I first met Peter Pumphrey around twenty years ago at a fly-fishing conclave hosted in Kings Beach by the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers. I was giving a talk on how to get involved in writing about our sport, and afterward, Peter came up and asked about contributing to California Fly Fisher. Not long following that discussion, he sent me a story on horse packing for wilderness trout. It was well-informed and relied on his experiences, and it covered a topic of interest to anglers in our state. I bought it, and I’ve been buying his work ever since. I don’t think there is anyone else writing about fly fishing the eastern Sierra, especially the backcountry, as prolifically as Peter. And, as readers will learn through this interview, he’s been intensely involved in protecting the waters that benefit our sport fisheries.
Richard: When did you start fishing, and when did you begin fly fishing? What appealed to you about fishing and, in particular, fly fishing? Did you learn to fly fish on your own, or did you rely upon instructors or mentors?
Peter: I am not exactly sure when I started fishing. In our house is a snapshot of a small boy, maybe six or so years old. He is wearing jeans with gigantic cuffs, some sort of baseball cap, and a sweater adorned with flying geese. He holds a not-very-large trout in his hand and sports a huge grin. He is obviously pleased with himself. I do not remember the place, the time, or the fish. However, I do remember the sweater. I believe this may commemorate my first successful fishing experience.
My family did not fish or believe in the outdoors, so my opportunities to go fishing were very limited and therefore extremely special. Most of my early fishing was done in my imagination. At that time, fishing, real or imaginary, provided me a respite from a none-too-stellar home life. I knew I wanted very badly to be on the water, so I whined my way into the gift of a simple spinning outfit and then used my lawn-mowing money to assemble an assortment of hooks, lures, and so on. I selected these items based on countless magazine articles and books checked out from the library. I am pretty sure it was a true mishmash. But it didn’t matter, because I did not particularly know what I was doing.
When I reached high school and had a car, I was able to go to some of the lakes and streams near Denver, where I grew up. Eventually, I developed passable skills and continued to build an enthusiasm for the sport. I came to California to go to college and sort of stopped fishing for several years. However, during that time, I did contract the backpacking bug and started to explore the backcountry of the Sierra. Eventually, it occurred to me that I was seeing a lot of really good-looking water on these trips and began to pack my spinning gear.
After a while, most of the spin fishing I was doing was casting a fly with a bubble. About thirty years ago, it just seemed to make sense that maybe these flies would work better if I fished with them using a fly rod. I took one very bad lesson and then began to self-teach. Thank goodness I was fishing a lot in the backcountry, where the fish were forgiving and abundant. This minimized my frustration with the shortcomings in my technique. Finally I met some very encouraging and helpful fly fishers in the Mammoth area who taught me a lot. I was on my way.
Richard: If I recall correctly, when you sent that first story to me, you were working as an environmental prosecutor for the San Joaquin County district attorney.
Did angling somehow lead to that particular profession? By the way, what is an environmental prosecutor? Did you play a role in protecting our fisheries?
Peter: I was one of several environmental prosecutors in San Joaquin County. I was sitting in court one day, and a woman introduced herself to the judge as an “environmental deputy from the D.A.’s office.” I knew immediately that I wanted that job and began to pester the district attorney’s office. An opening came up, and I was fortunate enough to get the position. Our unit worked on fish-and-game violations and actions that resulted in harm or potential harm to the environment. These included the release of toxins to the air and waters of the county, improper storage or disposal of hazardous materials, and impairment of water quality.
Water has always spoken to me. I love to watch it, listen to it, or stand in it. (Oddly, I do not know how to swim.) The chance to use my legal skills on behalf of water quality, among other things, was irresistible. We did work on cases in which fisheries were harmed or potentially impacted, and we were able to obtain a cessation of the activities involved and a cleanup and restoration of the habitat.
Richard: Although you’ve retired from San Joaquin County and moved from Stockton to Bishop, you still remain deeply engaged in public service. You are on the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, are an advisor to the Executive Committee of the State Bar Environmental Law Section, and are on the Lands Committee of the Eastern Sierra Land Trust. You also served on the boards of the Sierra Nevada Alliance and the Chalfant Valley Fire District. How do you find the time to wet a line?
Peter: First and foremost, I am retired and have been for some 13 years. This is what has allowed me to have time available to do things in the community. My involvement probably reflects an inability to stop thinking that I should be working at something. My parents were very concerned about anything that could be construed as “wasting time,” and I still hear those voices in my head.
