Region: Upper Midwest/Great LakesActivities: Fishing; huntingSpecies: Brook and brown trout; Muskie; Crappie; Walleye; Smallmouth bass; Largemouth bass; Northern pike; Ruffed grouse Where: The Chequ amegon-Nicolet National Forest covers more than 1.5 million acres in north central and northeastern Wisconsin, much of it made up of water. It encompasses the headwaters of three major drainages, 2,000…
I love fishing beaver ponds. My first-ever brook trout was pulled from the bottom of a high-country beaver pond with my grandfather standing watch over my shoulder, many, many years ago. Since then, especially in high-elevation meadow streams, I’ve been on the lookout for beaver ponds that more than likely hold trout. Trout Tips |…
Region: MidwestActivities: FishingSpecies: Brook, brown and rainbow trout; steelhead; Chinook and Coho salmon Where: The Huron-Manistee National Forest stretches nearly one million acres across the northern half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, touching Lake Michigan in the west and Lake Huron in the east. Home to diverse ecosystems ranging from coastal marshlands to oak savannahs, the…
By Chris Hunt As Phoebe danced around the truck, anxious to start the walk up the familiar trail past a few bends in the creek, I donned my wading sandals for what would almost certainly be the last time this year. I was in a gloomy mood. Changing seasons, earlier sunsets and, of course, the…
Region: New EnglandActivities: Fishing, hunting, hikingSpecies: Brook and brown trout; whitetail deer; ruffed grouse; moose Where: The White Mountain National Forest comprises more than 750,000 acres in the eastern New Hampshire counties of Grafton, Coos and Carroll with a small portion of the forest extending into Maine. The forest includes over 100 miles of the…
A desert redband caught with a Tenkara rod. I first tried Tenkara about eight years ago, and I fell in love with the simplicity of it. I also found it to be very helpful when it came time to hone some of fly fishing’s more complex skills— it helped with reach casts, high-stick nymphing, achieving…
Region: Central AppalachiaActivity: Fishing; HuntingSpecies: Ruffed Grouse; Brook, rainbow and brown trout Where: Monongahela National Forest (known locally as “the Mon”) stretches over 919,000 acres of rugged, mountainous terrain along the eastern edge of West Virginia. Though it rests within a day’s drive of half of America’s population, it boasts five federally-designated wilderness areas and…
