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The old man’s fly rod
Some years back, I got a gift package in the mail right around Christmas time. It was from my uncle John, my mom’s brother. Long and slender, the package was a complete mystery to me--we’d long since stopped receiving gift packages from aunts and uncles, so I was really curious. Come Christmas morning, I watched…
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Mistakes you don’t get to make twice
An Alaskan rainbow trout prepares to swim away after being caught on a tributary to the Susitna River in Alaska. Daniel A. Ritz photo. Western Native Trout Challenge: Alaskan rainbow trout 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,…
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Do you even surf, bro?
What, does this have to do with fishing you ask? Nothing really, other than it got me pondering about utilizing whitewater techniques for fishing and vice versa.
The absurd image and video you see here is me taking one of my boats out for its maiden voyage a couple of weeks ago on the North Saint Vrain (thank you Charlie Bloch for the video). We got said boat more for paddling fun on local creeks and rivers, and stealthy fish missions --…
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Photos capture dramatic salmon rescue in Maine
By Mark Taylor and Jeff Reardon Stranded in an isolated pool below a dewatered dam, the large Atlantic salmon scooted back and forth, knocking its snout into rocks as it frantically looked for escape. Salvation came in the form of a long-handled net. An employee with the Maine Department of Marine Resources scooped up the salmon, hustling the fish to…
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TU tested: Korker’s ‘River Ops’ wading boots
This is a really well-engineered wading boot. Period
($259.99; korkers.com) Some wading boots are getting expensive. But I’ve always seen the value in Korkers boots because they’re built with an “Omnitrax” system that allows you to switch soles (they come with two sets.) So it’s like getting two pairs of boots in one. Say you prefer wading in studs, but your fishing friend doesn’t want…
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The Alaskan rainbow trout: All you need to know
Alaska’s rainbow trout populations are still largely intact and robust, largely because of remote locations with limited accessibility, abundant and pristine habitat, and conservative management.
Alaskan Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Species Summary and Status: The rainbow trout native to Alaska is also known as coastal rainbow trout (Behnke 2002). There are two forms of coastal rainbow trout native to Alaska: the freshwater resident form and the searun form more commonly called steelhead. For the purposes here, only the resident form is…
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Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
“Arctic grayling,” I responded without batting an eye. “I’ve never even seen one, let alone fished for them before. It’ll signify just how far from home I am on this trip.”
An Arctic grayling from Alaska. Gabby Mordini photo. Western Native Trout Challenge: Arctic grayling Editor’s note: Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to accomplish the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge. He will attempt to land each of the 20 native trout species in their historical ranges of the 12…