Native Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Contrary to many conservation-minded anglers, I am one who believes that, along with cockroaches, coyotes and Siberian elm trees, brown trout will survive the apocalypse. They possess many of the traits we Americans admire most: they are intelligent, confident, adaptable, rugged, ambitious and breathtakingly handsome. And for the time being … Read more
With terrestrial season coming on strong throughout the country, it’s an obvious time to start flinging a hopper-dropper rig. But what’s the best way to do it? What knots make the most sense? How far below the high-floating hopper should the “dropper” nymph be? Here’s a great short video from the New Fly Fisher that … Read more
By Duke Welter On a recent morning near Viroqua, Wisc., an angler didn’t know what to expect. Temperatures the day before had reached the upper 80s, the latest in a hot string. Overnight rains had some impact. Fields were wet and larger waters ran cloudy, but weren’t unfishable. Heading first to one of the “forks” … Read more
My buddy Dennis is a nuclear engineer. He travels the globe through his job and works with disparate foreign governments who are turning to nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels. One of Dennis’ many jobs is to help those governments test various nuclear fuels for efficiency and power production, and to help them … Read more
“We make fishing better” is one of our mottos here at Trout Unlimited. Our efforts do more than simply make fishing better, of course. But everything we do, at some level, translates to better fishing. That sits pretty well with our 300,000 members and supporters because most of them are, in fact, anglers and appreciate … Read more
It’s commonly said that fishermen go through an phases. First, they want to catch a fish. Then lots of fish. Then big fish. Then they just want to be out there and fish are simply a bonus. Here’s the thing, though. Unlike some forms of evolution, this one isn’t linear. You can be firmly established … Read more
I first met Bob Jacklin as a new arrival to the Yellowstone region some 20 years ago—he was tying flies at the Eastern Idaho Fly Tying Expo here in Idaho Falls, and I immediately did my best to soak as much of his fly fishing wisdom as I could. From his shop just outside the … Read more
It’s getting warmer outside. Spring is actually springing, and that means summer isn’t far off. Soon, it’ll be time to camp next to high-country trout water and sight-fish to feeding fish. I can’t wait. And short films, like this little gem above from Carpe Dieme featuring wild brown trout fishing in Scandinavia, don’t help with … Read more
The guys at Trouts Fly Shop in Denver hit the Colorado River recently, and they did some serious damage to the river’s lively browns and rainbows using baetis imitations. Baetis, often imitated in the dun form by the venerable Blue-winged Olive, are great springtime flies, and among the first mayflies to emerge and hatch when … Read more
Matt Jennings and I are standing on the bank of Wisconsin’s Root River on an early spring day. And we are plotting. “I think we need to cross down there,” says Jennings, who then starts pointing his fly rod at various spots in the river. “We’ll hit that one first, then that one, and then … Read more
