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The Best of TU
This year, two conservation stalwarts took home the award recognizing volunteer leadership One of the highlights of the year for me is presenting the Ray Mortensen award to our top volunteer leaders. Chris Wood presents the Mortensen to Jim Walker via Zoom during the annual State of TU address. “The Mortensen” honors a man from…
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Yellowstone: Still open for business
Here’s how you can give back to the communities and businesses that give so much to visiting anglers and outdoor lovers Feast or famine—that is the weather pattern in the West. My friend Nate Blue recently wrote and told me that his town of Bodfish, Calif., had received 0.95 inches of rain so far in…
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The magic of water
An angler no longer asks himself, ‘Why do we fish?’
An angler no longer asks himself, ‘Why do we fish?’ My grandfather was a fishing fool. He lived down the Jersey Shore and would fish for bluefish or whatever else was running whenever he could. The fishing gene didn’t really pass to Dad. He was too busy playing hoops to ever really get into angling. …
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Fishing isn’t just about catching fish
My son Casey and I recently went out for shad on a cold and blustery day.When we arrived at Fletcher’s Boathouse on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., Alex, the manager, warned us not to row too far. “I just finished bringing someone back who got stuck in the wind, and I almost didn’t make…
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The next half-century of hydropower
How hydropower relicensing clears a path for migratory trout and salmon Trout Unlimited cares about hydropower because trout and salmon are migratory fish and the fact is, dams are tough on migratory fish. In the case of the Columbia and Snake River dams, for example, the downstream delayed mortality for juvenile smolt at each of…
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Bridging differences on the Snake
Working to change minds and save wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest Last week, I visited Lewiston, Idaho, where visitors are greeted with a sign proclaiming, “Thank you for visiting Idaho’s only seaport.” Lewiston is some 345 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. What makes it a “seaport” are the reservoirs formed by a series…
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Selling fly fishing and doing conservation
From big rod makers to small tackle shops, the fly industry makes caring for our waters part of the mission A while ago, I became a member of the American Fly Fishing and Tackle Trade Association, the trade association of the fly-fishing industry. Over the years, the group has been a strong supporter of our…
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