Bass N Fly 09

Bass N Fly 09

Swamp Crawler, Bass Worm and Rainbow fry I tied up just for the event.  

Swamp Crawler takes a nice one. 

Running in the bass boat.  

Robert with the first fish of the morning on top water.  

Our two best fish of the Comp day.  

Good enough for 3ed place!!  

To much of California, Spring time means Bass fishing!!  That's right folks, it's time for the 2ed annual Bass N Fly Challenge down in the Delta.  This years event was another great success. There were over 30 teams competing and the Team Bass N Fly Team did a great job of organizing and running the event.  The fishing was tough this year though.  Not as many fish were caught as last  year.  The wind was blowing and the fish were slow on the bite.  I fished this year once again with Robert Johnson from the Save Delta Fish.com.  Last year we had gotten 4th, so this year we were out to beat that.  We had a wild ride to say the least.   Robert had been putting in several days pre fishing and really knows the Delta fishing well.  I was relying on him to know the spots.  I tied up some flies and knew i could make the shots if Robert put us on some fish.  I showed up the day before the event to pre fish.  We went all over the place looking at some favorite spots and exploring new water.  It was a decent day, but only yielded a couple fish.  At the end of the day on our run home, Robert's compressor on his motor blew and we had to limp as far as we could with the electric motor before Rick and Charlie Bisharat came out to get us and tow us to John Sherman's place in Diso Bay.  After a long night of shuttling cars we were able to get his boat out of the water and Robert was able to talk his good friend Pat into loaning us his boat for the tournament.  So after a few hours of sleep, we were back on the water in time for the event.  

The highlight of our day was watching some Black Bass feeding on bait fish in some heavy weeds.  They were going crazy on these fish.  Tails splashing out out of the water, bellies rolling, flopping on top of the weeds.  It was really cool to watch.  We heard them feeding and headed over there for a few cast.  We ended up spending the next 3.5 hours fishing to those fish. Never got the big ones we saw, but ended up pulling a few fish in the 3-3.5 lb. range.  Got a couple smaller ones too and that was our 5 fish for the day.   We tried another spot for the next couple hours but with no more fish to the boat.  After some trouble with the motor, we didn't think we were going to make it back to the dock, but somehow we got it going and made weigh in just in time.  Turned out the fishing was slow for everyone.  Our five fish were good enough for 3rd place.  

Big thanks to Robert Johnson, John Sherman, Charlie Bisharat, Rick, Keith, K.D., Ken Hanley, Steve Potter, Brent Dawson, J.R., Toby, Jeff Currier and everyone else who showed up and and helped make this event a great success.  

Mokelumne Video- Full Version

From its headwaters in the high Sierra to the San Joaquin Delta, The Mokelumne River is a shining gem of nature. A National Wild and Scenic River Designation will ensure this precious resource is protected for future generations of fish, wildlife and people by preventing new dams and diversions on more than 37 miles of free-flowing river. Please get involved today. Write East Bay MUD and tell them you don't support the Pardee Dam Expansion. Also go to foothillconservancy.org and sign the petition showing your support for a Wild and Scenic Designation.

Thanks!!!

Mokelumne River - Wild and Scenic from Mikey Wier on Vimeo.

The Cleanest Line

Lines

A small gust of wind disturbs the trees. The sun glistens through the individual crystals of air born cold winter snow like a thousand diamonds in the clear blue sky. The only sounds I hear are the breeze in the tree branches and a crow in the distance. I walk to the edge of the slope and look down. All the lines are there just waiting for me to carve them.

The backcountry around Hwy 88 is my winter playground. For me, it’s all about the backcountry. It’s a totally different experience than riding a resort. I love looking at a fresh slope covered in snow and getting to pick whatever line I want. Not just racing for a fresh line at Kirkwood or looking for the last stashes. It’s all about getting to choose the cleanest line, the most challenging line, or the most aesthetically pleasing line for filming or photos. In the backcountry I get to look at the slope and choose whatever line I want. Each mountain is a wide-open canvas just waiting for us to draw on it.

