Kamchatka’s trout streams are simply magnificent. Sadly, I only know this by reputation, not direct experience. I had an opportunity to go last year, but I had a conflict and, painfully, had to turn it down. As you’ll see in the film above, the Zhupanova is loaded with big rainbows, and they’ll eat streamers and
Region: Southwest/Southern RockiesActivity: FishingSpecies: Apache, rainbow and brown trout Where: The Black River courses through the two million-acre Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and the San Carlos and Fort Apache reservations in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona. This is not the desert country that Arizona conjures up, but forested terrain criss-crossed with cold, clear-running streams and
By Brett Prettyman MILLCREEK CANYON — The moment of truth. It comes with the first spoonful of a new chili recipe delivered at a family hunting camp. The first cast to slurping trout on the hand built rod on your favorite water. Waiting to see if the patched hole in the waders is stream worthy.
Region: Northern RockiesActivities: rafting; fishing, hiking campingSpecies: Rainbow and brown trout Where: The Smith River flows some 120 miles in a northwesterly direction through west-central Montana, emptying into the Missouri southwest of Great Falls. Much of the river borders private lands, but a 60-mile section that flows through Smith River State Park (beginning near White
Chicken of the woods mushrooms. Photo by the author. By Chris Hunt A little over a year ago, I stood up to my thighs amid a thick run of pink salmon in a remote, rainforest stream on Alaska’s Prince of Wales Island, trying like hell to tempt one of the few early cohos that were
Little Lost River bull trout. Photo by the author. I first fished Idaho’s Little Lost River in the early 2000s. I’d heard rumors of bull trout swimming in the high-desert stream that would hit dry flies intended for rainbows and require two hands for the “hero shot” after the battle. The latter might be true
Brooke Harris briefly holds a Yellowstone cutthroat for a picture after she caught is as part of her efforts to complete the Utah Cutthroat Slam. Brian Harris photo. By Brian Harris I recently opened my home mailbox and was pleased to find the beautiful medallion and certificate recognizing my fourth completion of the Utah Cutthroat
By Sam Davidson Nowadays there is no age limit, apparently, for quarterbacks. Or for fly fishing. Last weekend, my eighty-year-old mother joined legends such as Lefty Kreh and Frank Moore in providing more proof of the latter, as she waded up and down the banks of t he South and Clark forks of the Stanislaus
Here’s a little good news for your weekend. A few days ago, a year to the day that tens of thousands of coldwater fish were killed in the Yellowstone River due to low flows, high water temperatures, and associated disease, TU signed an agreement with Kinross—a mining company out of Toronto—that will result in at
By Kirk Deeter In the last issue of TROUT, Kris Millgate reported that Yellowstone National Park is considering a ban of felt-soled wading boots. And that prompted several letters to the editor, including some that criticized us for “advocating” for the ban, merely by writing about a proposal (just because you report on a topic
By Chris Hunt It’s a big weekend. The last one before Apoca-Eclipse hits eastern Idaho, and it’s the peak of the Perseids. The full solar eclipse set to darken daytime skies later this month is on everyone’s minds here in Idaho Falls. We’re in the sweet spot of its path of totality across America, and
By Eric Booton I’m not a mechanic. In fact I’m pretty much the exact opposite. So when the check engine light on our beloved camper van named Ivy popped on and the performance of the engine took a turn for the worse, I wasn’t thrilled. As the vehicle that gets me to the river, launches
Time for “an oldie, but a goodie.” Because it’s that time of year here in Idaho. The Middle Fork of the Salmon River has long been known as one of the best backcountry floats in the Lower 48, and for good reason. The dry-fly fishing for native cutthroats is unparalleled. The river is wild and
As a child we fished. My brothers and our friends did a lot of things together but primarily we fished. Each one of us allocated our allowance money to purchase what we needed for our next suburban adventure. A tackle box. A new reel and rod. A better selection of Rooster Tails. Not much else
By Jenny Weis I imagine the following series of events has played out in households other than just mine: Partner loves fly fishing and goes all the time. Partner tells me *he thinks I, too, would love fly fishing. I believe him and am genuinely excited for him to teach me! Partner teaches me to
By Brett Prettyman We were still stringing lines and slipping on wading boots when my preteen nephew came running into the parking area at Three Dollar Bridge on the Madison River. “Look how big this bug is,” he squealed while holding an enormous, and still squiggling, insect out for us to behold. It didn’t take
By Eric Booton Confidence overwhelmed me as I rode in the bow of the canoe. My cousin and I, paddling in tandem, raced toward the “pike of gold” at the end of the rainbow that Alaska’s midnight sun had put on display for us. The rainbow was particularly noteworthy, in fact. Powerful enough to captivate
An angler walks along the Escalante River in southern Utah looking for native Colorado River cutthroat. Cliff Wirick photo. By Clint Wirick The red rock country of southern Utah is not often considered trout habitat for good reason. Many waters in the southern reaches of the second driest state of our country are too turbid
A front-line warning sign on Peleliu during World War II. By Chris Hunt My grandfather was an old man the last time we fished together on Robinson Creek, not far from where it leaves the boundary of Yellowstone National Park and flows into Idaho at the depths of a thigh-busting canyon. We’d walked in from
Fly fisher Chad Brown is a unique guy—a former sailor who left the military in a state of depression and confusion, it’s likely that rivers and fly fishing saved his life. Today, Chad devotes much of his life working with veterans and inner-city youth, using fly fishing as a healing endeavor for people in need.
