-
Vedavoo stands with TU on Lower Snake proposal
“Our lives are full of problems that have no clear answers. Often, the simple solution is hard to find, and the black and white is hidden somewhere in all the gray areas. This isn’t one of those situations. If we want to have wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin, the Snake River is the place. These fish are now at only 1 to 2 percent of their historic populations. Why? Dams. Vedavoo is proud to stand with our partners at Trout Unlimited in support of the proposal to Remove the Lower Four.”
I’ve never made any secret about the fact that I’m a big fan of Vedavoo – the small company from Leominster, MA that makes great gear for fly anglers – and lots of other outdoor enthusiasts. If you see me on the river, chances are I’m going to be wearing one of their sling packs.…
-
Never been closer: new progress on the Klamath
The Klamath River is one of the country’s most beleaguered watersheds. This summer, wildfire, extreme drought, and poor water quality — all exacerbated by climate change — are causing severe hardship for salmon and other native fishes, Tribal cultures and communities, agriculture and local economies. But on July 27, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission provided…
-
The 11th Annual Colorado Wooden Boat Float set for September
When I sheepishly asked the Colorado Wooden Boat float organizer, Mark Hilbert, what was an appropriate vessel to bring to the 11th Annual Colorado Wooden Boat float in September, dory or drift boat, he gave me a simple answer. "I don't care if you bring rubber. It's all welcome!" Which I was relived to hear.…
-
Being more than ‘a trout guy’
“New Mexicans have been here on this land for more than 400 years,” Mitchell said. “You can’t come in with a ‘trout guy’ perspective. These are age old relationships that we have to foster and work together with to build trust.”
A high alpine meadow in New Mexico. Daniel A. Ritz photo. How community is key in Rio Grande cutthroat conservation in New Mexico Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge, attempting to land each of the 20 native trout…
-
Everything you wanted to know: Rio Grande cutthroat trout
Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) Species status and summary: Rio Grande cutthroat trout (RGCT) were first discovered in 1541 by Francisco Coronado’s expedition in the upper Pecos River, although they were not formally described until 1856. They represent the southern extent of the cutthroat trout species, historically ranging from the mountainous headwaters of…
-
Orvis and Hubbards work to get more women and girls on the water
There’s this thing that happens when you get a bunch of women together to fish. I can’t entirely explain it, but if you’ve been a part of it or even witnessed it — I suspect you know what I mean. For me, there’s this felt sense of support and this unspoken duty to pay that forward. It’s…
-
Toughen up your small dry flies with UV resin
I took to finishing these small flies with the smallest dollop of thin UV-reactive resin I could squeeze out of the bottle
I’ve always been something of a ham-handed fly tier, and, generally speaking, the bigger the fly, the easier it is for me to tie. I’m a big guy at six-foot-five, and my hands correspond to my height. They just aren’t meant for detail work. But I live in eastern Idaho, and during fall and winter,…