Put yourself in the shoes of Rich Schwend, a hard-rock miner from Billings, Mont., but also a rabid fly fisher. “Being a miner in a fly fishing community isn’t easy,” he says. He gets that, in today’s fly fishing world, protecting our trout resources often means that anglers are at odds with the mining industry.
By Chris Hunt I’m an unabashed fly guy, so much so that I’m probably part of that snooty long-rod culture that inadvertently looks down their noses at bait fishers. But I have nephews and a niece who have yet to really get into fishing, so I’m coming to grips with my tweedy issues and making
Mark Fowden retired ater 39 years with Wyoming Game and Fish in early January. He passed away March 31. Photo courtesy Wyoming game and Fish. By Cory Toye Wyoming lost a man who dedicated his life to the conservation and management of our great fisheries when Mark Fowden passed away March 31. Mark led a
The Montana House of Representatives took the side of the hard rock mining industry when they voted to table a common-sense bill, HB 593, recently. HB 593, introduced by Representative Nate McConnell (D-Missoula), would have required an independent audit of mining companies every 3 years. These audits would make sure the mining companies are following
Fighting fires is expensive and the U.S. Forest Service is responsible for the bulk of funding the growing number of fire events each year. Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service By Andy Rasmussen Wildfires do more than consume forests and turn rivers black. Fighting fires is dangerous and expensive—amazingly expensive. Wildfire suppression eats up a significantly
Jillian Lukiwski backpacking and fishing in Idaho’s Sawtooth mountain range near Stanley, Idaho. Josh Duplechian/Trout Unlimited By Michael Gibson Significant cuts are being proposed to federal programs that benefit sportsmen and healthy habitat. But in Idaho, sportsmen successfully lobbied to increase their own license fees for the greater benefit of our wildlife, setting an example
By Chris Hunt As a kid, I remember seeing little jon boats cruising up and down the Sabine River along the border with Texas and Louisiana, their pilots running trot lines for channel cats and generally looking like they were having an excellent time. The boats, squared off in the front and pushed by a
