Helping one another to help the fish

By Chris Wood When it comes to the recovery of imperiled salmon and steelhead, Idaho leads the way. The Idaho Statesman was the first daily newspaper to call for the removal of the four lower Snake River dams in 1997. The late Governor, Cecil Andrus was one of the most articulate voices for recovery of…

Voices from the River: Shocking truths

Al Kittredge of the Smith River chapter of Trout Unlimited displays a 24.8-inch brown trout collected from the river during an electroshock sampling trip in June. The fish was released after it was measured. By Mark Taylor We all know that one decision or event can radically alter our life’s path. Halfway through my senior…

30 Great Places: Huron-Manistee National Forest

Region: MidwestActivities: FishingSpecies: Brook, brown and rainbow trout; steelhead; Chinook and Coho salmon Where: The Huron-Manistee National Forest stretches nearly one million acres across the northern half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, touching Lake Michigan in the west and Lake Huron in the east. Home to diverse ecosystems ranging from coastal marshlands to oak savannahs, the…

Rattlesnake Creek dam coming down

By Rob Roberts This week, Missoula Mayor John Engen announced the removal of the Rattlesnake Creek Dam, a barrier on a much-loved trout stream that runs through the city. Beginning in the Rattlesnake Wilderness north of Missoula, Rattlesnake Creek is one of the major sources of trout recruitment for the Clark Fork River and a…

Short casts: Protecting a river in Albania; Dams coming out in MT and NC

The Vjosa is the “last big, wild river in Europe,” outside of Russia, and recently, an Albanian court struck down a government effort to construct a hydropower dam on the river that would have flooded an inhabited valley, bisected important fish habitat and interrupted migratory spawning routes. The decision itself is remarkable, given that the…

Voices from the River: Heat Wave

Finding refuge from the heat, Stanislaus National Forest. By Sam Davidson Across the country, summer is prime time for trout fishing in the mountains . At higher elevations you typically get relief from sweltering lowland temperatures and find the kind of small water-wild fish opportunities that are, in some ways, the heart and soul of…

Comment now on Great Lakes Asian carp proposal

By Taylor Ridderbusch On Monday, Aug. 7, the US Army Corps of Engineers released the draft Brandon Road Feasibility Study, which assess options for preventing Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. The report was originally set to be released on Feb. 28, 2017, but was delayed by Trump Administration officials. Thanks to hard work…