B6 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 26, 1997

DAVE TAYLOR

~ SKEENA ANGLER
ROB BROWN

Scrambled eggs

arly in a career that would span

thousands of meetings, Jim Culp,

the Gordie Howe of northem wild-

life conservationists, suggested to a
group of outdoorsmen that they should consider
building casting platforms on the upper floors of
the Lakelse River. The idea was not without
precedent. An article by famed flyfishing
fabulist Emest Schwiebert describes how he
cast flies from platforms standing over the Ar y
River in Norway. When they weren’t nibbling
on Camembert and sipping on viniage Bor-
deaux, Schwiebert and the expatriate Russian
Colonel from the army of the Tsar managed to
pull some huge Atlantic salmon from the switl-
ing waters of the river this way.

The platforms on the Ary weren’t built so
anglers could save money that might otherwise
have been spent on waders. Without them the
ferocious river could not be fished. Jim’s sug-
gestion was conservative in intent. The stream
bed of the section of the Lakelse River between
Herman’s Point and Coldwater Creek is blue
ribbon spawning habitat Coho, steelhead,
pinks, cutthroat trout, and char all deposit ova in
it.

Unfortunately, anglers tromp all over the same
real estate. Jim was sure the pressure of wading
boots wasn’t doing the incubating eggs any
good, Platforms, he argued would alleviate the
pressure. Nobody else was convinced. Jim's
idea was met with derision.

For years after that the idea of wading fishers
crushing Lakelse salmon eggs, would arise from
time to time. It was usually voiced in tones of
contempt by a handful of local gear fishermen
who, forgetting that they do their share of
wading too, try not to miss an opportunity to
sling mud at the flyfishers who exert the bulk of
the pressure upon the Lakelse,

None of the people I’ve challenged on this
point were able to cite anything but gut feel to
substantiate their opinion. This is the kind of
conjecture 1 like to call ‘‘angler scicnce’’, that
is, weighty pronouncements based on a few ran-
dom observations, no experimentation, and
wilhout a hint of research.

So, 1 dismissed the idea, believing that eggs
were pretty tough and relatively secure once un-
der a protective layer of gravel. A paper by
Bruce Roberts and Robert White, scientists
working in Fisheries Research unit at Montana
State University suggests I shouldn't have dis-
missed the idea.

In 1983 the Montana Supreme Court granted
the public access to all flowing waters provided
the access was legally gained. Two years later
the legislature in the same state directed its Fish
and Wildlife Division to develop rules for
managing the recreational use of rivers and
streams. As a result, a process was established
whereby persons could petition the Montana
Game Commission to restrict public access to
streams if detrimental effects of recreational use
could be demonstrated.

One of the first petitions filed was one re-
questing that Nelson Spring Creek be closed to
recreational use without the permission of land-
owners nearby because unlimited wading
through important spawning areas of that creck
would adversely affect the recruitment of trout

populations of not only Nelson Spring Creek |

but the famous Yellowstone River to which it is
a tributary.

. To determine if wading did indeed have a

detrimental effect, White and Roberts replicated
river bottoms in wooden troughs complete with
the eggs of brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Then, with finicky scientific precision, designed
a program to measure the effects a wading per-
son weighing 75 kilos would have on them.

Since eggs are in a state of flux, the scientists
measured the effect of wading on them at dif-
ferent times during their development. The.
resulis were not particularly encouraging,
Twice-dally wading from egg fertilization to fry
tmergence killed 83 per cent of eggs and pre-
tmergent fry of cutthroat trout. 89 per cent of
brown trout eggs and fry and 96 per cent of the
tainbow eggs and fry. From the time when the
tags were green until the start of eyed stage the
mortality was only 10-13 per cent. The bottom
line was there were two times in their develop-
tment when eggs were particularly vulnerable to
waders.

In the case of the upper Lakelse we necd to
know what spots are utilized by spawning trout,
and when the spawning takes place, and we
need to know if salmon eggs are as vulnerable
to wading as trout ova, Otherwise, as White and
Roberts point out, other spatial and temporal
regulatory measures set in place to protect
apawners could be nullified by wading,

TERRACE STANDARD

SPORTS

638-7283

Terrace blanked at tourney

North Van takes
Provincial Finals

GREAT HOCKEY,  dis-
appointing finish.

That about sums up Ter-
race’s performance at the
very first Juveniie Provin-
cial Championships ever
held here.

The three-team touma-
ment drew hundreds of fans
over three days of play last
week. They were treated to
some solid, action-packed
hockey. Unfortunately, our
Jocal boys didn't make it to
the finals.

The Terrace rep
played four games
failed to post a victory.

Not that they were totally
outgunned. The local squad
matched the speed and indi-
vidual talent of the visiting
Surrey and North Van-

team.
and

couver teams, but their lack»
' they lost 6-3.

of experience killed them.
Terrace got frustrated
easily, took too many bad
penalties and  penerally
lacked the teamwork and or-
ganization of their southern

opponents.
The result was a hard-
eamed goal by Terrace

would be negated seconds
later when a sloppy pass or
poor clearing attempt was
instantly pounced on by the
visiting team.

But in spite of their lack of
experience (can you say sec-
ond sheet?) the games were
exciting and fans were
treated to some great end-to-
end hockey action; «~

Surrey blanked North Van
3-0 in the opening game,
which turned out ta be a
prelude to the final match-
up.

