The Angler’s Tonic Archive: Clearwater Steelhead and Labrador “Sleep”

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Greg Thomas

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 B-run steelhead as is humanly possible. Butit’s 4 o’clock in a narrow, mountain canyon and, to my surprise, already dark. Suddenly, I have no idea what I’ll do during the 14 hours before daylight returns, sentenced to the back of the truck with two spoiled Labrador retrievers. Already, I’ve tied enough egg-sucking leeches and conehead muddlers to supply Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Idaho, Spey | 4 Comments

Mouse in The House—Protecting Your Fly Tying Materials

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Greg Thomas

I guess this is why you don’t leave your fly tying materials in the garage, mostly unprotected by a cardboard shoe box. I remember thinking I should bring that box out of the garage and into the house, but somewhere along the line, probably around 5 p.m. some day, I just forgot.

I knew there was a mouse in the house (or in this case the garage) but I couldn’t capture that little troublemaker, with traps or with poison. But he did perish—he fell into my Yeti bucket and couldn’t make it up the slippery sidewalls. End of mouse, but not before my tying materials took a beating.  Live and learn.

Because most of us are home right now, with more time on our hands than we’re used to, it might be a good time to go through your materials and if they aren’t protected you could transfer them into sealable plastic bins or some other protective vessel that a mouse or a packrat or a dog, etc., can’t get into. Hackles aren’t cheap and they probably aren’t getting cheaper anytime soon, so it makes sense to protect.—GT

Posted in Culture, Flies | Leave a comment

Fly Fishing Through the Corona Crisis: Rock Creek, Montana

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Greg Thomas

We’ve been told to stay at home, but we can access public lands. A mixed message for sure. All I know is that I can avoid all human contact if I just steer my truck to the river and hike into a remote portion of a river.

And that’s what I did yesterday on upper Rock Creek, which is located about 60 miles from Missoula, Montana. I was hoping to hit the creek earlier in March, knowing that this has been a mild winter and early spring and that the creek’s rainbows may have already moved toward the spawn. Wanted to catch that prime window when the cutthroats, browns and ‘bows are all in the main portion of the river and looking up for dry flies.  Didn’t happen.  I was Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Montana, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Best Danner Hiking Boots for the Trail and the Street

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Greg Thomas

I don’t like unboxing videos. And I don’t like reviews of products that simply announce their availability. That’s the easy way out. And I’ve done it when there’s no choice but to include products in a themed list of say, gear for summer camping, or something like that.

Instead, I like to use a product and work it hard, Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Gear, Hunting | Leave a comment

Fishing Closed in Washington . . . AT Feels Your Pain

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Greg Thomas

This is exactly what we at Angler’s Tonic have feared, and we hope that the idea doesn’t spread to some of our favorite waters in other states, as getting out of the house to throw a line on nearly deserted streams and beaches is what we would call one of the best ways to retain sanity at that time.

We are not experts in health and virus’ however, so we have to respect the required actions and hope that you do, too. Here’s the note from Washington Department of Fish and Game.

WDFW closes recreational fishing statewide

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) today announced its decision to temporarily close recreational fishing and shellfishing statewide in the wake Continue reading →

Posted in Washington | Leave a comment

Doing Moab, Utah, During Corona Madness

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Greg Thomas

I broke the law (well, not technically) before we all knew we’d be breaking the law if we left the safety of our homes and trekked to other locales for the spring break. Seeing as I only get a spring break every two years with my daughters, I took the plunge and headed south to Utah, and on down to Moab.

I’d booked a hotel and packed camping gear, so that in either case we could hole up and limit our interactions with other people as much as possible. This trip would be about Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Travel | Tagged | 2 Comments

How to Can and Smoke Alaska Salmon, Family-Style

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Greg Thomas

As you probably know, I’m a proponent of wild salmon, and that includes eating wild salmon to save wild salmon, the theory being, if there isn’t economic value to the fish, our elected leaders won’t do a damn thing to protect them. And, if wild fish become unimportant, toxic farmed salmon will rule.

Enough on that. To support my stand I’ll offer these images from a fun evening spent preparing and then packing salmon to be canned in glass containers. I think we must have processed over 150 pounds of Alaska sockeye and coho salmon, with all of the immediate family taking part. Want to talk about a fun, rewarding and memorable evening, full of laughs and jokes and a common purpose. I’m telling you, whether your packing salmon or cutting up an elk, or grinding buffalo for Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged | 2 Comments

About Salt

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Greg Thomas

Honestly, some days I don’t care if I catch another trout in what’s left of my lifetime. I’d rather row, let someone else do the dirty work.

I say that, however, knowing how my eyes and brain process a rising trout; I go into predatory mode, like I’m hunting deer and elk, ready to stalk a fish as if my life depended on catching and eating it. So I haven’t written off Continue reading →

Posted in Saltwater | 1 Comment

Restoring Rio Grande Cutthroats

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Greg Thomas

Photo courtesy Trout Unlimited

Trout Unlimited is taking a unique approach to generating an economy in a small New Mexico town called Questa. This town was driven by mining activity beginning in the 1800s and continuing through 2014, until a local Molybdenum shut down, leaving more than 300 people without work.

Fortunately, Questa Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Uncategorized, US & Canada | Tagged | Leave a comment

New Dog, New Day on Western Montana’s Rock Creek

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Greg Thomas

Weatherwoman said sixty-something today in western Montana, which is absurdly warm for this time of the year. So, I threw responsibility down the tube, called a friend and said, “Rock Creek today.”

Neither one of us was totally irresponsible—we both had to be back in Missoula before 3 p.m. to pick up our daughters from school. But we deemed a trip to the Creek as worthwhile, even if we couldn’t fish as long as we Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Montana, Uncategorized | Leave a comment