Category Archives: US & Canada
Spring at Varney Bridge
Madison River rainbows at Varney Bridge. As access points go, Varney Bridge on the Madison River is likely one of the most heavily used in the state. That doesn’t mean there aren’t good fish to be found in the area … Continue reading
Big Hole River Salmonfly Blitz—all or nothing
Want a deal? Book for June. Montana’s outfitters and guides are reporting good bookings for 2011 with the exception of June. That makes sense because, as I write this, the snow is falling
Posted in Montana, Northern Rockies
Tagged Beaverhead River, Big Hole River, Dan Leavens, Jefferson River
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Miracle on Montana’s Missouri River
An ironic twist of fate. You either hate them or you hate them. And I’m not talking about whitefish and wind-knots. I’m talking about that little, evil creature called the mosquito. If you fish the Rocky Mountain region this summer, … Continue reading
Tongass May Be Saved From The Saw
Judge reinstates logging restrictions. SAN FRANCISCO — A federal district judge has reinstated a Clinton-era regulation that prevented logging on old stands of hemlock, cedar and spruce trees in large stretches of
Columbia River Steelhead Run to be Average in 2011
Note: Here’s a recent report as posted on Columbia Basin Bulletin. Recent years have provided record-breaking steelhead returns to the Columbia Basin tributaries, but 2011 isn’t expected to be as phenomenal as past years. In fact, it’s supposed to be
Posted in Conservation, Northern Rockies, Northwest, Steelhead
Tagged Columbia River, Steelhead
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Brian O’Keefe: Free Lunch Grizzly Bar
Slinging on the Madison in the 1970s. By Brian O’Keefe I think it was ‘round 1978, I was doing a solo trip to Montana after guiding steelhead on the North Umpqua River in Oregon. Thousands of casts and a handful … Continue reading
Posted in Absinthe Lounge, Montana, Northern Rockies
Tagged Brian O'Keefe, Madison River
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Arolik Rainbows at Alaska West
Mousing Around in Western Alaska It was late at night in Denver during the annual fly-fishing trade show and I was crumpled in a chair at the ritzy Oxford Hotel trying to get my gear-whore foot in the door with … Continue reading
Trout Saturation, Wyoming’s Wind River Range
Too much trout and a poached Baby Ruth lead to a Mexi-shack miracle. The last time I tried to survive on trout for a week, a major summer storm blew into the mountains and temperatures dropped below freezing. A three-season … Continue reading
Posted in Absinthe Lounge, Backcountry, Wyoming, Wyoming
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Steelhead and Rainbows May Closer Than We Think
NOTE: I found this fascinating (and surprising) article on Columbia Basin Bulletin, which covers a lot of fish issues in the West. I’ve posted part of the article here. If you’d like to read more, and I suggest you do … Continue reading
Andy Carlson’s Purple Haze
A western trout killer on the Bitterroot and every other stream A few years ago I got a call from a friend who was living in a yelllow bus on the banks of the BIg Hole River near Dewey, Montana. … Continue reading