Editor’s Note: Five students from the TU Costa 5 Rivers Outreach Program have embarked on a once-in a-lifetime journey in pursuit of 16 native trout species, all on public lands. With support from the U.S. Forest Service, Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing Products, Fishpond and Post Fly Box, these students will tell the stories of our…
As Tim Flagler notes in the video below, the Cream Variant is “an oldie, but a goodie.” Indeed, I remember seeing this pattern for the first time as a child—it is the epitome of delicate fly fishing, and I remember thinking that all flies used for fishing should be this beautiful. Video of Cream Variant…
Wading while fly fishing is one of the more visceral experiences the craft offers. There’s something very primal about feeling cold trout water working its way around your legs—I’ve always felt that is makes me part of the river rather than just a visitor. But wading safely is important, and Orvis’ Tom Rosenbauer, in the…
We’ve all been there. The fish are rising on the far bank, and you can reach them … if only you had enough room behind you for a backcast. But you don’t. What to do? In the video above, TU’s Kirk Deeter demonstrates a simple technique borrowed from spey casters that simply helps you get…
Beads for fly tying can be mystery, especially for beginning tiers who are looking to either dress up a nymph or a streamer or to simply get the fly down deep and avoid having to use split shot while fishing. Video of Beads and Cones Here, Tim Flagler gives some sage advice on beads, and…
If you’re like me, any pattern that calls for a size 24 hook is a pattern best left to the experts. Tim Flagler’s Zelon Musk Midge is a prime example. Video of Zelon Musk Midge This might be the simplest midge pattern I’ve ever seen. It consists of two ingredients in addition to the thread,…
Todd Moen’s latest fly-fishing film is a story of three women and their fights with breast cancer. It’s a sobering reminder that, while the “river of life” moves on, some of us fall victim to the cruelest of conditions. And, yet, some find ways to persist, and for these three ladies, fly fishing proved to…
Tailing bonefish. A daisy chain of 80-pound tarpon. The reflection of the Caribbean sun off the sythe-shaped tail of a permit. A striper blitz. And rising trout. These are the images that raise goose bumps on our arms and up our blood pressure. The are, for lack of a better term, potential. They represent the…
It’s fun to edit the magazine and website for Trout Unlimited, because we get to work with many skilled authors and photographers from around the world. But sometimes, I am amazed by the talent we have among our own staff. The latest case in point is a wonderful essay by TU’s vice president for volunteer…
One of the surprising highlights to the summer camping season was the day my Thermacell “Backpacker” arrived in the mail. This little device does a number on mosquitos. Thermacell’s lantern has been out for awhile, but the “Backpacker” is new. It attaches to a typical camp propane canister and uses a repellent mat to do…
April, particularly in the West, is a bona-fide shoulder month. Higher up, it’s still winter. In the valleys, spring is springing and water is rising. It’s a tough month for trout fishing, given the transition happening between winter and spring and all the trappings that come with it, both good and bad. Video of Trouts…
Tying small-ish mayfly patterns might be one of the most common fly-tying applications, but it doesn’t mean it’s super easy. Like any tying activity, it takes practice, particularly for the more detailed aspects of your average mayfly pattern, including the hackle fibers use for the tail. Video of How to Make Mixed Hackle Fiber Tail…
Handling fish once you’ve caught them has become a touchy issue (pun intended), and rightly so. The #KeepEmWet movement has been great for educating anglers on proper fish handling and release techniques, and now, as you’ll see below, the fly fishing industry is getting involved in the effort to promote responsible handling and release of…
For those of us who tie flies and work with various resins, from head cement to full-on UV materials, a dubbing needle is likely our tool of choice for applying the goo. For years, I used a square of craft foam to clean the needle after each use—I’d just poke the needle through the foam…
Here’s one for you western anglers who are wondering, with all the late winter snow and the spring rain, if we’re ever going to see fishable water levels anytime soon. The answer is, the water’s already fishable. We just need to find the places where trout are holding amid the near-constant temperature changes and water…
If you don’t know where to go fishing next, check out this map. Compiled by the Trust for Public Land, it outlines every project the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped become a reality over the past half century. There is also a map to looks at potential future projects — a glimpse into…
Your Trout Unlimited membership includes great core member benefits like TROUT magazine, and entitles you to a number of discounts from hotel and car rentals to retailers like Office Depot and a variety of fly fishing and other outdoor retailers. See the complete list of Member Benefits and Member Discounts below. Member benefits include Official…
Rise of the Phoenix: an Elwha River summer steelhead (Photo: John McMillan) By John McMillan Should we invest in dam removal? It’s a question that many communities, businesses and policy-makers are facing these days — partly because of agin g infrastructure and financial liabilities, and partly because of legal obligations to protect water quality and…
8/18/2004 TU Releases “Settled, Mined and Left Behind” Report TU Releases “Settled, Mined and Left Behind” Report Ten Western watersheds affected by pollution from abandoned mines profiled in report Contact: Tim Zink Manager, Media Relations Trout Unlimited 703.284.9427 8/18/2004 — Washington — The national conservation organization Trout Unlimited (TU) today released a report entitled Settled,…
6/5/2007 Statement of Trout Unlimited on the New Army Corps/EPA Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Guidance. June 5, 2007 CONTACT: Melinda Kassen, 303-440-2937 Steve Moyer, 703-284-9406 For Immedeate Release: Statement of Trout Unlimited on the New Army Corps/EPA Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Guidance. Arlington, VA , Trout Unlimiteds initial review indicates that thousands of miles of…
