Rivers of a Lost Coast

• Posted on 01/05 at 10:14 AM

100 Years

Early last month, legendary Eel River fly fisherman Nelson Rossig celebrated his 100th birthday with a handful of his closest angling friends. Nelson who first fished the Eel as a young kid, was an invaluable asset while producing Rivers of a Lost Coast. Nelson continues to fly fish the Eel in the summer and fall, giving truth to the often humorous bit of wisdom "days spent fishing aren't deducted from life."

Nelson remembers as a kid walking the gravel bars behind Eureka's elite fishermen and collecting broken off flies lost in the rocks. He was a regular in the shops of the great Eel River fly tiers Sam Wells, Jim Pray, Lloyd Silvius and Art Dedini. Fishing the river during the golden era of California steelheading, Nelson remembers the articles of Zane Grey and H.L. Betten, the books of Claude Kreider and Clark Van Fleet, the influx of southern anglers in the 40s and 50s and the arrival of great anglers Bill Schaadt and Ted Lindner.

He fondly remembers Ben Anderson, Joe Dickerson, Harry Hornbrook, Mike Kennedy and the other graceful pioneers who came before him. Nelson still recalls when fly fishing was only practiced by wading, when leaders were made of gut, when silk lines had to be coated in Dacron and when bamboo was replaced with fiberglass.

Nelson"#39s interview for Rivers of a Lost Coast has been archived in the special collections department of the Humboldt Room at the Humboldt State Library.

Happy Birthday Nelson!

** (Nelson Rossig in orange is surrounded by Stephen Rosenberg to his right and Conrad Calimpong to his left. Forrest Willis is wearing a black hat. Photo courtesy of Stephen Rosenberg.)

Posted by Justin on 01/05 at 10:14 AM in Ramblings • (0) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 12/25 at 12:39 AM

Merry Christmas!

"He told us about Christ’s disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman."

-Norman Maclean

Blog Dec. 25th, 2008

Steelhead in the Classroom

Humboldt County, CA. After thinking the program was all but dead, the CDFG has decided 'Salmon in the Classroom', one of California’s most important fish and wildlife education programs, will be back for another year.

'Salmon in the Classroom' is a program that introduces students to salmon and steelhead, through interactive in-classroom rearing. With oversight by the teacher, students observe steelhead as they develop from eggs into young smolts. Watching the eggs hatch and emerge as fry, students follow the progress of the small fish until they are ready to be released into local area streams and rivers.  Proponents of the program argue 'Salmon in the Classroom' provides crucial interaction with nature and biology at a time when young people are being bombarded with constructed digital information.

Ethan Heifitz, a retired teacher and past participant of 'Salmon in the Classroom' will help new teachers in Humboldt County prepare for the program. Ethan a long time fan of the program, still has former students approach him to say that raising steelhead was one of their best school experiences. "And it’s something that can be used as a means to approach other subjects. It’s just an amazing springboard for everything else."

We couldn’t agree more. During the production of Rivers of a Lost Coast, it was remarkable to see how anglers' perceptions and ideas about steelhad and salmon changed and matured with age. Time after time, the interviewees explained how steelhead and salmon fly fishing gave them a greater appreciation for the beauty and importance of life. 

We are glad to see the Humboldt County "Salmon in the Classroom" will continue to introduce young students to the wonders of our steelhead and salmon.

Eureka Times-Standard article by John Driscoll "Salmon program officially on track for January"

Posted by roalcadmin on 12/25 at 12:39 AM in Conservation • (1) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 12/22 at 11:59 AM

Smith River Salmon Stronghold

During the research for Rivers of a Lost Coast we spent an incredible amount of time in the archives of the California State Library. Few things were more valuable than the complete collection of “Forest and Stream Magazine” ("Forest and Stream” was the 1800s precursor to the modern “Field and Stream"). The pages of “Forest and Stream” were filled with countless enjoyable accounts of early western sporting, but one of the pieces that always stuck with us was an editorial written in the late 1890s by a Pacific Coast salmon fisherman. He was writing in response to the notable wildlife conservation success of Yellowstone National Park. The writer saw the need to set-aside key wildlife habitat to ensure the future health of wildlife populations. He used the success of Yellowstone to suggest a similar action be taken for our Pacific Salmon. Unfortunately, the novel idea never gained much steam.

Yet today, over a century later, it is great to see we are finally starting to protect the key watersheds that provide crucial habitat to the health and vitality of our salmon populations. In a great piece of news, the Smith River, California’s last great refuge for Chinook Salmon received an official “salmon stronghold” designation. This designation, which provides federal support and resources for collaborative, high-value conservation projects, is the first of its kind in California.

You can read more about this important announcement at the Smith River Alliance website.

Posted by roalcadmin on 12/22 at 11:59 AM in Conservation • (3) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 12/19 at 10:59 AM

A Mentor

With a little plug by Brian Hoffman for Rivers of a Lost Coast in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday morning, things were off to a good start. The realization that post-production is over and our dire need to “de-clutter”, quickly cramped the good vibe. A little spring-cleaning in the middle of December (sounds like a bad Dolly Parton Christmas song). Dumping the old files, I came across some story-notes from Larry Cullens, a long-time coastal fisherman who has thrown all his chips into the salmon fishing pot.

A Little background: Larry, to say it mildly, has an intimidating presence. Broad shoulders, thick worn hands, he protects against cataracts with a pair of reflective sunglasses that have an eerie familiarity to the warden in “Cool Hand Luke.” He lives alone and splits his time between Gold Beach and Crescent City. When he walks to the boat, it’s with a limp; junior college football injuries added to a life of hard labor. He is quiet on the river now, although from what we’ve heard, it was not always that way.

For Rivers of a Lost Coast, we met with Larry in the fall of 2006, on the banks of the Rogue River. When I saw his long silver ponytail, I immediately realized I had seen him before. Twice to be exact; once in a pram about 300 yards from where we stood and another time at the Bailey hole on the Smith River. He has that kind of presence.

Larry was a good friend and understudy of Ted Lindner, one of the focal-characters in Rivers of a Lost Coast. When old age finally forced Ted from the river, he retired many of his personal belongings to Larry. Included was Ted’s small, heavily used travel trailer. It was the trailer Ted lived in for the last 40 years of his life; it was his home.

Although in his younger, wilder days Larry saw his self as a stark contrast to the disciplined and strict Ted Lindner, the two befriended and dissolved their differences through fishing. In his own words he saw their friendship as “highly unlikely.”

So on that day in the fall of 2006, we talked with Larry about Ted, about a life dedicated to salmon fly fishing, about the admiration you keep for those who take you under their wing. He has a handful of names. Ted kept in the highest regard.

As he retold the stories he was emotional. More than most, Larry wants to pay tribute to the older generation. He talks little of his own angling skill. Never mentions what I already know, that he is a former world-record holder for Chinook Salmon on the fly.

When the interview was over we left the river and headed back to Larry’s for a salmon bar-b-que. He pulled his truck into the small lot and parked next to a trailer. Larry still has Ted’s trailer. Ted’s home is now his own. Maybe that is why Larry understands so well the connection we keep with our mentors.

If you’d like to hear some thoughts from Larry he is included in ”The Fishing Lifestyle” audio clip.

On the message board below we encourage you to share your stories of the anglers who got you started and kept you hooked.

Posted by Justin on 12/19 at 10:59 AM in Ramblings • (6) Comments • Permalink