Sinking and sink-tip lines are great for getting flies down deep in the water column where the big trout eat, but they can be a pain to cast and then recast. First, these lines are heavy—hundreds of grains, for the most part. Second, they don’t really allow for...
A lot of people use the Trout Unlimited calendar. And no wonder, it’s a beautiful publication and a great tool for keeping your life organized. Maybe you use it yourself. But I bet not many of us use it as hard as James Bradley at Reel ‘Em In Guide Service in Ellijay,...
Winter midge fishing is at its peak here in the West, and I’m always amazed at how big trout will take the tiniest bugs this time of year. In that spirit, Tim Flagler offers up his Corded Midge Larva, a diminutive midge tied on a tiny size 24 hook (which...
There’s a lot of white on that black muzzle these days. Flecks of canine wisdom. I never thought Phoebe would get old, but then, I had a hard time imagining me getting old right along with her. Several months back, she stopped trying to jump into the truck. It was...
Many conservation organizations are great at on-the-ground habitat restoration. Others excel at policy advocacy. Trout Unlimited is one of the few that shine at both. Our recipe for success is simple. We take the results and good will generated by the partnerships,...
Here at Trout Unlimited we are proud to say our organization was formed on the banks of the Au Sable River in Michigan. Locals boast (and rightly so) that the Au Sable is the best brown trout fishery east of the Mississippi. Michigan’s TU chapters are named after...
Help us protect the places you love to fish, and to make your fishing better.
Anchor could be connoted as negative, as something heavy weighing you down, but if you look at some of its synonyms, things start looking up. Cornerstone, lynchpin or foundation; these more aptly describe what rivers mean to me, especially lately....
In this series you’ll meet people of diverse communities – our good ideas, what we have in common, and where we differ.
It’s that time of year again… the annual Fly Fishing Film Tour is likely coming to a theater near you, and the films’ trailers are out and about for general consumption. Here’s one, as an angler and a conservationist, that ought to capture your...
Sleeping in bear country is not really sleeping at all. Our family enjoys tent camping and we love the wildest parts of this country. The combination leads to an instant case of temporary insomnia — at least for me. I am envious of people who can sleep in tents while...
It’s difficult to remember exactly when it began, our annual New Years fishing trip on the San Juan River below Navajo Dam. We had hair and it wasn’t gray, and some of us still had muscles. We brought our kitchen kits and coolers, cooking our meals and washing dishes,...
We all know that some people have a transcendental ability to find and catch fish. This ability typically derives from an unteachable, instinctive feel for the water and how its piscine residents move and feed in it and is honed by years of dedication to the craft....
Those of use who have the good fortune of living in the West might take for granted the public lands at our doorsteps—we literally have millions of acres of American lands spread out before us that offer some of the best fishing and hunting on the planet. And a lot of...
By Ty Churchwell No one in Durango nor Silverton, Colo., will ever forget Aug. 5, 2015 — the day of the Gold King mine spill that sent 3 million gallons of ugly, toxic mine water down the Animas River in southwest part of the...
The calls came 24 hours after each other. I was driving down I-95 on New Years Day. Brian Cowden, a former Trout Unlimited employee, called to say that Rick Ege, a former chapter president and council chair had passed away. I last spoke with Rick a few years ago....
By Bradley Thornton Riffee We crept up a beaver creek on a cool fall day filled with nothing but sunshine. The colorful leaves in all their glory brightened our world as we set out to find our native brook trout friends patrolling their mud-packed ponds. Dragonflies...
I find little shame to admit That even with all the bustle of the year I can’t but help to glance longingly backwards To the time where we were all –Just a little– On break. Back when lights twinkled in windows And meals felt sumptuous And everything...
Years and years ago, while attending college in western Colorado, I drove up the shoulders of the Sawatch Range between Salida and Gunnison as far as my old VW Beetle would make it on a road it had no business traversing. After reaching a stretch of two-track I could...
For me, fishing started out as a way to spend time with my dad and brother (whom I wanted to be just like and do everything with) and explore more places than our typical campsite. I did just that during every summer trip to Montana starting about age 10. We’d leave...
I often think of my life in decade intervals. The first ten years was the goofball phase; 11-20 years old involved anything with a ball; 21-30 was consumed by conservation—you get the idea. If we are lucky, we will get eight or nine of these opportunities to think...
Matteo Moretti, Dan Eiden, Dyer Benjovsky and Morgan Bradley spent last summer like most college anglers do—fishing. However, this was no ordinary fishing trip. Over the summer, the four college students involved in TU Costa 5 Rivers Programs across the...
Going to be in Denver for the Fly Fishing Show this weekend? Bring along your favorite pair of leaky waders—the folks at Patagonia will repair them. Free. Patagonia’s Worn Wear Wagon will be at the show at the Denver Mart north of downtown. The repair team will be...
On the California coast between San Francisco and Santa Barbara, a number of streams still have runs of wild steelhead. On a handful of these mostly small drainages, you might get tight to a slabby adult during the winter steelhead season. And on perhaps three of...
We produced or help fund a number of films and video in 2019. Here are our favorites: Colorado Trout Unlimited celebrates 50 years. From the headwaters to the sea, TU is working to protect and restore the mighty Potomac. The story of the resurrection of the...
Bristol Bay The clear, cold rivers of the Bristol Bay region in southwest Alaska support some of the strongest remaining salmon runs in North America. These waters entice anglers, tourists and other outdoor enthusiasts from around the globe to...
Every year has its big moments. The ones we vividly remember. The moments that stick out so much in your mind you don’t need a visual reminder of what it felt like when you were there. Those are the easy ones. The Colorado Trout Unlimited Youth...
This letter first appeared in the 2018/2019 Trout Unlimited Progress Report When we look around at the staff, the volunteers, the business owners and the tireless advocates who make Trout Unlimited what it is today, we see what follows when you mix...
Join us January 6 for a brown bag discussion about bringing back fishable and resilient populations of salmon and steelhead to the lower Snake River. Presenters: Rob Masonis, vice president western conservation, Trout Unlimited Helen Neville,...
The 2019 5 Rivers Odyssey traveled to the west coast to explore the stories and the ecosystems of the Columbia River basin. From the people they met to the ecosystems they encountered, it was clear that passion, recovery and resilience remains a large part of this...
What do you do to pass the time between fishing seasons? Mostly, I daydream, frequently. I catch myself staring out the windows to the snow-covered landscape and dream. I dream of heavy summer rainstorms that bring ants and other terrestrials off the...
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