Articles

Video: GEOBASS Finale, Papua New Guinea Black Bass

by Ben Kryzinski - Friday, Sep 19th, 2014

GEOBASS Papua New Guinea Black Bass

Chances are you've never heard of Papua New Guinea black bass. If you have, you know that PNG black bass are rumored to be far and away the hardest fighting freshwater fish in the world, snapping lines and exploding rods whenever they are encountered.

In the finale episode of Costa Del Mar's GEOBASS, the multi-award winning adventure film series that tracks a group of fly fisherman as they globe trot in search of the most exotic and powerful bass species out there, the cameras head out into remote stretches of Papua New Guinea in search of these powerful monsters of lore and legend.

Tater Weather

by Steve Zakur - Wednesday, Sep 17th, 2014

Cedar Run (photo: Chad Shmukler).

It's tater weather. As summer yields to the first inklings of fall water is boiled, potatoes are peeled and cubed and a mashed, starchy treat appears next to sliced meat. I take my mashed taters with plenty of butter and salt and fresh ground pepper. I won't refuse a dab of sour cream but one runs the danger of making a damn fine thing too good, too rich.

As the evenings cool I also begin to think about the small streams that I've let lie fallow since spring. While many of these little gems run relatively cool through the summer months it just doesn't seem right to fish them when so many other factors are stacked against them. As the weather turns wetter and cool evenings keep water temperatures moderate I don't feel so bad luring a trout to take a swipe at a well placed Parachute Adams. So I give it a go with low expectations of success.

Playing Politics with Clean Water

by Chris Hunt - Tuesday, Sep 16th, 2014

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to undermine the efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers as the two federal agencies seek to clarify which waters should be protected under the Clean Water Act and which waters should not be regulated.

In the face of an aggressive lobbying campaign from opponents of the so-called Waters of the United States rule the EPA and the Corps have drafted for public review, the House took up the “anti-government” torch and carried through its chambers in a vote that is largely symbolic, yet wholly troubling. Here’s the gist of this situation, and as anglers, it falls to us to put our politics aside and instead focus on what’s best for our fish—and our fishing, today and for generations to come:

When the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, it protected from unpermitted development the “Waters of the United States,” and those waters included headwater streams, wetlands and other naturally occurring waters—even those intermittent and ephemeral streams that run dry at certain times of the year, but are hugely important for spawning and rearing for trout and salmon.

Allen Debuts New, Boldly-Styled Volant Rod Series

by Ben Kryzinski - Friday, Sep 12th, 2014

If bold, bright red fly rods are your sort of thing, you're no longer limited to Sage's METHOD series. Yesterday, Allen Fly Fishing debuted a new multi-purpose rod series in the Volant. Intended to replace Allen's popular XA series of rods, the Volant is an all-new design based on the same do-it-all design philosophy that produced the XA.

According to Allen, the Volant "is built around versatility and durability without sacrificing finesse and presentation. Throughout the lineup, we achieved a medium/fast action rod that achieves presentation, power, and accuracy in perfect balance."

Strip Mining for Bass

by Steve Zakur - Wednesday, Sep 10th, 2014

Dugger, Indiana

As an angler it's easy to get down on the coal industry. What they've done to water and air quality over the centuries is a crime. The industry continues to enjoy the protection of both parties at all levels of government. I suppose that's because we like what happens when we throw a light switch but there's clearly room for improvement in how things get done. Of course, in every cloud there is a silver lining and I may have found one in coal.

West Virginia is the place I most associate with coal mining. I'm not sure why that is. I was going to blame it on A Coal Miner's Daughter but it turns out Loretta Lynn is from Kentucky. It also turns out West Virginia isn't at the top of the list. Wyoming produces more than three times the coal of West Virginia; 388 million tons in 2013 down from 457 million tons in 2008.

Indiana is also in the top ten. As America has sought energy independence all manner of taxpayer funded incentives have been lavished on the industry. As a result, Indiana's coal production has increased over the past few years reaching an all time high in 2013 at 39 million tons.