now

Fishing
Hope for Pigeon River restoration after silt spill
Austin Alexander
Editor’s note: Austin
Alexander is a 14-year-old
Howell resident who for
the past several years has
been flyfishing the Pigeon
River with John Walters, a
family friend and president
of the Headwaters Chapter
of Trout Unlimited. Walters
received this letter and
forwarded it to the Herald
Times on behalf of Alexander,
who was “shocked” to
hear of the sediment release
and fish kill on the river the
night of June 22.
By Austin Alexander
Guest Commentary
My name is Austin
Alexander.
I am 14 years
old and have
been fly fishing for three
years. When I was 11, I was
fortunate to be sponsored
by the Headwaters Chapter
of Trout Unlimited to
attend Youth Conservation
and Fly Fishing School.
This was a four-day long
program held at the Ram
Center on Higgins Lake.
After learning about
conservation and learning
to fly fish, John and Sue
Walters took me in to stay
at their home for the rest of
that week.
I fell immediately in love
with the sport, but John
and Sue made it my passion.
They taught me many
things; one of the most
important that I practice
is catch and release when
trout fishing.
Since then, they have allowed
me to stay with them
for a week each summer to
fish with them. I have successfully
fished the North
Branch and Main Branch
of the AuSable, Black and
Manistee rivers; but my
favorite is the Pigeon River.
This year when I was at
their home, we fished every
day on the Pigeon River (no
joke). I caught a number
of trout including all three
species: brookies, browns
and rainbows.
SOME of them that I
will always remember were
a 13-inch and an 11-inch
brookie and a 20-inch
brown. All of the fish we
caught were very large and
healthy.
While fishing, John and
I saw a total of seven fawns;
one of them was actually in
the river. We helped it to a
shallow spot, it stood up in
the grass, we took a picture
of it and it escaped what
could have been a horrible
fate.
This fawn was less than
a week old. Every year I
have gone fishing with John
and Sue I have left with
lifelong memories and new
stories to tell, especially
this year.
UNFORTUNATELY, I
recently received bad news
of the Pigeon River where
we had fished the week
before. There is a private
dam upstream from where
we fish called Song of the
Morning Ranch dam.
I was told there was a
discharge of tons and tons
of sediment that killed lots
of fish and destroyed excellent
trout habitat needed
for survival.
All of the fish I caught
are now believed to be
dead. I can no longer look
forward to what the fishing
will be like for quite some
time and adding to the lifelong
memories I have had
on the Pigeon River.
The only hope I have is
for restoration and a successful
return of the river in
years to come.
I believe this dam
should no longer be in use
and able to ever cause such
devastating damage to the
Pigeon River, that I have
come to know and love,
again.
Maybe with years of
hard work our river can become
as amazingly beautiful
and bountiful as in years
past.
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A Gaylord Herald Times publication August ‘08 • GAYLORD NOW • 9