This is Just the Start

This last winter I was sitting at home between jobs (I'm self-employed, also known as permanently unemployed), when I saw a post on Facebook by Rebecca Garlock about the 100th post on the Outdoor Blogger Network.  This begs the question- How did I get to be Facebook friends with Rebecca in the first place?  I don't know, and since the rules on that change all the time at Facebook, I'll just say it's lost in the mists of time (or is it sands?).

I've always had this itch to be a writer, but work in construction by trade.  I've written a couple of pieces over the years that I've shared with my friends, or for my own private enjoyment. I even wrote a feature piece for Petersen's Bowhunting at their request, only to have them reject it ("we've run too many articles on that in the last two years").  I've always had this fear, a fear of actually taking the plunge, baring my soul and sharing my writing with others.  What if people hate it?  The barrier was very real.

For whatever reason, Rebecca's post set off a gong in my head, one that still rings clearly and shrilly.  I had waited long enough; it was time to get started, and thus Fontinalis Rising was born.  What I didn't expect, was the effect that OBN would have.   Sure, there's lots of contests, giveaways and other cool stuff.  Much more than that, it is a means of connecting with other outdoor bloggers, to find people of like mind and interest.  It has been a tremendous way for a non tech-savvy person like myself to find other very cool blogs, and I've found some of my favorites here.

In the brief period I've been doing this, OBN has offered some great opportunities, such as the Trout Unlimited writing contest that brought four bloggers to Montana, or the opportunity to blog for Take Me Fishing.  OBN provides a forum for it's members to showcase their work, and the ability to discover that of others.  The gear review opportunities are fantastic, both for members, and the companies that provide them.  The photo and writing prompts offer ideas and a chance for members to compare notes and ideas.  OBN regularly offers members sound and savvy technical and blogging advice.  They regularly alert us to important issues that could use our collective help, such as the danger that the Pebble Mine poses to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery.  It has become an outdoor media clearing-house, and I predict will increasingly be seen by the outdoor industry and media as a force to be reckoned with.  Hear OBN roar.

So, to the founders of the Outdoor Blogger Network, Joe Wolf, and Rebecca Garlock, I want to say thank you.  With a simple idea, you've created a monster, you command an army.  Congratulations on a wildly successful first year.  I quail to think of how you'll wield this awesome power over the next year.

Good Takes- Trout Unlimited Miller VanWinkle chapter president Brian Kozminski

TU chapter prez, and the sharpest canoe in Northern Michigan, does life get any more charmed?

In this, my first interview, I got the chance to sit down with Brian Kozminski, the Trout Unlimited Miller VanWinkle chapter president.  We had breakfast at a fairly new establishment, the Twisted Olive, which has a stunning view of Little Traverse Bay.  Brian has lived in Petoskey for 5 years and has been the chapter president for 4 years.  Known locally as Koz, he was good enough to answer my questions.

FR:  The economy is bad- how do you get people to care about Trout? And TU in a recession?

Koz: I think especially in this area (Petoskey) there is a lot of philanthropy, a lot of people doing good things.  Organizations like the Tip of the Mitt Watershed council.  What makes it difficult is that the regular guys- they’re either unemployed, or working 2,3 jobs to get by- it’s hard to get them involved.  A lot of people see TU as a good old boys club and we need to change that.  But to get younger people involved- that’s the challenge.  I’m trying to balance between the free events, and the gentlemen who donate to our cause.

FR:  We can all go read TU’s mission statement on the website- what do you see as TU’s role in fishing and conservation in Northern Michigan?

Koz:  My biggest goal is getting the kids involved, it’s all about the next generation.  The days we grew up in, of growing up outside are over, it’s all about Wii, Nintendo, PS2 for kids now.  We’re stewards for that next generation, but I’m afraid we’ll find ourselves asking, “Why didn’t we do this, why didn’t I mentor a child?” If all we are is a bunch of guys sitting around telling stories and tying flies- I mean, that's what the FFF is for.  We have to get them outside and involved.  Between the lines, you have to realize the TU is about the fish for the sake of the fish, about healthy watersheds.

