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Sen. Bennet seeks to modernize oil-and-gas reclamation, leasing in the West
Introduced today by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, the Oil and Gas Bonding Reform and Orphaned Well Remediation Act addresses inadequacies of the current federal reclamation bonding system, including outdated and inadequate minimum bond amounts and increased cost of reclaiming modern oil and gas wells. The bill's introduction is coupled with the reintroduction of Bennet's Public…
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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…
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Quick Tip: Girth hitch your cam straps
All it really consists of is using a girth hitch to attach your cam-strap to the frame, d-ring ... whatever really
Look at 10 different rafts and you most likely see 10 different ways to rig the exact same thing. Almost every time I go out on a trip with other folks for an extended period of time, I learn something about rigging. Some good, some bad, and some will change the way you do things…
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A summer for Plan B
When water temperatures approach the mid-60s on your favorite trout stream, it's time for a back-up plan. Chris Hunt photo. The calendar said it was June 18. Not even summer yet. But we hit the mid-90s two weeks earlier and the heat hadn’t really let up. Sure, you could get away from it up high…
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Record-low flows make floating the Smith a bad bet
Typical spring flows on Montana's Smith River are completely navigable. But last week, the river's flows hit an all-time low of 116 cfs. Greg McReynolds photo. Montana’s fabled Smith River at the Eagle Creek gauge shattered a low-flow record last week, and the outlook for anglers with float permits this summer is beyond bleak. As…
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The Brood X hatch? Big deal … or a nothing burger?
I don’t live in an area that saw the once-in-seventeen-year “Brood X’ cicada hatch. And I’m not sure if I’m happy about that, or jealous of those of you who did get the cicadas. I saw them on television, landing on the President’s neck, even grounding the White House press plane for a while. My friends…
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Two products from Yeti every river rat should consider
Our good friend Geoff Mueller who's an author, editor and migratory gear geek is spending the summer living in Dutch John, Utah, perched in his camper above the A section of the Green River. He and his wife Kat who manages Western Rivers Flyfisher and Guide Service are as hardcore as it gets on the…