Oregon Wildlands

Western Oregon boasts some of the most biologically diverse and undeveloped lands in the nation. From free-flowing rivers teeming with salmon to deep ancient forests to serpentine soil that feeds plants seen nowhere else on the planet, the area offers people a place to relax and listen to hidden waterfalls, hike within towering redwood cathedrals,…

Nevada’s Ruby Mountains important for deer and trout

The Ruby Mountains are an important refuge for wildlife in Nevada. The U.S Geological Survey has classified the area as having very low-to-no energy potential. Trout Unlimited photo. By Pam Harrington Special places bring people together. People with fond memories of hunting, fishing, birding, hiking and those with ancestral roots to the Ruby Mountains recently…

TU in Action: Defending public lands

The Salmon River and the fabled Sawtooth Mountains of central Idaho. Photo by Chris Hunt. Trout Unlimited members in the West have a message for state legislatures that want to keep trying to “transfer” American public lands to the states: Keep your damn hands off our birthright. As noted in this great High Country News piece…

How the shutdown is harming anglers

By Chris Wood “Good riddance. Think of all of the money we are saving.” I looked at Max in exasperation. He is one of the most hard-core sportsmen I know. I have hunted for whitetail with him in driving rainstorms in West Virginia, and stalked catfish on the Potomac using hummus-impregnated Clouser-minnows. He is a…

Getting started: Know your trout

The brook trout is actually char, native to Appalachia, eastern Canada and the upper Midwest. Photo by Chris Hunt. Editor’s note: This the third in a series of posts geared toward new fly fishers. More installments will follow.  A couple of years ago, I was fishing a small, backcountry trout stream on the Island Park…

Ninemile Valley Abandoned Mine Restoration

Perhaps no place in Montana illustrates a more striking juxtaposition between an iconic fishery nestled within an over-exploited landscape than the Clark Fork watershed. The Clark Fork is one of the state’s most popular angling destinations; by the time it flows out of Montana, it has become the state’s largest river. Native westslope cutthroat and…