by JD on November 28, 2010
The LA River as it runs behind Castle Park Mini Golf in Sherman Oaks...no steelies in there anymore!
Visiting LA over Thanksgiving not only made me feel lucky for all the family and friends I have but also that I live in a place where steelies still roam free. Maybe things aren’t what the used to be at home, but all you have to do is take a look at the Los Angeles River and feel fortunate for what you have. The sad state of the LA River, which used to play host to really good runs of steelhead, is also a grim reminder of what things can turn into if we don’t keep fighting the good fight of fishery conservation.
To read my sick and twisted fantasy of the LA River, click HERE
(NOTE: This article originally ran in the April 2009 issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader Magazine)
Rush hour traffic is at a standstill on the graffiti-caked overpass 40 feet above our heads. Impatient commuters lay on their horns and bang on their steering wheels like caged monkeys as we hike towards the river. I step over a used rubber glove and then crouch down at the water’s edge near a soiled diaper. I try not to touch the water for fear of contracting some sort of unspeakable disease. A yellow Prestone jug floats by and almost looks as if it’s glowing in the low evening sun.
“Ain’t she beautiful, bro?” my guide asks with a huge grin.
This is definitely not my idea of paradise, but when my spinner gets crushed on the first cast and line starts ripping off my reel at an alarming rate, I start to reconsider. But let me back up here… [click to continue…]
