Here’s the second part of Matt’s interview, if you missed it read the introduction and Part 1 here.
Obviously the last few water years have been skinny and this year appears to be (from an outsiders view) perhaps the most challenging from a fish and fisheries perspective; how would you sum up the situation in August 2014?
Donald Zimmerman from CatchSnapRelease.com describes it as DEFCON 2…real serious but not as bad as it could be. We’re barely hanging on. I’ve seen the river much lower than this, but in those years (2004, 2009) it was in October. This is the first week of August! September brings much cooler nights that will lower the water temperatures. Truckee River trout are used to drought and extreme floods. Don’t forget the Truckee River winds through mostly desert.
You’re part of the “Truckee River Keepers” team calling for voluntary hoot owl restrictions on the Truckee in particular; how has the call to not fish been received so far?
Overwhelmingly positive. I mean, you’d look like a jerk if you didn’t support it! All kidding aside, people have come out of the wood-work and it’s been very positive. I think people near and far have felt the same way we did. We just got the word out and gave people the ability to pass along the video that Donald put together.
At what point do you think the state should step in and shut the rivers down (fishing and perhaps even other recreational use)?
The state of California has acted in the past. Last year Fish and Game closed the American River below Nimbus Dam until the flows came up. The state should step up and close certain rivers and even certain sections of rivers that are threatened due to lack of water, on a case by case basis.
You have one day left to fish: would you hit the Truckee, the Little Truckee, or Pyramid?
The Truckee hands down.
What can interested fishers around the country do to help encourage optimal management on the Truckee and other drought challenged Eastern Sierra watersheds now?
Get your voice heard. The Watermaster in your area is juggling a lot so call them up and remind them that the fish matter. Trout need cool clean water, but most of all…they need water. Flows are paramount.
Join your local fly club and attend a meeting. Listen and engage. 100 voices together are better than one. Social media is a huge tool so use tools like Facebook and Instagram to spread the word. If regulating agencies don’t know how many people actually care how fisheries are treated, why would they operate any differently?
If you could encourage fly fishers to do just one thing in terms of stewardship this next year, what would that be?
A great start is to join your local Trout Unlimited chapter. Beyond that, pay attention to the flows and carry a thermometer to watch water temps. Grab trash when you see it. Put simply, leave the river better than you found it.
A short bio on Matt (and note a pretty nifty web site here) –
Gilligan brings to the river over 25 years of experience fishing and tying flies for Truckee River trout. Gilligan’s Guide Service runs trips year round on the Truckee River in California and Nevada, West and East of Reno, the Little Truckee River, and to Pyramid Lake in Nevada, home of some of the biggest freshwater trout in the world. Gill is on the Cortland Pro Staff and is a contract fly tier for Solitude Fly Co. Gilligan’s Guide Service offers half-day, full day, and float trips (Nevada only). Gilligan resides in Hirschdale, California along the banks of the Truckee River and is the authority on catching Truckee River Trout.
Images by Matt Koles.
Appreciate your time and effort in getting this done, Matt and Don. Let us know how we can help efforts on the Truckee in the future. – M
