Candlefish. Skeena Turkey. Starvation Buster. Call it what you like it’s an Oolie.
We got a lot of interesting answers on the mystery fish, most noted being the rainbow smelt.
But this is no rainbow smelt. Instead, the fish pictured is an oolichan, which is native to British Columbia and Alaska streams and is treasured by native peoples who harvested the fish in massive quantities and then rendered all sorts of products from the fish, most notably its Continue reading
Somewhere in the World
This fish swims somewhere in the world that I’ve been and maybe you’ve seen it, too. The first person to correctly identify this fish gets a free Angler’s Tonic T-Shirt.
How do you win? Send Continue reading
van Gogh—the master and the madman
Two of my favorite things are absinthe and Vincent van Goh, so it was nice to find them both in one place, in a video by Kris Kluthe that depicts van Goh’s brilliance and downfall at the same time. It’s a bit dark, but I thought some of you might like seeing this.
Having visited the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, I think the film shows an accurate depiction of how he may have painted, but it doesn’t begin Continue reading
Or how we got lost on the way to Davis Lake.
I’ve seen them inked on the backs of envelopes, scribbled on bar napkins, fashioned on the flip side of matchbooks, and even translated to the palms of hands.
No matter where they’re scrawled, there is one thing that hand-drawn maps hold in common –- often they include a major oversight and, invariably, they lead anglers on a wild goose chase.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that flyfishers must occasionally follow vague leads or they’ll only fish crowded rivers where wade- Continue reading
Angler’s Tonic and April Vokey in Sacramento.
Wanted all to know that I’m headed for Sacramento and the International Sportsmen’s Exhibition, teaming up with April Vokey to give anglers all they want to know about western steelhead. In addition, I’ll present on overlooked trout in the northern Rockies and I’ll lead a panel discussion on world angling travel—the places to be, the places Continue reading
Concentrate on Tributary Mouths and You’ll Find Fish
I used to interview the chief biologist for every major stream in the northern Rockies—each year—and I learned a ton of useful information from many of them.
There were things that we talked about openly and there were things they told my ears only. One of the most interesting revelations was the importance of tributary streams to the health and ultimate survival of fish. I heard the same thing from many biologists, especially in the heavy drought years that we seem to be coming out of. They said the mouths of the tribs were were up to 90 percent of a river’s trout population (and we are talking about some sizable, well-known trout streams here) would go during the hot summer months, meaning mid-to-late July on through August. The reason, of course, was to escape elevated water temperatures.
So, when I was reading the Columbia Basin Bulletin the other day I came across this Continue reading
Bad Blood Boiling in Wyoming and Montana—Bighorn River Fishery at stake.
A battle has been brewing between Montana and Wyoming, a fight for water that begins in Wyoming but, subsequently, drains into Montana and supports what many people, including myself, consider to be one of the most standout trout fisheries in the West, the Bighorn River south of Hardin.
If you fish that river often, or even one time, you know what is at stake—the fish need water in the river, adequate winter
Letherman’s Chocolate Cake
by Troy Letherman
“Let them eat cake!” Or so we’re told Marie Antoinette exclaimed, having been informed the French peasantry had no bread. They fired up a revolution instead, cut off a few heads and apparently stuck with the brioche.
I, on the other hand, have no famine to worry about, just a holiday season filled with family, friends and way too much free time. As with most of America, particularly those of us who live in places frozen over for six months each year, I plan to cope in the traditional manner—by using liquor as a substitute for oxygen.
The holiday bender—as time-honored a custom Continue reading
Changed it up a bit this weekend and headed into southwest Montana’s Madison Mountain Range—the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area—to be exact, to help a friend harvest a mountain goat.
Having spent a lot of time in Alaska chasing goats, and having done the same thing in Washington state, right on the flanks of Mount Baker, I knew that it would be important for a friend to have some company. Hunting goats is downright dangerous and it is made more so if there’s snow on the ground. After hiking four miles in and setting up camp it started snowing. And the next morning the world was white. Mountain goats live on cliffs and near vertical slopes. This, I thought, had all the signs of a disaster. Continue reading
Slumberjack’s Big Timber —20. Life is Short. Live in LuxuryCheap is the word that comes to mind because I should replace sleeping bags way more often than I do, which reminds me of a bag I carted off to college in Missoula. The fact is, that cotton bag was toast and holes leaked cold air into it like sieve. To say it had outlived its days and should have been replaced much earlier is an understatement.
I finally replaced that bag one fall when my father, Continue reading