Rock Snot aka Didymo Found in the Delaware River

Via Moldy Chum:

Scientists in the past two weeks have discovered Didymo from the Dingmans Ferry bridge in the Gap stretching about 100 miles north to upstate New York, where the river splits in its western and eastern branches.

LINK

Boom...Morgan

Fly Product: Goat Head Sole Spikes

While Tweeting one day, I got a random Tweet back from a company called Goat Head. I really knew nothing about them but after a short Twitter conversation, I had a pair of their featured products in my hand in about 3 days. Initially, I was thinking, they have a legit logo and great product idea, why not. After talking with Mat Brown (co-owner and founder of Goat Head), I knew I had something good in my hands and couldn't wait to get these things into my wading boots.

For any of you who have stepped into a stream full of Didymo, walked along a path with mossy rocks, or even hiked a path after a good rain, let me start out by saying...read this review.

Newest Report from Backwater Angler

On opening day for the Orioles, Hendricksons and Olives are the Twins that are creating quite a stir along the Gunpowder River. The Gunpowder River is flowing at a near perfect 94 CFs, is clear and 54 F. Die-hard nymph fisherman are still beyond frustrated with the Didymo that continues to foul their rigs. Long leaders in the 6x to 7x range have been necessary to trick midging fish in the mirror smooth flats between Masemore and Falls Rd. Downstream of the gas line, the lower river was recently stocked with hatchery rainbows and it has been easy enough to fool these bright fish with streamers and heavily weighted nymphs. Thanks to Mike Colegrove for the great shot of Josh Reider’s favorite Scott G2 with a Hendrickson checking out one of Mike Bachkosky’s Catskill Style Red Quill patterns.

Gametime is 3:05 PM and Weekend Hours are:
Friday: 10 till 6 PM
Saturday:10 till 4 PM
Sunday: Closed
Monday:10 till 6 PM

Boom...Morgan

Daily Reel...Didymo Edition

Teaser - Didymo: Alga Invasora | PatagoniaNation.com from PatagoniaNation on Vimeo.

Tight Lines...Morgan

First Fishing Adventure of 2011...Gunpowder Falls, MD

So I decided not to waste another weekend of decent weather on sitting around and simply tying flies (along with my "Honey-Do" list) by heading up to a fairly close fly fishing spot up in Northern Maryland, Gunpowder Falls. This spot is notoriously a Blue Ribbon trout stream and has a great stocking program backed by the Maryland State Department of Natural Resources. The trip took about an hour from Annapolis to the fly shop up there in Sparks, MD called Great Feathers. One of the guys in the shop was telling me the fish were there but since the river was so low (odd for this time of year), you needed about a 12 foot leader/tippet and they were hitting San Juan Worms and Green Weenies. Its an awesome little fly shop tucked away on the hilly roads with an amazing selection of just about everything from flies to books to gear. My first stop was where the Gunpowder River meets Bunker Hill Road. I didn't see many fish here but it is an extremely ideal area for them with plenty of holes, man-made dams, and rocks for the fish to sit behind and feed.  Here's some pictures of this stop (click them for a larger view):

After getting over the great feeling of letting the fly hit the water for the first time in 2011 and no luck with fish, I decided to hit up spot number two. SIDE NOTE: All of these spots conveniently have not only parking areas but "Wader Wash" stations that allow you to rid your gear of Didymo.

This next spot was right off of Masemore Rd. and was more beautiful than the last with great holes and runs along with a beautiful landscape.

I saw more fish here but again, no luck after about an hour and a half, so I decided to move on. The next spot, right off of Falls Rd. was, just like the last, prettier than the previous spot, and had more fish. I hooked up on a Brownie on a Brown Wooly Bugger but lost him when he went into a death roll...

Anywho, after watching a few other fish chase my flies with no luck, I decided to move on to my last planned spot, right off of York Rd. and near where I-83 goes over the river as well (which means its a little bit noisier). Didn't see as many fish here but, did finally get one, the fish that made the trip totally worth it! I hooked up on her with a Green Weenie (that I got out of 3 different trees, less area to cast due to low lying trees and bushes) right in a nice run along the bridge. So that's my first fish and first trip of 2011, first of MANY!

Fish Caught

1. Brown Trout ~ 11"

Tight Lines...Morgan

UPDATE: Didymo...How to Keep Your Felt-Soled Boots without Being a Vector

I just found some pretty interesting information on the Orvis Website:

"Felt sole [boots] recommended for use if you fish the same waters, or [if you] have time to clean felt soles in hot (>104º) water and let the soles dry completely."


Pretty cool...I still need new boots though...any recommendations?


Tight Lines...Morgan

Felt Soled Wading Shoe Ban + Awesome New Product from Waterworks/Lamson

For those of you from Maryland, more specifically the Anne Arundel County area, you know about the Capital-Gazette newspaper. Chris Dollar, the writer for the Outdoors section had an awesome article in the Sunday paper about didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) aka Rock Snot, the single celled algae thats taking over a lot of streams in the US, Europe and New Zealand. Its a yellow-brown snotty looking algae that can "suffocate a waterway". It literally covers everything making coldwater streams nearly uninhabitable especially for fish. This microscopic algae can be spread in a single drop of water. New Zealand has already banned felt soled wading boots/shoes based on recently found research. Based on that fact that didymo can survive in a single drop of water, felt soled boots/shoes are an ideal habitat for didymo to grow/live in and be carried from stream to stream. Locally, the Gunpowder River has been consumed in didymo and a lot of beautiful east coast streams have been seriously affected. Maryland legislators have decided that felt soled boots/shoes will be banned in our waters starting this upcoming March, awesome, I'm happy for that and more states need to do so. I think Alaska has passed a law and followed right behind New Zealand. If you know of any other states, feel free to comment!


Dont hesitate to write your local congressman and ask what may be going on within the state to ban these shoes/boots and what their plan of action is if didymo is found in local waters. Its our responsibility to watch over our beautiful environment for future generations. So, needless to say, my felts are in the trash as we speak.


On to the next subject (which goes along with didymo), Waterworks/Lamson has come up with an awesome product called the Gear Shower, it runs at about $49.99 but could probably be made for cheaper (potentially a future DIY on the blog?). This is from the Waterworks/Lamson website..."The spread of aquatic species (AIS) from one body of water to another is a serious and growing ecological problem. Once an invasive species is established in new water, it can be impossible to eliminate. The method recommended by experts is to rinse gear after fishing at the take-out so that the AIS are not transported away from the site. And that’s where the Gear Shower can play a positive role. Fill the Gear Shower with tap water from home and use it to rinse away all visible material from gear at the take-out. Leave AIS behind! Let the Gear Shower make it easy. The Gear Shower is very easy to use: lower a vehicle window an inch or more and hang the shower. Tap water gravity-flows through a shower head with on/off switch, allowing for the 2.2 gallon capacity to clean boots, waders and other gear. Money from your purchase of the Gear Shower is donated to the Clean Angling Coalition. To learn more about AIS and recommended cleaning methods, visit the Clean Angling Coalition at www.cleanangling.org." Here's a pic of didymo at its worst...

Check out the website, and for more info on didymo or clean angling, feel free to Google or search most fishing blogs, theres a wealth of information out there!


Tight Lines...Morgan <*)))><