Photos: Tim Toohey, West Denver Chapter By Jeff Florence The small creek along Herman Gulch in the mountains west of Denver may not seem like much, and in some places it’s no more than two feet wide. But it’s still able to maintain a strong ecosystem that allows cutthroat trout to survive. After much consideration…
Fishing the Uncompahgre River near Montrose, Colo. Film Tour. Montrose, Colo. This Saturday. Be There (If You Can). I always enjoy a chance to get to Montrose/Telluride area of Colorado, because that’s where I did a lot of fishing in my growing up years. It’s a special region, with a great fishing community, and more…
There was a time when I thought being a fishing guide would be about the coolest existence a guy could experience. That all changed one rainy Father’s Day weekend some 15 years ago when renowned guide Rod Patch floated me and my wife down the Cardiac Canyon reach of the Henry’s Fork. From bouncing the…
Soft-hackle fishing can be absolutely deadly, particularly for trout that are feeding higher in the water column, but not quite on top. These are the fish that are after emerging bugs, and soft-hackle flies very often draw strikes from these dialed-in fish. Video of How To Drift A Soft Hackle – Fly Fishing Video –…
Applying for Grants Grant funding accounts for 15% of all charitable giving in the U.S. and can be a great way for your chapter or council to tap into larger funding pools and take on larger and more complex projects. However, it is also a competitive area with many competing interests and organizations vying for…
I love old-school flies. I think it comes from my involvement, many years ago, with the Trout Unlimited chapter in Salida, Colo., when I was the news editor of the local paper there. After penetrating the initial crustiness of the “old timers” at the chapter meetings, I made some great friends there, and these guys…
Editor’s note: The following is excerpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available online for overnight delivery. The part of the world I fish most is full of small, clear and very tight spring creeks. To most, that means delicate presentations of small dry flies, and sometimes, I’ll do just that. More and more, however, I’ll…
Sinking and sink-tip lines are great for getting flies down deep in the water column where the big trout eat, but they can be a pain to cast and then recast. First, these lines are heavy—hundreds of grains, for the most part. Second, they don’t really allow for nimble fly casting. These lines are made…
We’ll be on Instagram live with Terry @troutunlimited on Friday, May 22, 2020 at 1 PM PDT to talk about fishing, travel and everything else!
There’s “Stihl” time for Driftless Area chapters to apply for a grant to purchase equipment from the forest and landscape equipment company. Stihl continues to be a great partner for TU’s work in the Driftless area, strengthening a collaboration that started several years ago. Under the partnership agreement, Stihl representatives from the Midwest region gather…
A fly fishing program at your camp! Engage campers in this meaningful sport that builds a lifelong connection to nature. This program makes implementing it simple, affordable, and fun. You only need access to fishable water. Benefits Fly fishing teaches motor skills, concentration and patience, and kids love it. But perhaps best of all, fly…
Trout Unlimited does many great things across our country, but also faces many challenges moving into the future. One brought up often at state council meetings in Wyoming – and likely across the country – is the age and diversity of the board of the local chapters. Let’s face it, many of our TU board…
A few weeks ago, the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited and other partners met in Lovells, Michigan to dedicate a memorial to Art Neumann, the last surviving founder of Trout Unlimited who passed away last year. It was a great day, and Art’s kids—TU members in good standing—attended the dedication, and wanted me to pass…
Learning new rowing skills is key to helping boaters grow and become more adept on the water
Kids are back in school. The summer sun has lost its edge. Things are definitely cooling off here in the Rockies. It’s almost time for in-earnest fall fishing. Around here, that means we’re getting ready for the fall run of browns up the Henry’s Fork and the South Fork and, of course, the big, B-run…
Small-stream angling is generally considered the “short game” of fly fishing—it’s rare that an angler would need to throw more than 20 feet or so. But that’s not always the case, and it pays to “bring a driver” on small water, too—come equipped with your double-haul. Chances are, you won’t need it, but when fish…
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…
The Royal Coachman. Worth dying for? Let’s have a little fun, if no other reason than to talk about those fly patterns that just never seem to let us down. Here’s the question: What fly would you climb out on a limb to retrieve, even if the limb looked a little sketchy and the tumble…
There’s a great little redfish flat situated behind the airport in Rockport, Texas. A few years back, I did a strange dance with an 8-foot gator on that flat, working back to the shore from about 100 yards out in the mostly clear water as the reptile eyed me from an increasingly close distance. When…
When the float plane disappears into the ether and all you’re left with is the pile of gear you unceremoniously tossed from the hold, it takes a minute to realize that you’re actually “out here,” on the margins of survivability. You’re alone (not lonely—that’s different). You’ve got nothing but time to kill before that plane…
