I'll start with the meat of the matter first, then we'll get ugly. To all those who fish the Nooch beware. The guy who owns the property around the White Bridge access is going to make a stab at fenceing it off the gravel bar. This is on the West side of the river at the end of the Old Nooch Road. This is County property, dating back to the the old road and bridge. This must be stopped. Call the Greys Harbor County D.O.T. at 360 532 6180. Make them aware of this, so we can stop him before he get the fence up, which from the looks of it, the post are in, it won't be long.

Secondly, this relates to the above. We have been drifting the nooch for years and some of the land owners are starting to claim that we have no rights land on the gravel bars or even anchor in the river running through their property. This is not true and was decided in the Supreme Court a number of years ago. For documentation go to www.adventuresport.com/river/us-law-men. I suggest all who fish carry a copy with you.

It should also be noted it is aginst the law to harass a hunter or fisher engaged in the the legal taking of game.This means they, the property owner, can not run you off or prevent you for the quiet enjoyment of fishing or hunting without being in violation of the law. This law was enacted in response to animal rights advocates preventing people from the hunting or fishing when it is legal to do so.

All this been said, it is now time to address our obligations in these matters. Stop throwing shat on the ground!!!! Most of these guys are pissed about the bait containers, beer cans, and general garbage littering up their property and I don't blame them. Don't do it, don't even think about doing it. If you don't think, then stay home, you are destroying it for the rest of us.

We carry garbage bags with us, you know one of those plastic things your wife makes you take out now and then. And while we are on that subject, do you throw it on the ground in front of your house, if you do, stay home. The bags we carry are for the the trash we generate and unfortunatly the trash you generate. I can't claim you on my taxes, so I sure as help don't want to have to pick up after you. But if I must, I will, just don't let me catch you at it, there is no bag limit on litters as far as I know.

This rant is because two weeks ago I ended up in and eye to eye confrontation with a land owner over my rights to fish a gravel bar on his property on which we beached the boat. I explained to him the laws, continued to fish for awhile, and then moved on. This weekend I was back at the same gravel bar and there was a big Nooooo Tresssspasssssing sign. He is still wrong, but you know, right next to the sign someone, an idiot, to be exact, had built a fire pit, which is legal. They were trying to burn beer cans, which don't burn well, and you would think even an idiot would know that. So I picked up the beer cans and continued on my way. Now I have them in a garbage in the back of my truck and when the State lab turns out the D.N.A. results I will be coming to your house, with a case of cheap beer. All empty, you figure it out!!!

The author Nick Lyons said it best in the book "Confession of a Fly Fishing Addict." "If you destroy a river, there will no longer be fish in it, if you kill the fish, it will no longer be a river."

Bottom line stop wrecking the place and maybe, just maybe, we can fish in peace.

Of course that's just my opinion. Call Greys harbor D.O.T. Thanx.

Took my son down to the gravel bar takeout on the east side of the river, and we picked up some garbage. He asked me why these people didn't pick up after themselves. Good question.

Andy