Category Archives: Spey
Dries For Big Rainbows and Char on American Creek
I live in Montana where trout are king. When I travel to Alaska I usually do so for salmon and steelhead, which I can’t find in Big Sky Country. Oh, I’ve leeched up some big fall rainbows on the Kenai … Continue reading
Posted in Alaska, Spey, Travel
Tagged Alaska smolt, Grosvenor Lodge, Kulik Lodge, Travel Alaska
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Olympic Peninsula to Close For Steelhead March 1
This should not arrive as any surprise. Washington State blew up its ability to manage wild steelhead when the 1974 Boldt Decision went into place. Wild steelhead populations declined immediately. Hatchery steelhead production shot through the roof. Tribes destroyed what … Continue reading
Southeast Alaska Steelhead . . . Thanks Alaska Style
Back in April I flew from Missoula to Petersburg, Alaska—my old stomping grounds and the place I was born—and climbed aboard the mothership, the Hawkeye II. The idea was to cruise a portion of the Inside Passage with Thanks Alaska, … Continue reading
Posted in Alaska, Northwest, Spey
Tagged Hawkeye II, southeast Alaska, Thanks Alaska
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New Washington State Coastal Steelhead Rules Restrict Anglers To The Banks
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Culture, Northwest, Spey, Washington
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Tactics to Catch Steelhead on Bright Days
I was going to wait, and run this post later in July, but I’m starting to hear of some steelhead coming up for skaters on a few Columbia River tributaries and figured, Why not now? Here goes: A lot of … Continue reading
Wild Dean River, British Columbia Steelhead: Why They’re Worth The Effort
Thought I would share this photo of a wild Dean River steelhead, as inspiration to get out over the weekend, where allowed, cast a line and find a little me time on the water. That’s what I did last summer, … Continue reading
Posted in British Columbia, Northwest, Spey
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The Angler’s Tonic Archive: Clearwater Steelhead and Labrador “Sleep”
Note: This story occurred several years ago. The two main characters, Shadow and Moose, are long gone. I’m on night one of a five-day trip to Idaho’s Clearwater River, an attempt to land and release as many of those big, meaty … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Idaho, Spey
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Simms’ “Fish It Well” Motto Helps Tonic Get To The Dean
I know Simms would have preferred that I write about their new campaign, called Fish It Well, a month or more ago when they sent me a hoodie emblazoned with a logo promoting the campaign. But I wanted to wait … Continue reading
Kings and Steel on British Columbia’s Dean River
Several years ago, after trying for about 10 years, I got an invitation to fish British Columbia’s Dean River, and I took advantage of that opportunity—I had 16 steelhead to the beach by day four and ended up wit Several … Continue reading
Stay Warm While Winter Fishing—Simms’ Downstream Jacket
I’m not a guy who easily gets chilled, and I surprise friends by wearing short-sleeve shirts all winter long. But, when I do get chilled, I get really chilled and the only thing that brings me out of the shivers … Continue reading