Articles

Trump administration's flagrant attacks on public lands, clean air and clean water continue

New actions at BLM and EPA are just the latest in a 3-year long assault

by Chad Shmukler - Saturday, Aug 3rd, 2019

A grizzly bear fishes for salmon in a Bristol Bay river (photo: Pat Clayton / FishEyeGuy Photography).

Despite the fact that the Trump administration’s attacks on clean air, clean water, wilderness and public lands have been virtually relentless, they are most often buried beneath an avalanche of breathless news coverage about other topics which, by and large, serve to distract most of us from issues of enormous significance. This past week, however, two actions which represent the latest in the administration’s sweeping, ongoing efforts to rollback environmental regulations and open up more lands to fossil fuel extraction and mining briefly leapt to the forefront of the news cycle.

Review: Sage TROUT LL fly rod

Can Sage's new TROUT LL fill the big shoes of its beloved predecessor?

by Cosmo Genova - Wednesday, Jul 31st, 2019

Photo: Cosmo Genova

The rod tube hadn’t been on the counter for more than ten seconds before a voice from behind me perked up: “Is that the new Light Line?”

In the hour I spent at the fly shop, I was approached by numerous similarly intrigued anglers, a couple of which had owned the previous iteration of Sage’s dearly beloved LL (or Light Line) series of fly rods, designed by Sage founder Don Green over 30 years ago. I had not had the privilege of owning the original LL, and that was why I was there—for some shop chatter with those who had.

Married to fly fishing?

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

by Todd Tanner - Tuesday, Jul 30th, 2019

Photo: Jeff Gilman

"Do you take fly fishing to be your lawfully wedded spouse, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Whatever vows you may, or may not, have made to your fishing, it’s important to have gear that will treat you with love and respect until it’s time for you to go your separate ways. With that in mind, here are four recommendations that you might want to keep in mind for the remainder of 2019.

Review: ECHO BASE fly rod

The $89 BASE punches above its class in nearly every category

by Johnny Carrol Sain - Monday, Jul 29th, 2019

Photo: Johnny Carrol Sain

If you’ve got kids of a certain age, you’ve likely viewed the Pixar flick Ratatouille, in which the lead protagonist, Remy—a rat—is inspired by Chef Gusteau’s proclamation that “anyone can cook.”

It is possible that no other company more tightly follows the vision of its leader than ECHO fly rods follows Tim Rajeff, who proclaims that anyone can fly fish. You don’t need years of practice, and you certainly don’t need wads of money. But Tim knows that you do need the right fly rod.

The ECHO BASE I own is a workhorse of a rod that I’ve put through the paces for various species of warm water fish for nearly four years. You can learn a lot about a rod in that amount of time.

AFFTA announces industry-wide 'Day for Bristol Bay'

It's time for fly anglers to put some skin in the game

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Jul 25th, 2019

Commercial fishing in Dillingham, in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska (photo: Pat Clayton).

Next month, the fly fishing industry will set aside a Day for Bristol Bay. One day for anglers, fly shops, brands, outfitters, lodges, guides and more to dedicate their support to protecting the world's greatest wild salmon fishery. One day to pool their collective efforts—and to put their money where their mouths are—to generate funding to fuel the efforts of the Bristol Bay Defense Fund.