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The deep, dark secrets of Alaskan lake trout
“This might really, really suck,” I said to Ancans with a halfhearted laugh. We then laughed together because we knew we were already unquestionably committed
Walking to "the spot" hoping to land a lake trout for the Western Native Trout Challenge. Daniel A. Ritz photo. Chucking and ducking heavy lines to check the lake trout off the list Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native…
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Mistakes you don’t get to make twice
An Alaskan rainbow trout prepares to swim away after being caught on a tributary to the Susitna River in Alaska. Daniel A. Ritz photo. Western Native Trout Challenge: Alaskan rainbow trout Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge,…
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The Alaskan rainbow trout: All you need to know
Alaska’s rainbow trout populations are still largely intact and robust, largely because of remote locations with limited accessibility, abundant and pristine habitat, and conservative management.
Alaskan Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Species Summary and Status: The rainbow trout native to Alaska is also known as coastal rainbow trout (Behnke 2002). There are two forms of coastal rainbow trout native to Alaska: the freshwater resident form and the searun form more commonly called steelhead. For the purposes here, only the resident form is…
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Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
“Arctic grayling,” I responded without batting an eye. “I’ve never even seen one, let alone fished for them before. It’ll signify just how far from home I am on this trip.”
An Arctic grayling from Alaska. Gabby Mordini photo. Western Native Trout Challenge: Arctic grayling Editor’s note: Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to accomplish the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge. He will attempt to land each of the 20 native trout species in their historical ranges of the 12…
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The Arctic grayling: all you need to know
Arctic grayling are easily recognized due to their large and colorful dorsal fin. Chris Hunt photo. Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus) Species Summary and Status: The Arctic grayling is a cool or cold- freshwater species in the same family (salmonidae) as salmon, trout and whitefish. The defining characteristic of this fish is its large, sail-like dorsal…
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Trout in the classroom creates advocates
“You committed to driving to Maryland tomorrow for a Trout in the Classroom release.” My colleague's words were not music to my ears. I had completely forgotten, and wasn’t really thrilled about the outing. I drove the few hours to the Lucy School in Middletown, Md., with relatively low expectations. If you have seen one Trout in the Classroom release, and…
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Roundtable: Dealing with bad behavior on public lands
Kamil Miłkowski photo via Pixabay. Editor’s note: With more and more people heading to the outdoors in pursuit of safe and healthy recreation, reports of bad behavior are becoming more common. From abandoned campfires to litter, we’re seeing impacts on public lands that stem largely from ignorance rather than malice. We asked several long-time Trout…