blue

Gold Medal Blues on the Blue

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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Benz1

S. Platte Drinking Water Warning

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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SantiRiver

North Santiam Steelhead Recovery

This week, Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) purchased 160 acres of critical steelhead habitat along Oregon’s North Santiam River—a vital Willamette River tributary. Historically, the North Santiam was the largest producer of winter steelhead in the Willamette basin and is the source of approximately one-third of its spring Chinook salmon. Today, fish in the basin are…

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sixty3

Castro’s Salty Legacy

60 Minute’s Anderson Cooper recently traveled to Cuba’s The Gardens of the Queen (Jardines de la Reina), where he swims with socialist sharks, documents a global model for underwater habitat preservation, and briefly highlights Avalon’s flyfishing operation there. We imagine it’s worth watching… if you can stomach through Phil Mickelson’s minute-long psoriatic arthritis commercial.

APOSTLES : SCOTT HED

Apostles : Scott Hed

Severed by North Dakota, the Saskatchewan plains, Alberta tar-sands, and British Columbia’s snow-covered Coast Mountains, Gaylord, Minnesota, is far removed from a proposed large-scale Alaskan mining operation and the toll it would take on anadromous fish runs. But it’s in Gaylord that Sportsman’s Alliance of Alaska Director Scott Hed had lived a quintessential Midwestern life—playing…

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Because 1% of fishermen catch 99% of the fish

Occupy Duval Street

Immediately institute “Finder’s Keeper’s” rule for all bales of pot that wash up in the Marquesas. Ditch Hemingway look-a-like contest and expand Fantasy Fest to the first Saturday of each month. Boobs and feather boas ring cash registers. Old fat white guys with beards, not so much. Student loan relief from Key West Community College,…

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Drake Magazine Easement Taylor Park Reservoir

Living on Easement Street

There aren’t many rivers in the Rockies more appealing in late September than Colorado’s lower Taylor, which sits halfway between Crested Butte and Gunnison and is known nationally for its monster, mysis-shrimp-filled rainbows that inhabit the short tailwater section below Taylor Park Reservoir. The river received national attention of a different sort in the spring…

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Drake Fan Tattoos Face

Ever since we were birthed by an 8-pound Jackson Hole cutthroat named Stella back in the late ’90s we’ve been dreaming of this moment. Because nothing says “You have arrived!” like a wicked “DRAKE” tat right across your freakin face. Now that’s commitment right there friends. Who’s next?

Private No Fishing

Supreme Decision

Who Really Owns America’s Riverbeds? Tomorrow is a big day in Washington, D.C. for anyone who likes fishing, rafting, or canoeing public water in the United States. In what is likely the most meaningful river-access case ever heard before the U.S. Supreme Court, PPL Montana v Montana is seeking to answer the long-disputed question of…

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FindOR

Finding Oregon Vs Tomato Time-Lapse

There are plenty of uninspired time-lapse videos making the rounds these days, including this rotten one: Tomato time-lapse. Filmmakers Ben Canales, John Waller, Steve Engman, and Blake Johnson of Uncage the Soul Productions, however, skip the low-hanging fruit and tackle a 1,600 mile road trip across Oregon—delivering the Columbia River Gorge, Mt Hood, Mt Jefferson, the…

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Video Blitz: Striped Bass Gamefish

Stripers Forever is a non-profit internet-based conservation organization, seeking game fish status for wild striped bass on the Atlantic Coast, while optimizing sustainable public fishing opportunities for anglers from Maine to North Carolina. The org’s new video drives home compelling arguments for enhanced recreational, conservation-based measures along the Eastern Seaboard. If you’re a fan of…

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