OLYMPIC PENINSULA—More good news for Washington State’s Elwha River. The dams have dropped, a fishing moratorium is in place, and now that vomity plan to introduce hatchery steelhead into the system has been thwarted, at least for 2012. According to the Wild Steelhead Coalition, non-native hatchery steelhead will not be released into the Elwha River…
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Livingston-based artist Derek DeYoung painted the Fall/Winter 2010 cover of The Drake. Cinema Digital’s latest release “Canvasfish” chronicles DeYoung’s career as he strokes the oar, paintbrush, and fly rod through life.
What makes a good guide great? The criteria is seemingly endless: everything from “ties good knots” to “makes miracles happen.” But perhaps the most important is the ability to read and adapt to people along the same lines of reading and adapting to water variables. As “troutopias” go, Montana has bred more freshwater fishing guides…
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Conservationists are applauding the recent quashing of the Million/Flaming Gorge Pipeline project—developer Aaron Million’s mega-bucks pitch to suck water from Utah’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Colorado’s thirsty Front Range. Feds nixed the proposal yesterday.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Royal Treatment Fly Fishing in West Linn, OR. Upon walking in the door I was greeted by owner, Joel La Follette, who waved me in, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, “Hi Sarah, make yourself comfortable at the fly table, Rob [Crandall] is tying winter steelhead…
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There are clearly some discrepancies out there between dreaming of the life and actually living the so-called dream. The dirtbaggish Spey-huggers over at metalheads squash the stereotypes. Some of this may surprise you; some of it will not.
Knee deep in PIT tags and swamp poons Sometimes the best fishing is in uncomfortable settings. Our prey often seeks refuge in difficult to reach areas, areas fishermen eagerly expend high energy to access due to the potential for high returns. This is the sort of location I found myself in during a recent research…
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DENVER—Federal authorities raised several red flags in their analysis of a $270 million project designed to pull an additional 21,296 acre-feet of water annually from the Colorado River. Citing bad math and a downplaying of critical adverse impacts, the EPA said the project to divert more western Colorado water to feed expanding Front Range suburbs…
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OLYMPIC PENINSULA—Washington’s Sol Duc River is set to undergo a game-changing sustainability plan, becoming the first Wild Salmonid Management Zone for steelhead as designated by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The zone covers the entire river, spanning 227 square miles—one the most productive systems for wild steelhead in the state.
Big news from the New York Times this week: Carp are officially gaining as a “fly-fishing favorite.” According to an article by carp promoter Chris Santella, this so-called trash fish is providing treasured opportunities because carp “are a species you can sight cast to with a fly rod without traveling to the Caribbean.”
Citing warnings from agency and independent scientists, four conservation groups filed suit today against several federal agencies and officials of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (in their official capacities) for violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and ignoring the best available science and threatening the recovery of killer whales, Chinook salmon, and native steelhead by…
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WASHINGTON—Documentary filmmaker Josh Fox was cuffed by Capitol Hill police after Republicans objected to his presence at yesterday’s meeting of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.
Our friends over at Faceless Fly Fishing continue to kick out the jams. Check out their latest Plan B edit for further proof. Western Canada represent.
What do you get when you cross aggressive 80-pound dock tarpon with head-mounted camera technology? One of the better eats we’ve seen in recent times.
The bloggers have spoken… again. Blood Knot Magazine just released its 2nd Annual Blogger Issue, a tribute to the click and scroll cosmos. The online powered collection features ultra-tidy images from Jay Morr, art by Derek DeYoung, focus on Gink & Gasoline, words by Jazz & Fly Fishing, and more.
THINGAMABOBBER: INDICATOR OF “THINGS“ TO COME Here’s the thing, Westwater Products was recently awarded a patent by the United States Patent Office for its strike indicator the Thingamabobber™. And the thing is, the Thingamabobber is only the beginning. According to the company, which prides itself in these sorts of things, there are many more things…
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Introduction to Self Monday morning. Standing ankle deep on a Bahamian sand flat with a friend and a guide. It doesn’t take long to realize this line of work has its perks. After all, I haven’t met too many people that have skipped class to hunt for their first bonefish.
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DENVER—For those who live in northeastern Colorado and/or the Denver area, your taps are most likely linked to the South Platte. Remarkably, almost two months after the Suncor spill first made headlines, toxic benzene from the refinery is still seeping into the river at a rate 48 times above the limit for safe drinking water.…
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On ocean flats, backyard ponds, and river environments we typically think of sunglasses first for spotting fish. Costa Sunglasses recently flipped the switch, taking objects of our visual lustings and recreating them out of lenses, hinges, frame arms, nose pads, side shields, and retainer cord segments as mounted fish sculptures—featuring a tarpon, blue marlin, and…
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WASHINGTON—The Obama administration will announce today it is rejecting TransCanada’s application for a permit to build and operate a massive oil pipeline across the U.S.-Canada border. The so-called “shovel-ready” project would cost $13 billion to link Canadian crude with the largest refining markets in the U.S. Opponents say it would contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions and…
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DENVER—The Greenbacks of Trout Unlimited recently announced the second coming of their successful Surface Film event. Surface Film 2 will showcase top professional flyfishing photography from across the country at the Anthology Fine Art gallery (635 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204) on Thursday February 2, 2012. Similar to last year’s event, framed prints will…
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(presented by The Drake and Beattie Outdoor Productions) The year was ’74. It was classic. Disco fever strutted its sequined jumpsuits and platform shoes. CCR’s “Proud Mary” was rolling on the river. And it marked my transition from steel slabs in Ford Motor’s trenches to a shimmering masterpiece of the open road—right in time for…
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Over the past several years we’ve spent an inordinate amount of hours scouring the globe for the next hot species on the fly. Today we found it. Forget extravagant permit, colorful peacock bass, mirror carp, hard-pulling GTs, and ginormous pellet-fed rainbows. Enter the aloof and ever-so-stoic wiener dog. Angler Jeff Ryan takes us into the…
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The 2012 flyfishing film season is officially official—with the International Fly Fishing Film Festival debut in Denver last weekend and the Drake sponsored Fly Fishing Film Tour about to launch later this month in Ventura, CA. (Two completely separate entities, in case you were wondering.) Get your tickets and get in on the fresh goods.…
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Think of Canadian delicacy “Poutine” much like you would a savory ice cream-Sunday—only substitute vanilla for French fries, chocolate for brown gravy, and nuts and a cherry on top for a heaping dollop of cheese curds. Sounds gnarly, but it’s actually quite brilliant… so long as you limit your intake in accordance with the Surgeon…
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What makes a river “gold medal”? A proliferation of beefy trout, for sure. But little more than that it seems. Colorado’s Blue River near Silverthorne has been a designated gold medal river for years. It’s been re-channelized and “stream enhanced” by professionals. It houses large rainbows and browns—sustained thanks to stocking efforts. But it’s what…
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DENVER, CO—An anonymous tip from a Suncor Energy employee alerted state health officials to contamination in tap water on the refinery property near the South Platte River late last week. According to Denver Water authorities the situation appears to be isolated to Suncor’s private system: “Benzene has not been detected in our system. But we are doing…
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