Voices from the River: What makes a ‘trophy?’

by Kirk Deeter I love catching big fish. How can you not? After all, size is the benchmark that is ingrained to matter most to many anglers. My mother doesn’t fish much, but when I call her to say I spent the day fishing, she always asks: “Did you catch any?” Question two… “How big?”…

Trout Tips: The angler is part of the presentation

Dressing in muted colors, or even plaid or stripes, can help you blend into the background, making you harder for the fish to see. Editor’s note: The following is exerpted from TU’s latest book, “Trout Tips,” a compilation of fishing tips from members and TU staffers from all over America. You can order your copy…

Voices from the River: Conservation skills

Dave Sweet of the East Yellowstone Trout Unlimited chapter works to install a new rotating drum screen on an irrigation canal coming off of Trout Creek, a tributary to the North of the Shoshone River. The bypass tube back to creek can be seen on the left side of the canal near Sweet’s foot. Thomas…

Video spotlight: Tracking trout with the fish whisperer

Steve MacMillian spends countless hours traveling to fish for native cutthroat trout in Nevada. Outside Online picture. Is Steve MacMillan the ultimate citizen scientist? We think he is a leading candidate at the very least, but we might be a little biased. Watch this video of Steve exploring the remote corners of Nevada to find…

Short casts: Brookies, clingers and stillwaters

Bringing brookies back to the Southern Appalachians With all the divisiveness in the air these days, it’s refreshing to see people working together to protect fish that have lived in the same streams for almost 2 million years. The brook trout, which first a rrived in the southern Appalachians about 1.8 million years ago, has…

Fly tying: Off-the-hook Sucker Spawn

Several years ago, I was on an early-season prospecting trip into the headwaters of the Rio Grande in south-central Colorado, on the prowl for migrating cutthroats. I found a great little meadow-stretch of water and carefully crept to the edge of the river—really just a small stream at this elevation. Peering carefully over the edge…