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The more things change …
More than 50 years ago, TU's mission was still centered around cold, clean water
The mission is the same more than 50 years later Trout Unlimited was all of nine years old when broadcasting legend Curt Gowdy took to the Snake River near Jackson Hole, Wyo., with comedian and singer/songwriter Phil Harris for a 1968 episode of The American Sportsman. The guy on the sticks who guided the affable…
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TU’s Chris Wood to essential workers: Free TU memberships to all
A special 'thank you' to America's essential workers
TU President and CEO Chris Wood offered free Trout Unlimited memberships to every essential employee in America last week as a "thank you" for putting themselves in harm's way during the coronavirus outbreak. In addition to offering free one-year memberships to essential workers, TU is also giving memberships to emergency personnel, first responders and those…
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The fishing lodge
The greatest fishing tales are first told at the lodge
The old dart board hangs from the split-log wall, inviting a game of 501. It’s just to the left of the bar, which rests in the shadow of a massive bull moose mount. The fireplace crackles nicely, spitting flames up the rock chimney and spreading the aroma of seasoned spruce throughout the lodge. It mingles…
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Atherton No. 2 Nymph
Tying the Atherton No. 2 Nymph
Well-known fly pattern creator John Atherton wasn't much for literal imitation when it came to tying his flies. Instead, he was the discipline's answer to impressionist painters—nothing looks exactly right in an Atherton creation, but nothing looks too out of place, either. Thankfully, trout often seem to look at flies the same we tend to…
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Fly fishing tips from north of the border
Fly-fishing tips from our friends up north
I love to fly fish in Canada. From the spine of the Rockies to its boreal forests, the Canadian north rivals any fishy locale on the planet, and fly fishing is a great way to get to know the waters of this region. The folks at The New Fly Fisher — anglers like Mark Melnyk,…
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Birds, books and flies
Birding has become a distraction for one shut-in Alaska angler
Whiling away the coronavirus pandemic in Alaska I had a realization the other day while wandering my neighborhood bike path with the pooch, eyes scanning trees for the flutter of wings and ears waiting for the jubilant spring song of rambling birds. I am unintentionally prepared for this quarantine. After a pleasant trip south of the border, I returned to new norms of social distancing and a more or less…
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Spring Fly Showdown: All hail the Elk-hair Caddis
The king of all flies? Voters choose the Elk-hair Caddis
The votes are in, and I must admit, I'm a bit surprised. In a fantasy "tournament" of fishing flies, the Elk-hair Caddis reins supreme. In the recently completed TU-Loon Outdoors Spring Fly Showdown, the venerable bug outlasted the stately Adams in the final matchup. And, honestly, I voted for the Adams. Not that I don't…
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