“Talking Columbia Blues,” is but one song in the epic collection penned by Woody Guthrie as part of a BPA sponsored ode to the wonders of the mighty Columbia River and the implied magic of hydroelectricity. In the midst of his rambling blues chatter, in between making jokes about the political aspirations of salmon and the fact that they too run every four years, Woody proclaimed with aplomb what America’s future would look like.
“Atomic bedrooms,” warbled Guthrie. “Plastic. Everything’s gonna be made out of plastic!”
Now, it’s not that he was wrong in his prediction, and I am in no position to quibble with the proclamations of a certified cotton pickin’ soothsayer, but I think Mr. Guthrie may have been suffering from an acute case of greener pasture syndrome from looking at all that damned up water.
Interestingly, the BPA, which paid Guthrie to pen the Columbia collection, forced the orator to remove the plastic verse from the official release.
These days it seems that everything is in fact made out of plastic. Silverware is plastic. Cars are made out of plastic. Homes are made out of plastic, and so is the grass that the kids go out and play on. I tried to purchase a belt at a local athletic store last week and was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find that all of the belts were made out of some spandex-like stretch material and all the buckles were made out of…plastic. I openly lamented the rubbish quality of the synching selection and opined for the days of leather belts.
I was about eighty percent certain that the sales clerk was simply being facetious when he replied with dead eyes, “What’s leather?” That remaining twenty percent of doubt is entirely authentic.
When I first set out to begin making myself passably self-sufficient in this world I found it prudent to purchase a power drill. All of the calloused hand, blue collar workers I knew had power drills so it seemed like a prerequisite for the task. Since that day I have cursed that drill nearly every time I’ve had to employ it. The plastic form battery went bad first. Then the plastic bit lock grip began to lose its muster. Now it can hardly back a screw out without whimpering for mercy. That “rugged” tool has left my hanging out to dry on so many projects that I decided to fix the problem with a supposedly antiquated, but never outdated piece of equipment; A wood handled, metal shafted, crookneck-hand crank, manual drill.
For $5 at the Packwood Days flea market I eliminated, in one fell swoop, the possibility of my fickle-fancy power drill from forcing me to quit a project before its completion, ever again. It requires no lithium battery to operate, just good ol’ fashioned elbow grease. Its parts are made of sweat varnished hardwood and rain polished stainless steel. In the ensuing years that I’ve owned my power drill it has been broken, more or less, since day one. In the generations since the manual crank drill was produced, by hand, it has never been broken. Not even once.
It seems that a regression into omnipresent obsolescence is the standard operating procedure for much of our world these days. While we find ourselves at the forefront of technological advancement, the actual production of quality structures, goods, and tools has gone the way of the horse and buggy.
A world of enduring pyramids, great walls and Stonehenge, has given way to prefabricated manufactured homes made of off-gassing particle board and clapboard portable school buildings that make one long for the days when the wall was still made out of bricks. Archeologists rejoice to find common kitchen pottery from ancient civilizations. Future generations of anthropologists will have to search in the dump for our telltale deposits, because we threw all the plasticwear away.
In his monumental poem, “If,” which reflects on the daunting process by which one may achieve true adulthood, fortified by fire and washed clean in the torrential runoff of life, Rudyard Kipling penned the following verse:
“If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken, Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools. If you can watch the things you gave your lie to broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools.”
It takes only this, and about twenty-two more stanzas of virtuous wisdom, to in fact, “Be a man, my son.” But how are we to persevere and stoically rebuild with worn-out tools in a throwaway society where worn-out is an oxymoron.
In this world of plastic there is only new and broken, unless you know where to look.
FISHIN’
Angling opportunities abound on the heels of a busy, and early, Memorial Day weekend. With still another weekend to enjoy in this here month of May and some fine weather in the works, it is safe to assume that the late spring push on local rivers and lakes will continue, even if the bite doesn’t.
On the lower Columbia River, where an extended fishery for spring Chinook and summer steelhead has been open since May 16, the fishing was “fair to good,” according to the WDFW creel report. Boat anglers in the gorge had the best time with about one and a half springers landed for every two poles. Their bank bound counterparts managed just under one third of a spring Chinook per rod. Steelhead fishing was slow throughout the river.
Sturgeon and walleye were also pulling on translucent lines last week in the lower Columbia River. Sturgeon retention is currently only allowed in the John Day Pool and WDFW sample data showed anglers there landed nine legal size river monsters last week. Another 27 sturgeon of the wrong size were tossed back into the pool.
