Madison River Management

[loufly]

Glad you can live without tourists and their money; unfortunately in states like Montana a good portion of the economy is dependent on tourist's dollars. Could the "industry" (outfitters, guides, flyshops, publications, shows, etc) do something to alleviate the crowding on some of the name rivers? Sure; there's lots of outstanding water in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming that doesn't get fished very much at all while waters like the Madison, Snake, Bighorn in high summer or during major hatches resemble the Normandy beaches at D-Day (without the close air support).

Hard to convince novice and casual anglers that it would be better for the fishing community as a whole to spread out a bit when all those catalogs and magazine articles show that driftboat floating down the Snake with the Tetons in the background and the guy in the spiffy outfit at the flyshow is running a video loop of sports tuna-boating 20" cutthroats during the salmonfly hatch. THAT's where they want to fish, not Goober Creek, even if it has clockwork hatches and is full of 16" rainbows that are suckers for dry flies. I'm sure it's easier for the outfitters, too, to stick to the standard fare since they'll be about as reliable as anything can be in fishing and putting trout in the boat does tend to lead to happy clients and often repeat clients.

Sorry, but that's trout fishing in the year 2012, and if you're going to live in "Trout Heaven, SE Idaho" you're going to have to deal with it, 'cuz it's not going away.

Regards,
Scott

ps - "I could care less?" I think you mean couldn't (but if you could care less, please feel free to do so)

I did not want to pick a fight, but I don't have courteous keyboard either. When I looked at the post that you started with, I followed the link and read the article. From this and personal experience, I gathered that Montana residents have a problem with the constant influx of repeat and additional non-resident anglers. Why would the State of Montana go through the trouble of management meetings? Do you not think they know the "value" of tourist dollars? Obviously they recognize the over usage problem and are trying to fix it. We don't have to deal with anything. Is this why you travel out West? Are you dealing with the ruined fisheries in your backyard by running away from them? Where are we going to go to find solitude? It may not be what you are used to, but it is for me and I don't appreciate you putting the privilege you have been given to fish out here above the rights of those who only want to protect it.

[ScottP]

Is this why you travel out West?

With family having moved back to Montana, I've been very fortunate to get to spend about 1 month/year there for the past 25 years and within the next 12-15 months my wife and I will be full-time residents

Are you dealing with the ruined fisheries in your backyard by running away from them?

Actually, the trout fishing here is outstanding. Shenandoah National Park has numerous streams with healthy, native, stream-bred brook trout populations, some of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen. Shad, which suffered serious population declines for years have made a comeback, and fishing for them every spring along the Potomac River is something I look forward to.
The Chesapeake Bay is another story and is indeed a fishery facing serious threats from pollution (industrial, agricultural, urban & suburban sprawl); I support the efforts of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as best I can & try to minimize my impact on the Bay (no lawn fertilizer, pesticides, fungicides). Could I do more? Sure.

Where are we going to go to find solitude?

Probably not in places like the Henry's Fork during the major hatches, but there's plenty of water that receives very little pressure and a person could fish without ever seeing another soul.

It may not be what you are used to, but it is for me and I don't appreciate you putting the privilege you have been given to fish out here above the rights of those who only want to protect it.

I was a bit snarky in that post and could have worded my response better. I value the privilege of fishing those waters (as I do those at home), support every effort to protect and better the quality of the fisheries and look forward to becoming an even more active participant.

Regards,
Scott

[loufly]

Good Luck! I hope the best for you and your family. One thing I might add, is that with all the blessings I have living where I do, I have had to remind myself that without complete diligence towards its future, it can all go away. Not only does my ignorance blind me, but it also muffles the good things I have to say.

Sincerely,
Louis

[Rawthumb]

Has out of state tourist traffic still been high with the long recession and high gas prices? Busy rivers like Madison, Big Horn, etc. are not high on my priority lists because they are zoos.

A lot of waters in the west are on federal property, and are no more the locals' waters than they are anyone else.

A lot of people living in and around SW MT tare not real Montanans anyway, but are outsiders that transplanted there. They perturb the multigenerationals more than tourists do, and they hate Californians and northeastern yankees the worst (isn't that the way that it is everywhere?).

[ScottP]

Has out of state tourist traffic still been high with the long recession and high gas prices? Busy rivers like Madison, Big Horn, etc. are not high on my priority lists because they are zoos.

A lot of waters in the west are on federal property, and are no more the locals' waters than they are anyone else.

A lot of people living in and around SW MT tare not real Montanans anyway, but are outsiders that transplanted there. They perturb the multigenerationals more than tourists do, and they hate Californians and northeastern yankees the worst (isn't that the way that it is everywhere?).

I think higher gas prices and a slower economy are keeping people from taking "big" trips (overseas, cruises, etc); doesn't seem to be effecting crowds on the rivers much. As for Montanans hating Californians, all I can say is a number of them (not all Cali's but a lot, many of them famous) came to Whitefish in the late 80's, built huge vacation homes on Big Mountain (which they inhabit 2 weeks in the summer and 2 weeks in the winter), drove up the cost of living in the town so that it seems a majority of the people living there are wealthy or barely scraping by. Not the only town this has happened in either.

Regards,
Scott