Voices from the River: Mourning summer

By Chris Hunt As Phoebe danced around the truck, anxious to start the walk up the familiar trail past a few bends in the creek, I donned my wading sandals for what would almost certainly be the last time this year. I was in a gloomy mood. Changing seasons, earlier sunsets and, of course, the

Native: Arctic char? Or Dolly Varden?

By Dave Atcheson “I cast out and try to be patient, waiting for my fly to sink. On my first cast I’m too patient and snag. On the next I begin my retrieve earlier, an excruciatingly slow retrieve, just a twitch of the line here and there to keep my fly undulating above the weed

Voices from the River: Heat Wave

Finding refuge from the heat, Stanislaus National Forest. By Sam Davidson Across the country, summer is prime time for trout fishing in the mountains . At higher elevations you typically get relief from sweltering lowland temperatures and find the kind of small water-wild fish opportunities that are, in some ways, the heart and soul of

30 Great Places: Tongass

Region: AlaskaActivities: FishingSpecies: Chum, Chinook, Sockeye, Pink and Coho salmon; Dolly Varden; Steelhead; Coastal cutthroat trout; Rainbow trout Where: The Tongass encompasses 17 million acres of public land, spread across much of Southeast Alaska. It’s a wonderland of hulking hemlock, spruce and cedar western hemlock, Sitka spruce, western red cedar and yellow cedar trees, dotted

Voices from the River: Spawn ’til you die

By Eric Booton Chrome. Silver. Red gold. All the worthy descriptions of fresh, wild Alaska salmon imply monetary value, and for good reason. Here in Alaska, wild salmon attract tourists from around the world. These trusted fish provide employment for guides, commercial fishermen, processors, chefs, pilots and many others. In the final frontier, salmon, fortunately,

Walking the Talk

Photo by Robin Kadet Petey jumped in my lap within moments of sitting down. Phil Monahan rescued the little dog when he found him walking alone down a highway. A few things stand out about the Orvis offices in Manchester, Vermont. First, as Petey demonstrated, their offices are very pet-friendly.Second, their street address is “Conservation

Warriors for wild places

Photo by Kirk Deeter at Kendjam Lodge, Brazil. From the Amazon Jungle to Bristol Bay in Alaska, native communities share a common belief that translates into any language: The world’s most pristine, irreplaceable natural resources should be protected for future generations against outsiders who threaten to destroy them in the name of profit. You have