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7/17/23

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THE FISHERIESCONSERVATION CONSERVATION THEJOURNAL JOURNALOF OFCOLDWATER COLDWATER FISHERIES FALL 2023

28 l Blue Lines

Our Little Blue Line. BY TOM REED

30 l Self-Taught

BY JOHN GIERACH (ORIGINAL ART BY BOB WHITE)

36 l Payback On Scottish Waters BY MARSHALL BISSETT

42 l A Land of Legends

BY CHRISTINE PETERSON

46 Wading the Corridors of Power

BY CHRIS SANTELLA

52 l Wherever You Go To Fish…

Be Sure To Look Around

PHOTO ESSAY BY TIM ROMANO

66 l What’s Left in the Toolbox

BY JOHN WALDMAN AND THOMAS QUINN

70 The Great Smoky Mountain Adventure

BY ANDREW PEGMAN

DEPARTMENTS 6 l From the CEO 10 l Pocket Water

Interview with Ben Goldfarb, a book for the ages by Peter Kaminsky, The Drake turns 25, TU Tested and more.

24 l Trout Myths

Trout Have a Blind Spot Directly Behind Them. BY TOM ROSENBAUER

73 l Actionline

CX3 2023 Spokane award winners.

82 l Dear Miriam... Easing Into It.

BY CHRISTINE PETERSON

96 l Classics

Mickey Finn. BY PAUL BRUUN

On the Cover: Trico hatch on the Smith River. Photo by Brian Grossenbacher.

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MATT GUYMON

Trout Unlimited Leadership Board of Trustees

National Leadership Council Representatives

Chairman of the Board Terry Hyman, Washington, D.C.

Chair

President/Chief Executive Officer Chris Wood, Washington, D.C.

Secretary

Secretary Linda Rosenberg Ach, San Francisco, Calif. Treasurer Larry Garlick, Palo Alto, Calif. Chairman of National Leadership Council Rich Thomas, Starlight, Pa. