Articles

An attitude of extreme displeasure

Experience, knowledge, skill, and all the other usual variables matter—but only to a point
Photo: Bob Wick / BLM / cc2.0

My fishing companion Dennis LaBare was fighting his sixth or seventh heavy smallmouth of the float when his rod blew up. That it was a make I’d never heard of until that moment may or may not be relevant. That a Menominee River smallmouth was the agent responsible for the only rod to blow up on me while fishing may or may not be relevant, also, although it seems a little too convenient to chalk up to mere coincidence.

Who was O.W. Smith?

How did the memory of an iconic American fly fishing writer disappear from angling history?
Smith captioned this photo of himself "I resort to night fishing when I have caught a glimpse of a square-tailed monster that refused to show any interest in my daylight lures" (photo: uncredited / public domain).

One summer day in 1937, the mother of Simon Schultz—his given name was Clarence, but no one called him that—sent him on the kind of errand most teenaged boys only dream about: catching a mess of trout for supper. Like a lot of families in Depression-era Wisconsin, the Schultzes, who lived in Washburn on the shores of Lake Superior, depended heavily on hunting, fishing, and foraging to keep the larder stocked and their bellies filled.

There were a lot of Schultz bellies to fill, too: Simon was one of 16 children.

Stillwater trout to beat the drought

A primer on getting started chasing trout in lakes and reservoirs
Photo: Arian Stevens

If you’re like me and you’re watching in horror as trout streams across America take one body blow after another thanks to the ongoing heatwave (and in some parts of the country, record drought), you’re wondering if trout fishing will ever be the same. You may even be considering throwing in the towel for the foreseeable future. In some areas, where low water levels, record high temperatures and warming waters are proving perilous to coldwater fish, it may be a while before hitting the river with a clear conscience is even an option.

Ultralight rods—what are they good for?

1, 2 and even 0-weight rods have their place, but what is it?
Photo: Spencer Durrant

Fly fishing is full of specialized rods. This can result not only in confusion about when and where these rods are best utilized but in the perception of certain rods as odd or impractical. Just a handful of years ago, many anglers would have regarded an 11’-foot 3-weight Euro-nymphing rod as a peculiar implement. These days, the industry embraces these rods as precision instruments; as tactical gear for the discerning angler. Yet to many anglers, ultralight rods— 1, 2 or even 0-weight rods — seem suspect or even silly.

Extreme Texas weather event killed millions of prized game fish

February's deep freeze delivered a big blow to Laguna Madre's fisheries
Photo: Texas Sea Grant / cc2.0

The independent utility grid in Texas wasn’t the only victim of this past February’s deep freeze that gripped the state. Unable to escape to Cancun like U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, about 4 million fish all along Texas’ coast perished in the unusually cold weather.

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