But it is truly a blessing to have an opportunity to be involved in causes in which I believe. It really helps that I live near Bishop. I am less than a half hour from being on the lower Owens River and less than an hour from dozens of great locations in which to cast a fly. I have learned to carve out a two-or-three-hour window. It really clears my head to spend some time on the water before or after a meeting. The chance to concentrate on the mechanics and setting of casting a fly allows me to be a bit more patient with the mechanics and settings of talking about problems and what to try to do about them. I just have to guard against staring out the window and thinking about Bishop Creek. This scheduling strategy has dovetailed nicely with the fact that, as I get older, I am less interested in fishing hard for long periods of time.
Richard: When you have an opportunity to fish, what do you seek?
Peter: I fish for trout because of the places in which they are found. They lure me to high alpine lakes, meadows dotted with wildflowers, sparkling stands of aspens, and other amazing landscapes. These places are humbling to me. There is a feeling of being in the presence of forces so much larger than myself. I want to feel peace within myself and a connection to the spaces I am in. A fish here and there is OK, too.
Richard: Pretty much all of your writing for California Fly Fisher has been about angling in the eastern Sierra. Clearly, there’s something about this region that you like. What draws you to it?
Peter: The first time I drove into the Bridgeport Valley from the north, I fell in love. The area reminded me of my native Colorado: dramatic peaks and spires and the wide green grazing land made me feel at home. The sense of openness in places such as the upper Owens River, Long Valley, and the entire Owens Valley is really compelling. The landscape and the weather are dramatic and seem ever-changing. Even though the land is heavily used by recreationists, I have experienced days of perfect solitude in the wilderness areas of the Sierra. Our house is located between the Sierra and the White Mountains, and every day brings a view that is truly a blessing.
Richard: How do you stay in shape for those high-altitude hikes as the years go by? And more intriguingly, perhaps, have you been noticing changes, positive or negative, to eastern Sierra fisheries over the past couple of decades?
Peter: I still manage to work out nearly every day, and having grown up in Colorado, I have been used to altitude my whole life. I try to stay active in our yard, walk as often as I can, and hope for the best. That being said, I fear that my long-distance backpacking trips may be a thing of the past, because my knees feel older than the rest of me.
I am sure that there have been a lot of changes to eastern Sierra fisheries in the last 30 years. Incremental change sneaks past me, often giving me the impression that I have not been paying attention. On the negative side, everyone thinks the fishing was vastly better 20 or more years ago. There are so many people that it is a bit more difficult to get away these days. Management resources are stretched thin, which leads to more restrictive management regulation — there are more rules about where you can go, when you can go, and what you can do. I understand why people chafe at this, but there is also a real need to try to sustain landscape and water resources in the face of continuing pressure. We need to protect what we have against the death from a thousand cuts.
I have no doubt that the fisheries have suffered from the alteration between extreme wet and dry years. The four years of extreme drought that ended this last spring definitely caused a decline in fish and insect populations, and it will be a while before we can expect full natural recovery. If we slip back into dry conditions before that can play out, there could be permanent damage to nonstocked fisheries.
On the bright side, I have seen real improvement in fisheries such as those in Long Valley near Mammoth, the Mono Basin, and the Golden Trout Wilderness as a result of restoration projects that were developed by partnerships of angling groups, land managers and owners, and nonprofits. High meadows are now receiving attention due to their role in the storage and release of snowpack water. There is a growing understanding that all of the parts of a watershed are connected and dependent on one another for its health. I have hope that our fish resources will benefit from support of these activities in the future.
Richard: When it comes to fishing eastern Sierra trout waters, what are the top one or two suggestions you would give to visitors to the region?
Peter: I always suggest that people take a few minutes to think about what kind of experience they are seeking. Where do they want to be; what kind, size, or number of fish are they looking for? What is the landscape in their vision? Do they want to be alone, or can they tolerate crowded conditions? There is such an
incredible variety of possibilities on the east side that you can find pretty much anything if you understand what you are looking for. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Ask the local people — you will find them to be really helpful.
Richard: Let’s circle pack to your activities outside of angling. You’re currently chair of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Few of us know what a water quality control board does. How about cluing us in and describing, too, how such boards might benefit sportfisheries.
