Search results for “great lakes”

Voices from the River: Resolved

Published in Voices from the river

Resolutions in January are dumb. I really can’t get into making any sort of rule for myself when there’s only seven hours of daylight and simply getting the newspaper feels like an expedition across the arctic tundra. Leniency. Naps. Snacks. S weat pants. These are things I can get on board with in January. But…

TU launches major restoration effort on Battenkill

Published in Conservation, Community

By Jacob Fetterman Stretching from Manchester, Vt., to the Hudson River in New York state, the Battenkill River holds a firm place in fly fishing history.  Beyond the river’s fame and beauty, it has become evident that, without proper stewardship, the wild trout fishery supported by the Battenkill could slip away due to the degradation of quality habitat through factors such as deforestation, sedimentation, channel modification,…

Bonds of brothers

As age takes its toll, the memories become stronger By Drew Irby I was browsing through a collection of scanned photos the other day and came across a vintage pic from the family archives. I had been randomly thinking about what happened to certain friends from my college days in northern Arizona. Seeing this shot…

Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy postponed

A few months into the global pandemic, I know that I’m not the only one disappointed by postponed or cancelled plans.   While our team pivoted our organizing and communications work so we can still advocate for coldwater fisheries in Alaska, much of our summer programming is cancelled to protect the small villages and towns in the communities we work from COVID-19. Perhaps our most disappointing but necessary cancellation is the Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide…

TU staffers turn 2020’s Oregon wildfires into opportunity to improve resiliency

Published in Living with Fire

People all around Oregon woke on Sept. 8, 2020, to high winds, extensive power outages and lots of speculation by foresters that it could be the worst day of fires in Oregon’s history. That’s exactly what it turned out to be for Chrysten Lambert, TU’s Oregon director for Western Conservation, and many others when three wildfires whipped through the area in a split second…

Small stream Clean Water Act protections upheld 

In good news for healthy fish, streams and communities, administration vetoes congressional effort to weaken landmark water law Contacts: ARLINGTON, Va.—President Biden today vetoed a Congressional resolution to block a revised, clearer definition of the “Waters of the United States” that would restore federal Clean Water Act protections for millions of miles of small streams…

Colorado Rivermap

Colorado Rivermap Over the next two years, partners from across Colorado are embarking on a “Rivermap” journey – think “roadmap,” but with more whitewater rapids. Our goal is to enhance recreation, stewardship, and safety along Colorado’s major rivers. We aim to address pressing issues facing Colorado’s rivers, including overcrowded recreation sites, degraded ecosystems, and growing…

A memorial for a giant

Published in Conservation

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…

What’s your favorite fall streamer?

Published in Uncategorized

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…

Trout Tips: Small water, long casts

Published in Fishing, Trout Tips

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…

Trout Tips: The windshield never lies

Published in Fishing, Trout Tips

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…

Flies to die for?

Published in Uncategorized

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…

Video spotlight: Rockport Resilient

Published in Video spotlight

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…

Video spotlight: Into the Wild

Published in Video spotlight

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…

Video spotlight: Coastal Chrome

Published in Video spotlight

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge steelhead guy. I love to chase big ocean-going rainbows as they come back home to Idaho and prepare to spawn, but sometimes, the reward is slim. Frozen fingers, frozen toes and few, if any fish, to show for it leave me wanting. Video of…