Trout Unlimited launched the Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative in 2020. Orvis has chosen the program as the beneficiary of its Giving Tuesday efforts on Nov. 30, 2021, pledging 10 percent of profits to the program.
TU volunteers play key role in Maryland Fly Fishing Trail launch
Mike and Anh Wen, the winners of the 2017 TU Sweepstakes, recount their stay at the cozy Yaak Valley Log Cabin for five nights and spent four days on the river with the Linehan Outfitting Company.
Editor’s Note: Each year, participants at Trout Unlimited regional Youth Fly Fishing and Conservation summer camps are invited to enter the TU Teen Camp Essay Contest. The prompt for 2019 was “Why is conservation important to fly fishing?” We received many wonderful entries and are pleased to share the top five essays. To find a
Corinne Doctor serves on the board of her local Boulder Flycasters Chapter in Colorado, and is also the women and diversity initiative coordinator for the statewide Colorado Council. In 2011, she and her husband Garrison founded Rep Your Water, a hat and apparel company that donates 3 percent of every purchase to conservation. In 10
TU, BLM ink $8.867 million partnership for watershed restoration across the West.
May and June are great months for fishing caddis patterns in the driftless. This year, I noticed many fish receptive to caddis patterns stationed in shallow, fast water in broad daylight. Here are a few suggestions that might help you catch more trout on caddis patterns. I am not a big fan of floating caddis
As Tim Flagler notes in the video below, the Cream Variant is “an oldie, but a goodie.” Indeed, I remember seeing this pattern for the first time as a child—it is the epitome of delicate fly fishing, and I remember thinking that all flies used for fishing should be this beautiful. Video of Cream Variant
Wading while fly fishing is one of the more visceral experiences the craft offers. There’s something very primal about feeling cold trout water working its way around your legs—I’ve always felt that is makes me part of the river rather than just a visitor. But wading safely is important, and Orvis’ Tom Rosenbauer, in the
We’ve all been there. The fish are rising on the far bank, and you can reach them … if only you had enough room behind you for a backcast. But you don’t. What to do? In the video above, TU’s Kirk Deeter demonstrates a simple technique borrowed from spey casters that simply helps you get
Beads for fly tying can be mystery, especially for beginning tiers who are looking to either dress up a nymph or a streamer or to simply get the fly down deep and avoid having to use split shot while fishing. Video of Beads and Cones Here, Tim Flagler gives some sage advice on beads, and
If you’re like me, any pattern that calls for a size 24 hook is a pattern best left to the experts. Tim Flagler’s Zelon Musk Midge is a prime example. Video of Zelon Musk Midge This might be the simplest midge pattern I’ve ever seen. It consists of two ingredients in addition to the thread,
Todd Moen’s latest fly-fishing film is a story of three women and their fights with breast cancer. It’s a sobering reminder that, while the “river of life” moves on, some of us fall victim to the cruelest of conditions. And, yet, some find ways to persist, and for these three ladies, fly fishing proved to
Tailing bonefish. A daisy chain of 80-pound tarpon. The reflection of the Caribbean sun off the sythe-shaped tail of a permit. A striper blitz. And rising trout. These are the images that raise goose bumps on our arms and up our blood pressure. The are, for lack of a better term, potential. They represent the
It’s fun to edit the magazine and website for Trout Unlimited, because we get to work with many skilled authors and photographers from around the world. But sometimes, I am amazed by the talent we have among our own staff. The latest case in point is a wonderful essay by TU’s vice president for volunteer
One of the surprising highlights to the summer camping season was the day my Thermacell “Backpacker” arrived in the mail. This little device does a number on mosquitos. Thermacell’s lantern has been out for awhile, but the “Backpacker” is new. It attaches to a typical camp propane canister and uses a repellent mat to do
April, particularly in the West, is a bona-fide shoulder month. Higher up, it’s still winter. In the valleys, spring is springing and water is rising. It’s a tough month for trout fishing, given the transition happening between winter and spring and all the trappings that come with it, both good and bad. Video of Trouts
Tying small-ish mayfly patterns might be one of the most common fly-tying applications, but it doesn’t mean it’s super easy. Like any tying activity, it takes practice, particularly for the more detailed aspects of your average mayfly pattern, including the hackle fibers use for the tail. Video of How to Make Mixed Hackle Fiber Tail
Handling fish once you’ve caught them has become a touchy issue (pun intended), and rightly so. The #KeepEmWet movement has been great for educating anglers on proper fish handling and release techniques, and now, as you’ll see below, the fly fishing industry is getting involved in the effort to promote responsible handling and release of
For those of us who tie flies and work with various resins, from head cement to full-on UV materials, a dubbing needle is likely our tool of choice for applying the goo. For years, I used a square of craft foam to clean the needle after each use—I’d just poke the needle through the foam
