Trout Unlimited Youth Essay Contest Winner FIRST PLACE Spencer Belson, Andover, Mass., Ninth grade No right-minded fly angler would consider where I live a trout fishing mecca. I’ve often dreamt of leisurely getting out of bed and arriving at a legendary river before the crowds swarm the popular pools, but I’ll have to keep dreaming.…
One on a fly, one on a lure. Does it matter how you catch it? By Chris Hunt Maybe it’s a sign of the times. Or perhaps it’s a permanent change to our national psyche brought about the relative anonymity that comes with free-wheeling access to social media coupled with a polarized political landscape. But…
By Chris Hunt I got lost last night. Not your traditional, “I have no idea where I am,” kind of lost. But lost just the same. My daughter is home for a scant month between jobs—she’s returned from Colorado’s ski country and is a month away from her next gig at Colter Bay on Jackson…
Trout Unlimited believes that conservation should be fun, rewarding, and open to all who show an interest. We work to engage diverse audiences in the value of coldwater fisheries conservation because we believe that even if we protect all remaining pristine land in perpetuity, it wouldn’t be enough to sustain our fisheries. To ensure long-term…
Goals Located near the second largest metropolitan area in Michigan, the Rogue River is an extremely important trout fishery in southern Michigan. The lower portion of the river is fabled for its excellent steelhead runs. The eastern tributaries host significant brook and brown trout populations. The river is an important economic engine — based on…
The Bureau of Land Management’s Royal Gorge Field Office covers some 666,000 acres of public lands sloping eastward from the Great Divide, through Colorado’s Front Range and into the rolling grasslands of the High Plains. Tucked into the rugged folds of its western shoulder lies one of the state’s richest landscapes, home to trophy trout, bountiful…
At a recent gathering of our scientists and other staff at Trout Unlimited, I recounted how one of my happiest days was when I was hired as a fisheries biologist—for three days—by the Bureau of Land Management. My vision of being a fisheries biologist was informed by the John Steinbeck novel, Cannery Row. Even more…
The Elk-hair Caddis and the Adams face off for dry-fly bragging rights
I’ll admit I have become kind of a lens-snob, in that I do prefer certain lenses in certain conditions
I’ve found that the most dedicated anglers tend to be those who relish challenges, even simple ones like, “how am I going to trick that creature, hiding behind that rock, to eat this fly?”
To this day, the Salmon SuperHwy partnership has removed 50 barriers and reconnected over 127 miles of anadromous fish habitat. Three of those were finished this year.
On the border of Oregon and California, the largest dam removal ever attempted, anywhere on the planet, is underway on the Klamath River.
A lot of people use the Trout Unlimited calendar. And no wonder, it’s a beautiful publication and a great tool for keeping your life organized. Maybe you use it yourself. But I bet not many of us use it as hard as James Bradley at Reel ‘Em In Guide Service in Ellijay, Ga. Check out…
Join me on Instagram Live on Friday November 6 at 4 PM EST @troutunlimited when I talk with Jim Holland @shannonsfly about fishing, fly tying, conservation and more!
FishSki is dedicated to producing great food for the great outdoors.
I use non-slip knots almost exclusively when fishing streamers—I think they give flies more action in the water, and they’re very dependable. But, as age and … evoloving… eyesight are kicking in, tying the knot sometimes takes a while. Video of Super Easy Non Slip Loop Knot Above, Tim Flager shows a great way to…
In the summer of 2017, I was lucky enough to join a group of friends on a quick trip to northwest Ontario, where we visited a couple of lodges with Mark Melnyk, who works for Wildnerness North, which owns and operates a handful of lodges in the North Woods. One of these lodges was Stiker’s…
Say what you will about far-flung fishing adventures … that they’re not worth the carbon footprint they create, or that they’re the fool’s errand for anglers with more money than sense … but the search for massive brook trout in the farthest reaches of Patagonia has a certain romance to it. And now, the full…
Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop is owned and operated by Mike Kruise and Scott Bley. We grew up fishing local waters- the St. Vrain, the Big Thompson, the Cache La Poudre, and the lakes and streams of Rocky Mountain National Park. We and our staff are proud of our local heritage, and welcome both local residents…
TU grassroots leader Scott Hood with a nugget from Oklahoma’s Lower Illinois River. The Lower Illinois River below Tenkiller Ferry Dam is one of only two streams in Oklahoma with a year-round trout fishery. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) manages this tailwater for trout, striped bass and other game fishes thanks to cold-water…
