Trout Magazine

  • Alaska’s wild salmon legacy is in our hands

    Anglers demonstrate support for Ballot Measure 1 while fishing the Kenai River. Photo courtesy of Eric Booton By Eric Booton “I came from one of your possible futures: California. Not too long ago, our king salmon runs were bigger than yours, our salmon were bigger than yours, and there still are some,” Hank Shaw, author…

  • 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…

  • Tom Koerner honored as TU Conservation Professional of 2018

    By Nick Walrath I was standing next to my truck, reluctantly taking off my waders after a great fall fishing outing on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. I had been fishing with my great friend and Seedskadee refuge manager, Tom Koerner. The almost famous joking tag line from Tom was still ringing in my head. “Glad…

  • Voices from the river

    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…

  • Skills: The Palomar knot

    A lot of folks use the Palomar knot for heavy lines and big hooks, and that makes sense, because it's a strong, dependable knot. Fly fishers don't often use the Palomar because it can be a bit bulky—it's essentially two separate cords of line pressed together, so the finished knot can be a larger than…