Peter: The thumbnail sketch from the State of California is that “the Water Boards work to ensure the protection of water quality across a diverse range of topics such as storm water, drinking water, wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring, wetlands protection, contaminated site cleanup, low impact development, permitting and enforcement.” There are nine regional boards, which operate under the umbrella of the State Water Resources Control Board. Our region, the Lahontan, runs east of the mountain crests, south from the Oregon border to the northern parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. The board does its work in public meetings in which topics can include project permitting, project updates, and enforcement actions, all of which are connected in some way with the maintenance of public water quality standards. Healthy fisheries require high water quality. Fish habitat is subject to degradation from countless sources, so our responsibility to work to ensure water quality is also one to ensure healthy fisheries.
The Lahontan board has been involved in a number of activities that have benefited the fisheries in the Lahontan region. Before my time, this board was one of the forces in the restoration of the Crowley Lake tributary streams. The effort resulted in a significant upgrade in the conditions of the upper Owens River, McGee Creek, Hot Creek and its tributaries, and Convict Creek.
At this time, we are working with various partners on projects in the Truckee River Basin, Tahoe Basin, Hope Valley, Bridgeport Valley, and at Bishop Creek. All of these efforts are aimed at improving the quality of surface waters in these areas, either by engaging in restoration projects at locations on the streams themselves or in the development of strategies and projects that will address identified water quality impairments. We have worked with local watershed groups to identify areas in which water quality is compromised, identify the source of that degradation, and create an effective response.
We are also engaged in an ambitious process that will result in the adoption of a climate-change strategy that will be used to guide board policy and activities. It specifically calls for the protection and restoration of headwaters as a priority objective. We have engaged with approximately one hundred stakeholders who have contributed more than five hundred suggested points of emphasis and actions. We expect to boil this information down into an initial strategy document early in 2018 and then continue to follow up on the ideas we have received by reaching out to partner with the community. I am pleased with the fact that the board is open to comment and participation from the community, and I hope that people will understand that we are as responsive as our resources and work demands allow. Would that we could do more, but I believe we are working as hard as we can.
Richard: What keeps you fishing?
Peter: Wallace Stegner wrote, “By such a river it is impossible to believe one will ever be tired or old.” Every time out is an opportunity to see something new and experience a connection with the natural world. Even though I am probably more of a “fair weather angler” than ever before, I rarely regret a decision to spend some time on the water. You think you have seen a lot, and then a year like either of the last two comes along and presents a whole new set of challenges. There is so much turmoil and noise in the world that I welcome anytime I can just be standing in a creek, hoping to see the rise of a fish.
Richard: Anything else you would care to say that might have been missed in the questions I’ve asked?
Peter: Yes. People who fish are in a position to act as “first observers” of the health of our fish and the water in which they live. There are so many locations and so few agency personnel that we have to be the eyes of land and resource managers. There is a responsibility to let someone know that stream conditions are in peril, that fish populations seem to be undergoing changes, or that there are specific areas that have been trashed, or polluted, or otherwise degraded.
In addition to helping to identify the problems, there are a great many good reasons and opportunities to be part of their solution. I am extremely impressed by the accomplishments of anglers, acting either individually or as a part of a club or other organization. These range from broad initiatives such as the Mountain Meadows Partnership, working as citizen scientists on watershed monitoring projects, or putting boots on the ground as volunteers on projects to enhance the habitats for specific fish populations such as golden and cutthroat trout. We can be effective advocates for the fish and landscapes that we cherish.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that throughout California, land trusts enable people to preserve landscapes and land uses which contribute positively to fish habitat and health. These organizations, along with watershed groups, are in need of volunteers and funds for stewardship and operations.
We can also help nonanglers develop a love for these things by helping newcomers to the sport learn the skills and ethics that will make them stewards of these resources. Reach out to kids through learn-to-fish workshops and camps or the amazing Trout in the Classroom projects. There are opportunities to help construct fishing access structures or to work with cancer patients and survivors in programs such as Reel Recovery and Casting for Recovery. One of the most inspirational and humbling experiences of my life has been working as a fishing buddy with women in the Casting for Recovery program.
I wish that there was a way that I could communicate to the trout of the eastern Sierra how much I appreciate and respect them and how much it means to me that they are here as a part of the place where I live.
Short of that, I hope that our engagement in protecting and enhancing their future will in some way suffice.
Richard: Here we are at the end of the interview and our traditional Silly Tree
Question: If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
Peter: Ah, the tree question. I think about this every time I read the responses of others in your magazine. I have long wondered how I would answer. Ta-da: a redbud. If you have been in the Merced River canyon in late March and seen how their bright magenta flowers herald the promise of spring and the coming season of getting into the backcountry, you understand.
