Voices from the River: 36 hours (part I)

Editor’s note: The following is the first of a two-part series. By Eric Booton The Trout Unlimited Alaska office is appropriately located on the shore of Anchorage’s Lake Hood, a hub for float plane traffic and a persistent reminder of the wild lands accessible in mere minutes, if you have the right transport for the

Act Now to Help Protect the Methow Headwaters

We need your support to help urge the BLM to protect the Methow Headwaters and the habitat it provides for rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bull trout, mountain whitefish, Chinook salmon, and steelhead. A mineral withdrawal would make the 340,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in the Upper Methow Valley off-limits to large-scale mining for

TU assists with successful TAPS retreat

For the past five years, Trout Unlimited has had the honor of partnering with TAPS , Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, to support the TAPS  Montana Men’s Retreat. Held at Parade Rest Ranch , located on Grayling Creek near West Yellowstone, Mont., the event brought together nearly 40 men, many Gold Star dads, who have lost loved

Commercial fish farm on Michigan’s Au Sable to close by end of year

Opponents to a fish farmer’s plan to significantly increase trout production at the Grayling Fish Hatchery believed the operation threatened the river’s health below the flow-through facility. (Photo courtesy of Joe Hemming) By Mark Taylor A commercial fish hatchery on Michigan’s famed Au Sable river will cease operations by the end of the year. The

Voices from the River: Whitefish

The underappreciated mountain whitefish. Photo by Chris Hunt. By Eric Booton With a trip to Montana on the books for a wedding, I immediately began penciling out how I could optimize my time with the groom, my family and seek out new finned friends in some remarkable rivers with my wife. The famed waters of

Gear Test: The Redington ZERO reel

Small-stream trout reels really don’t need to be fancy. They just need to be dependable, hold line and pick up slack as needed. Drag? Virtually unnecessary. Earlier this summer, I paired Redington’s new-ish ZERO fly reel with its new Butterstick glass rod—it was a great set-up for small-water trout that I really enjoyed fishing. I

Gear test: The new Redington Butterstick

Mike Sepelak fishes the Redington Butterstick on a remote Idaho freestoner for native cutthroat trout. Photo by Chris Hunt. When I unzipped the bright orange rod tube containing the new Redington Butterstick and slowly lifted out the three-piece length of snazzy white fiberglass, I swear I heard the trumpets warming up for a sweet rendition