Articles

Review: Winston Pure 2 fly rod

Will Winston's new incarnation of its dry fly specialist please light line aficionados?
Photo: Spencer Durrant.

The first time I cast a Pure 2 was a blustery spring day in Twin Bridges, Montana. I was there to interview Hank Haen, Winston’s new Design and Manufacturing Engineer, for my podcast (everyone has a podcast these days). When we finished, he casually asked if I wanted to cast a “sweet little prototype rod” he’d been working on.

Book Review: This Artful Sport

A guide to writing about fly fishing
Photo: Tim Schulz.

For many of us, the complex pastime of fly fishing is—as John Voelker once wrote—“an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion.” In This Artful Sport (Lyons Press, 2024), Paul Schullery and Steve Raymond show us how writing about fly fishing can be as intricate, demanding, and rewarding as the sport itself.

The kids are right: Montana Supreme Court rules in landmark climate case

Montana's highest court affirms state's responsibility to act on climate change
Photo: Todd Tanner.

In 2020, 16 young activists from Montana filed a historic lawsuit charging the state of Montana with violating its constitution by prioritizing fossil fuel development over the health and safety of its residents.

Skwala to donate 25 percent of profits to the Wild Steelhead Coalition

This coming Monday, buy some gear, help wild steelhead
Photo: Eric Fisher.

Deals, discounts, specials, countdowns, BOGO offers, and the like are ubiquitous during the holidays. Anglers and other could-be consumers are inundated with all manner of offers that we supposedly must take advantage of, lest regret consume our souls. What we typically see less of are holiday specials that aren’t designed to benefit consumers, but that are geared to benefit wild fisheries. To close out its 12-day holiday-themed sales event, however, Bozeman-based Skwala Fishing will be doing just that.

Gear we love right now: December 2024

What's working on and off the water, right now
The Hedgehog Octopus Black Ionic i3 dryer (photo: Chad Shmukler).

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.

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