Articles

Ocean pike?

Pike continue to expand their range in Alaska, wreaking havoc on salmon populations

by Chris Hunt - Tuesday, Jul 11th, 2023

Photo: Arek Kubale.

Northern pike are native to Alaska. Just not all of Alaska. Thanks to Ice Age geology, the southern third of the state was spared from the toothy, salmon- and trout-eating predator. It was believed, until very recently, that the only pike found in south-central Alaska are there thanks to illegal stocking, likely initiated by anglers in the 1950s who liked the prehistoric fish so much, they planted them in rivers and lakes from Anchorage south to the Kenai Peninsula.

Lost & found: A story of survival

One lost dog's amazing story of survival

by Tom Davis - Monday, Jul 10th, 2023

Bill Madsen and Mazie, reunited after 21 days (photo: Troy Galow).

Troy Galow hadn’t planned to hunt that January day a few years back. But a friend of a friend was looking to shoot a “cull buck”—a nice but non-trophy animal, basically—and Galow, who makes his home in Liberty Hill, Texas, and has a deer lease on a ranch in the South Texas brush country, was happy to do what he could to give the guy his chance.

After dropping him off at one of the two Atascosa-style box blinds he maintains on the property, Galow parked his truck a little distance away and walked back. The guy was standing at the foot of the ladder, looking up.

Heromaker — Part I

Part 1 of a 3-part story

by Jon Tobey - Friday, Jul 7th, 2023

Photo: Uncredited / public domain.

George was in one of those moods that might only come upon a grown man once in a lifetime, or not at all. Sure, some men lived their whole lives ruled by such moments, but those men weren’t successful, didn’t hold respectable jobs, or provide for a family.

Summer reading: Hemingwhy?

In praise of Negley Farson

by Richard Wilson - Wednesday, Jul 5th, 2023

Negley Farson's Going Fishing.

It’s that time of year again (summertime, holidays, excitement!) when I can hardly contain my inner grouch. Everything is a Buster ... bonk-, bunny-, block- and so on. Book lists proliferate, making it clear that a lot of people only read on a beach (or at Christmas).

I think beaches are for avoiding and Christmas is for grumbling. Reading, on the other hand, is one of life’s great pleasures and needs no encouragement. Just do it.

This summer my off-the-beach bugbear is Hemingway and can be summed up in a single word: Why?

4 tips for topwater smallmouth bass fishing

Fly fishing the summertime smallmouth surface bite

by George Daniel - Monday, Jul 3rd, 2023

Photo: George Daniel

Every July, I take a multi-week western road trip to visit my brother in West Yellowstone, work a few clinics in ID and MT, and chase trout amongst some of our nation’s most beautiful landscapes. While many making the same trip would be anticipating the highlight reels of themselves fooling large trout with an amazing, mountainous backdrop, I often find myself asking “why am I leaving the topwater bass bite back home?” I’ve become torn between spending my time chasing trout out west or staying close to home to pursue large smallmouth bass that love to take surface flies.