Angler Update

As promised, this is my excitement filled post on how I caught my very first fish on a fly rod!!

It was the last day of spring break, and it did not occur without much struggle and heartache and frustration and lots of tears, but I did it!

I told you about my first cast and how awful it was, well this was a catastrophe compared to that. The stream was very narrow and all of the dead bushes and little sprigs of crispy, hard plants all over the bank did not make my job any easier. Plus it was WINDY as all get out, but I did it!

My hook got caught half a billion times, I was sunburnt to a crisp and I got an unbearable migraine afterwards, but I did it!

I was so elated afterwards that I couldn’t wait to get out there and do it again. So, we went as soon as we could which happened to be this last weekend. Saturday was a gorgeous day. I slathered on sunscreen, brought a huge bottle of water, and the confidence that it would only get easier from now on…. I got skunked.

I didn’t even see a fish, let alone catch one. Correction, I saw fish… They were on the end of my boyfriend’s line.

Sunday was a bit colder, but it was more successful. I caught two fish, before my hands felt like they were going to fall off into the pond and become a stocker appetizer.

The first little guy scared me to death for two reasons. 1. I couldn’t believe I caught one so quickly and on the dock all by myself. 2. He had swallowed the hook a-ways and I couldn’t find it to let him go! My boyfriend had to get down into his throat with his vises and pull it out after five minutes of the fish struggling and after five minutes of me crying. But thank heavens, the fish swam away and was perfectly fine!

The second catch was a bigger one, but it was easier to release. And then I was frozen, exhausted, and petrified from seeing a snake, so we called it a weekend.

I am so excited to continue this journey and share it with all of you!

Fishin on the Great Plains

Last semester I was enrolled in the Capstone course that was completely centered around the Great Plains region. Using the Great Plains as a backdrop and conceptual framework, my partner and I created a coffee table book: The Great Plains: A Collection of Works Exhibiting its Past and Perseverance. (We applied for funds to print the book, but are currently waiting for a response back from the school).

We wanted our book to feature work from as many artists and writers as possible to really encompass what people believe is significant about the region. So we asked our others to contribute. One of those contributors was my boyfriend.

I would like to share the research that he presented in this post:

As a result of the settling of the Great Plains, the species of fish found in the Great Plains has drastically changed. When fish species are introduced to new waters, they may have large scale effects on the species that are native by out-competing them for food. Also, nonnative fish may prey on the native species and threaten their populations. By introducing outside fish species, whether it be for food sources or for sport, humans drastically changed the waters of the Great Plains.

According to Daryl Bauer, a fisheries manager for the state of Nebraska, warm water fish species such as largemouth bass, northern pike, and bluegill were likely native to parts of western Nebraska and the Great Plains. However, these species have been transplanted and stocked heavily by European Americans while they moved out west into waters where they wouldn’t be found naturally. Species like largemouth bass and pike are very aggressive, and by introducing them to unnatural waters, the fish would then consume large amounts of the smaller fish. Many warm water fish species that aren’t native to the Nebraska Great Plains, such as common carp and rock bass, were introduced by European Americans as they moved west. Common carp are a species that are particularly destructive and harmful to native fishes.

In addition to warm water species of fish, nonnative cold water fish species have been introduced to the Great Plains of Nebraska. In areas such as Crawford, Chadron, and Valentine, where there are cold water creeks and rivers, several trout species were introduced that are not natural. Brown trout from Europe, brook trout from the eastern US, and rainbow trout from the west coast were planted in many of these cold water streams. Also according to Bauer, cutthroat trout may have also existed in cold Nebraska streams naturally before the Great Plains were settled. By introducing other nonnative species of trout to these waters, humans may have unintentionally extirpated the natural populations forever. Bauer stated that it is a large topic of debate with fish biologists—whether cutthroats were native to Nebraska. The settlers and explorers of the Great Plains documented green trout with black spots in the Nebraska territory, and there are even specimens in the Smithsonian Museums that were taken from the Nebraska Territory by explorers. However, it is unclear where the fish were collected from, and if they were actually found in Nebraska. Today, cutthroats are found in some cold streams in Nebraska as a result of stocking for fishing.