
Now may be a good time for all recreational users of waters to take a step back, pause and think about how we can each make less of an impact on the places we love.
Maybe resting the water will "catch on by catching less." I know what I am going to do this fishing season.
-David J. Gallipoli
