Articles

No tide

Life inside a drum cartel

by Ryan Fries - Friday, Dec 3rd, 2021

Photo: Ryan Fries

Sometimes you have to disappear.

Not because something's after you but maybe because you were chasing too much after it. The world has an odd way of falling at your feet when you disown it. When you put it in its place and go back to basics — that's a good thing. And in my forty-six spins around the sun, I've always found that kind of reset to be refreshing and necessary.

Escapism.

A reset on priorities. Reset on goals. A way of blocking out the noise. And when it comes to fly fishing, a chance to invent a new dynamic in a well-worn, storied sport. That's inspiring.

How we fish matters

Conservation doesn't begin or end with catch-and-release

by Chris Hunt - Thursday, Dec 2nd, 2021

Photo: Chad Shmukler

I was engaged in a conversation recently about the methods used to catch trout on a fly, and I was particularly interested in how one angler — an accomplished long-rodder by all counts — espoused the virtues of keeping a low profile, using lighter tackle, small flies and miniscule tippets.

5 ways my fly fishing changed after I became a guide

How a summer spent guiding trout anglers changed everything

by Jacob Friesen - Sunday, Nov 28th, 2021

Photo: Chad Shmukler

Last summer, I had the privilege of working as a professional trout guide. I went from fishing once or twice a month to guiding 4-6 days a week. I probably watched more eats, netted more fish, and spent more hours tying on flies in 3 months of guiding than I had in the previous 3 years. Yet, I rarely cast a fly rod. During my one off day each week, I’d often spend time on the water with a rod in my hand, but the vast majority of my “fishing” happened through a client.

The great fly fishing divide

A lot of anglers are wading off in opposing directions

by Todd Tanner - Wednesday, Nov 24th, 2021

Photo: Chad Shmukler

A troublesome divide has been growing more and more apparent in the fly fishing sphere. This shift may well stem from the unprecedented craziness we’ve all dealt with over the last year and a half. It might also spring, at least in part, from the increase in the number of fly fishers who have no experience with a spinning rod or a bait-casting rig, or the fact that so many of us engage on social media, or our burgeoning focus on species other than trout. Whatever the case, it sure seems as if a lot of anglers are wading off in opposing directions.

Big changes are in store for your National Parks and public lands road trips

National parks are iconic destinations for anglers and countless others. A new study finds warming temperatures could mean big changes in how we use our public lands.

by Tara Lohan - Sunday, Nov 21st, 2021

Wildfire smoke-filled skies blanket Yosemite National Park (photo: Rennett Stowe / cc2.0).

Climate change is already shaking up the natural world, changing the timing of seasonal snow melts, flower blooms and animal migrations. Now a new study from researchers at Utah State University suggests that, not surprisingly, it will also change when people interact with those landscapes.