What we can do

The conversation over coffee with friends, naturally for us, was mostly about fishing.

We talked about fly rods and my recent conversations with Kerry Burkheimer. In what had to be a weak moment Kerry said I could trade flies in partial payment for two of his rods. Time marches on and I hope to get some flies in his hands before he changes his mind.

His rods are superb.

You could make a real good argument that Burkheimers are the best graphite fly rods made. They are made from scratch with hands-on attention to detail, not mass-produced. Kerry understands how to translate taper design into rod actions that are built for fishing performance. His finished work is superb.

If I'm going to fish a Burkie he deserves to fish my best work in return. The coffee crew agreed: I'd better get to work.

Kerry Burkheimer, like many in the trade, is a conservationist. He devotes a section of his website to conservation and cites not only donations to conservation organizations but also their roll-up-your-sleeves, get your hands dirty volunteer work for stream clean-ups, angler education and habitat restoration.

Our coffee crew also talked about the recent Bitterroot Water Partnership forum that was widely written about in local papers. Simply put, along with the panelists, we are concerned about the Bitterroot River. The problems on the Bitterroot didn't originate with this year's snowpack - they originated decades ago.

We agreed that there are things we can do - things that are meaningful, that will have immediate impact and are within our reach.

The Bitterroot is suffering unprecedented fishing pressure. The presence of hook-scarred fish is increasing. Trout populations are decreasing. Taken together, those trends as documented by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks data are alarming – or should be.

The hook-scarred mature fish that we're seeing, I've often insisted, are the survivors among fish that were caught on barbed hooks.

Think about it. That 17-incher with an entire jaw mandible ripped off probably didn't lose it as a mature fish, but more likely as a softer, smaller, more easily damaged seven-incher. Those dinks, as they're derisively called, have a rough time surviving injury, time out of water and the rough handling that follows when wrestling a barbed hook - much less the treble barbs on a Rapala - free from its head and face. They might appear to swim off "just fine" only to die soon after and quickly disappear to the work of nature's clean-up crew. Their mortality doesn't show as a statistic.

My overwhelming sense, having seen it happen, is that many of the smaller fish caught on barbed hooks and seriously injured didn't make it. As I said, the hook-scarred fish we see are the survivors. Numbers of hook-scarred fish are increasing. Numbers of trout, overall, are decreasing.

We do know, from histories over time in other waters, that a release restriction is only partially effective unless accompanied by a barbless hook restriction.

The major rivers in the Clark Fork drainage, including the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Rock Creek and Flint Creek, all have populations of Westslope cutthroats - a species of concern according to FWP. In the upper Bitterroot and Blackfoot their numbers are significant. Throughout the Bitterroot they are protected by catch-and-release regulations, yet their numbers are declining.

I think the number of anglers we're seeing and their fishing methods are important. I think that how they handle their fish is a significant contributor to the cutthroat's demise. And we can change that.

Consider: There are things you can do to protect any of the wild fish you catch. As a matter of conscience, do them.

One, get a stream thermometer and use it. When the water temperature gets to 65 degrees, quit fishing. Take a hike, take a siesta, or take pictures. Catching a lethargic heat-stressed trout is not something that leaves you feeling real proud of yourself.

Two, fish barbless and as much as possible, keep the fish wet while reviving and releasing.

It's catch, revive and release. And learn to do it well. I'll detail how it's done several times throughout the season.

Three, if you must have a squat-and-grin photo keep the fish wet as much as possible and then the mantra is "quick grin, back in." More memorable and dramatic shots occur as the fish is held underwater being revived.

These things will help. And we can do them.