Articles

Vedavoo to Offer Limited Quantities of 'No Pebble Mine' Packs and Accessories

by Ben Kryzinski - Monday, May 12th, 2014

Vedavoo and the Sportsmens' Alliance for Alaska are teaming up to offer a limited number of hand-built Vedavoo packs and accessories customized with the "No Pebble Mine" logo which displays support of the ongoing battle to prevent large-scale open-pit mining in the Bristol Bay, Alaska region. Proceeds from sales of the packs will go directly to efforts to stop mining Bristol Bay.

The line of packs and accessories was born of a custom, one-of-a-kind pack originally created by Vedavoo founder Scott Hunter at the request of the Sportsmens' Alliance for Alaska director Scott Hed. The Sportsmens' Alliance for Alaska has long been one of the groups leading the fight against the Pebble Limited Partnership and its efforts to develop a mine to extract the massive deposits of copper, gold and molybdenum that sits below Bristol Bay's pristine salmon habitat.

Eddie Bauer Fly Fishing Collection Now Available

by Ben Kryzinski - Friday, May 9th, 2014

The Eddie Bauer Adventurer Boat Bag.

Eddie Bauer made a bit of a splash last year when the nearly 100 year old retailer and manufacturer of outdoor gear and apparel announced it was getting back into the fly fishing business. The return of Eddie Bauer to fly fishing seems fall in line with other company actions -- such as the introduction of its very popular First Ascent line -- in recent years which are perceived to be part of an effort to return to its roots as a serious outdoor gear manufacturer, after languishing for the last couple of decades in more of fashion brand status.

After a long period of relative silence after its announced return to the world of fly fishing, Eddie Bauer recently made its full 2014 line of fly fishing products available in its Sport Shop, which also includes hunting and shooting apparel. The fly fishing line, at least for now, doesn't include the likes of rods and reels. The lineup of 14 products includes men's and women's apparel and the classically-styled Adventurer bag and pack series, which includes a boat bag, lumbar pack and chest pack.

Buckingham to Long Eddy

by Steve Zakur - Thursday, May 8th, 2014

I've often thought that owning a drift boat would make my angling life complete. Roaming the Housatonic, Delaware and Deerfield I would fish the sweetest spots on these storied waters. I would secretly smirk as I dropped anchor mere yards from eager, rising fish out of reach of those wading the far bank. I would grant boarding privileges to dear friends and angling's royalty and deny the hangers on and pretenders.

Of course the reality of owning a boat, even something as low maintenance as a drift boat, is a whole other matter. And I probably wouldn’t get out all that much. And I'd have to arrange a shuttle. And whacking a keyboard doesn't really prepare you for rowing a boat all day; my buttery smooth hands would get rough and calloused. And I don't have that many friends (though I suspect I would make new ones with two empty seats to fill).

Boatless, I settle for hiring someone else's vessel once or twice each year. The Harrison brothers, Dan and Tom, great guides and good company, roam western Massachusetts and set the bar by which others of their profession are measured. I'm always torn between catching a spring hatch on the Deerfield or suffering through a frigid winter day hunting lunkers on secret waters. I suppose doing both would be the right decision though the calendar yields too few opportunities and the wallet demurs. Yet I persist.

Thoughtfulness: The fly fisher's most important trait

Regardless of skill level or experience, thoughtfulness determines success on the water

by Chad Shmukler - Wednesday, May 7th, 2014

Photo: Marco N. Garcia/Odom Wu

We publish a lot of articles intended to help anglers increase their success on the water. Sometimes, this is by introducing a new fly pattern, tactic or piece of gear, but most of the time it is simply about being thoughtful while on the water. Regardless of skill level or experience, success on the water is tied most directly to an angler's thoughtfulness. Lessons learned, knowledge gained through experience and tools of the trade can only be employed effectively if an angler is patient and thoughtful in his or her approach.

DamNation Film Crew Renews Call to Tear Down Snake River Dams

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, May 6th, 2014

Pink salmon, blocked from migrating further upstream, wait below the now removed Elwha Dam.

The folks behind the now award-winning documentary, DamNation, are asking more people to sign a petition calling on President Obama to begin removing obsolete dams throughout the US. The petition's initial target is four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state.

According to the petition, "Snake River salmon and steelhead once thrived, with up to 30 million wild fish entering the mouth of the Columbia River every year. Now, every Snake River salmon stock is on the endangered species list or extinct."

The four dams, which include the Ice Harbor Dam, Lower Monumental Dam, Little Goose Dam and Lower Granite Dam, are widely recognized to be outdated and doers of far more harm than good. According to DamNation's creators, these "federally operated dams cost taxpayers millions every year, degrade water quality and impede salmon migration to and from the healthiest habitat remaining in the lower 48 states, while providing no flood control and little irrigation."