Currently browsing… Steelhead

  • Conservation

    Give Idaho’s wild steelhead a chance

    By Chris Wood The first time you snorkel a stream, the size of the bugs are disarming. Stoneflies tumbling down the stream look like aquatic dragons bent on taking off a limb. It is an optical illusion, of course. We were way up in the South Fork of the Salmon Riv er drainage. Hiking in…

  • Fishing Fly tying

    New gear: Fair Flies fly-tying brushes

    Finding the best fly-tying materials can be really difficult, particularly when you take into account things like finding ethically sourced materials that provide living-wage jobs for the folks who assemble them or even tie flies for a living. Fair Flies Fly Tying Brush from Angling Trade Media on Vimeo. Fair Flies is an Oregon-based company…

  • Conservation

    Act Now to Help Protect the Methow Headwaters

    We need your support to help urge the BLM to protect the Methow Headwaters and the habitat it provides for rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bull trout, mountain whitefish, Chinook salmon, and steelhead. A mineral withdrawal would make the 340,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in the Upper Methow Valley off-limits to large-scale mining for…

  • Conservation

    Election losses and wins

    Wild Alaska at dusk. By Chris Wood Last Tuesday was Election Day. The Democrats took over in the House of Representatives. The Republicans solidified their hold on the Senate. Buried in the shuffle was the outcome of two separate ballot initiatives . First, in Montana, Trout Unlimited worked closely with Montana TU and other partners…

  • Fishing Fly tying

    Fly tying: Wood Duck Heron

    As a utilitarian fly tier, if I can find a fly that's both simple to tie and effective on the water, I'm in a pretty good place. I like flies that I can a dozen of at a single sitting and not feel like I've been hunched over the vise for hours. Video of Wood…

  • Conservation

    Conserving freshwater biodiversity in California

    A native Chinook salmon from California's Central Valley. Conservation of freshwater biodiversity faces major challenges. The fragmented nature of freshwater habitats often results in species populations being highly vulnerable to extirpation. Moreover, areas managed for resource conservation typically reflect jurisdictional or landscape boundaries that have little meaning for aquatic species. Now, a team of scientists…