FR: It seems like everyone in Michigan loves to bash the DNR- how would you grade them?

Koz:  What a tough job.  I volunteer for various programs with the DNR and I see the dilemma they face- too many conflicting parties to please, person A wants them to stock more, person B wants habitat improvement and so on.  Then they face budget cuts- they don’t even know if they’ll have jobs next year.  Last year they were merged with the DEQ, which led to shake-ups, this year they are split again.  We’re trying to push for more gear restrictions on local streams, but the push-back is amazing.  I’d give them a B+.

FR:  Dries, wets, or streamers?

Koz:  Big streamers, definitely, but I’ve been learning some other things, tying some steelhead flies.  I’m working on nymphing, but in the end- it’s all about that topwater bite isn’t it?  I mean, to fool a big Brown on a bit of fur and feather you tied yourself- that’s where it’s at, that’s what keeps you coming back.

FR:  What conservation issues in N. MI keep you awake at night?

Koz:  Banquets and dollars! (laughing) but it’s true, trying to walk the balance and get people involved.  I drive around here all the time and I’ll see a stack of Christmas trees at the recycling center, or a stack of pallets at the News Review and think “We could be using those for bank revetments, for improvement projects”.  I also hope we don’t look back at things we’ve done 20 years from now and ask “What were we thinking, I mean, sand traps- they need to be 500 yards long and straight in order to work- what river do you know is straight?  At one point the thinking was “Stock everything” but as that book (An Entirely Synthetic Fish) points out, VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia) changed that- we had to stop, stop stocking.

FR:  As president of the local chapter, what do you hope to accomplish?

Koz: More awareness, more youth involvement.  We’ve grown 14% in the last 3 years, our chapter is 3^rd in the state for growth, which is excellent in this economy.  TU is experiencing a certain level of attrition.  I’m trying to get people involved who wouldn’t normally, not on their own.

FR:  Does MVWcTU have any stream improvements or other projects in the pipeline it would like to flog here?

We’re mapping the Maple River Watershed for the DNR- substrates, width, depth, all of it.

FR:  Do you think there needs to be some stocking done?

Koz: No; habitat improvement, definitely.

FR:  What accomplishments are you proudest of?

Koz:  the membership improvement, certainly, but especially the Salmon in the Classroom program- going to talk to the kids.  Did you know the principal told me that when the kids come into class, that’s the first thing they do, they go check on those fish?   And that’s what it’s about- lighting them up, getting them involved.  Take a kid fishing!

FR:  Without giving away the farm, What fishing opportunities locally or in the state do you find to be the most exciting?

Koz: The Upper Manistee is great, but the Au Sable is where it’s at.  There again, it’s a catch-and-release fishery, they’re managed for the fish.  Why do people want to go there? Because they know they have a chance at a big fish, or several.  You can go to those streams, and almost forget you’re in Michigan, you’d think you’re out West somewhere- that’s what makes it so special.

FR:  What opportunities locally or in the state would you like to see expanded?

Koz: More people need to get outdoors, take a float down the Jordan or Sturgeon.  I’m not talking about fishing, just getting out there, see it, connect to a watershed as a whole.  That’s what will make people care enough to protect them.

FR:  If you could change one thing in N. MI what would it be?

Koz: There needs to be more interaction between groups, they need to work collectively towards a similar goal, keep communications open.  We’re working with CRA and Little Traverse Conservancy, and the LTTB on watersheds in our area, which is a good start.

FR:  What would you like to preserve forever?

Koz:  The Great Lakes- it’s our calling card, it’s what we are.  It’s the worlds largest freshwater resource, and it needs to be protected.  Which leads me to your next question about asian carp…

FR:  There’s been a lot of hype over the threat of Asian Carp- any comments?

