Articles

Underwater Fishing Photography: Introduction

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Dec 26th, 2014

Underwater photography may be in its heyday. Thanks largely to technological advancements, capturing underwater images is now easier and more accessible than ever before. We're seeing more and more images from under the surface, whether those images are ones of kids taken by parents at the pool, pictures of coral reefs taken by snorkeling vacationers or professional photographers capturing images in and far below the surf. The results have us captivated, allowing us all to explore our world from vantage points we've never -- or at least rarely -- seen before.

Why Go Under

For the photographer attempting to document the fishing world, being able to take a camera underwater is an immensely powerful asset. Images that reveal the scenes beneath the surface of the waters we fishermen ply marry our world and that of the prey we spend so much time chasing. It expands the photographer's storytelling from a one-sided yarn to one that allows the viewer to immerse him or herself in both sides of the story. This connection between two worlds formed by underwater photography makes the fishing photographer's tale more whole. In fact, I have talked with a number of photographers that, like me, have come to feel that returning from the field without underwater photography makes a collection feel incomplete.

NY Bans Fracking as Trout Unlimited Completes its 10 Special Places

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Dec 23rd, 2014

Catskill Park, one of Trout Unlimited's Ten Special Places.

Trout Unlimited announced recently announced the final of its 'Ten Special Places' report, its initiative to call attention to angling and hunting resources at risk from hydraulic fracturing operations in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions in the northeast US. The announcement New York's Allegany State Park as the tenth region identified by the report came in close proximity to New York governor Andrew Cuomo's announcement that the state -- which has had a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing while the state explored health and safety concerns surrounding the practice -- with formalize a ban prohibiting the practice in the state.

New York's decision is being hailed as a victory by citizens, conservation and sportsman's groups which have advocated for many years to put in place measures to protect water, land and wildlife resources in the state and elsewhere throughout the Marcellus and Utica shale regions.

Trout Unlimited has applauded the decision. Katy Dunlap, the group's eastern water project director, said the decision "provides necessary protections for trout streams throughout the state and ensures that world-class fishing opportunities will be available for future generations. As we have seen in other states where shale gas is being developed, without proper regulations and protections, water quality in streams can be affected and ultimately impact trout and their habitat. ”

Home Waters

by Todd Tanner - Monday, Dec 22nd, 2014

I've been thinking a lot, or a least a lot more than I used to, about one of the more personal elements of a fly fisherman's existence. Maybe it's all the traveling I do, from Yellowstone up to the Canadian border, then to the east side of Montana, then back to Yellowstone country, then to New York to see my family, or to Atlanta, or Denver, or San Francisco, or any of the dozens of places that my profession seems to send me to on a regular basis. I've become, in my middle age, the wandering fisherman. Still, all this movement has helped me focus in on something that most people take for granted - the idea of home water.

A few years ago it was all the rage, especially in some of the fly fishing publications, for writers to talk about the concept of fishing as religion. It sounded good, with the constant references to personal enlightenment, ecstasy, higher planes and all that sort of stuff, but to be honest I never bought into it. Fishing, no matter how good it is, is just fishing. It's not orgasmic or mystical or cosmic. And when you think about it, the idea of achieving enlightenment through fooling some poor creature into eating something it shouldn't is just plain silly. If that's all it took, the people who own McDonald's and Burger King would be Dali Lamas.

What is true, though, is that if we're lucky enough, we can fish in awe inspiring places. I believe it was John Muir who said, "If I'm going to worship God, let it be in a temple he built with his own hands." Some of the finest temples I've ever seen have been rivers or lakes or streams, and while they were occasionally so far back in the woods that nobody fished them regularly, in most cases they were somebody's home water.

A Pocketful of Electric Ants

Attacks may cause injury or death

by Chris Hunt - Friday, Dec 19th, 2014

Photo: Chris Hunt

Sometimes you only have to tell a guy once that behaving a certain way could have consequences. But when the warning signs outnumber logic, you can’t blame a fellow for being a bit skeptical. In the case of tropical northern Queensland, put your skepticism aside -- everything here wants to kill you. In fact, plane tickets to Cairns should come with a warning label, much like a pack of cigarettes, or rat poison, or hydrochloric acid or ... you get the idea.

For instance, the short walk from the hotel in Port Douglas in the tropical north of Queensland to the beach was a jaunt ripe with caution.

First, I was told by the concierge not to touch the tar tree along the trail through the jungle to the water. Nasty burns, he told me--enough to ruin a weekend.

Two Important Tips for Winter Fishing

by Tom Breck - Thursday, Dec 18th, 2014

A January North Platte River rainbow (photo: Brenden Neville).

Despite the fact that the internet is lousy with grip-and-grin shots with snowy shores lurking behind the angler, I'm often shocked to hear how many fly fishermen consider wintertime 'tying season'. In other words, the waders, boots, rods and reels get stowed for the season, and the vice gets a workout. It is as if these anglers imagine that trout spend their winters in hibernation, rousing in the spring when the hatches start to go off. Of course this is not the case, trout feed throughout the winter, albeit at a slower pace than they do in warmer seasons.

So, rest assured, there are trout to be caught all year long. Whether the temperature is 40 degrees or 14 degrees, trout will be feeding. Air temperature will almost certainly play a larger role in whether you decide to leave warm, dry confines of your home than whether or not the trout are feeding. However, despite the fact that fish will feed and take flies throughout the winter, there are definitely changes in a fish's behavior as winter and its cooler temperatures takes hold, and the angler should adjust his or her approach accordingly.