Voices from the River: New tricks

Tight-lining a tandem set of nymphs through a bucket on the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River in West Virginia with his 11-foot Euro nymph rod, Mark Taylor comes tight to a 14-inch rainbow trout. (Sam Dean photo.) By Mark Taylor Fishermen never stop learning, but we are also victims of…

What kind of trout is this?

The trick to knowing what you’re going to catch before you catch it, is knowing what lives in the river. Of course. Some people, however, have dialed it in a bit more. For example, they know the rainbows like the riffles in certain places on the Colorado River, whereas the browns hug the banks and…

Short casts: Trophies in Idaho, Colorado; an ode to Lefty, Madison fly choices, and more

Photo courtesy of the Idaho Statesman ‘Tis the season for big fish, it seems. On Idaho’s Boise River—a fantastic urban fishery—Jason Waidelich latched into a massive rainbow trout that tipped the scales over 19 pounds, a highly unusual catch for the Boise. At first, Waidelich’s wife, was sure the fish was one of several steelhead…

Voices from the River: Blaze orange season

By Mark Taylor Sam looked at the hat and raised an eyebrow. “That’s not a bad idea,” he said. “Got an extra?” Of course I did. It’s November in the Virginia mountains. The backseat of my truck is always stocked with my fishing AND hunting gear, including a few blaze orange hats and vests. I…

Voices from the River: Cabin No. 3

“Thank you No. 3. See you next time,” I whispered to the warm cabin as I closed the door of one of my favorite public-use cabins in Southcentral Alaska and turned to soak in the view from the deck with my wife and two dogs. It’s my trusty routine to thank the public resource that…

EPA receives record-setting comments for Bristol Bay protections

By Jenny Weis You learned the facts about the massive proposed Pebble Mine. You’ve seen the fish pictures. Maybe you’ve released the legendary rainbows back into the cold, clear water. You’ve read the science. You’ve been outraged at the lies told by the Pebble Partnership. And then, you took action. More than 750,000 comments were…