Fly tying: The Rusty Rat

When I first started tying my own flies, I became infatuated with Atlatic salmon flies, even though, in the heart of Colorado’s Arkansas Valley, there wasn’t an Atlantic salmon within 2,000 miles that wasn’t lyling flat on ice in a grocery store. There was just something about the art of it all. The colors. The…

For sale by Congress: YOUR LANDS

Congress has only been in session for a few weeks, but some members have wasted no time coming after America’s best idea – your public lands. On day one, the House of Representatives passed a rule change that eased procedural hurdles for handing over America’s public lands. Then we saw legislation introduced that would allow…

Video spotlight: Convergence

My friend Travis Swartz is a pretty good fly fisherman, contrary to beliefs of many, who know him only as world-renowned fly fishing guide and culinary school graduate Hank Patterson. Travis is Boise filmmaker, and the mind behind the kitschy and ever-popular Hank Patterson videos that poke fun at guides, clients and, well, fly fishers…

Helping a partner weather the storm

(Photo credit: Pat Newell) For those of us who live here, it’s an inconvenient truth: Wyoming’s economy is prone to boom and bust cycles. It’s a great place to live, a perfect place to raise a family and an awesome place to fish. But the fact is that Wyoming rides the energy wave. Most recently,…

Short casts: Flies for vets, winter and escaping to Mexico

Photo courtesy of Tony Martino, The Missoulian How’s this for awesome? Members of the West Slope Chapter of Trout Unlimited got together over the weekend and tied more than 1,000 flies to used by veterans who have been recently introduced to fly fishing. This is just one example of how TU volunteers make fishing better…

North Platte Lodge – The Land of the Giants

The North Platte River in Wyoming is often called legendary, the proverbial “Land of the Giants”. It’s cliché to say that any river is legendary, but this one really might be. The North Platte is one of only two major rivers in Wyoming that run south to north. Its freestone stretches start in Colorado and…