Articles

How to do a Trout Town: Viroqua, Wisconsin

How to plan your first (or next) trip to the Driftless

by Dave Karczynski - Monday, Dec 28th, 2015

Photo: Dave Karczynski

Sometimes you go fishing to get away from everything and everyone—Patagonia if you've got the coin, your local backcountry if you’ve got the tent. Other times you want to kick it in a trout town full of good food, local drink, and s. fontinalis graffiti in the alleys. If it’s the latter you seek, and you live somewhere between Paradise Valley and the Poconos, you’re probably within driving shot of one of my very favorite trout towns, Viroqua, Wisconsin.

The 10 most read articles of 2015

At look back at what moved the needle in 2015

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Dec 24th, 2015

Sunset on the Yellowstone (photo: Tim Saunders).

As each year comes to a close, we look back on our most read articles to see which topics hit home the most with our readers. Time and again, the results have been the same. Articles that focus on tips and technique, helping anglers to hone and improve their craft, as well as those related to the gear we covet, consistently dominate the favorites. But, those that focus on the mounting challenges facing our waterways — specifically those from climate change and assault from private and political interests — command an increasingly significant part of the conversation.

One tenkara tip to rule them all

Sage advice for all anglers, not just the reel-free crowd

by Tom Sadler - Monday, Dec 21st, 2015

Photo: Tenkara USA

I recently posed this question to a group of fellow tenkara anglers; "If you could share one tip that you think is essential to enjoying tenkara what would it be."

The responses surprised me but maybe they shouldn't have. After all, the whole premise behind tenkara is simplicity. The comments essentially broke down into three areas, experience the zen of tenkara, enjoy the simplicity of tenkara rigs and a few great tenkara hacks.

Review: RIO Lightline fly line

A look at RIO's new, award-winning offering for dry fly aficionados

by Spencer Durrant - Thursday, Dec 17th, 2015

Photo: Allison Niccum

Speciality fly lines aren’t anything new in the angling world. Every line manufacturer seems to feature an endless array of lines, from skagit and spey lines to shooting heads, sink tips, and everything in between. A majority of these lines are built to match the industry’s standard fly rod — a fast action 9ft 5wt.

A new era for Olympic Peninsula steelhead

Washington adopts sweeping no-kill regulations

by Shauna Sherard - Tuesday, Dec 15th, 2015

A wild, Olympic Peninsula steelhead (photo: John McMillan, science director for Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative).

Last week ushered in a new era for the Olympic Peninsula.

In a unanimous vote, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to adopt new rules that would help boost declining wild steelhead populations.

Of those rules, perhaps the most notable is the elimination of harvest of wild steelhead and rainbow trout, bringing the OP in line with many other iconic fisheries who have already already adopted catch and release rules.