Termace was up next,
against North Van. The
visitors struck first early on,
then added a second mid-

way through the first to
make it2-0.

But Terrace fought back
on a powerplay late in the
period. After a  slapshot-
spree (none of which were
even close to the net) Ron
Cullis potted one on a nice
tip from Chad McKay.

Then the local lads’ spirits
were really lifted when Joe
Hadley tied it up with just
31 seconds left in the peri-
od, assisted by Nathen
McAvoy and Troy Bissell.

Unfortunately, their joy
was shortlived and North
Van went ahead just £4 sec-
onds later to end the period
at 3-2,

The visitors dropped three
more in the second. Terrace
added one more late in the
third, but it was too late and

Terrace made it closer in
their second game, this time
against Surrey. They were
down by two fate in the
third and pulled their goalie,
but it didn’t pay off. Surrey
added am empty-netter to
take it 7-4.

Surrey’s first loss came
Friday morning in a re-
match against North Van.
This was a real battle royal,
with penalties being traded
like hockey cards as North
Van muscled their way to a
3-2 victory,

Later in the day, Terrace
took on Surrey in a goal-fest
‘that ended pi in a 9-6 Sur-
‘ey victory.

Terrace’s last hopes for a
victory in the tournament
were squashed Friday night
when they were schooled by
North Vancouver, The local
boys couldn’t put one past
the southem netminder and

NORTH VANCOUVER wins a face-off in Terrace's first game of the Provincial
Championships. North Van went on to win this game 6-3.-- See

ended up being blanked 7-0.

The final game between -

North Van and Surrey took
place Saturday, and it was
certainly defensive battle.
North Van ended up win-
ning the Championship
match 11-7,

PUCK CHASE. Terrace and North Van fight for it at centre ice.

Krug scores big

LOCAL HOCKEY player
Jason Krug is making his-
tory in Minnesota.

The 24-year-old Terrace-
raised defenceman was
recenly named to the
regional university Academ-
ic All-American team (what
the Yanks call an all-star
team) for the second year in
& row,

It’s an achievement to be
proud of, although it came
as a bit of a surprise to
Krug.

‘‘No one even told me,’’
he says. “I had to read
about it in the newspaper.”

Krug is currently in his
third year at Mankato State
Universily in Mankato,
Minnesota — about a one-
and-a-half hour drive south

of Minneapolis.
There, Krug plays for the
university’s Mavericks

hockey club. And he's made
quite an impact on the team,
becoming only the second
defenceman in the team’s
history to record a hat trick,
leading the club’s defen-
cemen in shots-on-goal, and
picking up 10 points in the
last 13 games of the season
ta help lead the Mavericks

toa 10-2-1 record.

But to become part of the
All-American team requires
more than just skill on the
Ice. Academic prowess is
also taken inlo consideration
and Krug is certainly no
dumb jock.

In fact, he’s made the
Dean’s list five times for
achievement in his major,
business administration.

“T actually find it pretty
easy,”’ he says, “‘I think it’s
because I came here later,
when I was 21. If I had
come here when I was 18, I
don’t think my grades
would be even close to what
they are’?

With those grades, Krug
says he would stand a good
chance of landing a decent
Job in the U.S, after gradu-
ation.

‘But that would mean
giving up on hockey,” be
says, ‘“And I don’t think
I’m ready for that.”’

Krug played minor hockey
in Terrace from the tender
age of seven until he was
15, when he went off to Sas-
katchewan to play Junior
hockey, He finished high
school there, then played in

the juniors for three years
before heading south.

And he’s certainly made
his mark at university, plac-
ing second in the 1995 na-
tional rankings for game-
winning goals by a defen-
ceman, third in powerplay
goals, seventh in assists and
eighth in goals.

But even that kind of per-
formance, Krug says,
doesn't guarantee 4 trip to
the NHL.

“Tdeally, that’s always in
my mind,’’ he says. ‘But
realistically T’ll probably go
to Europe afier school to get
more experience.”

Krug says he will be able
to beticr judge his abilities
afier next season, when his
team will be playing against
five or six of the top ten
teams in the U.S..

“DH have to gauge my
play against those guys,’’ he
says. ‘‘Right now, . thal’s
what I’m focussing on.”’

Of course, Krug’s prag-
matism doesn’t mean he’s
not giving up on his NHL
dreams. :

“I'd do it in a second if I
could,” he says, “I'd play
for free,”?

Petites take Fifth

OUR PETITES ringette division finished the season in
fine form two weekends ago at the Provincial Finals in
Quesnel,

The locals ended up placing fifth of 12 teams after
posting just one loss in four games.

However, things didn’t start so well for the team. In
their first game against Bumaby-New Westminster, the
squad found themselves down 4-0 early on,

But they weren’t about to give up and fought back
with gusto, ending up with the come-from-behind vic-
tory of the year and defeating the lower mainland
squad 7-6,

In spite of the victory, the team couldr’t maintain its
Momentum and lost game two to Coquitlam, 6-2.

But they bounced back in the third match against Port
Coquitlam, not quite taking ihe win, but it was close at
a 5-5 tie.

The final game was even better as the Terrace team
beat out hometown Quesnel 6-3.

Coach Tom Metcalf says he was really impressed
with the team’s performance and their hard work at the
tournament and throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the Terrace Junior division was in Prince
George over the weekend for their Provincial Finals.
Look for the results in an upcoming Standard.

in States

JASON KRUG of Terrace has made university all-
star for two years in a row in Mitinesota,