Anyone who fishes for tarpon should be interested in a Bonefish & Tarpon Trust program that seeks info on juvenile tarpon habitat and, logically, the protection of those critical areas. Why? Because if we don’t have juvenile tarpon we won’t have the mega-beasts either. This could be a fun way to spend a day on the salt while contributing valued info for the preservation of the fishery. Here’s the dirt: Continue reading
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Calls For Habitat Info
Posted in Conservation, Saltwater
Tagged fishing baby tarpon, saving tarpon, Tarpon habitat
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Patagonia’s Alpine Houdini Rain Jacket: A review
Patagonia’s Alpine Houdini Jacket
Let’s face it—we don’t always need a super-heavy, bomb-proof wading jacket. In fact, a lighter waterproof jacket is often more versatile, offering a defense against the elements while being highly packable. That’s key when hiking into some far off river or lake, most noted when backpacking to the West’s high-mountain trout waters, when ounces Continue reading
Redington’s Chromer Spey: Big Hucks For A Fair Price
Whenever I travel to fish for salmon or steelhead, I like to take two sticks, one usually being some high-end rod that would make me cringe if I broke it, the other a less expensive model that’s perfectly capable of holding its own on the water.
That combination used to be Sage’s Deathstar and Redington’s Dually. These days it might be Sage’s Method or Thomas and Thomas’ DNA, or a lighter Helios2 switch, or even the buttery Echo glass that hides all of our casting weaknesses and is a blast to throw. And the second rod? Right now, I’m not Continue reading
No Wrongdoing in EPA’s Pebble Mine Decision
Just got a shout out from Scott Hed, director for the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska. He’s the guy who has fought so hard for the demise of Pebble Mine and who is now working to save the Boundary Waters. I also named him Fly Rod & Reel’s Angler of The Year for 2014 The gist of the e-mail: Good news on the Pebble Mine front, as reported in the Washington Post.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s internal watchdog has found no evidence of bias in the agency’s efforts to block a proposed gold mine from being built near Alaska’s Bristol Bay.
The EPA’s Inspector General, in a report released on Wednesday, said agency officials followed normal guidelines in assessing whether the controversial Pebble Mine project should be built. The EPA is moving toward a formal decision to bar mining operations in the region citing risks to wildlife, including the world’s biggest run of sockeye salmon. Check out the whole story at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/01/13/watchdog-finds-no-wrongdoing-in-epas-moves-to-block-controversial-alaskan-gold-mine/
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Alaska wild salmon, buy Alaska wild salmon, Pebble Mine
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The Grand Cascapedia This Year. Why Wouldn’t You?
I’ve been here, and written about the experience several times, but I probably didn’t describe it as well as this video does. Take a few minutes and soak this one in because, well, this could be you in fewer than six months. If you are a spey/steelhead/salmon addict, this is a lifelist must-do. Start looking at Salmon Lodge or Camp Bonaventure on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula for excellent options. Remember, in the early season you’ll see bright, grabby fish, but in fewer numbers than you would later in the season, which runs into early September. During late summer, you’ll see max numbers in these rivers, but fewer bright fish are present and the salmon can be disturbingly hesitant to bite. But, there isn’t a bad time to visit, and I’ve seen and hooked scads, even in the late season, so try to book a slot right away. Here you go, from Jeff Bright’s website, www.jeffbright.com Also check out Salmon Lodge.
CampB SalmonLodge v2015-09-14 720 from Camp Bonaventure – Salmon Lodge on Vimeo.
Mandated: Release Wild Steelhead on the Hoh, Bogachiel and Sol Duc
If you follow this blog and my writings in other places, you know that more than anything I love wild steelhead. Love the country they live in, love their life history stories, love the way these fish fight, and I also love that they are not the easiest fish to find or catch, which brings the Continue reading
Mahi on Flying Fish
This video is well worth watching, especially if you’ve chased these awesome fish, sometimes called mahi mahi, other times dolphin, other times dorado. I used to fish these in the Florida Keys every late spring and early summer and our meals were largely made up of our daily catches. My father, the wildlife artist Fred Thomas, has spent his life in the field Continue reading
Posted in Photography, Saltwater
Tagged dorado and flying fish, Fly fishing dorado, how to match fly fish
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Montana Adopts Mandatory Kill on Walleye
I know there are a lot of guys out there who like fishing for walleye and there are probably a lot more who just like eating them. My experience with walleye is that they don’t like to eat flies, they fight like an old boot, and they’re overrated. Ok, maybe that is a little harsh. I caught some below Boysen Reservoir on Wyoming’s Wind River one time that fought ok. But when I specifically went after them in Ontario they were a tough bet. Landed a few small ones, and my friend lost a pig. And that was that. Thank god for Ontario’s smallmouth bass. They saved the day.
Fish managers in Montana are pretty nervous about the spread of non-native walleye and here’s a new report to prove it. Nothing like more Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Culture, Montana
Tagged fly fishing for walleye, Montana Fly Fishing, Montana walleye fishing
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Fly Rod & Reel Winter Issue
It’s that time again. I’ve just finished up Fly Rod & Reel’s winter issue and it will be hitting newsstands soon. You’ll find some good holiday reading in this one, including our selection for Angler of They Year. In addition, you can read about some giant NZ browns, bas bug guru Jay Zimmerman, tarpon fishing in the Florida Everglades, slamming landlocked Atlantics in Maine, and you’ll get a heavy dose of new gear ideas for 2016. As always, when you get your hands on the issue, let me know what you think of it.
Posted in Books, Culture, Industry
Tagged Angler of The Year, Fly Rod & Reel, subscribe to Fly Rod & Reel
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Winter Task—Organizing Your Flies
It isn’t exactly the dead of winter here in Montana, and probably not where you live either. Actually, it felt like the dead of winter here for about 10 days, with the thermometer never rising above 30 and Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Flies, Gear
Tagged flies for the Rockies, Organizing flies, winter fly fishing
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