Articles

Sportsmen Block Pennsylvania Lawmakers' Attack on Wild Trout and Endangered Species Protections, For Now

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Mar 14th, 2014

Pennsylvania Brook Trout Stream (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Early this year, we published a detailed piece on a bill proposed by Pennsylvania lawmakers which is deceptively titled the Endangered Species Act. The bill, HB 1576, has been widely outed as a poorly veiled attempt to neuter the ability of state agencies to put in place vital wild trout and endangered species protections that ultimately present road blocks to development by the natural gas industry and other corporate interests throughout the state. The bill met success late last year when it passed through the House Game & Fisheries committee in November, qualifying the bill to move to forward in the legislative process. This week, sportsmen's and environmental groups that have worked to put a stop to the bill's progress received some relief when the sponsors of the bill failed to receive the necessary support to bring it to a vote on the House floor.

The bill, which was originally proposed last year by Republican representative Jeff Pyle, has received considerable support from House conservatives who have defended the bill with claims that the bill's provisions would reduce government bureaucracy and inefficiency. Even cursory analysis of the bill's contents have revealed these claims to be unfounded, and groups which have recognized the threat the act would pose to Pennsylvania's rich natural resources have spent countless hours mobilizing support from sportsmen and other individuals that oppose its provisions.

Giveaway: Shadow Seeker Custom Colored Fly Lines

by Marshall Walker - Thursday, Mar 13th, 2014

Shadow Seeker Custom Colored Fly Line

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about Shadow Fly Fishing's introduction of their industry-first custom colored "Seeker" fly lines. Shadow has also since introduced a double taper version of these lines, which are now available for pre-order. Since their introduction, these lines have reportedly been selling like hot cakes, presumably due to their surprisingly low pricing, customization options or both.

Fly line coloring is sometimes little more than an aesthetic choice while in other cases coloration may be a valuable tool to the fisherman. While there may be little difference between a fluorescent yellow and a fluorescent green fly line, a line with a colored shooting head that helps the angler know where the best load point is on the line or one with a high-visibility colored tip section for detecting strikes may help increase an angler's effectiveness.

Tying the MKCaddis Pupa Fly

by Aileen Lane - Wednesday, Mar 12th, 2014

Caddisflies are one of my favorite insects to imitate. In fact, the first rainbow I landed on a fly I tied myself came on the ubiquitous Elk Hair Caddis. Getting a hit on top is exciting, however if you want to increase your chances for catching fish, consider tying on a caddis pupa instead.

Emerging caddis pupa often spend a great deal of time drifting in the water before they make it to the surface. Dead drift this pattern near the bottom in the riffles or drift it near the surface.

When designing the MKCaddis Pupa, the goal was to create a semi-realistic pattern that was fishable but also simple to tie. The MKCaddis Pupa may be tied with or without weight depending on how you want to fish it.

Victory for Wild Steelhead in Washington

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Mar 11th, 2014

The East Fork of the Lewis River in Washington (photo: Stephanie Brock).

After several years of effort, wild steelhead advocates are claiming a victory in southwest Washington after the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced that it would cease all steelhead planting in perpetuity on four of the state's rivers. These rivers will be established as wild steelhead gene banks, part of an effort to restore and revitalize native steelhead populations throughout Washington.

Effective immediately, steelhead stocking will cease on the East Fork of the Lewis, the North Fork of the Toutle and the Green rivers. The Wind River, which hasn't been stocked since the late 1990s, will also remain unstocked in perpetuity and serve as part of the wild steelhead gene bank.

Vision, Through Three Different Lenses

by Todd Tanner - Monday, Mar 10th, 2014

Alaskan Rainbow Trout (photo: Chad Shmukler).

In the lexicon of rock ‘n roll, there’s a term called a riff. The dictionary on my laptop describes it as, “a short repeated phrase, frequently played over changing chords or harmonies or used as a background to a solo improvisation.” I don’t have a musical bone in my body, but I’m going to imitate the guitar heroes of my youth and riff on a single word. Vision.

One of the things that sets the best fly fishermen apart from their less successful brethren is vision. Not so much visual acuity (although I’ll touch on that later), but vision with a small “v” - the ability to see and understand what’s happening on, and around, the water.

Vision, at least in this context, is interchangeable with words like “information” and “understanding.” You see something or, more likely, some complex combination of things, and you become acutely aware of what you’re witnessing. Just as importantly, you know what to do next. The rise forms are subtle and the mayflies are lying flat on the surface, so you reach for your 6x tippet and a little rusty spinner. The wind is pushing waves against a rocky point on your favorite bass lake, so you cast your Clouser Minnow right to the edge of the drop-off. The eddy behind the mid-stream boulder is sunny and shallow, while the small cushion in front is deep and shaded. Where’s that big rainbow likely to be holding? In front of the rock, of course ...