Matthew L. Miller - Fishing Through the Apocalypse: An Anglers Adventures in the 21st Century

i Fishing Through the Apocalypse

ii iii Fishing Through the
Apocalypse

An Anglers Adventures in the 21st Century

Matthew L. Miller

An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
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Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2019 by Matthew L. Miller

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

ISBN 978-1-4930-3741-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4930-3742-1 (e-book)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

For Mom and Dad, Lana and Larry Miller

Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains... On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.

Cormac McCarthy, The Road

The world seems so knackered. I just think a wild trout in London would mean that it wasnt.

Charles Rangeley-Wilson, City Fishing

Contents

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the assistance of the many researchers, conservationists, fisheries managers, guides, and fellow anglers who lent me their expertise. They answered my questions, reviewed drafts, discussed big issues, and took me fishing. I cannot thank them enough for their generosity and patience.

My friend Solomon David deserves special garcolades as he has supported this project from the beginning, reviewed chapters, and championed my work within the fisheries research community.

While social media and online forums deservedly get a bad rap for keeping people out of the outdoors, Ive found many online sources to be invaluable in researching this book, as well as a way to find hunting and fishing friends with similarly obscure interests. The folks at goodhunting.com were early supporters of my work. Roughfish.com provided inspiration, story ideas, and contacts for several chapters. The Twitter fish nerd community connected me to great researchers around the country.

Family friend Susie Campbell introduced me to people important to the Coal Creek chapter.

Ive wanted to write about the outdoors since I was twelve years old. Many teachers, professors, and mentors encouraged that passion and kept me going when it seemed an impossible goal. In particular, Im grateful to Bill Gallagher, Jim Ferguson, Frank Pisano, Jennifer Jackson, Gigi Marino, the late Jim Bashline, Michael Kincheloe, Rachel Larsen, and Bill Gafjken. x Ted Williams is a longtime writing hero who Im now honored to call a colleague. Stephen Bodio was an early writing inspiration and is now a friend.

A shout out to the staff of Penn States Center for the Performing Arts, the first place to employ me as a writer. I especially thank Robin Conklin, John Rafacz, and Renee Zeigler.

For the past seventeen years, Ive been lucky enough to work for The Nature Conservancy with extraordinarily talented and gifted colleagues, too many to list here. Thanks to Bob Lalasz and Peter Kareiva for giving me a space to write creatively within the organization, at the Cool Green Science blog. My current supervisors, Hugh Possingham and Molly Wallace, have supported this project from the start, as have my science communications team members Cara Byington and Justine Hausheer. I have valued all the time and conversations with the Conservancys excellent field staff, especially my friends Dayna Gross, Mike Eckley, Megan Grover-Cereda (and Trish Cereda), and my colleagues in the Boise office. And an extra special shout out to Laura Hubbard, supervisor extraordinaire, mentor, inspiration, and friend. I owe you more than can be repaid.

I am indebted to the members of the Outdoor Writers Association of America for your professional development advice and friendship over the years. I cant list you all, but I value all you have done for me. Kermit Henning introduced me to this organization when I was only twelve and has remained an enthusiastic supporter of my work. My talented colleague and friend Christine Peterson reviewed multiple chapters and provided excellent feedback. Brett Prettyman went above and beyond the call of duty, connecting me to sources for many chapters, as well as reviewing many of those chapters.

Thanks to the excellent fishing writer Stephen Sautner for advice and introductions in the early stages of this book, and to Eugene Brissie at Lyons Press for taking on this project. I appreciate the production staff of Lyons Press and Newgen for their xi copy editing, design, and expert advice, and for keeping this project on track.

I thank my in-laws, Dean and Connie Puffett, and the extended Puffett-Glass clan, for their support and for accommodating my unusual interests and road trips while in the Midwest. I am always buoyed by the energy and enthusiasm of my awesome nieces and nephews, Jacob, Jack, Samantha, David, Kelli, Tyler, Noah, Sarah, and Isaac.

My brother Mike has been a constant friend, source of laughs and Star Wars minutia, and is now my sons hero. My parents, Larry and Lana Miller, saw my love of the outdoors, books, and travel from an early age, and gave me every advantage so I could pursue those interests throughout my life. They provided a childhood that every nature-loving kid should have. Now, they enthusiastically read every word I write and are my biggest fans. The book is dedicated to them.

My son Derek reminds me that writing at the computer is best done in small doses, and that often its time to quit wrestling words and instead dance, race cars, and chase each other around the house. Seeing everything anew from his eyes has been one of my lifes greatest joys. I hope he can find his own passions that give his life meaning and purpose. Judging by his energy, that wont be a problem.

And Jennifer. Sometimes, words fail. You have been my greatest friend and partner in adventures near and far for more than twenty joyful years. Your sense of humor, your love, and your enthusiasm keep me grounded. You not only accept my absences during my often-strange outdoor adventures, you deal with the pestilence I bring home, a list that includes shingles, fungal infections, severe poison ivy, septic wounds, various bites, all manner of horrible odors, and, most recently, bedbugs. And yet, you have done nothing but buoy my spirits during this book. You read and reviewed every page. Youre my constant. I couldnt have done it without you.

Introduction:
Fishing Through the Apocalypse

I watched my worm sink slowly into the murk: past a floating beer bottle, past a submerged tire, finally disappearing into a jagged hole in a rusty filing cabinet. I wondered if this spot could hold fish. Or any life, really.