Pheobe checks out a backcountry bull trout caught on public lands in Idaho. I’ve had the good fortune of fishing with some great dogs over the years, and while sometimes it can be a burden, a good fishing dog is about the best companion an angler can have on the water. My old mutt Phoebe
Video spotlight: Creeking
Of all the types of fly fishing, from the flats of the tropics to the steelhead and salmon rivers of the coastal north, my favorite is what I’ve always called “blue lining.” I love small mountain streams on public lands—places where anyone can visit with a fly rod and, often, not see another angler for
Voices from the River: This one’s for Sam
By Eric Booten Excuse the grip and grin, but this fish and smile come with a story. I enjoyed talking fish with Sam, my fishing buddy and coworker. Several hours of the work week were routinely lost to these discussions, but when you work to protect fish and their habitat, sometimes you just take some
Voices from the River: Rain, cold … and the clicker
By Chris Hunt You can only be expected to handle this for so long. Four straight days of slate-gray skies and icy rain (and even the occasional snow squall) will wear on the tattered soul of anybody who’s ventured north to chase big pike in a remote Manitoba lake. Sure, you expect a day or
Voices from the River: Aven’s trip to Muddy Creek
An otherwise routine trip to check on a conservation project turned into a grand adventure for TU staffer Nick Walrath and his daughter, Aven. Walrath family photo. By Nick Walrath As parents we sometimes overlook the fact what may seem a mundane routine to us could be the adventure of a lifetime for our children.
Voices from the River: Beavers as tools
By Toner Mitchell I recently visited a tailwater stream known for its capacity to produce lots of brown trout, some of them quite large. The reservoir feeding this stream is operated exclusively for downstream agricultural users, the result of which is that the fishery i s also renowned for its poor conditions in winter, when
Video spotlight: Airstreamer
Here’s a good one from the Catch Magazine vault—Todd Moen dusted it off recently for us all to enjoy. It depicts my favorite kind of fly fishing—waking up somewhere new in the confines of the camper and taking the fly rod down to the creek to see what’s hitting. Video of Bass, Carp & Trout