Articles

The Elwha's steelhead rise from the ashes

Just a few years after the removal of its dams, the Elwha's mighty steelhead are back

by Chad Shmukler - Monday, Jul 20th, 2020

Photo: Trout Unlimited

In recent years, steelhead populations along the west coast of the United States have continued to dwindle. 2019 was another dismal year for steelhead returns throughout the Pacific Northwest, sparking fishing closures, with the usual suspects to blame—poor ocean conditions caused by marine heatwaves, the impacts of hatchery fish on wild populations and, of course, habitat degradation and the myriad other impacts of dams on watersheds that are historically home to anadromous fish.

RVs for anglers

Adding an RV, trailer or camper to your fishing life

by Chris Hunt - Wednesday, Jul 15th, 2020

Photo: Chris Hunt

At some point, old bones and the desire to have more “stuff” with you when you venture afield will win out. You may be a mountain goat now, able to boulder hop your way up a tight canyon or hike five miles before you make your first fly cast over wild trout, but you just wait. That high-school football knee injury? The slip-and-fall on the ice all those years ago? The lower back that just “goes out” for no particular reason?

The future of conservation

An interview with ecologist, author and explorer Roman Dial

by Spencer Durrant - Monday, Jul 13th, 2020

Photo: Bob Wick/BLM.

A few months ago, we introduced you to The Adventurer’s Son, a novel by renowned explorer Roman Dial which tells the story of the disappearance of and search for his late son Cody, who walked into a Costa Rican jungle in July of 2014 and never walked out.

Tigerfish 101

An introduction to chasing tigerfish, one of nature's fiercest predators, on the fly

by Jonathan Boulton - Thursday, Jul 9th, 2020

Photo: Gareth Reid

Mother Nature often understates some of her most imposing creations. Imagine you had never seen a hippo before—plump, pink, prone to sunburn, and often portrayed in ballerina tutus with a comical and cuddly demeanor. This endearing image, of course, could not be further from reality. Catch a hippopotamus by surprise in a boat or canoe, or get between a mother with a calf, and you will soon realize why hippos account for almost 500 lost lives in Africa each year.

Busting the myth

Are light rods are only for small fish?

by Chris Hunt - Tuesday, Jul 7th, 2020

Photo: Chris Hunt

My favorite fly rod is a 7-foot stretch of 2-weight fiberglass. It’s slow and noodly. Delicate, even.

And when I show people the rod — maybe we’re gearing up on the tailgate, and they see it tucked away in my rod vault — their first reaction is often something like this: “You like those little brookies, huh?”

Well, yes. I do. But that’s not why this piece of glass is my favorite. It’s the rod that serves me best in the places I love to fish most, and it allows me to fish using my favorite method.