Articles

4 underrated Western trout towns

These fishy gems are too often overlooked by traveling anglers

by Chris Hunt - Friday, Apr 25th, 2025

Lower Green River Lake near Pinedale, Wyoming (photo: Bridger Teton National Forest).

I spent a beautiful spring week on Montana’s Bighorn River, one of those western gems that gets fished aggressively come summer. And, on a glorious April day when the mercury tickled 80 degrees, the river saw its share of anglers. The good news? The ‘Horn is one of those rivers that just keeps on delivering big fish, no matter how many boats and how many anglers find their way to its chilled waters below Yellowtail Dam.

Dumb and dirty ethanol

We are converting wildlife habitat to corn monocultures for the purpose of concocting a polluting, energy-inefficient, engine-degrading additive

by Ted Williams - Wednesday, Apr 23rd, 2025

Central Illinois corn farmer Jerry McCulley sprays the weed killer glyphosate across his cornfield in Auburn, Ill. A handful of hardy weeds have adapted to survive glyphosate _ sold as Roundup and a variety of other brands _ which many scientists say threatens to make the ubiquitous herbicide far less useful to farmers (AP Photo/Seth Perlman).

The answer is: The American public.

The question was: Who is forced to buy fuel that costs more to produce than gasoline, reduces mileage, damages boat, car and truck engines and gas tanks, destroys fish and wildlife habitat, pollutes air and water, and makes America more dependent on foreign oil?

Lake derangement syndrome

Open your mind and let the lake fish in

by Chris Hunt - Saturday, Apr 19th, 2025

Photo: Chris Hunt.

I had an interesting discussion with an old friend not too long ago — he was planning a fishing trip with his long-time fishing buddy, who’s gracefully aging and is now into his 80s.

“He’s getting up there, and I’m getting up there, too,” my friend, who’s now into his 60s, said. “His eyesight is failing, and I’m losing my hearing. It’s getting comical when we’re on the water together. For now, we can laugh about it, but it’s starting to get a little annoying.”

Skwala debuts RS and Carbon wading boots

With two new models, the Bozeman-based company enters the wading boot market for the first time

by Hatch Magazine - Wednesday, Apr 16th, 2025

The Skwala Carbon Wading Boot (photo: Skwala Fishing).

For several years now, we’ve been referring to Skwala Fishing using monikers like “upstart,” “relative newcomer” and so on. All the while, the Bozeman-based company has delivered a slew of innovative, over-engineered fly fishing gear that has been showered with praise by anglers that haven taken the leap into the great unknown. With Skwala now firmly established as one of fly fishing’s premier gear makers, it’s high time we dispense with descriptors that impugn the brand’s legitimacy — even if that was never the intent.

Federal judge hits the brakes on Trump’s plan to fast-track industrial fish farming

Advocates for marine health say aquaculture "has no place in U.S. ocean waters."

by Tristan Baurick - Saturday, Apr 12th, 2025

A large open water shellfish farm (photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images).

President Donald Trump’s first-term push to open the Gulf of Mexico and other federal waters to fish farming has come to a halt in the early days of his second term. Last month, a federal judge in Washington state ruled against a nationwide aquaculture permit the Trump administration sought in 2020.