Articles

Because manatee

It is the tropics’ least-threatening creature that has unleashed the most terror upon my soul
Photo: A. Wells / cc2.0

As backcountry anglers, we stumble upon some pretty impressive wild creatures while we fish. For me, seeing bears in the Alaskan rainforest, gators in the swamp or sharks while wading the flats is almost as much fun as actually fishing.

The only way to fry

For sportsmen, cast iron has always been the standard by which all cookware is judged
Photo: Allan Thinks / cc2.0

In those days the shore lunch went into the boat in two parts. There was the sturdy wooden box, painted forest green, with the hinged top, the hook-and-eye latch, and the rope handles on both ends. This went in the stern, next to where the guide sat, and it held the eating utensils, the cans of pork-and-beans, the bricks of lard, the breading and seasonings for the fish—everything except the cookware. That went into a burlap sack, which was tucked up under the bow.

Gluttony

It was the bonefish day to beat all bonefish days
Photo: Chad Shmukler

They just kept coming. Wave after wave. If a school spooked, or if a few fish kicked off and scattered, it was hardly concerning. Another pod was on its way, cruising and tailing through the shallows.

It was the bonefish day to beat all bonefish days. It was gluttony amidst a trip that was all about gluttony.

Yellowstone bans felt-soled boots

Felt is the latest casualty in Yellowstone National Park's war on invasive species
A native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (photo: Jason Weckstein).

The nation's first park announced a ban on felt sole wading boots March 8. It's rubber only when fishing season opens May 26.

"People who are coming to Yellowstone National Park to fish and boat care about park resources and this is just another way to help manage invasive species," says Vicki Regula, Yellowstone National Park public affairs assistant. "That's a definite high priority in Yellowstone National Park because of all the ecological and economical impacts invasives can have on waterways."

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