Wild steelhead pocketed a decisive win last week, when Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced it would cease hatchery plantings of “Chambers Creek” populations in all Puget Sound tributaries, except the Skykomish. For the next two and a half years, NOAA Fisheries will evaluate each specific hatchery program using the contemptible stock. While the Skagit…
Southwestern Wyoming’s Little Mountain is home to native cutthroat, the former footsteps of thieves and villains, and looming threats from large-scale oil and gas developers. Seventeen-year-old Haley Powell gives us a feel for its raw power and the reasons behind why it needs protecting. Watch it “Trout Unlimited and the Greater Little Mountain Coalition are…
There are those rivers that we dream of fishing; and there are those that we actually fish—constantly. Yukon Goes Fishing keeps it close-to-home with this icy edit of Colorado mainstays. Watch it Via YGF: “We took the beaten path this winter. When it comes to fly fishing in Colorado in the winter, there are plenty…
For a time, Ross’s Gunnison was the legit trout reel from Colorado, where it was birthed, to rivers across the American West. Then it disappeared into artifact territory. Thanks to a limited-edition batch, today it’s back. Watch it “Ross will manufacture limited edition Gunnison reels to the specifications of the post-1998 model, except for an…
It’s the final countdown to The Drake’s BIG YEAR CONTEST and you’re invited for the year-long ride. Tens of thousands of fish species are currently swimming the planet. How many can you catch, release, and share? This Saturday, April 26, log into Facebook and launch The Drake’s Big Year Contest App. Add your images and…
Liquid Gold follows a group of anglers missioning into the remote reaches of the High Sierra to scout for native golden trout—pockets of fish have been isolated for more than a century. Watch it Via CalTrout
Every good nightmare needs a monster. Denmark-based media producer, Peter A. Christensen, is back with this creepy edit of some very bad flyfishing in New Zealand. Watch it Via Frontsidefly.com: “This little edit follows Peter’s streak of bad luck and not-so-pro fuck-ups during a recent New Zealand trip with the Nylinder brothers.”
Since the 1930s, the world of birding has held an informal contest to find out who can see or hear the largest number of species of birds within a calendar year. They call this contest The Big Year, and we thought it was time flyfishing had its own Big Year. Our contest will be run…
127 Hours. An un-edited collection of GoPro footage from my summer spent guiding on the Madison. Nine Pounds of Melted Mono. Art project using 60 spools of Trilene, a campfire, and two bottles of Evan Williams. Book Project: Tuesdays with Cheney: 50 Places You’ll Never Flyfish Before You Die Because Obamacare Pilfered Your Savings and…
Yeti, makers of grizzly-proof coolers to safeguard our really cheap boat beers, ramped up production of its latest PermaFrost-insulated vessel today: The Casket. What better way to send off the hunter or fisherman in your life? Watch it “Six ergonomic and highly durable YETI DoubleHaul handles have been added to the YETI Casket for comfortable…
SINCE THE 1930s, the world of birding has held an informal contest to find out who can see or hear the largest number of species of birds within a calendar year. They call this contest The Big Year, and we thought it was time flyfishing had its own Big Year. Our contest will be run…
In the spring 2014 issue, Ryan Peterson and photographer John Sherman mission to Russia for rare encounters with Siberia’s sea-run taimen. The following is an exclusive peek at what they found along the road to “Silver Tiger Taimen: One Salmon to Rule them All”. Watch it Via Ryan: “Sea-run taimen live in the Russian Far…
On April 11, the Native Fish Society (NFS), wild fish advocates, and financial donors will band together under the big top at Montgomery Park in Portland, OR, for what’s being billed as the “largest wild fish fundraiser/party in the universe.” In the other corner, Greg Osburn, of the Sandy-based Three Rivers Sportsman’s Alliance, plans to rain…
New York fishing tackle mainstay, Cortland Line, has been busy freshening up the joint. New site. Varied mix of fresh and salt lines. And something still peachy. Pacific Northwest spey guru and recent pro-staff addition, Way Yin, weighs in on the changes… “These days, there are good lines from a number of manufacturers that fit…
People have been running the Colorado River since John Wesley Powell and his ragtag squad of drifters commenced their storied journey into an unmapped Grand Canyon during the spring of 1869. Since then, the river has been tackled in everything from motorized rafts and jet sleds to wooden dories. It’s been conquered in mere days…
If you’re like us, you’ve likely never experienced the legendary fishing prowess of Patrik Daugaard. Prepare to be blown away. Watch it Via Rolf Nylinder: “A lot of people have dreams. But Patrik Daugaard is not like a lot of people.” The Pig Farm Ink squad—flyfishing, tattoos, bitchin—is not like a lot of people either. Check out…
Hit play and add a little funk to your humpday grind. Flyfishing renaissance man Paul Puckett grooves to redfish wakes on glassy water. Watch it Via LC Journal and Flood Tide Co.
