Trout Weekly

  • Restoration

    Restoring Fish Passage on Prince of Wales Island

    On Prince of Wales Island, nearly 450 culverts and bridges along Forest Service roads do not meet state or federal standards and restrict fish migration to important spawning and rearing habitat upstream. There are likely many more barriers to fish migration along roads on non-federal lands. These barriers reduce salmon and trout populations in affected…

  • Fishing

    Summer fun: Bass and sunfish on poppers

    fish hooked on a popper

    Overhanging branches and a swirling wind made this a tough cast.  It came together, the moderate action 3-weight Sage fly rod loading nicely, as always, and the meaty fly landing with a splat deep in the shady pocket.   Next came the slurp, then the fight, then the fish to hand — another stout bluegill that just couldn’t resist the…

  • Trout Tips Fishing Trout Talk

    TROUT Tip – Make it fun

    kids exploring insects

    If you’re motivated to teach fly fishing to kids, it is imperative to keep it fun. Sure, we’d like them to perfect the cast and find joy in matching the hatch and catching fish, but in the end, it’s all about making them want to come back to it. If lessons keep coming at them at warp speed, they’ll quickly lose interest.   Make it fun…

  • Video spotlight Conservation

    Video of the Week – A Beautiful Mess 

    cutting trees to add to stream restoration

    Complexity is part of what creates a great trout stream. Varying depths and flows and structure in the form of rocks and trees create that intricacy and add hiding places.   For that reason alone, crews are cutting down trees and adding them to streams to improve habitat for brook trout.   Watch “A Beautiful Mess” to learn more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__TJa_lKJRg&t=3s

  • Fishing

    Spend summer chasing smallmouth with streamers 

    smallmouth bass fishing from a boat

    Summer has gotten under way with historically low water and high air temperatures, both of which can put a lot of stress on our trout fisheries. What else can we do if we’re not fishing for trout?   House projects are caught up, garden chores are done and the yard’s mowed. Now what?   Target smallmouth bass on the fly  Bronzebacks, small jaws, smallies or whatever you want to call them can be an absolute…