Limited Trout

I spent thirty years working as a trout fishing guide on the Big Hole river of S.Western Montana, a famous "blue ribbon" fishery, at least when I started. But throughout my whole career I observed a down-hill slide in the habitat. Basically, the basin is over-appropriated and irrigators suck the river dry every summer so they can grow hay. And because of the changing climate, snow pack, if there is any, doesn't last as long as it used to so the water heats up. Then you've got all the anglers, yanking out fish and taking their pictures to show on Facebook. All of us guides saw the trend, but fisheries managers didn't want to upset the "Ag Community", meaning the powerful ranchers who always ran things. Plus the fact western water law is all about livestock and crop production, with ecosystems left unprotected. Big Enviro non-profits like Trout Unlimited could step in, for instance, demanding the Endangered Species Act apply to the grayling but they are just as afraid of the cow people. Plus their donor base includes Big Money boys uninterested in government intervention. So now the trout population is crashing so all those big crowds that used to fish there will start heading to the last, best rivers and trash those as well. The law of diminishing returns. But at least the cows will have plenty of hay.