Preserving Brule River fishing tradition means staying home this year
The conditions are shaping up for a very fine fishing opener on the Brule River in Douglas County.
Most of the storied river opened up – lost its ice – in early March.
Some years a crystal dome has covered all but the lower section of the Brule late into the month.
I have fond memories of chasing the crumbling edge of retreating ice upstream on some openers. The opportunity to fish a prime hole, just unwrapped, was a rare gift.
Some years, too, the river valley is heavy with snow. Dave Zeug, my regular Brule fishing partner, and I have occasionally used snowshoes to access steelhead spots.
Zeug and I have a pact to not release photographs of the other flailing in waist-deep snow after one foot plunged through a weak spot. Such indignities and challenges have always been worth it to fish the "River of Presidents" on the steelhead opener.
This year, though, it looks like riverside trails will be in decent shape and wading boots will suffice.
And what's more, the river is holding a good number of fish. The fall 2019 spawning run hit 6,497 steelhead, up 16% from 2018 and the highest fall run since 2009, according to Department of Natural Resources data.
It's enough to make me lose sleep. Because this year I won't be going. I've decided to forgo my annual tradition of fishing the Brule steelhead opener due to concerns over spreading coro
navirus.
Mind you, I feel great and have no reason to suspect I have the disease. But I haven't been tested, either.
Since people can harbor the disease without symptoms, I've made the choice to stay home this year.
It's also in keeping with Gov. Evers "healthier-at-home" order.
Just to be clear: Fishing and most other outdoor recreation is encouraged if social distancing is practiced. I'd have no problem keeping 6 feet from another angler on the river. In fact, I'd prefer 600 feet of space under any circumstances.
The point of forgoing the Brule opener this year is to prevent potentially spreading the disease 400 miles north.
If it's not in the Brule River valley now, the most likely way it will get there is through a human visitor.
Over the last week, Bayfield, Oneida and Vilas counties have issued travel advisories essentially asking non-residents to "stay away" during the coronavirus outbreak.
Although no similar recommendation has been issued by officials in Douglas County, the issue is the same. As much as it pains me, there's no way I can rationalize making the trip.
Other anglers have come to the same decision.
"After some hard thought, I decided the right thing to do was to skip this season," said Scott Thorpe, 69, of Minneapolis, a retired fishing guide who owns a cabin in Cornucopia in northern Wisconsin.
This year would have been his 50th consecutive opener on the Brule.
Speaking with me by phone Wednesday, Thorpe said he knows he could probably minimize his exposure on a trip to northern Wisconsin by wearing gloves when he pumped gas, paying with a credit card and taking all his own food.
But he also knows he'd be violating the spirit of "staying in place." And he'd be going to someone else's playground.
Thorpe said he asked himself several questions.
"Do I think the threat is real? Of course," he said. "Do I think people should stop traveling for non-essential purposes? Yes. Well, is fishing really essential, really? No. I can miss one seacussed son. It's the right thing to do."
And on the issue of sacrifice, Thorpe said it's important to keep things in perspective.
His father, Walter Thorpe, served in combat with the U.S. Army's 8th Armored Division in Europe during World War II. Due to his military service, Walter Thorpe was unable to hunt or fish from 1943 through 1946.
It's too early to say how large a social, cultural and economic upheaval the coronavirus will cause in the U.S. But already comparisons are being made to 9/ 11, the great recession and World War II.
And one thing is clear: To reduce the impact of COVID-19, it's far better for as many of us as possible to stay home, at least in the near future.
I called Zeug on Tuesday and we disthe situation, one unlike any other in our lives. He said the river was looking promising. But he supported my decision.
"I think it's going to be pretty quiet," Zeug said. "A few locals, maybe, and that's it. Keep healthy and remember the river will be waiting for you next time."
No, this year on the last Saturday in March there won't be any riverside bonfires with other anglers. Or scenic, pine duff-scented hikes along the Brule's shoulders. Or strong runs by crimsonstriped Lake Superior steelhead.
But Saturday morning I'll close my eyes and allow memories of past openers to fill my creel. And hope that by staying home this year, future openers will be even sweeter.