Voices from the river
Prospecting blue lines
A trail generally follows the stream on its gentle course to Shoshone Lake. If you walk the trail, you might occasionally see a tiny brook trout finning in a deep, dark corner of the creek. More likely, if you’re not an angler and staring keenly through polarized lenses through clear water isn’t really your thing, you might notice a fish dart for cover as your shadow crosses the stream
Living off the land
In the summer, I think I could live off the land — with a bit more education. Wild raspberries and strawberries, wildflowers, wild trout, some wild onions, mushrooms and cattails would make a smorgasbord. The trout tend to come easily in the high-mountain streams I...
Desert rainbows
On a map, it doesn’t look all that far. A quick jaunt up the freeway. A race across a sea of potato fields and a good section of the Idaho National Laboratory, where plans are in place to build a dozen modular nuclear reactors to help power some 36 western communities starting in less than a decade. Finally, there’s the run up the river valley to where the desert meets the Lemhi Range
Summer is for sun(fish)
A couple of my favorite ponds were on Fort Story, a small military base in Virginia Beach. One was deep in the woods, reachable only by a sandy, 4-wheel-drive-required road
Drought and trout
There are many demands on water, especially in the West. Municipal water for drinking and other human uses, agricultural water to grow our food, recreational water to keep a thriving outdoor recreation industry afloat and numerous others. And all are important for the...
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From Brooklyn to Asheville
The road that led me to quit my job and fly fish in North Carolina that summer was as twisty as the Blue Ridge Parkway itself. But after seven cancer surgeries and radiation, multiplied with the strain of a big job in a big city, the cracks began to show
The slug
I hereby state for the record that I would much prefer to catch small trout, rather than larger fish. Not that size doesn’t matter, of course. So there are caveats. The first is that this predilection doesn’t apply to steelhead or salmon. The second is that it only...
Finding a balance between teaching and fishing
By Mark Taylor Beck had just made a nice cast, his lure landing in a shady spot next to the James River’s bank, when he did something you don’t expect from a 15-year-old. He admitted he was clueless “When I go to a store and look at all the fishing lures, I have no...
LWCF is more than just fishing access
After having my first child, I found myself in a small town with very little connection to the world outside my four walls. As new moms often do, I felt isolated and exhausted and overwhelmed. My daughter, who was not wired to be much of a sleeper, would spend the...
Purpose found in fly fishing
Find purpose through fly fishing
The hex hatch
Over the weekend I spent a total of 12 hours fishing. I landed two fish to show for it. It was nonetheless supremely satisfying. And no, I wasn’t fishing for steelhead. About 100 miles north of Lake Tahoe a lovely reservoir lies resplendent, framed by ponderosa pines,...
Cycling to the source of the Eklutna
At the end of May, a crew of spirited friends and I coasted out of Eklutna Lake campground with trimmed packs, tents and miscellaneous items strapped to our bikes, bound for the head of the glacial valley…or at least its vicinity. It was a fresh adventure for all, and for me, the opportunity to witness the East and West Forks of the Eklutna River beyond Eklutna Lake and set eyes on the glacier, where the Eklutna River begins
Virginia Trout Slam a surprising, and fun, challenge
The cast was too good. The drift was too good. There was no way this was not going to work. And it did. A trout dimpled the surface as it slurped in the little olive Stimulator. It wasn’t a big trout, but I played it carefully in the fading light of a sultry Virginia...
High mountain streams feed the soul
After some much-needed good news on the cancer front, I grabbed my cowboy hat and 1-weight and headed out the door. It was time to celebrate and I intended on doing just that by mountain biking and fishing (sometimes combined) on my gorgeous public...
Old memories with Dad … new ones as Dad
“It’s hard to hear him deny he has a family of his own, so I distract him away from that talk by sharing stories of fishing. I tell him about the adventures Owen and I are having and I reflect on memories he and I created together over the years. Occasionally I can tell he remembers one of the stories, but I know he enjoys hearing them either way.”
Teaching Dad
One would think my fishing addiction would be at least partially hereditary, and this is true, insofar as my father’s family fell in love with New Mexico upon first laying eyes on the mountains around the Moreno Valley. My grandfather and his...
Bonds of brothers
As age takes its toll, the memories become stronger By Drew Irby I was browsing through a collection of scanned photos the other day and came across a vintage pic from the family archives. I had been randomly thinking about what happened to certain friends from my...
An introspection about working with water and trout
By Andy Rasmussen I learned in school that rivers are the lifeblood of nature and civilization. Draining entire continents in their meandering course, the great river systems deliver lifegiving water and commerce to much of the earth’s surface. And as fishers we know...
Wet wading season arrives
A great day for a double feature.
Stranded in grizzly country
It pays to be prepared, even when you’re just out for a casual drive We’d walked well over a mile down the lonely Forest Service road, well out of the way from the Island Park bustle. The sun was retreating and the mosquitoes had discovered us. And we had a long...
How a little black box led to a healing experience
I am the founder of a hunting and fishing guide service in the heart of Texas, and as a minority in the outdoor community, the past few days have been very meaningful for me. I am humbled by the outpouring of support, love, and understanding from my fellow anglers and hunters.
Practicing equity at Trout Unlimited
TU will always fix rivers. It is what we do. But the magic of TU is that we also do community. We need people—all people—to achieve TU’s mission.
The Land Ethic
We can turn to Aldo Leopold for important lessons that are ideal for the times.
Personal best brown a quarantine surprise
By Rob Shane If you told me I’d be stuck at home for an indefinite amount of time and encouraged to practice social distancing when I do leave the house, I never would have imagined it would result in me catching my personal best brown...
Pining for salt
The coronavirus outbreak has put many a travel plan on the back burner this year.
Thoughts on the delay of California’s Trout Opener
A TU member considers the delay of California’s Trout Opener along the Eastern Sierra and how anglers can help make sure angling regulations reflect scientific data.
Long-awaited raft a fishing game-changer
By Mark Taylor As we made our way through the final riffle, I dug the oars into the cool, green waters of Virginia’s Jackson River and aimed the stern toward the boat ramp. “Have I told you that I love this thing?” I said to my fishing partner, Sam Dean. My memory...
Nick point
Nick points abound in nature, but are also created by man
A rod’s length between us
It was the squid boats at sundown that did it for me. I had been holding on to a lot of tension. I knew this. Much of it was linked to my recent move halfway across the state. But most of the ways that I usually deal with stress involve activities, including fishing,...
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