Tarpon Trackers
They come. They go. They eat and retreat. But for some reason they never show up in Colorado. A little Tuesday tarpon footage for those who’d rather be fishing the flats today.
Daily Fly Fishing News
New Whip up for Bid
Orvis and the Wild Steelhead Coalition are auctioning a one-of-a-kind McKenzie-style driftboat, hand-built by master craftsman Ross Duncan. Bidding starts at $5,000 and all proceeds go toward WSC habitat restoration and steelhead research projects on the Skagit River. So bring the cheddar.
Peter & Rolf on Aitutaki
If you’re into crappy dancing, and bad singing, and really drunk islanders, and Euro-dudes dressed up like Gilligan… this one’s for you, holmes. Oh, there’s always a banger bonefish or two in the mix, as well, with Peter & Rolf on Aitutaki.
Post-Isaac Rebound
What does southern Louisiana’s fishery look like 15 days after Hurricane Isaac makes landfall? Less post-apacolyptic than you might think. Fishing’s good; but different. Shallow Water Expeditions scopes out the scene in this sweet, sweet edit.
Tongass Truths
Even AK—contemporary bastion of wild salmon in big numbers—is not immune to the ills of habitual habitat degradation. The Tongass National Forest, for instance, is a prime example of salmon bearing waters in need of a little extra lovin’. They’re now set to get just that thanks to a $1 million partnership between The USDA…
Mason Tract Won’t be Tapped
CRAWFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN—Nine years ago river advocate Rusty Gates assembled a team of angler conservationists and volunteer lawyers to scrutinize Savoy Energy’s plans to drill under the South Branch of the Au Sable River. Although Gates has since passed, he’s likely awash in posthumous Crown Royal swigs now that Anglers of the Au Sable won…
Win a Rod, Says Ricky
Hey America, it’s me, Ricky Bobby. If you understand freedom and you understand liberty, then I’m about to blow your mind. Before I get too emotional, I just want to say all you Drake readers remind me of me, precocious and full of wonderment… and bursting with the balls to go fast and win. So…
Hank Patterson: Take II
More from our favorite “high-school graduate”/flyfishing extraordinaire, Hank Patterson. Episode II features wisdoms on how to fend off a grizzly attack via the “paralyzer to the chode” technique. Check it.
C is for… Cutthroat
C is for Cutthroat. It also stands for one of our favorite Drake contributors, Corey Kruitbosch. CK gets it done Rocky Mountain-style with some Monday morning movie action.
Fire Torches Lahontan Habitat
SOUTHEASTERN, OR—ODFW has suspended fishing in several of the state’s Lahontan cutthroat streams due to severe habitat destruction from the recent Holloway fire. According to area fish biologists, the 245,505-acre burn decimated riparian vegetation on some stream sections and fire fighters observed fish dying from asphyxiation.
Sticker Bombings—Southern Oregon
As part of our guerilla marketing efforts, Drake stickers are now available in “icy-fresh cobalt blue”—as seen here on Southern Oregon’s Williamson River.
Surf’s Up Kamchatka
Kamchatka—the land of vodka, volcanos, a shirtless Vladimir Putin… and now surfing. Patagonia surf ambassadors Keith Malloy and Trevor Gordon, along with Chris Burkard, Cyrus Sutton, Dane Gudauskas, and Foster Huntington have set out on an exploratory surf trip to eastern Russia, where they’ll camp, source waves, and do some flyfishing.
Autumn Assumptions
If you’ve spent any time in the Rocky Mountain west this summer, you’ve likely overheard a ton of mumbling and grumbling about fires, drought, and shit fishing. Well, some of it is true. And some of it has been overhyped. We recently received this note from Greg Felt over at ArkAnglers on Colorado’s Arkansas River,…
7 Years to the Day
Hurricane Isaac made landfall Tuesday afternoon smashing the Gulf Coast and sweeping dangerously close to New Orleans—exactly seven years to the day of Hurricane Katrina. Despite the creepy coincidence, the slow-moving storm avoided a head-on collision with NOLA and is now reported to be moving northwest toward Houma, La., at approximately 6 mph.
Yellow Gold
Big congrats to Drake-reg Will Rice and Clint Packo, winners of the prestigious 2012 South Platte Pro-Am Carp Slam. Rice and Packo edged all competitors with three carp landed, measuring in at 83 inches—total.
The REEL Adventures…
Introducing Hank Patterson—Ace Hardware and Waffle House-endorsed pro flyfishing guide and developer of the deadly SNAP-IT technique. “Once you’ve got a lot of line out there, you’re just gonna really want to SNAP that thing. SNAP it forward. If you don’t hear it SNAPPING you’re not doing it right!”
DRAKE Vid Winners—2012
RENO, NV—This month the Biggest Little City in the World played host to the booziest little film awards show in the country. Now that the dice have been rolled, A/V dust-ups adverted, and films/beers consumed, we are proud to present to you The Drake Magazine’s 7th Annual Fly Fishing Video Awards, presented by Simms, in…
Troutification
Our favorite troutified Swedes are at it again with their new Troutification site—and this banger Vimeo trailer—dedicated to all things troutish. Check it.
Tailwater Weekend: Tikal
Like many extinct civilizations, the ancient Mayans may have eventually just grown too big for their own brilliance. Tikal, for instance, once supported 60,000 to 80,000 inhabitants—part of an estimated population of five million in the overall Maya lowlands by AD 700. And like us, they also relied on dams to manipulate environments to help…
Wham Bam Carp Slam
Since synchronized carp fondling didn’t make this year’s list of esteemed Olympic alternative sports, Denver once again will play host to the 6th Annual South Platte Carp Slam. The pro-am event, which raised more than $30k last year for local river rehab efforts, kicks off on August 25. Tickets for the New Belgium-fueled Evening on…
Back to the Beach
Ma Nature continues to show she’s a badass on the Elwha River, where top to bottom changes are unfolding fast. Since the dams dropped the river has started coughing up millions of cubic yards of sediment and other debris trapped in its reservoirs since the early 1900s. According to experts on the scene the river…
Enbridge the Ef Out
Enbridge Inc. is a Canadian oil company evidently owned and operated by a bunch of morons who may or may not have taken lessons from another bunch of morons over at BP. In fact, its recent spill of more than 1,000 barrels of oil in a Wisconsin field comes almost two years to the day after…
Havana Affair
HAVANA—Cuban President Raul Castro recently said that his government is willing to mend fences with the United States and sit down to discuss anything. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G. If this means a chance to rap unlimited access to permit, tarpon, bonefish, mojitos, and the mambo… we’re listening.
Aitutaki Diaries
What to do when stuck in Aitutaki—in the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga? 1) Get shitfaced with locals. 2) Make music with Ricky. 3) Hook your first “big as hell” bonefish. Lose it. Laugh. Cry …to be continued.
White Man Can’t Mako (Uncut)
Some styling mako jumps courtesy of our friend Dave Trimble at California Shark Fishing.
Cutthroat Wage Hoback Comeback
JACKSON—The Hoback River cutthroat fishery is rebounding well since Wyoming Game and Fish stopped stocking it with hatchery-raised fish. For years, the Hoback was run as a put-and-take trout factory jammed with 4- to 6-inch fry that mostly failed to reproduce in the wild. The waterway, along with several other rivers around Wyoming, was slowly weaned off…
Permit Props and Propaganda
Although we’re not huge on corporate newsletters, our own included, the latest edition of the Palometa Club’s version was dripping with enough permit porn to make us stand erect and salute. It also includes our Passports Mexico piece on Punta Allen and additional words on Mexico flats fishing by Drake contributor Chris Santella in the…