My favorite way to experience the backcountry is on foot. I was one of the biggest holdouts but eventually broke down and bought a snow machine about 5 years ago. Most of my friends had them and as a professional snowboarder I justified it as a work expense. For a while there, none of the filmers or photographers I knew wanted to hike. If I wanted to go build a jump or ride some lines with the film crews, I had to go out on a sled. It became my guilty pleasure. I love the access, but hate the exhaust and noise. I had always preferred hiking for my turns. I love the quiet of the backcountry. When I hike for it, I really appreciate each turn. It’s more like surfing. You have to work for the ultimate ride. Also, there is only so many places a snowmobile can go. Lots of the places I like to ride are in wildernesses or just plain to hard to get to for a snow mo.

This season I’ve been getting back to the roots and leaving the gas guzzler at home. Snow shoeing used to be my preferred method but now split boarding has opened up the backcountry for me in ways I had only previously imagined. I have always admired the skiers and been jealous of their ability to skin deep into the backcountry. I by far prefer the feeling of riding a snowboard in powder though, so it had always been worth it to me to just carry my board out there. Now with the new split board kits I was able to turn one of my favorite Lib-Tech boards into a backcountry vehicle. I love the new banana rocker. It floats in the powder and the magna-traction helps me keep an edge in even the sketchiest of billy goat lines. Patagonia’s winter clothing has also made journeys into the backcountry warmer, more comfortable and more enjoyable for me.

I rode less this year then most, but still managed to get in all of the best days. I’ve patterned my life for the past 15 years to be able to ride the best powder days in the winter. These days with more responsibilities and limited time I have to make the best of my days in the backcountry. This means finding good lines and riding them with precision. This season I got to ride some of my old faithful spots and also made it into some new terrain that I had been scoping out for years.

This season I took along my camera and was able to snap some photos of a few of my favorite lines. Most of our hills are pretty short around here. I try to look for lines with at least a couple features to them. It’s nice to get a few good turns, a good windlip slash, a rock drop or two and or a good chute. I really like trying to imitate surfing while I snowbaord in powder. I try to find lines that I can ride like a wave. Like the one with an air drop in, set up turn to check some speed, chute (barrel), shoulder slash and exit. If I can’t do that, then the best feeling is to just going fast and catching air.

I’m sharing these photos in hopes they inspire you to grab those snow shoes, build a spit board or just cut a bread crate in half and strap it to your feet and go enjoy the backcountry without contributing to harmful carbons in our atmosphere that may lead to us not having snow anymore some day. 

For some more photos and stories, here's a little end of winter post from Patagonia's blog, the Cleanest Line.  When it comes to snowboarding, I'm always looking for the cleanest line. There's some more shots of some of my favorite lines in the post.   Also lots of other great outdoor and conservation info in the blog too.  Take a minute to check it out.  

http://www.thecleanestline.com/2009/05/from-white-lines-to-tight-lines-with-mikey-weir.html#more

Opening Weekend

With many of our rivers going to year round, opening day isn't as big of an event as it used to be.  However, there are some choice waters that still open on the last Saturday in April.  This weekend Brent Dawson of WarPath flies and i got out for a little opening day action.  We checked out some spots around the tahoe area.  As was to be expected, there was a tone of bait dunkers and other fisherman lurking around and staking claim to the spot they had been dreaming of for the past few months.  Alpine County did it's usual stockings that create a big scene on rivers like the West Carson.  This serves as a perfect distraction from some of the less know waters that still have wild fish.  Brent and i managed to navigate our way around a slough of bait fisherman to a couple good runs and pools on some rivers and lakes around North Shore.  We caught several nice healthy wild rainbows, but none of the all coveted browns.  The weather was cold and there was still some snow on the ground from the day before.  Didn't seem to stop those fish from biting.  All and all it was a great way to officially kick off the trout season here in California.

