-
What kind of trout is this?
The trick to knowing what you’re going to catch before you catch it, is knowing what lives in the river. Of course. Some people, however, have dialed it in a bit more. For example, they know the rainbows like the riffles in certain places on the Colorado River, whereas the browns hug the banks and…
-
Fly tying: Using a whip-finisher
When I got my first beginning fly-tying kit all those years ago, most of the tools made sense. But there was this weird loopy, wiry thing that just confounded me. It was a whip-finishing tool. I set it aside and when I tied my first fly (likely a horrible-looking Woolly Bugger that, on its best…
-
Video spotlight: Swing Season—the Slow Down
What happens when fishing guides come to the realization that Olympic Penninsula steelhead are in trouble? Renowned steelhead guide Gray Struznik and his community of like-minded brethren on the OP realized that, as fish escapement numbers on fabled local rivers failed to meet goals for proper recruitment that replenishes the population, it was time to…
-
Trout Tips: Hit the tail light
In New Zealand, where the waters are typically very clear, and the trout are always very smart, the exact spot where a fly lands near a trout can matter down to the inch. The Kiwis will tell you that as you are casting upstream at a fish's position, it's always best to miss to the…
-
Video spotlight: Touching the Sun
I bought a mountain bike last spring with the intent of riding some backcountry trails to fishy haunts, and while I got out a few times, I didn't use it nearly enough. Maybe next summer. It's not an outlandish idea, biking to backcountry fishing. The video above shows two anglers who loaded their bike paniers…
-
Art exhibit highlights Great Lakes ecosystem
Coaster brook trout oil painting by Alexis Rockman The Great Lakes are one of the most important natural treasures in the world, holding 20 percent of the earth’s fresh water and forming an interconnected system that is among the most beautiful, economically significant and ecologically complex regions on the planet. In January 2018 the Grand…
-
Short casts: Trophies in Idaho, Colorado; an ode to Lefty, Madison fly choices, and more
Photo courtesy of the Idaho Statesman 'Tis the season for big fish, it seems. On Idaho's Boise River—a fantastic urban fishery—Jason Waidelich latched into a massive rainbow trout that tipped the scales over 19 pounds, a highly unusual catch for the Boise. At first, Waidelich's wife, was sure the fish was one of several steelhead…
Author