Articles

Catch and release concerns for winter fishing

It's not just extremes in heat that can be fatal to fish

by Matthew Reilly - Thursday, Jan 18th, 2018

Photo: Justin Hamblin

Several winters ago, about the time I settled into wild trout country, I fell in love with winter fishing—the conditions, the solace, and the fish. For when the air turns cold, all but the hardiest abandon the water. The lucky angler may even find themselves solitary among mountains blanketed in white—the air aroar with the static of snowflakes crashing into Earth—and with an honest chance at a truly large trout that are relatively unpressured and intent on consuming the largest number of calories for the fewest expended.

Dead man

There's something just a bit unnerving about having a dead man talking to you

by Todd Tanner - Wednesday, Jan 17th, 2018

Photo: D. Schwen / cc4.0

There's something just a bit unnerving about having a dead man talking to you, staring at you, looking you right in the eye and saying his piece. I wasn't comfortable with the idea. Not at all. Still, I didn't have much of a choice. When the dead man is a friend of yours, you have to listen - out of compassion, out of respect, out of a deep sense of responsibility. You have to stand there and soak in the words and bear the burden of your dead friend's trust. And then you have to decide just how far you're willing to go for your friend. Your dead friend.

The road less traveled

Don't follow the herd

by Todd Tanner - Tuesday, Jan 16th, 2018

Photo: Brodie Buchanan

Twenty years ago, when I was still floating anglers down the Henry’s Fork and making my living on the oars, I followed a long parade of drift boats down the river and wondered at the sheer number of my fellow guides who rowed the same lines and had their clients cast to the exact same runs and holes. While that approach can work for the first couple boats, trailing the herd rarely guarantees the best possible results in the long term.

Fishing John's river

A day on Geirach's St. Vrain

by Spencer Durrant - Thursday, Jan 11th, 2018

The St. Vrain (photo: Spencer Durrant).

I think it’s the abrupt honesty of his writing that’s made me such a fan of John Gierach’s stories and essays. He’s plugged away since the 80s, churning out story after story from his home in Colorado. You’d think he’d have told all the fish stories he could but apparently John’s not quite done.

Review: Patagonia Tough Puff Hoody

The latest addition to Patagonia's lineup of puff jackets offers anglers more than ever before

by Chad Shmukler - Wednesday, Jan 10th, 2018

Photo: Chad Shmukler

Patagonia puff jackets are a staple on rivers and streams from coast to coast. Calling them ubiquitous doesn't really cut it. Puff jackets of all shapes and sizes are more common these days on steelhead and trout rivers across the country than flat brimmed hats and beards. They're even regularly found on flats boats, as armor against the morning chill or the long run back home in the evening. Their prevalence is well earned. Patagonia's puff jackets provide warmth, varying measures of protection from rain and snow, pack down well (often exceedingly well) and take a beating.