Articles

She and I, on the fly

The YMCA of the Rockies is helping to increase angler access to affordable guided trips and female guides

by Erica Zazo - Sunday, Dec 3rd, 2023

Taylor Hames, a guide for Sasquatch Fly Fishing at YMCA of the Rockies (photo: Erica Zazo)

I watch the season's first snowfall roll over Rocky Mountain National Park as I make my way down U.S. 36 into Estes Park. I’m in awe of the white tundra that sweeps across the jagged mountain peaks and clashes with bright yellow aspens still covering the landscape. Between breaks in the fast-moving clouds, intermittent bursts of morning sunshine illuminate the face of Longs Peak and The Mummy Range.

4 things all anglers should be thankful for in 2023

Where should we focus our gratitude this year?

by Hatch Magazine - Thursday, Nov 23rd, 2023

The North Umpqua Wild and Scenic River in Oregon (photo: Bob Wick, BLM).

Whether you’re sitting around on Thanksgiving pondering all the things we each have to be grateful for — family, friends, safety, security — or just embarking on a day of football watching, binge eating and alcohol-fueled dinner table political arguments, today offers an opportunity to reflect on the many things anglers have to be thankful for. It’s a long list, no doubt, which is why we’ve been able to make this somewhat of a Thanksgiving tradition over the years.

Here are a few more to consider in 2023.

Gear we love right now: November 2023

What's working on and off the water, right now

by Hatch Magazine - Tuesday, Nov 21st, 2023

Casting the Scott Swing (photo: Scott Fly Rods).

Fly anglers are overloaded with gear choices—rods, reels, boots, waders, lines, packs, bags, boxes, vests, apparel and more. It seems harder and harder to know what's worth coveting and what's worth ignoring. Gear reviews are a great way to explore in-depth what might be right for you, but not every piece of gear is suited to a full-length review and, even if it were, there's simply too much of it to get to. With that in mind, we periodically showcase what's working for us right now, to hopefully offer more helpful feedback on gear that's worth a second look.

Björk releasing ‘lost’ song to fight salmon farms in Iceland

Funds raised will go to legal fees for protestors and future action to stop the development of salmon farms

by Chad Shmukler - Monday, Nov 20th, 2023

Open net pen salmon farming in Arnarfjörd, Westfjörds, Iceland (photo by: Paul Mayal/AP Images).

Iconic musical artist Björk is re-releasing a “lost” song to help fund the fight against open net pen salmon farms in Iceland. The release is part of a collaboration with Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalia. The two have agreed to donate all proceeds from the sale of the new release to AEGIS, an Iceland-based non-profit dedicated to eradicating open net pen salmon farming in Iceland’s waters.

Outdoor recreation economy surpasses $1 trillion mark

Growth of the outdoor recreation is outpacing the economy as a whole, new data shows

by Hatch Magazine - Saturday, Nov 18th, 2023

Photo: Chad Shmukler.

For the first time in history, the size of the rapidly growing outdoor recreation industry has eclipsed the $1 trillion mark, according to recently released data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). This new data indicates that the $1.1 trillion outdoor recreation industry accounts for over 2 percent of the entire U.S. GDP and provides over 3 percent of the nation’s jobs. The analysis also shines a light on how significantly outdoor recreation is outpacing other sectors of the U.S. economy, more than tripling the economy as a whole in some metrics.