by Jim Sauter
Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers.  Welcome to August. 
So far this has been a summer with above average moisture, warmer than average temperatures with eleven 90 degree days so far, and lots of smoke from Canadian forest fires negatively impacting air quality.   
I was curious about the "unhealthy" air quality in our area and checked with AI on the possible effects on streams and fish.  Here are some findings:
 
HOW SMOKE AFFECTS TROUT POPULATIONS (Sources:  AI, Bangor News)
Changes in Fish Behavior: 

• Direct effects from smoke and ash: Smoke and ash, consisting of fine particles and potentially harmful chemicals, can be directly deposited into streams and lakes.
• Water Quality Degradation: Ash and other particulates from fires can cloud streams, making it difficult for fish to breathe and reducing the availability of their food sources.
• Increased Surface Activity: Reduced sunlight from smoke can be like an overcast day, increasing the activity of fish that feed near the surface.
• Location and Movement: Fish may become more comfortable moving around during the day when they would normally retreat to cover, as the smoky conditions offer less visibility and potentially less stress.

• Habitat Destruction Near the Fire Sites: Wildfires can burn trees along streams, removing crucial shade and increasing water temperatures to lethal levels for cold-water species          like trout. Erosion can also be an issue. 
• Wildfires Can Contribute to Habitat Complexity: Some research indicates that, over the long term, wildfires can contribute to habitat complexity by providing large woody debris, which is beneficial for fish like trout providing that the frequency and intensity of the fires are within certain limits.  Yes, to a degree, there are ecological benefits to some forest fires.
   
  THANK YOU PAUL JOHNSON
  Kudos to Paul Johnson for his donations of dozens of flies and additional items for door prizes at our TCTU Chapter meetings and our upcoming Oktoberfish TCTU event.  He has done this for several years, and I can attest that his flies consistently catch fish.  I especially have had success with his purple prince charming, caddis, and his BWOs often prove deadly. 
  Recently I had the pleasure of visiting the inner sanctums of  Paul's fly tying room.  I consider Paul a master fly tyer and a distinguished member of the Laughing Trout Fly Tying Club, and he shared some insights with me about fly tying and trout fishing.  After visiting Paul's Fly Tying Room, I decided that I need more fly fishing rods, reels, fly tying supplies, and a major remodel of my fly tying room. 
  Thanks again to Paul!  

by Bob Luck
Two days ago, I returned from a 5-day horse pack trip in the Willmore Wilderness of the Alberta Rockies.  My college buddy, Harry Nelson, had invited me to join him and three veteran outfitters, Johnny, Art and Ferlin.  I flew up to Edmonton and soon afterwards found myself riding my horse Baldy up the Wildhay River.  The hazing started about 2 hours into the trip.  I asked Ferlin where he got his name.  He told me “From Ferlin Husky”.  “Who is Ferlin Husky”? I innocently asked.  “Oh my God, you don’t even know Ferlin Husky?  Wings of a Dove”?  I didn’t, and I still don’t.  Harry joined along in the laughter but secretly confessed later that he had never heard of Ferlin Husky either.
This was primarily a horse riding trip, but Harry had promised me I could get in some fishing on the Wildhay, which was rumored to be packed with bull trout. After a three hour ride into the park, Harry and I wandered down to the river to see if we could catch some trout while our outfitters set up camp.  Harry is not much of an angler but was willing to throw a few casts and stand guard with the bear spray.  Over the course of two hours, we tried a variety of tactics and flies, and we had just one four-incher come up to take a swipe at my hopper.  Later in camp, Johnny told us he would take us to some beaver dams where we might have better luck.  “And you should bait your hooks with bacon.  I haven’t been fishing in a long time but when I was young, I fished a hole about ½-mile downstream and caught a 26” bull trout.  I took a hunter I was guiding to the same place, and he caught a 28 incher.  Both of us were using bacon.”  Art and Ferlin nodded in assent and made it clear with both verbal and nonverbal signals that any idiot who used flies instead of bacon was a hopeless tenderfoot doomed to go fishless.