The US Army Corps of Engineers lists a heaping pile of 79,000+ dams in its nationwide inventory (NID). But those numbers are changing, for the better. DamNation—a Felt Soul, Stoecker Ecological, and Patagonia effort—documents the down-with-dams groundswell with its world premier at SXSW today. Watch it “This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea…
Wade Davis, a man dubbed Canada’s contemporary Indiana Jones, has been working to safeguard a Switzerland-size area from big industry exploits since the late ’70s. And together with local First Nations bands, hunters, fishermen, and environmental groups like the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, British Columbia’s Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park—where the headwaters of the Skeena,…
Eliminate basketball from your bracket this spring. Insert fish. Cheeky’s March Madness lineup has been randomly seeded and features powerhouse first-round matchups such as mako shark vs. giant trevally, brook trout vs. tigerfish, and Atlantic salmon vs. carp. Since 2011, more than 10,000 votes have been cast, thousands of dollars raised, and underdogs crowned champions. Who…
BumpyWaters chief blogger/film critic, Jake Ricks, goes to the fishing movies and comes back wanting. Wanting less cliche, that is, and a return to flyfishing filmmaking’s halcyon days… when a guy named Smethurst roamed the beaches in search of roosters. Words to film by, via: “TOP 16 PHRASES YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY EDIT OUT OF YOUR…
Team bass takes on a whole new persona, when the MotivFishing crew reunites to crush—or get crushed by—bucketmouths, peacocks, and smallies across the globe. Series sponsors now include booze-giant Budweiser and Evan Williams Whiskey. Bring on the swamps and glittery boats. Via Costa: “A group of experienced fly anglers and explorers take on the challenge…
‘Tis the season for The Drake’s annual Hot Holiday Gift Guide—A full assortment of special selections to wow the flyfisher in your family. 1) Tenkara® Tenkara is the simple Japanese method of flyfishing where only a rod, line, and fly are used. Be the first to buy the whole franchise, including Tenkara rod manufacturing facility,…
Dust off the Holgas, dump the hard drives, do your best Terry Richardson, and delivereth your mind-blowing fishing images for a chance to win swag. As 2013 comes to a close Trout’s Fly Fishing has teamed with The Drake and drakemag.com to run its year-end photo extravaganza. What’s up for grabs? 1) A one-year subscription to…
Idylwilde Flies last week filed a lawsuit against Umpqua Feather Merchants—the company that recently purchased and started selling in-limbo Idylwilde product from production facilities in the Philippines. Via its social media channels and blog, Idylwilde owner Zach Mertens announced that, “…Idylwilde legally filed for its right to claim the flies from Umpqua and Mirabel….” He…
{loadposition poll_rc} The 8th Annual Drake Magazine Flyfishing Video Awards, presented by Simms, is being held Wednesday night, July 10, 2013, at 8:30 P.M. in Ballroom A of the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. There is a considerable change in format to this year’s awards, with the biggest change being seven new award categories added,…
ABOARD THE MV MATANUSKA, on a 1,000-mile journey up the rainforest coast from Washington, a cross section of modern-day Alaska’s citizenry relaxed to a gentle January swell—old salts in halibut jackets bound for port towns; rotund men goat-t’d up, ball caps blazing with logos of off-road-vehicle brands; young hippies, all dreadlocks and skirts-over-pants, moving North…