Low light is trout-watching light
The gnarled, dark brown bark of cottonwoods lining rivers throughout the west make the yellow leaves glow in the sinking sun. And that low sun has other advantages when it comes to fishing
Search results for “coaster brook trout waters”
Daughters of Trout Unlimited: Samantha Carmichael
Daughters. I have watched my husband happily announce that I was expecting a girl twice in our marriage. Mouths smile, but eyes squint, and brows furrow, and comments range from “Another one?” to “Well, maybe number 3 will be a boy” or “you are going to try for a boy, right?” There isn’t going to…
Daughters of Trout Unlimited: Tim Romano
While technically not a TU employee I have worked for the organization for many years as a contractor at both an ad sales position for TROUT media, as well as a contributing photographer/content creator to the magazine and online. I do believe my older daughter Mabel is the only person to grace the cover two…
Daughters of Trout Unlimited: Maggie Heumann
If you had told me I would have been included in a TROUT magazine feature with my daughter, as a TU employee, a year ago, I would have laughed. Seven years into marriage, I had (almost) resigned myself to not having kids, which was okay with me. Then, I got pregnant last summer (2021), followed…
Daughters of Trout Unlimited: Donna Marcotte
My mother never met an animal who didn’t love her; she was practically Dr. Doolittle. In addition to animals, she loved the outdoors and has felt most rooted to this earth by digging in its dirt. Mom believed children needed to be immersed in nature and was constantly taking me on outdoor adventures. She taught…
Daughters of Trout Unlimited: Hillary Walrath
My husband and I both work for TU in Green River, Wyo. We have two daughters, Aven (7) and Susie (4). I was fortunate enough to have been raised by amazing parents that immersed my childhood in the outdoors, so it has always been a must when raising our girls. Nick and I are very…
Daughters of Trout Unlimited: Beverly Smith
After what amounted to a game of charades, I finally figured out she was talking about false casting with a fly rod. So, on with the sunglasses and hats and watch out, because she’s whoosh-whooshing!
Trout Tips: Small stream stealth
Trout in small, backcountry streams are opportunists, but that doesn’t mean theyr’e stupid. The old rule still applies: If you can see the fish, chances are, they can see you, too. When I fish small water, I like to put structure between me and the fish whenever possible, and I like to make my profile…
Trout Tips: Give the fish a break
Editor’s note: The following is exerpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available now for overnight delivery. If a trout misses your dry fly, or refuses it, move a short distance away. Give the fish a break; then go back with a different fly. That may be the one he’s looking for. — Dan Beistel, Oviedo,…
Trout Tips: Look and listen for fish
Editor’s note: The following is exerpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available for overnight delivery. On native trout water in some parts of the West, sometimes large chunks of water seem unoccupied, making you think that maybe the stream is completely barren. Not so. Cutthroat love to occupy certain stretches of habitat and leave other…
Remote sensing will revolutionize trout conservation
Remote sensing is being used to measure improvement in Lahontan cutthroat trout habitat in Nevada. By Dan Dauwalter, Kurt Fesenmyer and Helen Neville Have you ever assisted your local DNR biologist with a painstaking habitat survey on your favorite trout stream where you tediously measured the stream channel, substrates, wood, undercut banks, and so on?…
Trout Tips: The windshield never lies
Editor’s note: The following is exerpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available for online purchase and overnight delivery. I recently took a long drive through Kootenay, Banff and Jasper national parks along the border with British Columbia and Alberta. Throughout the entire drive, delicious, glacial-tinged trout water paralleled my path. Trouble was, save for the…
Trout Tips: Bird’s-eye view
Sometimes, you can learn an awful lot more about a river, and specifically where fish will be holding in a river, by looking at it from above, rather than standing in it. Granted, that’s not always that easy when you are fishing in flat terrain. But I know plenty of anglers who have been driven…
Trout Tips: Hit the tail light
In New Zealand, where the waters are typically very clear, and the trout are always very smart, the exact spot where a fly lands near a trout can matter down to the inch. The Kiwis will tell you that as you are casting upstream at a fish’s position, it’s always best to miss to the…
Voices from the River: Cypress trout
Photo by Chris Hunt By Chris Hunt < p dir="ltr">There’s something primal about dark water shrouded by cypress. The color of strong coffee, these stained swamps of the South nurture mystery and offer refuge to critters that hang on in acid-tinged water filtered through layers of eons-old peat and sand. The gators come to mind…
Trout Tips: Practice and conditioning are key
The following is exerpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available online for overnight delivery. To enjoy fly fishing, the following tips have proven to be extremely helpful and true: take the time to learn how to cast, and practice, practice and practice. Practice is not for the day you go fly fishing! Similarly, take the…
Planting trees for the benefit of trout, and the planet
How volunteers and staff are improving trout streams and helping reduce atmospheric CO2.
Video spotlight: Catching cruising trout
As noted in the video below, “cruising trout are feeding trout.” When we see pods of trout working certain stretches of the river, it’s tough to keep our cool sometimes. The prospect of an afternoon spent wandering a small stretch of river while catching several trout is pretty appealing, right? Video of How to Catch…
Trout Tips: Turn over rocks
When I was a kid fishing with my grandfather on bigger water, the first thing he always did was flip over rocks as we walked along the river. He’d give each rock a good look, and he’d point out squiggly little bugs to me and my brothers and cousins. “See that?” he’d ask, pointing to…
Trout Tips: Floating fly boxes
Foam fly boxes float. If you want to see your flies again, make sure fly box floats, too. Several years ago, I was steelhead fishing on Idaho’s Salmon River. I’d spent the week leading up to the trip tying flies and gearing up. Steelhead on the Salmon were—and still are—a fish that came calling on…