Save Delta Fish.com

Mokelumne Wild and Scenic

The Mokelumne River Canyon is no doubt the shineing gem of the Central Sierra's.  Much of Amador County was tamed long ago by Ranchers and Miners, Dams and Flumes but there are still places that are wild, remote and rugged.    The Mokelumne River Canyon from Salt Springs to Hwy 49 has been has been recommended to be classified as Wild and Scenic.  When you spend some time down there and hike away from the road, the noise of the powerhouses and the buzz of the power lines you can start to hear it talk to you.  It's an ancient voice echoed from stone to stone, whispered by the trees and sang by the river.  It's an experience that can't be measured by dollars or by time.  It's a constant and priceless expression of nature and source of wonder, inspiration and awh.  It's a home to wild animals who's lives are dependent on it like a mother.  It carries the water we drink and turns the turbines that make electricity for our homes.   In many way's is the very source of our existence.  The life blood of the land, animals and people of this region.  

I love to visit the Moke in the Spring.   Amador County is alive with flowers and blooming trees. The hills are green and dotted with splashed of bright colorful flowers.  All the animals are out and prowling around and gathering food.  The river is flowing with cold fresh water and the fish are happy and hungry.  Mr. Otther dives down and catches crayfish while the Eagle over head waits for a fleeing fish.  The elated insects dance in the warm air.  Butterflies, Moths and Bees sip from fragrant flowers and flutter in the breeze.  Mayflies hatch from the depths of the cold water.   The lizards and Salamanders along the river wait for the ones the trout miss.  The birds sing, dip, collect and fly.  They are all part of an eternal spring dance. 

Let's show our respect for the Moke and all that it has given this area over the years.  Help organization like the Foothills Conservancy, Friends of the River, Cal Trout, Trout Unlimited, The Sierra Club, the Sierra Nevada Alliance and Oars in their fight to stop the proposed dam expansion project on Pardee and also to ultimately secure a wild and scenic designation for the 37 miles of the Mokeulumne River Canyon that is still free.  This is what's at stake.  

 

Mokelumne Wild and Scenic from Mikey Wier on Vimeo.

This is just a first cut of a longer video in the works.  More on the way. 

I'm a Brown Trout! 

Stop Pardee Expansion

Act Now to Save the Mokelumne River from Proposed Pardee Expansion

East Bay MUD has announced its intent to expand Pardee Reservoir as part of its latest water plan. The expansion would flood the entire Middle Bar reach of the Mokelumne and nearly a mile of the Mokelumne above Highway 49. These miles of river are popular for fishing and kayaking, and used by local people and visitors to our area.

The expanded Pardee would flood nearly a mile of the Mokelumne found eligible for designation as a National Wild and Scenic River by the Bureau of Land Management.

EBMUD is including the Pardee expansion in its plan to help meet its water needs in dry years. Conservationists believe EBMUD can meet those needs in other ways – by adopting higher conservation standards, using the water it will soon obtain from the American River, and by other less destructive means.

Tell East Bay MUD you care about the Mokelumne River

The Mokelumne River is an iconic part of our area. For thousands of years, it was home to native people. In the Gold Rush, it was popular prospecting and settlement site. Later, it was home to some of the earliest hydroelectric development in the state.

Now people take their kids there for family picnics and to learn about the nature. Locals fish, swim, pan for gold, watch birds, and walk there. Others kayak, raft and inner tube the river. Still more visit its historic sites, including the Middle Bar Bridge. And the river draws anglers and paddlers from elsewhere who spend money in our local businesses.

But EBMUD thinks it's OK to drown more of our river and historic and cultural sites rather than ask East Bay residents to save more water in dry periods.

They need to know you disagree.

These shots were taken at the Meeting in Amador County on Monday. 

Over 150 Amador and Calaveras area residents turned out to show opposition to the project.   Way more than the little room EBMUD chose for the meeting could hold.  
Chris Wright from the Foothill Conservancy made it very clear that they do NOT support this proposal.  

So far, Friends of the River, The Foothill Conservancy, The Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, Oars rafting company and hundreds of individual local residents have spoken out to show their opposition to the proposal.  You should speak up as well.  Mail or e-mail comments to Tom Francis at EBMUD today.  

Letters with Comments for EBMUD must be emailed by April 6, 2009 and sent to:

Thomas B. Francis

Tfrancis@ebmud.com

375 11th Street MS 407

Oakland, CA 94607

Learn more on this issue at:

http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/PageServer?pagename=InterviewMikeyWeir

or

www.foothillconservancy.org/pardee