Koz:  The Great Lakes just aren’t being protected.  Here’s the funny thing- Salmon were brought here to control the alewifes, which came in ships ballast.  Now the alewifes are gone, the salmon are starving, but the steelhead and lakers are thriving on the gobies and ruffe.  We’re hoping that the zebra and quagga mussels are filtering the lakes too much for the carp (asian) to take hold, but if they get into the river systems- the Kalamazoo, the St. Joe and so on, we’ll never get them out and it will be a disaster.  I mean, look what’s happened to Illinois.

FR:  Would TU- or you, like to see more stocking, or less?  More salmon, or more steelhead?

Koz:  Well, certain rivers need stocking- the Pere Marquette comes to mind, or the Manistee below Tippy.  They support good natural reproduction, but also see a lot of pressure.  Those fish are starting to come back, but it’s all cyclical.  So yeah, stocking is necessary in some places.

FR:  Fly fishing has gone from idle backwater to big business- any words of wisdom or requests for the industry?

Koz:  Don’t lose the local fly shops- the Big Box stores and Internet can’t tell you what’s hatching, can’t tell you why THAT 5 weight is the one you need.  This is the era of Walmart and Kmart, they’re not going away, but we need to support local business, and so does the industry.

FR:  Open mic- any questions or issues I’m not covering that you would like to address?

Koz:  Think back to when we were kids- I’d see these huge schools of minnows in the great lakes.  Where are they?  You just don’t see that anymore, it’s like the whole middle of the food chain is empty.  Is it possible for us to practice some minnow management?  Could we stock insects or macro-invertebrates?  I don’t know.  I mentioned this to someone and his response was that it would be way too expensive, but I can tell you, it’s not cheap to bring a Lake trout to stocking size.  Again it gets back to, how much can we control in this big aquarium, the Great Lakes?

"Our knowledge of trout is like man's tenancy on this planet: precarious and tentative."

 -R. Traver

Ve Vill Tie You Now

This is just to share some pictures of my first TU event ever, the  Miller Van Winkle chapter Tie One On event in Petoskey Michigan.  I enjoyed it alot; being my first TU event, I was a little nervous, what with all the secret initiation rituals and all, but my hair is starting to grow back and the red marks are fading.

Brian Kozminski, standing left chairman and organizer of the Tie One On event.  Notice the Medieval setting.

As I said, I was a little nervous, so I just set up my vise and started tying after meeting the other guys.  I am in no way in the same league as these other tyers.  My philosophy is to tie only for what I actually fish, and buy only for what I tie, otherwise I would already have $2000.00 worth of Whiting capes and saddles.  Despite my weakness for feathers, I don't fish a lot of dries- I work outdoors in summer, and am busiest during the major hatch periods.  Most of my fly fishing consists of spring steelhead, streamer fishing, and summer time terrestrials.  So I tie egg and other steelhead patterns, a variety of streamers (my zoo cougar is pretty good, at least the trout think so), skunks and other assorted junk including some very effective soft hackles.

Did I tell you I'm not in the same league as these guys?  Here's a shot of John Sheets (sp?)- notice the intense concentration

John Sheets ties one on

John was tying an extended body callibaetis, or so he says, I had to use the eXtreme Stop Motion on my camera just to get these fleeting images.  Ah, the wild fly tyer in his natural element.  There was some talk about a post, some hackle whirled in circles and then he handed me a fly which he said was a reject.  So I stole it.

Also there was Kevin Foerster of Lovells Fly Tyer fame.  He was tying up some Au Sable Skunks, which I should have been paying attention to as I fish this pattern a lot, and his was different from mine.  It was well tied.

Kevin Foerster, far left, the Lovells Fly Tyer, holds court.

All in all it was good low key fun, I learned nothing as I refused to set down my bobbin and watch, and Greta, the keeper of the Armory says I can come back when I learn not to cry out in pain.

FR