In the Rubies, variety is the name of the game 

ruby mountain terrain

As an angler, I put a premium on variety.  While I do have favorite holes on my local stream that I return to again and again, what has kept the passion alive in me throughout my life is the sheer number of different places and species that fishing allows me to interact with.   As an angling generalist (happy casting…

Drought and native trout: Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers

colorado reservoir dry

Finding resilience in a summer of reckoning across the Rockies and Southwest  We’ve all seen the headlines: fast growing wildfires, record low snowpack, drying reservoirs, heat waves, hoot owl restrictions, mandatory fishing closures and other worrisome conditions for our favorite coldwater critters.  But for humans, too, these challenges remain stubborn after 25+ years of drought in a lot of the West.  Across the Colorado…

Free Fly x TU: Protecting an iconic trout 

two anglers fishing in boat wearing free fly tu collab limited edition yellowstone cutthroat hoodie

Yellowstone cutthroat trout are among the West’s most iconic native fish, but today they occupy just 43% of their historic stream habitat, with only a small fraction of those remaining populations considered secure.   Unlike introduced rainbow and brown trout, Yellowstone cutthroat evolved over thousands of years in the headwaters of the Yellowstone River Basin, perfectly…

Is it too hot?

water temperature thermometer header

Did you know that trout are cold blooded? What does that mean, exactly? Well, it means that their body temperature depends on the temperature of the water in which they swim.   Why is this important to consider? If the water is too warm, trout struggle to thrive. Warm water carries less dissolved oxygen, which means it is…

Two things anglers can do in times of drought 

low warm creek, not good for fly fishing trout

I had a choice this weekend. I could head down to Shenandoah National Park and fish for native brookies or ply the Potomac for blue catfish and perhaps an occasional schoolie striper.  I chose the Potomac. While I love fishing the Potomac, after multiple days of high temperatures, I didn’t feel great about tugging on bespeckled jewels, even in cold small mountain streams.  Your actions…