We were headed northbound for our second wedding anniversary. We had a van full of fishing gear and were set to explore fresh water that had been on the hit list for years. My wife, Brittney, and I were all smiles. What started as a seemingly innocent rhythmic vibration in a wheel upon rolling into…
Sheer granite cliffs rose out of Lost Lake where I pulled my first small brook trout out of the water, an elk hair caddis in its mouth. Scarlet Indian paintbrush, yellow glacier lilies and purple elephant head padded the banks of the next lake like a cheery grandmother’s doormat. White and blue columbines clung to…
The fly-fishing world is a little bit less “adventurous,” and a quite a bit less “literary” now, because we recently lost one of the purest, most inspiring writing voices the sport has ever known.
By Eric Booton Confidence overwhelmed me as I rode in the bow of the canoe. My cousin and I, paddling in tandem, raced toward the “pike of gold” at the end of the rainbow that Alaska’s midnight sun had put on display for us. The rainbow was particularly noteworthy, in fact. Powerful enough to captivate…
By Eric Booton I’m not a mechanic. In fact I’m pretty much the exact opposite. So when the check engine light on our beloved camper van named Ivy popped on and the performance of the engine took a turn for the worse, I wasn’t thrilled. As the vehicle that gets me to the river, launches…
By Eric Booton Where does the river take you? Well, the obvious answer is downstream. But on the river, I find myself in a better place. I started at a rocky headwaters with a head full of doubt and little sense of direction. The river swept me downstream to a more pleasant place that I…
How you can help urge the EPA to finalize safeguards for Bristol Bay
By Rob Shane Pennsylvania boasts more than 86,000 miles of rivers, streams and creeks, second in the United States only to Alaska. That’s three-and-a-half trips around the earth. Thirty trips from Los Angeles to New York. It’s five times more than the 10 largest rivers in America—combined. These 86,000 miles provide clean drinking water to…
For Immediate Release December 11, 2017 Contact: Dean Finnerty, (541) 214-0642, dfinnerty@tu.org Wild Steelheaders United, Trout Unlimited applaud new classification of surface waters for North Fork Smith River New rules enhance water quality protections for the headwaters of one of the best wild steelhead and salmon fisheries on the West Coast COTTAGE GROVE, OreOn Thursday,…
By Eric Booton There is a general rule of thumb that many of us live by: the bigger the challenge to access the fishing hole, the better the fishing is likely to be. With that in mind, a 30-minute flight on an Alaskan “bush” plane, plus a 45 minute drive in a beater truck on…
Earlier today, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley’s bill to protect portions of public lands in the Molalla and Rogue River watersheds, as well as over 100,000 acres of the Kalmiopsis region in Southwest Oregon from mining was favorably reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and is now ready for…
One of the things I’ve learned about conservation is that it’s important to see the world through another person’s eyes. Naturally, it’s easier if the two of you see the world in similar ways. In the past, sport anglers and commercial fishermen in Alaska haven’t always been on the same page. But our friends at…
This week, anglers across the nation are celebrating the passage of a sprawling conservation bill, the American Conservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 925), or ACE Act for short. Earlier this month, the package was approved by the U.S. Senate, and on Wednesday, it passed in the House of Representatives. The ACE Act now goes on to President Trump for his signature. He is expected to sign it
To say 2020 has been a challenging year would be an understatement. But, perhaps what the year has provided us is an opportunity to reflect on what’s really important
Raising a family amid a campaign to protect Alaska’s wild fish
We’ve all been there. It’s summer. We’re headed somewhere fishy and the sooner we get there, the sooner we can assemble the 4-weight and hit the water. We’ve squeezed a weekend’s worth of beer and grub into the back of the SUV, and we’re ready to stand knee-deep in a trout stream and wash away…
In the official decision, the Army Corps of Engineers wrote that Pebble was “contrary to public interest.” That is a direct acknowledgment of what we have all said loudly and clearly for years, and especially in 2020
See below for a full listing of camps and contact information for enrollment. Don’t see a camp in your state or have a conflict with the dates? All of Trout Unlimited’s youth camps accept applications from out of state. Trout Unlimited chapters and councils currently sponsor and operate 25 camps and academies — ranging from…
By Jamie Vaughan This past week, Grand Rapids, Mich., hosted River Rally, a national conference hosted by the River Network that brings together hundreds of water champions and river enthusiasts to cultivate new partnerships and inspire the sharing of knowledge and ideas within the river and water community. NGO staff and volunteers, academics, agency and…
1/14/2009 Nations Largest Coldwater Conservation Organization Celebrates 50th Anniversary in 2009 January 14, 2009 Contact: Erin Mooney, (703) 284-9408 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nations Largest Coldwater Conservation Organization Celebrates 50th Anniversary in 2009 Trout Unlimited celebrates 50 years of protecting Americas rivers and streams ARLINGTON, VA Throughout 2009, Trout Unlimited will celebrate its 50th anniversary as…
