-
The Alaskan rainbow trout: All you need to know
Alaska’s rainbow trout populations are still largely intact and robust, largely because of remote locations with limited accessibility, abundant and pristine habitat, and conservative management.
Alaskan Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Species Summary and Status: The rainbow trout native to Alaska is also known as coastal rainbow trout (Behnke 2002). There are two forms of coastal rainbow trout native to Alaska: the freshwater resident form and the searun form more commonly called steelhead. For the purposes here, only the resident form is…
-
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
“Arctic grayling,” I responded without batting an eye. “I’ve never even seen one, let alone fished for them before. It’ll signify just how far from home I am on this trip.”
An Arctic grayling from Alaska. Gabby Mordini photo. Western Native Trout Challenge: Arctic grayling Editor’s note: Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to accomplish the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge. He will attempt to land each of the 20 native trout species in their historical ranges of the 12…
-
Why you should always carry a spare oar
A few weeks ago my good friends who shall remain faceless and nameless to protect their identity/stupidity took a little trip to float a river just north of the Colorado border in Wyoming. Before the trip I was told they talked about the fact that they had somehow misplaced the spare oar for the single…
-
Roundtable: What are you doing to protect trout during the heatwave?
We asked a host of Trout Unlimited anglers what they’re doing in response to the heat in order to give trout a break this summer
When rivers are too warm to safely chase trout, consider other species, like pike and bass. Chris Hunt photo. Editor’s note: The West is amid its worst drought in decades, and the Southwest is suffering through its worst drought in recorded history. Trout in the West are feeling the pain — the Colorado River’s upper…
-
What to do if we can’t fish?
Native Colorado River cutthroat trout. Kara Armano photo. Luckily, I've still been able to fish. Thanks to living over 8,000 feet and having plenty of high mountain streams and lakes, I have lots of options. At least so far. I recently went to beat the heat that was nearing triple digits to a new-to-me high…
-
Teach the kids to row their own watercraft
What do you do when the kids get a bit older and you're tired of handing out snack after snack on big river trips? Get them their own watercraft. We all want our kids to learn the river from their own perspective and to safely make mistakes and corrections while the consequences are low. The…
-
Drought and fishing in the Colorado River Basin
To conclude our Western Water 101 series, I talked with a few of our staff working on projects in the Colorado River Basin about fishing conditions and what anglers can do to help protect our beloved trout. Low flows and high temps are already plaguing the Upper Colorado River Each installment of Western Water 101…
Category