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…
Dogs have their place on a boat, period.
Pardon my preference to the canine companions we all love so much but it’s true. When you bring a dog on a boat, or in our case a barge sized raft loaded to the gills with camping equipment, you often spend your day receiving smiles and waves from complete strangers. Who doesn’t love that?
Over the years on countless rivers and streams, I’ve found treasures. When the fishing slows or just for a change of pace, I walk around with my head down. It’s amazing what you can find. Of course, there’s the disappointing: tippet or leader pieces, shotgun shell casings, spent bobbers and the make-me-want-to-pull-my-hair-out cigarette butts and plastic water bottles. But…
The Eklutna River basin, tucked away in a valley not far from Anchorage, is rich with history. It’s the homeland of the Native Village of Eklutna, a source of drinking water for Southcentral Alaska, and a favorite recreation area for local residents. The river, once a thriving salmon fishery, has been greatly diminished by inadequate…
In the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia small streams tumble through hollows choked with hardwoods and laurel. In the valleys, creeks are born at gurgling limestone springs. Generations ago there were trophy-sized native brook trout here. But as our nation grew the health of these creeks and these trout was an afterthought. Man’s impact damaged trout streams and trout populations. …
