About Salt

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

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Restoring Rio Grande Cutthroats

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

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

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

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North America’s Most Interesting Hatches

I take a lot of pride in putting together what I hope all you would consider to be a great magazine. If you haven’t looked at American Angler in the past year or two, take a glance. I’ve changed it from a strictly how-to magazine (with content that you could easily find on the internet and in how-to books) to more of a cultural and travel book that calls to those who like the lodge experience and to those who are adventuresome and game for DIY.

In the current issue (March/April) which is on newsstands now, there’s a must read section on hatches that I spent a lot of time putting together. What I envisioned was a list of hatches that people may not have heard of, Continue reading

Posted in Alaska, British Columbia, CANADA, Culture, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Travel, Uncategorized, Wyoming | Tagged | Leave a comment

Coronavirus and Fly Fishing Travel . . . book Alaska and Canada now!

AT Note: Jim Klug is a longstanding personal friend of mine and Angler’s Tonic fully supports his company, Yellowdog Fly Fishing Adventures. I was tempted to pen my own article on this Covid-19 issue, but Klug sums up the issues here and his piece should provide answers to questions many of you may have, no matter where your travels might take you. To some people, including those with autoimmune deficiencies and other health issues, simply getting on a plane and passing through airports isn’t a real rosy picture right now. But, for most of us, the gains to be had on a fly fishing adventure probably outweigh the risks, especially if you prepare well and take care of yourself on your travels. And because of the risks, domestic and Canadian travel Continue reading

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Time to Organize Flies—it’s go-time in Montana

Saw this dude on the screen door a couple days ago and snapped a quick and very amateurish image with my aging phone. Clarity in the photo doesn’t matter as much as the clarity this gave me in my head—time to organize flies and get ready for the season.

It’s been a mild winter in Montana and I believe we’ll be seeing our hatches early this year. The rumor mill already is calling big midge hatches and Baetis and a few skwala stoneflies, too. A couple more weeks and things should be rolling for skwalas and March browns.

It was 57 in Missoula last Friday and I opened up the garage doors and let Continue reading

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Clearwater River Closing for Steelhead

A dead hatchery steel on Idaho’s South Fork Clearwater, which will close to fishing, along with the mainstream Clearwater and Snake rivers, on Sept. 29.

To date, steelhead returns for 2019 are approximately 11 percent of the 10-year-average at Lower Granite Dam.

From Eric Crawford, Trout Unlimited:  The Idaho Fish and Game Commission announced today that they would be closing the Clearwater River to steelhead fishing effective Sept. 29, marking the first time in decades that the Clearwater has been closed to anglers.

Returns of salmon and steelhead are on track to be one of the lowest on record, creating a long-term problem for recovery of these iconic species. All of this comes as the governor’s work group on salmon recovery meets in Lewiston, Idaho for its third meeting.

“This should be a very strong signal that it is time to get our act together on restoring these fish populations,” said Eric Crawford, north Idaho field coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “We don’t have a lot of time left to get it right. Anglers are losing more and more opportunity in Idaho and that impact is not isolated or insignificant.

“Unfortunately, anglers and the guides and businesses that depend on these fish need to prepare themselves for the fact that this is a multi-year issue,” said Crawford Continue reading

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Get American Angler’s Anadromous Issue Now

If you like big fish you’ll want to check out the September/October issue of American Angler. It’s loaded with salmon and steelhead stories, ranging from Canada’s Grand Cascapedia, to Russia’s Yokanga, to British Columbia’s Dean, to Oregon’s Deschutes. There’s more, too: best selling permit flies; catching steelhead in bright light; chasing false allies from the boat and the beach; taking Labrador’s brook trout on top . . . on mice; the fall hecuba hatch; searching for 20 pound bull trout near Golden, British Columbia; seeking golden char in Hokkaido, Japan; plus efforts to save cutthroats on Idaho’s South Fork Snake; and more. Don’t miss it —GT

 

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Bristol Bay on the Brink

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m as tired of hearing about the Bristol Bay mine issue as you are and I just want the whole dilemma to go away. But that’s exactly what the mining company, Pebble Limited Corporation, wants us to do and, damn it, I’m not doing it. Neither should you.

This may not be an end-all solution to the problem, but the American Fly Fishing Trade Association and a number of industry members are taking tomorrow, August 24, to show their support for quashing efforts to build a gold mine at the headwaters of the greatest wild salmon production grounds in the world. This could begin in 2020 if we don’t meet their proposal with tactful resistance.

Called A Day For Bristol Bay, common anglers are urged to shop at participating shops or donate directly online in an effort to build funds to fight the mine proposal. You can Continue reading

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Simms’ “Fish It Well” Motto Helps Tonic Get To The Dean

I know Simms would have preferred that I write about their new campaign, called Fish It Well, a month or more ago when they sent me a hoodie emblazoned with a logo promoting the campaign.

But I wanted to wait and give the whole idea some thought. I am definitely from the mold that you get one life so you better make the most of it, and fishing and hunting have been instrumental in my efforts to do just that.

The package arrived at a time when I needed to make a decision between a few extra days with the kids or actually taking care of myself  for once. On the table was a trip to British Columbia’s Dean River and BC West lodge—I’d been there before, landed 21 steelhead in six days, and didn’t want opportunity to slip.

Do this and you will live a good life.

In the end I accepted the trip and fished with three men I’d never met, the writer and founder of Spey Pages, Dana Sturn; Mike Walsh, who’s a serious fly tier and a salmon and steelhead junkie; and Dake Traphagen, who is a custom guitar maker, a dedicated fly tier, and a master of Pacific Northwest steelhead and salmon.

We’d chosen a week on the Dean that could be hit or miss—the second week of the season when water conditions might blow out completely. When we arrived, the river was high and muddy, but the forecast led us to believe that the river would drop and our timing might be perfect. Continue reading

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