A good guide can teach even old dogs new tricks

A guided fishing trip, even for experienced anglers, can be a great way to identify bad habits, learn new tactics and generally improve your fly-fishing game
A guided fishing trip, even for experienced anglers, can be a great way to identify bad habits, learn new tactics and generally improve your fly-fishing game
Today, the House Natural Resources Committee passed three bills that would better conserve habitat and sporting opportunities in some of California’s most productive coldwater fisheries and upland hunting zones. Trout Unlimited has worked for the past five years to help develop these measures and provided written testimony to the committee in support of today’s markup.…
Dear Members of Congress: The undersigned hunting and fishing businesses are part of a thriving outdoor recreation industry that contributes $887 billion annually to the U.S. economy. We are writing in support of the Antiquities Act of 1906 and to request that it be used responsibly and in a way that supports the continuation of…
‘Tis the season. Over the weekend, my buddy and fellow TU-er Kirk Deeter and I faced off in fantasy football. We’re both underachieving this year–it seems we both have the bad fortune to play the highest-scoring opponents in the league every week this season, so we both find ourselves in the middle of the standings,…
Unable to see my fly, I was worried I wouldn’t pick up on a take. I shouldn’t have been concerned. My line ripped taut as something far under the surface inhaled my imitation and began to run with it like it had stolen something. I watched my line travel back and forth in the deep pool. Overwhelmed with emotion, I literally slid down the awkward rock outcropping of the outlet channel and brought a 16- to 18-inch brightly spotted and beautiful olive bull trout to the net.”
The Protecting America’s Wilderness Act promotes protection and restoration of public lands and waters, wildfire risk reduction, and fishing and hunting opportunities in five national forests in California. This week, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act. This legislation includes three bills that Trout Unlimited has worked for years with our local…
Editors note: This piece originally appeared in the opinion section of the Spokesman-Review. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to restore wild places to their former ecological and aesthetic glory once human development has altered them. But in some cases, the vitality of wild places can be recovered. The Elwha River on Washington state’s…
Last week, Trout Unlimited posted a clip describing the proper way to de-bone a trout. Perhaps predictably, this was met by a few howls of outrage. “How can the organization that practically invented catch-and-release advocate eating a trout? Shame. Shame!” The fact is, however, that not all wild fish are equal, and whacking one can…
8/29/2000 TU Begins Work on Landmark Salmon Conservation Partnership with Big Timber TU Begins Work on Landmark Salmon Conservation Partnership with Big Timber Contact: 8/29/2000 — — Contact: Steve Trafton, TU California Policy Coordinator: 510-528-4772 Craig Bell, TU Point Arena Project Coordinator: 707-884-3012 Alan Moore, TU Western Communications Coordinator: 503-827-5700 August 21, 2000. Mendocino County,…
Contact:Aaron Kindle, (303) 868-2859 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senator Bennet to Protect Sportsmen’s Haven Bill would withdraw unleased portions of the Thompson Divide Washington, D.C. A bill introduced today would provide protection to an area critical to sportsmen and to the recreation-based rural economies of Colorado. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Thompson Divide Withdrawal and…
The Catch 22 of conservation: Can we love sensitive places to death?
Today, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act (H.R. 803). Trout Unlimited strongly supports this legislation, as it will better conserve and restore public lands, watersheds and coldwater fisheries in four Western states and support the country’s commitment to countering the impacts of climate change by protecting at least 30 percent of…
The view of West Fork downstream from Highway S bridge at Bloomingdale Road. Duke Welter Now that much of the high water from the recent heavy rains in the Driftless Area has receded, it’s possible to assess the damage. Plenty of ink and pixels have been devoted to telling the human story of loss and…
I recently went out with the Five Rivers TU chapter in Durango, Colo., to help plant willows along the banks of the Hermosa Creek. (Full disclosure: I’m on the board of the chapter). Closing in on the final steps, I couldn’t wait to get out there to see all the work completed so far and to help with the finishing efforts. …
Region: Southern RockiesActivities: Hunting, FishingSpecies: Elk; cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout Where: The Thompson Divide encompasses 221,000 acres of public land within the White River National Forest in Pitkin, Garfield and Mesa counties, just south of the Roaring Fork Valley in west-central Colorado. Why: The Divide is home to one of America’s most prodigious elk…
As I brought the fish to the net, I was overwhelmed with its weight, length and textbook coloring.
As I resuscitated this fish in the slow but moving waters along the side of the Lochsa, I thought of Mark, and I wished that he could have seen this.
Summiting Lolo Pass, I stopped along the side of the road, taking in the wilderness below me, now to the east and south, and thought about all that I was leaving behind.
Trout Unlimited’s Bristol Bay Ambassadors program highlights the people who help in the fight to save Bristol Bay from Pebble Mine. As we said at the launch, “For every person we highlight, we know there are hundreds more, doing their part because they care about Bristol Bay.” If you know someone who should be featured,…
John Baiocchi, on one of his home waters, the Truckee River.
The new confluence of Deming Creek and the South Fork Sprague River. By Chrysten Lambert Trout Unlimited, in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service Parnter’s Program completed a substantial habitat reconnection project on the South Fork Sprague River, the headwaters of the iconic Klamath River. The project involved restoring the Deming Creek tributary…
“I grew up near Glacier National Park, and worked for years as a river guide on the Flathead River system. Guiding on the pristine waters of the Upper Middle Fork gave me a deep appreciation of the importance of protecting our headwater streams and wetlands. Out West, it’s easy to take cold, clean water for…