-
Voices from the River: Black water
By Chris Hunt The first time I visited a blackwater swamp, I was probably about 12. My dad rented a little jon boat from the marina near Uncertain, Texas, and he manned the tiller as we glided over the glassy waters of Caddo Lake. I was instantly enchanted. At the time, 35 years ago, East…
-
Voices from the River: Lessons from the Past
By Mark Taylor Back when we were enjoying an exceedingly mild February, plenty of friends were confident spring had arrived early. I knew better and, sure enough, March has been a lion here in Virginia. With actual trips to the river pretty much on hold due to snow and cold, I’ve instead been living vicariously…
-
Video spotlight: Santa Cruz—Atlantic Steelhead
Steelhead? In the Atlantic?In far southern Patagonia in Argentina's Santa Cruz River, it's a reality. Patagonia, of course, is perhaps the troutiest destination on the planet, and there's a significant amount of irony in that statement, given that not a single salmonid is native to this sweeping region of mountains, deserts and rivers. Tres Amigos…
-
TU partner named Conservationist of Year in Michigan’s Kent County
Sue Blackall (left) helps more than 1,000 Sparta students get into the field annually, and enjoys the opportunity to provide hands-on training. By Jamie Vaughan Local Sparta, Michigan resident, retired Appleview Elementary teacher, and community leader Sue Blackall has been honored by Kent Conservation District and Trout Unlimited with the Conservationist of the Year award.…
-
Spritzer season
Years ago, when I worked for TU's Public Lands Initiative, we'd often wind down a big day in the field with a cocktail. Back then, the PLI was what I liked to call the TU Delta Force. We existed, but we never really acknowledged that fact—our staffers weren't biologists or policy wonks. We were anglers,…
-
Video spotlight: Pirarucu
Arapaima can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh close to 500 pounds. That puts them among the largest freshwater fish on the planet. And they'll hit a fly. Video of Pirarucú *TRAILER* Amazon's Giant Arapaima by Todd MoenAbove is the trailer to Todd Moen's Catch Magazine film Pirarucu, the story of chasing the…
-
Fly tying: McKenna’s Sexy Walt’s Worm
Dave McKenna is a fly tier after my own heart—he travels a lot for work, so rather than diving into a fly shop to buy local patterns every time he hits a new river, he's come up with a host of flies that seem to work generally everywhere. It's a great notion, that of having…