Articles

Explainer: The 11th hour approaches for the Okefenokee

A proposed dragline mining operation continues to threaten one of the nation's wildest places

by Chris Hunt - Saturday, Jan 18th, 2025

Photo: Carol Highsmith / LOC.

The effort to stop a dragline mining project on the fragile fringes of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and its namesake blackwater swamp is just over five years old, and Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals LLC already has draft mining permits in hand. Despite recent efforts from the U.S.

Fly Fishing Show 2025 tour kicks off: Dates and details

The annual gathering of brands, fly shops, presenters, fly tyers, and anglers starts this weekend

by Hatch Magazine - Wednesday, Jan 15th, 2025

Photo: Ben Furmisky.

The 2025 tour of the annual Fly Fishing Show kicks off this weekend, January 17-19, in Marlborough, MA. The show’s customary first stop will showcase the usual vast array of gear makers, fly shops, specialty dealers, presenters, fly tyers, and much more. This year’s opening act will also feature a record $100,000 in door prizes, to be awarded to a handful of lucky show attendees.

Finding the comforts of winter fishing — Part I

Tips for staying comfortable, safe, and making the most of cold-weather fishing

by George Daniel - Tuesday, Jan 14th, 2025

Photo: George Daniel.

I’d be lying if I told you I love fly fishing during the winter. Maybe, in my teens or twenties, I loved the isolation and the challenge of fishing in harsh conditions. That’s not the case now. As my predecessors explained to me years ago, a cold environment and an aging body don’t mix well. My winter fishing has grown more painful with every lap around the sun. These days, winter also doesn’t provide the solitude it once did, as more anglers take up the sport and realize that good fishing can be had even when temperatures plummet.

Serious cold-weather gear: Skwala's new RS Outpost Jacket

Are longer winter angling days on tap?

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Jan 10th, 2025

Photo: Austin Trayser.

The term “overbuilt” is one of those marketing-speak monikers that gets thrown around a lot these days when talking about outdoor gear. It’s a fancy way of saying that said gear’s designers prioritize things like durability and performance over adhering to established pricing conventions for a given product in a given class. In truth, there are only a handful of companies that overbuild their gear.

The Silent Spotter: Fly fishing films are good again

A different kind of fly fishing hero

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Jan 7th, 2025

Photo: Arian Stevens.

If Off the Grid Studio’s newest film, The Silent Spotter, is a tale of things to come, then I’m happy to report that fly fishing films are good again. If reading that leaves you scratching your head, thinking to yourself that fly fishing films have been good all along, I’ve got news for you: no, they haven’t. Yes, there are exceptions. And I’ve missed more than a few.