Over on the other line, walleye fishing was “good” in The Dalles Pool and “excellent” in the John Day Pool, according to the WDFW’s creel data from last week. Boat anglers in The Dalles were averaging nearly three fish per rod while 54 boat anglers in the John Day Pool reeled in 190 keepers.
The spring salmonid fishery above Bonneville Dam was also reopened on May 28 due to an abundance of returning salmon in the river. That fishery will remain open through June 15.
Next weekend anglers looking to knock the rust off of their reel will have a two day window to do so for free. “Free Fishing Weekend,” as it is quite astutely called, is an annual happening where the WDFW opens up freshwater, saltwater, and shellfish species for harvest without the need for a license, vehicle pass, or Discover Pass.
Over that weekend, two-pole fishing will also be allowed without the corresponding endorsement in waters where double-dipping is already allowed. Similarly, no Columbia River salmonid endorsement will be required to fish the big river or its tributaries.
“Free Fishing Weekend is a great time to try fishing in Washington, whether you are new to the sport, have not taken up a rod and reel in years, or want to introduce a friend or young family member to the sport,” said Chris Donley, WDFW inland fish program manager, in a press release.
Popular angling options in western Washington include spring Chinook, steelhead, and shad on the Columbia River, lingcod in the salted waters of the coast and Sound, and the jumbo steelhead of the fabled Olympic Peninsula drainages.
Size requirements, daily bag limits and gear restrictions will remain in effect during the two day fishing free for all and anglers must fill out a catch card for any fish they bonk.
One fabled river of the west Olympic Peninsula that will not be open to anglers on free-fishing weekend is the Hoh River. A decision by the WDFW in conjunction with the National Park Service will close the mainstem and South Fork Hoh River to recreational fishing beginning June 6 and extending through the end of July.
According to the WDFW the return numbers for spring/summer Chinook in the Hoh River have not been keeping up with the angling pressures in recent years. Previously angling had been allowed for other fish species in the river, like trout, during the summer but there has been growing concern that the sheer number of incidental encounters with Chinook has been detrimental to the run. In other words, the dreaded catch and release and float to the surface scenario may be at least partially to blame.
The Hoh Tribe has also proposed an altered fishing schedule for the summer which is meant to reduce negative impact on wild spring and summer Chinook in the river. All Hoh River waters inside the Olympic National Park will also be closed to fishing.
In better news, a kids-only fishing event will be held at Lake Sylvia in east Grays Harbor County on June 6. The lake will close to the public for a 12-hour period prior to the event while the fish are primed for catching.
HUNTIN’
Increasing concern over the risk of human-caused wildfires has prompted the WDFW to restrict target shooting at the popular Wenas Wildlife Area in central Washington.
“It’s essential that we protect public lands for both recreation and wildlife habitat,” WDFW lands division manager Clay Sprague said in a press release.
Dating back to May 22 and continuing through Sept. 30, target shooting will only be permitted between sunrise and 10 a.m., when the risk of sparking a wildfire is subdued by the cooler temperatures and morning dew.
Target shooting at the wildlife area has been restricted every year since 2012, but this year’s drought has pushed the restrictions into effect earlier and with more punch, as the shooting window this year is one-hour smaller than previously.
According to the WDFW press release, target shooting has been responsible for numerous wildfires in Washington in recent years, with three burns attributed to gun play in the scorching summer of 2014.
“Last year’s fires followed by this year’s drought compel us to take a more cautious approach,” said Cindi Confer Morris, WDFW manager of the Wenas Wildlife Area, in the press release.
Just like all WDFW recreation and wildlife areas, fireworks and other incendiary devices, like tracer rounds and exploding targets are always prohibited. Additional restrictions are under consideration at this time.
Additionally, many areas, including Wenas, are also subject to a campfire ban that will extend through at least Oct. 15.
This is the final week for spring turkey hunting in Washington, as the six week long hunt is set to close with May’s final curtain. If you haven’t filled your quota yet, know that licensed hunters are permitted to bag three turkeys during the season. Two of those birds may come from Eastern Washington and only one may be from western Washington, where the gobbler numbers are thin.
SHRIMPIN’
Recreational shrimp fisheries that closed earlier in the season are set to re-open on June 1 in parts of Puget Sound. Marine Areas 7, 8-1, 8-2, 9 and 11 will then be open to coonstripe and pink shrimp harvests.
Shrimpers should be sure to check the fishing depth limit before heading out and remember that all spot shrimp, the largest shrimp in Puget Sound, must be returned to the water immediately.
Marine Areas 4, 5, 6 and 7 West will be unaffected by the regulation changes and open daily to the retention of all shrimp species.
