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The river that was
On the Snake River, what was lost and what could still be.
Dean Ferguson and his father Dwight have an annual tradition. They drive to Colton, Wash., a tiny farm town perched on a bench above the Snake River in extreme eastern Washington. They place flowers on the graves of ancestors, then drive another few miles to an overlook across a lake. Here 80-year-old Dwight tells his…
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Holiday Gifts for River Rats
Because you’re here reading this, you’re more than likely into fishing… and boats. Probably both! This guide to last-minute gift ideas was compiled by TU’s resident filmmaker and boat driver Josh Duplechian and our at-large photographer/oarsman Tim Romano. While it’s short on fishing gear, it’s long on accessories that make any boat lover happy. Costa…
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Trekking into a Tongass wilderness
The Forest Service's Roadless Rule makes this possible: Amazing fishing for trout and salmon in an old growth forest Like others before it, the trail eventually petered out. And, like we had done before, Chris Hunt, Sam Davidson and I huddled to talk about our options. Someone said, “The road should be that direction so…
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Update from the Madison River: Anglers rally to save trout
In the early hours of November 30th Hebgen Dam (the source of the Upper Madison) had malfunctioned, resulting a 70% drop in flows.
Long-term effects of dam failure still TBD When my colleague Bill Pfeiffer and I pulled into Ennis, we were met with some familiar sights. The grocery store parking lot was overflowing with people grabbing a couple of sandwiches to take with them to the river. As we drove upriver 287 nearly every pullout, boat ramp,…
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On tap: A stronger Clean Water Act
We need your help to protect small streams and healthy fisheries For most of my three decades at TU, we have been working to see that the landmark Clean Water Act protects all the waters it was intended to protect. That includes the small tributary streams, headwaters, and wetlands that are so important to the…
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Why are public lands and green spaces an important part of your life?
TU and Orvis asked teens to write about their special connection with nature - read the winning entries A decade ago I traveled to a size XXL outdoor show in Chicagoland where I spent the better part of a weekend working the TU booth and handing out swag to the young anglers in the crowd.…
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Boats: How to Troubleshoot Simple Trailer Light Problems
Face it—if you own a trailer long enough, you’ll have some issues with the lights. The longer you own the trailer, the more problems seem to pop up. Just yesterday while hooking up one of my boats, none of the lights decided they wanted to work. No brakes, no blinker… nothing was working. This very…