I’m a bull trout fan and it’s good news to learn that these brutes are doing ok in the Flathead River basin. I’ve seen them and caught them on the South Fork Flathead and have chased them in other places, too. Though they don’t jump like a rainbow or eat dries like a cutthroat, they smack streamers and nymphs and they are big—it’s Continue reading
Flathead Bull Trout Count Increases
Posted in Conservation, Montana, Northern Rockies
Tagged Fly Fishing For bull trout, Montana bull trout
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Montana Fall Color—the leaves begin to fall
I’ve been a little busy with FRR and a little short on Tonic posts over the last week, so I thought I’d share this quick one with you. We dipped at or just below 32 degrees last night and the leaves are starting to fall. This has been a great fall for color with abundant leaves and little wind, which in some years wipes the leaves right off the trees in one big gust. If you are in Montana you know how beautiful it is right now. If not, try to get here and see the great color before it’s gone. Next big storm and it’s over. Here’s a peak at what’s falling off the trees in my yard in Missoula today. Thought you might enjoy.
Posted in Culture, Montana, Northern Rockies
Tagged best Montana fall color, Montana fall color, Montana fall leaves
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Opinion: Pebble Mine Not Dead
Does Anglo American’s departure doom the Pebble prospect? —Alex DeMarban
September 21, 2013
Anglo American’s pullout from Pebble is hardly a death knell for the promising but beleaguered mineral prospect in Southwest Alaska. But the move increases the chance of an important shift in the project, one that could lead to a less environmentally risky design than the massive, open-pit option that has sparked widespread opposition.
That’s the opinion, Continue reading
Posted in Alaska, Conservation, Northwest
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Pebble Mine Receives Possible Fatal Blow
Anglo American withdraws from Pebble Mine, Casting Projects Future in Doubt —written by Ben Anderson, The Alaska Dispatch
Anglo American, one of the key backers of the controversial Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, announced Monday that it is withdrawing from the Pebble Partnership — and will take a $300 million hit for doing so. The London-based Anglo American has a 50 percent share of the Pebble venture, with Northern Dynasty Minerals out of Vancouver, Canada controlling the other half. The company said that Northern Dynasty will assume sole responsibility for the project.
In a statement, Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani said that the company was seeking Continue reading
Posted in Alaska, Conservation, Culture, Northwest
Tagged Bristol Bay, Fly Fishing Bristol Bay Alaska, Pebble Mine
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GASPE PENINSULA WRAP-UP: A week in Atlantic salmon heaven
I had friends telling me all summer to not set myself up for the anadromous appocolypse, that being the mistake of expecting salmon or steelhead, or any other fish that runs from the sea to freshwater, to behave the same from one year to the next.
Last year, as some Angler’s Tonic patrons might remember, I visited the Gaspe Peninsula in September and had a great time on the Bonaventure and Grand Cascapedia rivers, bringing 10 fish to hand during six days on the water. I’d visited the Gaspe last year with the same motto I took there this year: If I catch one Continue reading
DRINK OF THE WEEK: Screech Rum’s Dark & Dirty
You might want to whip up a few drinks with Screech tonight, not because it’s always best to party on a Monday, but because there will be Monday Night Football on TV and because, if you are an Oakland Raiders fan you’re going to need some sort of painkiller.
I got my first introduction to Screech just over a week ago while visiting with
Notice Mr. Jealous on the opposite bank. A little Screech in the water seems to go a long ways. Get’s tight-lipped Atlantic salmon to open their mouths.
friends from Newfoundland. We were on the Gaspe Peninsula at Salmon Lodge, in Quebec, fishing the Grand and Petite Cascapedia rivers for Atlantic salmon. The Newfies were well armed with spirits, having bought out flats of pre-mixed tomato juice and vodka, plus every Beck’s beer they could Continue reading
Posted in CANADA, Cocktails, Culture, Drink of the Week, Travel
Tagged Dark & Dirty, drinking in Newfoundland, Newfoundland rum, Petitie Cascapedia, Screech Rum
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SHOUT OUT TO READERS: Tonic hits 500 posts
Just passed the 500 post mark for Angler’s Tonic. Thanks to all of you who follow and have supported the site. You keep reading, and I’ll keep writing. Over time I’ve learned a lot about you; you don’t comment much on books, but you’re pretty lively about drinks. You hate farmed salmon and love wild Pacific salmon. Most of you are hard core and would stand all day in a steady mix of rain and snow to catch one good wild steelhead. Some of you have the same feelings as me toward Kate Upton. And most of us share this directive: when the going gets tough, Continue reading
Bottom Shelf Bourbon Whiskey: Old Crow
Was dancing around the net this morning when I came across this post on cheap booze. It happens that my grandfather drank Old Crow and, somehow, I took a like to the stuff, too. Best about this whiskey is it’s cheap. But it’s not bad to drink either and if you mix it with Coke, who would know the difference between it and Makers? Actually, I fell onto this site today because I was trying to pick a common brand of whiskey that you might find a Northwest steelhead angler holding in their hands on the side of a river, during a cold fall day when they are either drowning their lack of success or warming their bones, or for a celebration toast to a steelhead fought and landed. Old Crow a good pick? This is info I’ll include in the winter issue of Fly Rod & Reel. I want to make sure Continue reading
Nat Geo Depicts Climate Trouble For Anglers
Got the heads-up from Todd Tanner at Conservation Hawks and checked out this new article put out by National Geographic. In typical form, this is a well-written, outstanding article that is a must-read to all concerned anglers. Give it a look and head over to the Nat Geo site for the rest.
Ben Jervey
for National Geographic
Published September 18, 2013
This month, anglers who flock to Montana in search of their own authentic A River Runs Through It experience are out of luck. On September 4, the Blackfoot River, centerpiece of Norman Maclean’s beloved story (and its film adaptation that gave the entire fly-fishing industry a boost in the early 1990s), was closed to fishing by officials from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. They cited “an effort to protect fish from the stress of low stream flows.” (The river has since been reopened to fishing, but drought conditions remain.) Such river closures have become more common in recent years, in Montana and beyond. They’ve become necessary as coldwater fish populations struggle Continue reading
The Monster of Matane
One of my favorite elements of travel is listening to the stories from locals, about their little patches of earth. Last week I was in Quebec and the discussions ran the gamut between fishing, hunting, girls, guides, economies, pickup trucks, and food.
Hunting in Quebec is big so I asked a lot of questions about moose. One story caught my ear, that being a tale about the Monster of Continue reading
Posted in CANADA, Culture, Hunting
Tagged Hunting in Quebec, Matane Record Book Moose, Moose Hunting Quebec, Trophy Moose Quebec
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