Of editors and willow slips

Some of you may have been somewhat surprised and amused by the Tangler’s last column. In it, I referred to myself as “an expert angler” as I described catching my first trout of the season.

Of course, I had my tongue placed firmly in my cheek when I penned those words. Just to be certain that no one took that statement seriously, I added the sentence, “OK, OK, who’s the wise guy laughing out there.” I felt I had CYA’d myself with this modifying sentence. How little I knew.

Shakespeare, a somewhat better writer than I, once wrote about a certain fellow bemoaning having to bear “the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune.” This was to be my fate.

I suppose Charlie Buterbaugh, the nice young man who edits my column, had just been given a brand new red pencil. I think he was chomping at the bit to use his new equipment, and so he excised the “who’s laughing” sentence from my column. When I received the paper, I flipped to my column to check it out. Oh no! There was only the boastful sentence proclaiming my ascendancy to the status of “expert angler.”

Now, it happens that quite a few friends and acquaintances read my column, not to enjoy great literature, but rather to seek out errors and misstatements, which they then gleefully point out to the woebegone writer. Mr. Buterbaugh had unwittingly handed them a long, sharp knife.

The following Saturday, at the willow planting festival on Hankins Creek, several who fancied themselves as stand up comedians noted how fortunate the group was in having an “expert angler” working with them that morning. I was defenseless, hoisted by my own petard. I received several phone calls, whereupon my fateful words were read into my ear, followed by laughter that would put a hyena to shame. To put a stop to this, I wish to testify, that I am not now, nor have I ever been, a card-carrying member of the Expert Anglers Association.

Let us move on to more serious matters. On May 24, the Upper Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited planted the last of 2,900 streamco willows along the banks of Hankins and Callicoon Creek. The Johnny Appleseeds of the Upper Delaware have also planted 500 assorted hybrid poplars, red oaks, silky dogwoods, butter bushes and swamp roses along the creeks during the month of May. It will require two more years, at least, of this kind of effort to completely armor the banks of Hankins Creek on the properties where we are now concentrating our efforts. This will require a great deal more scratching in the gravel and thousands of dollars in fund raising before we complete the work in this area.

Some may not understand the reason for all this money and physical effort being expended on small streams whose fisheries do not compare with the wild trout fishery of the Delaware’s main stem. The answer is quite simple. If habitats of the small tributaries of the Delaware ever become unsuitable for trout spawning, there would be no more wild trout in the Delaware. Pennsylvania and New York have never been able to document any trout spawning activity in the Main Stem. All spawning occurs in the tributaries of the big river. If the tribs are not maintained in a healthy condition, wild trout would disappear from the Delaware. The river would become just another sick trout stream, only maintained by “rubber trout” from a hatchery.

The NY Department of Environmental Conservation does not have the money or the manpower to work on these vital tribs. Therefore, it comes down to this; if it is to be, it is up to me. All of us who fish the Delaware or love the river need to help in this effort. If you do not have the time or physical ability to “scratch in the gravel,” a donation, large or small, to our willow-buying program would be helpful. The Upper Delaware Chapter is neither rich nor large. Nor are we a group of mouth music conservationists. Our members actively support the ideals of Trout Unlimited, which are to preserve and enhance our coldwater fisheries.