Let’s just say someone failed you. Went through the stocking. Opened all those presents. And not a fly box to be found. Say what? Just where in the hell do you want me to store all those patterns I’m tying this weekend, you may have asked. On the kitchen counter? On your nightstand? In your slippers?
No fear brothers. If you didn’t get what you asked for, there should be no fear n buying what you need. If you are tying maniac, and thinking Continue reading
The publishing world is weird. It’s interesting, for sure, but a bit more challenging than any of us would like. Over the years, I have worked for four titles that have perished and I’ve watched many other great mainstream titles die (even Anthony Bourdain’s magazine, Lucky Peach, died after just a couple years of existence).
As many of you know, I was at the helm of American Angler when Morris Publications announced it would kill the print edition earlier this year. There was talk about keeping a digital presence alive and building, but that idea died in July.
I wanted to make a big statement with the final cover of AA and thought we had it Continue reading
Restricting anglers to the banks, and prohibiting the use of bait on Olympic Peninsula steelhead streams, should allow more fish to reach their spawning grounds.
If you want to see a great example of poor fish and wildlife management, you don’t have to look further than Washington State’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The mess started back in 1974 with the historic Boldt Decision, which allocated 50 percent of the annual fishing catch to treaty tribes across the Evergreen State. The results were immediate: on Puget Sound streams, including the Skagit, Stilliguamish, and Skykomish, fish runs took an immediate hit and som
anglers threw in the towel.
As the years passed, coastal steelhead runs continued to decline throughout much of the state, along with Pacific salmon populations and almost everything else you can imagine and eat—ling cod, octopus, sea urchin, sea slugs, clams . . . .
Declining steelhead populations on rivers flowing into Puget Sound, and the restrictive regulations that followed (i.e. full closures on many popular rivers), sent a wave of anglers to the Olympic Peninsula in search of fresh fish. It didn’t help matters that western Washington’s I-5 corridor was seeing a massive population explosion at this time. And a newfound interest in spey rods and that style of fishing brought additional pressure to the mix. Continue reading
That time of year in the northern Rockies. We’re going from drizzling rain and low clouds to snow tomorrow. The Rocky Mountain Front is getting dumped on today and probably tomorrow, too. I don’t anticipate this snow melting away completely, so the fishing landscape is going to change big time in the next 24 to 48 hours.
I never like seeing summer fade away. And early fall is the best time of the year, so it’s somewhat depressing to see that, and the leaves, go. But mid-to late fall is cool, too. You can have a lot of water in the Rocky Mountains to yourself, and don’t think that overnight Continue reading
It’s not over, but the edge in Alaska’s Pebble Mine controversy has definitely swung toward the side of common sense. Today, the Trump administration shifted its stance on Pebble Mine and delayed a key permit that’s essential to the mine’s future.
The Corps of Engineers, which last month said the mine would have no “measurable effect” on Bristol Bay’s fish runs and that the agency would issue a permit for the mine, now says the Pebble Mine project will not be allowed as currently proposed, as it would be in violation of the Clean Water Act.
To build the mine, Pebble Limited Partnership would have to demonstrate Continue reading
I haven’t fished the Boundary Waters. Had a chance to last year and opted out. I’ll regret that for a long time, for sure. Like, the rest of my life. Being a fan of adventure, often solo, and the need to be in truly
I’d rather fish than defend fisheries, although the two go hand-in-hand and you can’t have one without the other. That becomes more evident each day. One of the greatest issues in fishing is the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska. This damn thing has dragged on for many years and, like you, I’m pretty tired of reaching out to organizations and representatives to try and get the mine permit denied.
One of the most troubling elements of this ordeal was the recent decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to recommend that a Canadian Corporation with a sketchy track record get a permit to start building Pebble Mine. It’s pure idiocy and politics but the bottom line is there is no sense to the proposal nor building a mine and all its infrastructure at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, which serves as the world’s greatest source of high-protein salmon and provides livelihoods and cultural heritage for thousands of people.
Now that the Corps has rubber-stamped the proposal, the EPA will take a look at it and they hold power to veto that endorsement. So, here is yet another link to go ahead and let your representatives and the EPA know that you oppose the mine as a senseless, shameful proposal. This is the final hours and this action is important. Please, take minute if you would, today if possible, and digitally sign this letter and join forces with all businesses that rely on Bristol Bay’s abundant salmon runs. If you love Alaskas, you love wild places, you love people who value fish and make honest livings protecting them, join their voices here.
http://www.savebristolbay.org/take-action
The “Dream String.”
Don’t wait for that invincibility to wear off. Don’t wait for your health to go. Don’t think for a second that everything is going to be all right. At times it won’t be alright. You know now, more than ever, circumstances shift on a dime, and sometimes not in our best interests.
So, if you’re in your teens or twenties, and you’ve got that health, and you love fly fishing more than anything else, brush away those annoying possessions, say your goodbyes, and wipe the slate clean. Then pack up a couple bags, bid adios to your “safe place” (no matter where that might be), and head to tropical waters, or muddy rivers, or brackish lagoons . . . just head anywhere tarpon are found. Sleep in your car if you have to. Pitch a tent in the sand or mud. Eat beans and rice until you’ve got a better routine. Just get there, somehow, and find out what fly fishing can be. Continue reading
Been laying on my back today for all the wrong reasons. Surgery Monday, pain Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Better today, but I’m bored to hell. I don’t sit well and sitting on my ass is all I’ve done for three days.
Doesn’t help that archery antelope opens tomorrow without me. Oh, I know. Don’t give me any shit, I know. Could be much worse. I get it. But let me moan for just a second, ok. Been laying there glancing at the Drake, and wondering, Are any of the fly-fishing mags worth Continue reading
Big Agnes Yock 0 Sleeping Bag and AXL Air Pad
I don’t discount the ingenuity and value of sleeping bags with integrated pads, but it’s also nice to have some insulation below your body and the Yock 0 traditional mummy bag provides that. This down bag utilizes high value DownTek insulation and should keep you warm even if you run into the unexpected summer snow Continue reading