Fly Fishing

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Fly Fishing the Dark River in Northern Minnesota

Like me, this blog on fly fishing is going to be a work in progress. Right now I am busy tying flies to use during the upcoming fishing season. Stay tuned for my postings which will focus on the Dark River. The Dark River is located in Northern Minnesota on the Iron Range. The Dark River has a bleak future as a designated trout stream because United States Steel's Minntac operation is contaminating the river and destroying the macroinvertebrates that are the primary food source for the brook and brown trout. I will be publishing a photo/essay that I did for a photography class with my Canon Powershot 510... now I have a Canon EOS 30D so my photos should be improving. I would be interested in getting together with a few people for a spring outing on the Dark River... let's talk about a date... its a great place to camp and fish. This is a great area to get some good photography in; there are deer, black bear, wolves, coyotes, fox, otter, beaver, mink, marten, fisher; all kinds of birds including owls and eagles; many kinds of plants and trees; very good biodiversity. I will be offering fly fishing and photography classes on the Dark River. Fly fishing and photography are great family recreational activities. Click on the title to go to the Trout Unlimited web site. North Dark River The North Dark River Trail is located 16 miles north of Chisholm off Highway 73. This 1.3-mile long trail that follows the east bank of the Dark River through a jack pine plantation, planted in the 1930's, and loops back along an old logging road. The trail is generally flat making it usable and accessible by people of all ages. Enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the river, which has created a small valley through the sandy area in which it flows. As the seasons change from spring to summer you may spot many moccasin flowers that brighten the landscape. Dark River is a great location for fishing, with several access points down to the river as well as access trails from the south end of this trail along the river's edge. The river is a managed trout stream with brown and brook trout. Directions: Take Highway 73 north of Chisholm 16 miles. Turn right on Country road 688 and travel for about .8 mile. The trailhead is on your right. Pull off the road for parking. For more information please contact the Laurentian Ranger District at 318 Forestry Road, Aurora, MN 55705 or 218-229-8800. South Dark River Located by 14 miles north of Chisholm South Dark River Hiking Trail offers .8 miles of hiking and offers scenic views of Dark River. The trail is set in a mixed of pine and hardwood forest which varies from flat to rolling hills. Part of the trail follows an old railroad grade and is adjacent to a red pine stand planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Besides great fishing for brook trout and abundant moccasin flowers, the area is a great place to observe evidence of beaver and porcupine activity. Directions: Take Highway 73 north of Chisholm for 14 miles to County Road 65. Go east for 1-1/2 miles on CR 65 to Forest Road 271. Go north on FR 271 for 1-3/4 miles. This is a low maintenance road so please be careful. For more information please contact the Laurentian Ranger District at 318 Forestry Road, Aurora, MN 55705 or 218-229-8800. The Dark River originates in a bog, flows into and out of Dark Lake and joins the Sturgeon River which empties into the Little Fork River which empties into the Rainy River and Lake-of-the-Woods... and eventually this water makes its way to Hudson's' Bay. The upper half of the Dark River is within boundary of Superior National Forest. Flows through generally flat northern Minnesota forest and swamp country. Receives low recreational use. The lower half of the Dark River, from its origin, flows through generally flat, with areas that are quite hilly in the northern MN forest; lots of swamp, and farming country. This is the area of designated trout stream. To get a better lay of the land and the watershed do a Google "Earth" search by typing in "Minntac;" which will give you a very good view of the area. There are very nice camping areas all along the the Dark River. This is a very sparsely populated area. The Roseau County unit of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party at its convention unanimously passed a resolution in opposition to Minntac being authorized to purge the contaminated water of its "Clear Water Reservoir" into the Dark River; Trout Unlimited is also opposed to this; as are most of the residents in the area. Hope to see lots of you again at the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo: < http://www.greatwaters2007.com/ > Please check out the "Montz Report" which can be found among all my blogs listed in my profile. The "Montz Report" is the scientific study done of the aquatic macroinvertebrate community on the Dark River. Angler's Treasure The air fresh and clean, the little brook sings to me Calling me to take an adventure, wade the winding waters Down the gear the tools of pleasure, with my basket to hold my treasures My wand of magic with thread of gold, I go in search for what lays below Dressed in my rubber slippers I break the waters flow as I step on the slippery stone As the brook grips its life about my legs, I fight the forces wadding up stream In search of the hidden hole, with branches bending to kiss the waters I wave my magic wand, making the golden thread dance across the skies Whispering words of pleasure, reaching for the blackened water Dropping my little fly in hopes to find some wild action Not in search of a world record, only here for my pleasure Linda Pease 1/12/2007

"Environmental engineers" employed by U.S. Steel

Behind them is an aerial view of the huge "Clear Water Reservoir;" by the time these fellows get done talking you want to start drinking the water. Only United States Steel could come up with a name like "Clear Water Reservoir" for a tailings basin. United States Steel wants to purge this "Clear Water Reservoir" because the water is so contaminated it is ruining their equipment; yet the company insists pumping this contaminated water into the streams, rivers, and lakes of northern Minnesota is harmless. "Clear Water Reservoir" was constructed on the edge of a bog.

Note: I removed this from the main text of my blog because of the controversy over this statement

"In addition to the damage being done to the Dark River by Minntac, Potlatch is trying to prevent angling on the Dark River by posting much of the area with "No Trespassing" signs in an attempt to try to pressure the state to pay them to keep these lands open to the public." I received numerous calls and e-mails concerning this statement... from people that thought this was accurate, to those in the Minnesota DNR who objected, saying Potlatch has been a good partner in caring for the river and the fishery. Some members of Trout Unlimited also called to support this position of the MNDNR. I do not want this "access issue" to detract from the issue of what Minntac is doing; however, I think that there is something wrong in that an "angler easement" would have to be purchased from Potlatch... but, this is not a water quality issue... and I would rather see us anglers have access than no access; and, I would rather have Potlatch working to improve the river rather than having Minntac destroying this beautiful little designated trout stream that gives a lot of people access to trout fishing that would otherwise not have the opportunity. I just don't understand why Potlatch wouldn't just give this land along the river to the state. A lot of the calls that I have been getting from anglers on this issue agree with me; but everyone is also just happy to have access; and they want to continue to have access to a high quality trout fishery.