Articles

Rearranging deck chairs on the Olympic Peninsula

Fisheries "management" is pushing wild steelhead towards extinction
Deep in the Olympic Peninsula rain forest on the Hoh River, angler Jessie Ball swings throughout the downpour (photo: Arian Stevens).

Olympic Peninsula wild steelhead—the luminous, iconic objects of our collective dreams—are nearing the bottom of a decades-long slide into oblivion. We are staring into the abyss. On our current trajectory, extinction is not out of the question.

Review: Hardy Ultradisc UDLA fly reel

Hardy's latest might be its best disc drag ever
Photo: Spencer Durrant

Hardy’s brand name has long been synonymous with quality and craftsmanship. Their click-and-pawl reels are among the most sought-after collectibles in the sport, and it’s not rare to see 50 or 60-year-old Hardy reels sell on eBay for $500 or more.

While their vintage catalog is robust, Hardy isn’t just resting on its laurels, either. They’ve put out some of the best dry fly and Euro nymphing rods I’ve fished in recent years, along with some stellar reels.

Book Review: Casting Forward by Steve Ramirez

A touching collection of stories from a fresh perspective
Photo: Steve Ramirez

Reviewing books is, at its easiest, daunting. While I’ve been writing professionally for the better part of a decade now, I don’t always feel qualified to critique the work of others. And that’s the problem facing me right now. Steve Ramirez’s new book Casting Forward is the freshest collection of fishing stories I’ve read in years. The writing is both tight and flowing — much like the rivers in his beloved Texas Hill Country that Ramirez so tangibly describes.

The largest dam removal project in history is set to move forward, again

A newly reached agreement aims to alleviate regulators' concerns and allow Klamath River dam removal as soon as 2023
The John C. Boyle dam on the Klamath River (photo: Bobjgalindo / cc2.0).

More than a century ago, the Klamath River was home to the third largest run of Chinook salmon in the continental United States. These seasonal runs of fish historically numbered in the hundreds of thousands. But today, more than 100 years after the first dam went up on the Klamath, those runs that once seemed inexhaustible are almost gone. Last year, fewer than 700 chinook salmon returned to the Klamath. Just two years prior, dismal returns forced officials to close salmon fishing season entirely.

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