Articles

Wildlife killing contests abandon fair chase and science in favor of spectacle and cruelty

Harmful to wild game populations, these outdated events feature mass killing purely for entertainment
Coyote bodies after a wildlife killing contest in Salmon, Idaho (photo: Project Coyote).

Killing native wildlife, defined by the ecologically challenged as “varmints,” is a popular American tradition, especially when organized into social events in which guests compete for cash and prizes to determine who can dispatch the most and biggest.

Redington introduces new ACE fly reels

An all-new, fully machined reel series from Redington
Photo: Redington.

For years, Redington has been offering some of the most attractively priced fully machined aluminum reels on the market. The Washington-based brand has had a number of previous successes in this arena, most recently with multiple iterations of its well-loved RISE reels and its big game-stopping GRANDE series.

Its latest offering, the all-new ACE fly reels, seems to be the successor to the aforementioned, do-it-all RISE series — promising a host of improvements over its predecessor.

5 unforgettable float plane rides

Sometimes getting there there is one of the most memorable parts of the trip
Photo: Earl Harper.

The first time I boarded a float plane, in August 2003, I had no idea what to expect. But, from the instant we lifted off from the little airfield in Petersburg, Alaska, and drifted into the misty skyscape over the rainforest in a trusty DeHavilland Beaver, my life would never be quite the same.

Bowling for bowfin

An introduction to chasing dinosaurs on Lake Champlain
Guide Drew Price with a Lake Champlain bowfin (photo: George Daniel).

In recent years, fly fishers have become increasingly interested in targeting atypical sportfish. It wasn’t that long ago that species like carp, gar, and bowfin were considered trash fish. To today’s new generation of anglers, they are considered worthy or even prized gamefish. My 13-year-old son is part of this generation, and while he enjoys trout fishing, he craves catching large fish that are willing to eat his lure or fly. To him and a growing number of anglers, there’s no stance to take between stripes and spots.

Gear we love right now: August 2024

What's working on and off the water, right now
Casting the Scott Session on the Krka River while fly fishing in Slovenia (photo: Earl Harper).

Anglers are drowning in gear choices—rods, reels, boots, waders, lines, packs, bags, boxes, vests, apparel and more. It seems harder and harder to know what's worth coveting and what's worth ignoring. Gear reviews are a great way to explore in-depth what might be right for you, but not every piece of gear is suited to a full-length review and, even if it were, there's simply too much of it to get to. With that in mind, we periodically showcase what's working for us right now, to hopefully offer more helpful feedback on gear that's worthy of your attention.

Pages