Drake Magazine Daily Fly Fishing News and Blog
All waters inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundaries, for the first time in more than 80 years, are open to brookie fishing. The announcement by park officials follows last week’s reopening of 8 miles of Lynn Camp Prong—a section that was sidelined due to a seven-year native brook trout restoration project. “The opening of…
Alaska’s Chuitna River watershed—bookended between Cook Inlet and Anchorage—is rich with salmon. It’s also a potential cash conveyor belt for developers who plan to tap its coal-laden underbelly and build export terminals to feed overseas demand. (Namely, to China.) The short film Chuitna chronicles the journey of conservation-minded anglers fighting to put pristine wilderness and anadromous…
This short film by photographer Scott Nelson highlights the highs and lows of Deschutes River waters. Before the dams went in, the Deschutes flowed a fairly consistent 700 to 800 cubic feet per second (cfs) year-round, said Brett Hodgson, district biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Bend. There would be occasional increases…
There’s gold in them thar waters. And Idaho miners and politicians aim to suck it. Last week an Idaho House committee advanced a bill to permit suction dredging in some of the most pristine rivers in the west. The Middle Fork of the Salmon, Clearwater, and Lochsa rivers are among the waters with protected salmon, steelhead, and…
Barracuda, not known as a wildly popular dish on local dinner menus, have seen a fivefold increase in commercial catch rates in Florida Keys waters. Which begs the question, why the sudden spike in demand? Harvest is unregulated and, according to area guides, the hit is taking a toll on this once prolific gamefish. In response, members…
Xboundary explores British Columbia’s open-pit mining craze and the potential for lethal shit to move downstream. “The massive size and location of the mines—at the headwaters of major salmon rivers that flow across the border into Alaska—has Alaskans concerned over pollution risks posed to their multi-billion dollar fishing and tourism industries. These concerns were heightened…
Since PacifiCorp’s crusty Condit Dam fell in 2011, Washington State’s White Salmon River has seen small but escalating returns of steelhead and chinook to spawning areas upstream of the deconstruction zone. According to WDFW fishery biologists a total of 88 spring chinook spawners were estimated to have entered the river in 2013, and another 216 last…
To all the fisher ladies in the place with style and grace… here’s a little Thursday stoke from the crew at Frontsidefly.com. Respect.
With digging underway, Canada’s latest mine has become the newest concern for Alaska’s wild fish advocates. Last week, an open-pit gold-and-copper producer called Red Chris began operating in the British Columbia headwaters of the Stikine River, an undammed waterway that flows more than 400 miles, crossing borders and spilling into an 11,000-hectare delta near Wrangell, AK.
In a bid to save embattled Columbia River fish populations, the feds have devised a plan to kill 11,000 double-crested cormorants—black seabirds with a bad hankering for juvenile salmon and steelhead. Pending final approval, state agriculture workers would shoot the birds, as well as spray their eggs with vegetable oil to prevent hatching. The U.S. Army…
With chopper rentals running upwards of 10k a day, drones are seeing increased use in the photographer/filmmaker’s toolkit. Photographer Matt Jones tells us he logged long hours on the simulator to dial in his flying skills, but still dunked one camera on this last shoot… making it more spendy than planned. These top-to-bottom views of Ascension…
Utah Stream Access Coalition’s Weber River Navigability Case goes to trial this Friday, February 6, at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City. And if flyfishing on public waters without the fear of being harassed sounds good, this is an important and potentially precedent setting case. For instance, by demonstrating that the Weber River was used…
From meth smuggling escapades and crash landings at the White House to this eagle’s-eye view of B.C.’s Skeena Country… welcome to the dawn of the drone.
FORKS, Washington—On the eve of Super Bowl XLIX, three Seattle-area residents—two steelhead fishermen and their guide—were detained from a stretch of the Hoh River on Saturday after Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife officials discovered that 11 of their 12 Thingamabobbers were drastically over-inflated.
From coast to coast the deadbeats continue to drop. According to American Rivers’ latest report, communities in 19 states in partnership with non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies removed 72 dams in 2014—restoring more than 730 miles of streams for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and people. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois,…
Meet Montana-based graphic artist Dave Hartman, the creative engine behind the Strip’n Flywear brand. “First Light explores the connection between Art and Fly Fishing while finding comfort in something that you love.”
Shake, rattle, and slo-mo with a sumo-sized Glades tarpon. And stay tuned for more from the Shallow Water Expeditions film squad. Their topwater redfish-heavy edit Out of Touch hits F3T venues across the country beginning this month. Read More
Despite what you may have heard, it’s not all a perpetual toilet swirl for the wild fish rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Case in point, the Native Fish Society’s optimistic look at the “11 Most-Improved Wild Fish Rivers 2014”. The list, which includes the John Day, Rogue, Skagit, and Sol Duc, focuses on watersheds that…
Hatchery vs. wild salmon and steelhead fisheries management is a lightning-rod issue for anglers and the science community alike. On January 22-23, in Portland, the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is hosting a public symposium on the topic, focusing on research, management, and potential reform. Four sessions will include: Hatchery Fish Performance and Genetics,…
Guides live in the zaniest places: condemned double-wides, basements, backseats, and broom closets. Meet the enviable Cameron Blacksock and loiter in his lux GT Destroyer digs for an afternoon. Via Cpt. Jack Films: “Guides Cribs goes to the Seychelles to meet Dr. Blacksock and see his crib!”
Drake contributor Tim Romano has had a rough year. It started with the tragic river death of his younger sister, Kathryn Walker. And it ended in a car crash that saw the wooden dory he rebuilt and named in her honor smashed to pieces. “Just before Christmas, I took advantage of some very warm weather…
This looks legit. According to fisherman John Rodriguez, northern Tampa’s Hillsborough River is a great place to fish for gar and snap pictures of birds. On Dec. 26, however, shit got real when the 66-year-old retired electrician says he heard squishing sounds, looked over and saw this “thing” walking through the water and crouching down for a…
Forget everything The Lion King ever taught you. The circle of life is actually a rainforest phenomenon that starts and ends with annual returns of wild Pacific salmon. According to Salmon Nation, at least 137 species rely on these anadromous fish populations as part of their diet. And when you add tiny soil critters, booming…
The Fly Fishing Film Tour’s 2015 schedule is now live. From Mongolia taimen and Cuban bones to Icelandic Atlantics and good ol’ American carping, check out all the trailers online, as well the full list of city stops. Shows kick off in Denver on January 24. Here’s a sneak peek of official selection, “The…
When Michael Hackney set out to build the world’s first biodegradable plastic 3D-printed fly reel his simple criteria included a low parts count, a click check, clean aesthetics, and it had to catch fish. Two years later, Version 5 designs not only look the part but have all the basic attributes—from foot to spindle to ported…
Shallow Water Expeditions kicks phones to the curb and connects with tailing reds in “Out of Touch”—to be featured in the 2015 Fly Fishing Film Tour.
“A Homage to Winter Steelheading” marries the unchoreographed intricacies of steelhead fishing—timelapse-style—with some fancy-pants figure skating commentary. Double lutz vs. double spey? Tire iron vs. Nancy Kerrigan? Only Tonya Harding knows the answers. Winter steelheading the Oregon coast with Beulah Fly Rods