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Remembering John Merwin and lessons learned
I remember the first time we met in person. We were at a fishing trade show, and Merwin ordered me to lunch. I was pretty nervous because everyone at the magazine had told me what a tough customer he was. And sure enough, he was no more than a sip into his martini when he criticized the most recent story I had written
I was cleaning up my office the other day, and chanced upon a book that made me smile. It’s a copy of John Merwin’s The New American Trout Fishing, given to me by my wife as a birthday present, not long after the book came out in 1994. The book made a tremendous impression and influenced…
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It’s bull trout time in Idaho
Roger Phillips photo. By Roger Phillips They’re big, they’re hard-fighting, and they’re one of Idaho’s most overlooked trophy fishing opportunities, but many anglers are still confused about whether they can target bull trout for catch-and-release fishing. The short answer is yes. When bull trout were listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in…
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Quick tip: A new way to ship your oars
No, we're not talking FedEx ground here... To ship your oars means, in it's simplest term, to stop rowing and pull the oars inside or next to the the boat. You can do this a number of ways and for a number of reasons. Maybe you're approaching a narrow rowing spot or coming close to…
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Will more anglers bring more awareness to invasive species?
The COVID pandemic has led millions of Americans to connect with water—especially via fishing and boating—within the past two years. That can be great, as families discover (or rediscover) the healthy benefits of outdoor recreation. And with a bit of encouragement and support, hopefully we can dramatically grow the ranks of those who advocate for…
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River straps are for more than just boating
River straps. Cam straps. Tie downs. Whatever you call them they’re as important as having oars when you’re on the water. Having only rafted for seven years myself, I’ve already missed a lifetime of river-strap usage. But I’m making up for the lost time by putting them to work wherever I go outdoors. I’ve used…
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Toughen up your small dry flies with UV resin
I took to finishing these small flies with the smallest dollop of thin UV-reactive resin I could squeeze out of the bottle
I’ve always been something of a ham-handed fly tier, and, generally speaking, the bigger the fly, the easier it is for me to tie. I’m a big guy at six-foot-five, and my hands correspond to my height. They just aren’t meant for detail work. But I live in eastern Idaho, and during fall and winter,…
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Excuse me… just slamming through
Owen Prettyman fishing a small creek while attempting to complete his Utah Cutthroat Slam with a Bonneville cutthroat trout. Daniel A. Ritz photo. Making memories to last a lifetime in Utah Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge,…
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