By Jenny Weis “My boyfriend didn’t teach me that!” was the way I indecorously retorted when a guide complimented my cast, saying, “Dang, your boyfriend must have been giving you some tips.” He meant no harm. But I’d known how to cast long before I met my boyfriend. My friend Nanci taught me years prior,
Photo courtesy of Nick Streit By Toner Mitchell While binge fishing the Rio Grande gorge last week, I saw my first two otters in New Mexico. Regarding the second, I’d yet to take my first cast when a long, chocolate movement caught the corner of my eye and drew my attention to the animal waddling
By Mark Taylor Everyone goes through slumps.
Phones have rooted themselves into our daily lives, and cell phone coverage and cell phone towers have blanketed the nation with the goal of providing cell phone service to the bottom of every canyon and the top of every peak. Verizon’s near decade long “Can you hear me now?” advertising campaign says it all. Yes,
By Sam Davidson A man I and many others considered a great American passed away last Saturday: Senator John McCain of Arizona. I was in the mountains over the weekend, with no cell service, so I didn’t learn of his death until Monday morning. I was surprisingly moved by the news. I felt like we
What makes Trout Unlimited such a powerful force in conservation across the country is not our expertise in river restoration, led by the world’s best and most committed staff. It’s not our 420 local chapters and state councils, led by over 4,000 passionate volunteers who marshal our 300,000 members and supporters to take care of local streams, engage
What makesTrout Unlimited such a powerful force in conservation across the country is not our expertise in river restoration, led by the world’s best and most committedstaff. It’s not our 420 local chapters and state councils, led by over 4,000 passionatevolunteers who marshal our 300,000 members and supporters to take care of local streams, engage
Sam Weis, the author’s late husband. By Jenny Weis My late husband had the fishing bug. He grew up fishing musky, walleye and panfish in the lakes of northern Wisconsin with his dad and grandpa. He eventually expanded his waters to Lake Superior, the Gulf of Mexico, and the driftless region of Wisconsin, picking up
By Jenny Weis Flying low in a DeHavilland Beaver over Bristol Bay, Alaska’s Naknek River, I could see weeds in the clear water, shallow stretches with rocks illuminated by the sun, and deeper pools hiding trout and probably a few king salmon staging to spawn. The window was to my right, and the amost-11-year old
Iron Gate dam, one of the four dams slated for removal under the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement and the KRRC plan. On June 28, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation submitted a major filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the KRRC’s “ Definite Plan” for removing four old hydropower dams on the Klamath River.
As anglers, we are out there in the field, witnessing firsthand the stream closures and warmer waters and burned landscapes. What we’re seeing, year after year, is evidence piling up of profound changes in the air and under our feet.
But at present, I’m not sure about our individual and collective will to respond and take action. It’s human nature to stick to our ingrained habits and mindset, to resist change in our thoughts or routines, short of emergency or catastrophe.
By Chris Hunt In early summer, No Name Creek is Irish green. It boasts a flourish of grass and bright yellow balsam root. Wild iris and sticky geraniums add color to the mix, but mostly, it’s just impossibly emerald green. There’s a spot on a little plateau that overlooks the creek, where native Snake River
If you’ve spent much time fishing in Montana, you’re probably familiar with Rock Creek just outside of Missoula. While it’s importance to fly anglers has been long known, it’s key role in trout recruitment for the Clark Fork River is starting to come to light. With that in mind, Trout Unlimited brought in Tess Scanlon,
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
The 8th class of the Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy. By: Jenny Weis There are a lot of things I love about my job. I love working with locals to protect the waterways they cherish and hope to one-day share with their children. I love empowering citizens to contact their elected decision makers
Longtime advocate for fishing and hunting and TU grassroots leader Geoff Malloway re-opens the Central Coast Fly Fishing shop. By Sam Davidson To Geoff Malloway, inaction, and its frequent companion inertia, are like poaching. They are a violation of the sportsmen’s code. He can’t abide them. You can see it in his face at meetings
By Nelli Williams Saturday winter mornings in our house are usually jolted into motion by a bright-eyed toddler and not-so sleepy Kindergartener shouting, ”C’mon mommy play!” with flapping arms and mini-dances of excitement. Despite a long week at work, I give in with little resistance. In the mind of a 3-year-old, play can’t wait for
Baby Skeena and Baby Morgan on the Kenai River. Photo courtesy of the Williams family By Jenny Weis My dad and uncle fished at our family cabin growing up, my boyfriend taught me how to fly fish, and most fishing trips among my friends were male-only, with no invitation extended to the females. Truthfully, for
Snake River steelhead, an Endangered Species Act listed species, will benefit from a collaboration of groups in Idaho that once worked against each other. Trout Unlimited photo. By Kira Finkler Looking around the West, it is easy to find watersheds where people are fighting over too little water. In Idaho, a group of partners decided
Helping organize rallies, like this one at the Idaho State Capitol, to show elected officials how sportsmen and sportswomen feel about legislation is an important part of the politics of conservation. Trout Unlimited photo. By Brett Prettyman Waders and work boots are the uniforms people typically think of when they envision Trout Unlimited staffers, members
