Voices from the River: Luck versus Skill

Luck, or skill? In the case of exceptional anglers like the Steelhead Whisperer, it’s mostly the latter. By Jim Burns Consider how much of your fly fishing is skill, how much is luck. This summer I excitedly boarded a plane with my fly tube and sat down, expecting nothing more than a peaceful flight, but

Summer steelhead in the Elwha rise from the ashes

Rise of the Phoenix: an Elwha River summer steelhead (Photo: John McMillan) By John McMillan Should we invest in dam removal? It’s a question that many communities, businesses and policy-makers are facing these days — partly because of agin g infrastructure and financial liabilities, and partly because of legal obligations to protect water quality and

Yellow perch … in Yellowstone?

Yellow perch were discovered in Goose Lake inside Yellowstone National Park in 1919. Photo by Wikimedia Commons. Wait. Don’t panic. There aren’t any yellow perch inside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. At least not anymore. I’m in the final throes of researching a book on the wild trout of Yellowstone that’ll hit bookshelves next

Voices from the River: Potomac treasures

By Mark Taylor “Birds!” We were drifting near the Bloody Point Bar Light in the Chesapeake Bay near Kent Island when Joe McGurrin made the observation. “How did I miss those?” he wondered while firing up the outboard on his vintage Grady White cuddy cabin. A few minutes later we were easing into the fray,

Survey shows support for Asian carp protection measures

Above: Asian carp threaten the economically vital fisheries of the Great Lakes. Below: Filter-feeding carp could devastate Great Lakes steelhead and salmon, and the opportunities to fish for them. By Taylor Ridderbusch A recently completed survey shows that an overwhelming number of Great Lakes residents support immediate action to build structural protections to keep Asian

New SweetWater beer and #fishforafish campaign benefits brookies

By Mark Taylor Who isn’t drawn to beer featuring really great trout artwork on cans and packaging? And how great is it when that beer is not only super tasty, but also benefits wild trout? SweetWater Brewery’s new fall seasonal, Mosaic Hazy IPA, checks all the boxes. It’s a juicy, fruity, moderately hoppy (65 IBUs)