-
A record-breaking run
In honor of National Salmon Day, we are sharing stories from a part of the country where the ecological, economic and cultural importance of salmon cannot be overstated. Alaska’s famed Kenai River is a phenomenal fishing destination in any year, but 2025 was one for the record books. Over 4.2 million sockeye salmon returned to…
-
A year after Helene, TU’s impact continues to resonate
Jay Hawthorne was enjoying a tour of a Kentucky bourbon trail with his wife and another couple when it became clear that Hurricane Helene was going to hit the inland Southeast. The group managed to make it back to Madison County, N.C., where Hawthorne and his wife watched the French Broad River rage from their…
-
Bugs with Mags: Why aquatic insects deserve conservation attention
Rarely do people picture mayflies, caddisflies, riffle beetles or midges when they think about wildlife protection. But these tiny, stream-dwelling bugs are just as vital—and just as vulnerable.
My main advisor in graduate school at Colorado State University was Paul Opler. If you’ve ever used a Peterson Field Guide to butterflies, you’ve probably seen his name. Paul was a giant in entomology. But one of the most impactful things he did was become the first entomologist hired by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife…
-
Photo of the week – fall splendor
With the colors waning, we wanted to leave this here for you to just enjoy the fading colors of a wild rose bush. Don’t forget to harvest some of those rosehips for some yummy and healthy tea.
-
TROUT Tips – more streamer tips
There are many effective ways to fish streamers. You can vary the stripping speed and change how you can present the fly. Give this Orvis video a watch to get some ideas to use while fishing streamers. See All Orvis Learning Center Fly Fishing Video Lessons
-
The True Cast – Why bother with fishing?
I’ve spent a whole professional career writing about fly fishing (at least most of it). And looking back, sometimes I wonder if it was worth it. Sure, the ride has been fun. Who could argue against getting paid to write stories about fishing, and edit magazines and all the other stuff? I’ve seen places I…
-
Spot trout, catch trout, photograph trout… for science
By harnessing the power of angler catch data, it uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify individual fish from angler-submitted photos.
Picture this, you’re on your favorite river, you spot a nice trout sipping off the surface. After careful observation, you tie on a fly you think matches. Then you watch this fish for a few more minutes, cast, land your fly just ahead of the sipper, and much to your delight, it raises its head,…