Drake Magazine Daily Fly Fishing News and Blog

Elwha

Elwha River: Why Wild Matters

Drake contributor Chris Santella recently reported on Washington State’s Elwha River (“Bye-Bye Elwha”) and the removal of its two dams slated for later this month. Additional plans for the river include nonnative fish planting in the middle and upper Elwha in conjunction with a $16 million hatchery funded by taxpayers for the Lower Elwha Klallam…

Carp_Slam

Carp Slam 2011

DENVER—The Annual South Platte Pro-Am Carp Slam commences this Saturday on the metro-sensational section of the South Platte River. So far the tourney/fundraiser has raised more than $27,000 for Denver-area habitat improvement projects. Catch a carp, avoid E. coli infection, and support the cause.

SageBlog

Sage Joins Blogosphere

As if you didn’t have enough to peruse online already, you can now add Sage to the mega list. Sage Manufacturing officially joined the blog masses today. The site looks fresh and clean, and we’re expecting to see more in the way of original, compelling content down the road. For now you can read about…

christo

River “Artist” Sparks Lawsuits

French artist Christo, famous for draping sheets around and over everything from islands to large buildings such as the German Reichstag, in Berlin, has had his bobby pins and sewing machines set on Colorado’s Arkansas River for more than 16 years. His bitchin’ plan involves suspending shiny fabric atop more than 40 miles of the…

crab

Eat More (Weird) Fish

When invasive species proliferate our waters and attack native habitat your best bet is to fight back… with a fork. Mother Nature Network presents “9 weird fish you should be eating”—nonnative gnarlers that include Asian carp, shore crab, mitten crab, lionfish, tilapia, and rusty crawfish. And as for swamp eel? It’s what’s for dinner.

Yellow_Oil

Update: Oil on the Yellowstone

In the unlikely event you missed it, an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured over the holiday weekend spilling 42,000 gallons of crude into the Yellowstone River, 10 miles west of Billings. Initial findings had the oil traveling 10 miles down river, but newer reports show the slick extending more than 150 miles, pushing toward North Dakota.

Beastie

Beastie Summer Mixtape

Just in time for BBQ season, Brooklyn’s OG hip-hop innovators meet DJ A-Dog mix-a-thon in “The Beastie Boys All Remixed Up”. The free download combines blends of “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” over “Day n Nite” and “Root Down” over “Bring the Pain” with interviews and skits from “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two”,…

weinerwinner

Weiner’s Winning Ways

Despite Anthony Weiner’s over-amped libido and resignation in the wake of a “sexting” scandal, the New York congressman’s pro-environment record was commendable, according to political pundits. For instance, he stood against attempts to amend the Endangered Species Act, while scoring a 95 on the League of Conservation Voters scorecard early in his career, and has…

Alta

The Pique of Whistler Flyfishing

While Whistler’s mainstay draws include hiking, biking, and “shredding the gnar”/local bar scene, British Columbia’s mega ski resort also offers a myriad of underrated fishing opportunities—from stillwaters to steelheading. This recent article from The Pique “The Ultimate Whistler Fish Story” delivers a detailed look at a community rooted in angling adventure, dating back to the…

Bigfoot

Still on the Loose

The search for Bigfoot continues to be as daunting as the Vancouver Canucks bid for the elusive Stanley Cup. (No thanks to Boston….) But we’re getting closer. In June 2008, Caddis Fly shop owner Chris Daughters floated Oregon’s McKenzie River, where video footage from that trip depicts a Sasquatch-like beast lurking in the bushes. This Sunday, Daughters and…

BrokenBowl

Hatchery Trout on the Ropes

  TENNESSEE—Say what you want about hatchery trout—inbred, three-eyed, lackluster competition for wild fish populations—in states such as Tennessee, they’re a staple. With new federal budget cuts coming down the pipe, national fish hatcheries run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stand to lose $6.3 million related to fish hatchery mitigation operations. Six of…

Cuba

Legalize It: Cuba

  Those seeking legal travel to Cuba’s best flyfishing waters have been given a glimmer of hope thanks to a loosening of people-to-people tour regulations recently published by the U.S. Treasury Department. People-to-people contacts, designed for educational purposes to bring regular Cubans and Americans together, were approved in 1999 under the Clinton administration. They disappeared…

Susque

No. 1: Susquehanna River

  American Rivers recently chose Pennsyltucky’s Susquehanna River (also coursing through parts of NY and Maryland) as its “America’s Most Endangered Rivers Of 2011” poster child. The river, once renowned for its prime smallmouth fishing flowing through Bob Clouser’s backyard has, over the last ten years, been reduced by ag runoff and other environmental cancers.…