What happens upstream affects what lies downstream, right? The contiguous U.S. encompasses more than 3 million miles of running water, and more than half of that is made up of headwater streams, defined as the start of a river, usually created by snowmelt, rain, and springs...
The Montana Brewshed Alliance is a coalition of conservation-minded breweries across Montana that are dedicated to help raise their business profiles, along with attention to coldwater conservation and the simple fact that great beer and trout both depend on keeping our water clean. The Brewshed...
In the late winter and spring, outdoor enthusiasts often have to make a difficult choice: ski or fish? If you’ve had your powder fix for the season, the next few months can be a good time to find solitude and plenty of walk-wade fishing opportunities...
Die-hard fly anglers don’t let the weather hold them back: They gear up and go, rain, sleet, or snow. But most have a well-worn, stay-warm routine. According to Wade Fellin, a fishing guide and manager of the Big Hole Lodge in Wise River, Montana, “It...
I’m not going to pretend I’m an experienced angler. Just one look at me on the bank of a river, struggling with a fish or taking an enormous amount of time to tie on a fly or untangle my line, and I’m instantly exposed for...
In search of solitude The first time someone mentioned a packraft to me was about three years ago. “A pack what?” I said. Which is the response most fly fishers probably would have. I knew about drift boats, pontoons, canoes, and paddle boards, but I’d never...
Fly fishing through Montana’s Bannack State Park My first cast into Grasshopper Creek was by the Bannack, Montana, jail. Beyond these dank and constricted pens stood the gallows where Sheriff Henry Plummer and his road-agent deputies, “The Innocents,” were hanged in 1864. “Give me a good...
Fishing mountain lakes As passionate as we claim to be, many fly anglers reach a time in our lives when that excitement wanes, and we yearn for a higher level of challenge and adventure. Some turn to the fierce steelhead of the Pacific Northwest, some fly...
Three writers explore the bond that’s often shaped by time spent on the water Our Common Tributary by Myers Reece Addictions tend to strain relationships, but fishing has worked out pretty well for my family. I understand angling isn’t included as an addiction in medical literature, but to...
As angler numbers increase, is grace the answer? It's early morning on Idaho’s Silver Creek. The water is calm, the fly anglers are calm. There is a symphony taking place between insect and trout, between trout and angler, and between angler and angler. It’s music played...