Steelhead Plus Driver
Steelhead Plus Driver
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US $29.99
The weekend of Labor Day has passed, and I was lucky enough to spend one day here in the Rogue River in Oregon.
Not to become a "tourist" in my own backyard very often, we bought a day in one of the jetboats to travel up and down the central section of the Rogue Grants Pass below.
This is a bit of a change in the river travel for me, and my usual mode of travel is either in a driftboat, hiking or rafting.
The offer jetboats a fast track to adventure tourists, usually with a limited time, and looking for the "Readers Digest" version of exploration in the Rogue. We company visit and since fishing is not an interest of them, this was the perfect trip for them to know the Rogue River a little better.
First, let me say the journey is very enjoyable and exciting, even with the old and young whooping and smiling with excitement as the jetboats go to his patented 360-degree turns almost always drop off passengers soaked, laughing, and asking for more laps. In fact, if someone would start an operation of "mad teacups" that could spin Endless and downstream, which probably would be full of satisfied customers.
Vomiting customers - but happy!
Travel is also very informative, with knowledgeable guides / boat drivers giving history, pointing out wildlife and everyone entertained with some canned "rants" to expect of this form of entertainment river.
"Yes, I was once a fan of the Dallas Cowboys on board, which kept me ears. I told him to get even with him, and when I flew in this flock of Canada geese ... so let go right at the .... can you believe that ?"....
We saw Otter, Osprey, bald eagle, herons, egrets, deer, ducks, geese, and million dollar homes in park like settings.
We also saw salmon and salmon fishermen.
Being in the middle of the fall salmon run on the Rogue, we find the fishermen during the whole trip. Drivers are very friendly and always slow its 1100 horsepower engine to idle as they pass. This helps to maintain a very uneasy coexistence between non-motorized vessels, the bank fishermen and boat motor to balance even the United Nations admire.
They, of course, do not say this on the trip, but there are some wars the territory "when it comes to use of river.
Jetboats has operated in the Rogue River for a number of years, in fact, much longer than I've been in these parts and has always been some conflict between fishermen and the boats that fly up and down the river, ninety miles an hour!
I have read passages of the oldest books "river" that talk about fishermen getting "swamped" or "Bankier" hurling lead weights as the grain by jetboats.
All claimed "they own the river."
The argument was always about the importance of jobs and tourist dollars, compared to fishing rights and the effect on salmon.
In the past standards, now co-existence is actually quite mild and civil.
More than once we would fishermen or fish would be a battle in the middle or an uprising would be nice to drop 40 pounds of salmon in the air, ripping applause and admiration of the crowd jetboat.
I could hear some of the tourists, "she exclaimed how wonderful it was to see the highly respected Salmon being caught abundant river for these souls. Of course, many of them did not know that some of these fish have been stalled and illegally harvested.
Back from Alaska, where snagging is legal (gill plate forward) and is considered the standard fishing practice was interesting to see the different way of thinking among the inhabitants of the rivers Alaska and the lower "48" river dweller.
Our guide / driver more than once commented on the hook-up and removal are illegal every day in his travels around the river. " He even turned the boat around once so we could see a fisherman's net results in a "bad hooked fish he correctly predicted not to be landed until we were out of sight. In this way the fisherman could keep the fish hooked and brag of his fishing exploits back to work on Tuesday!
He was right!
The only problem I had with this saint, "that you - conservationist I am a fish attitude was: here's a power of 1100, ninety miles an hour, after the production of water rockets to move up and downstream - sometimes six inches of water - required from these fishermen, saying that even the cause and effect of these boats are sometimes not in the best interest of the migrating fish, either!
More than once in the history of jetboats, nice shiny chrome Salmon and Steelhead have been "ambushed" by boats leaving them with more than one headache and making it float to the surface with an abortive effort to spawn.
Dead fish do not spawn.
As a card with fish thumper would hypocritical of me very critical of the jetboats, but we would like to present the facts in full, its customers, especially because most are "out zone "tourists.
My guess is that jetboats have been the cause of more dead fish than the "average Joe" that sometimes a salmon and stumps you hit your head. Of course, not yet approved harness.
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I read the morning paper today, and a article mentioned that the prospect of "wild salmon" disappear in the next century was almost sure. He also mentioned that while living in areas where Salmon have historically led to their traditions of honor of time - life cycles of river-sea-river - were to become good stewards of the rivers and tributaries can not even be able to reverse the inevitable loss of one of the most admired creatures of this planet.
Rather bleak - and hopefully we can test "Experts" wrong!
What is the answer?
Do not ask me - but I hope that the conflict between jetboat, fisherman and " wild fish, remains a problem for good ..... because that means we still have wild salmon to worry about ..
A.J. Klott
Author, writer of fishing humor,and "fly tack" peddler.A.J. writes about the people,characters and modern day events that surround the fishing world. His first book is due out in December of 2005. If you need a laugh or a fun gift, visit his website at: http://www.twoguyswithflys.com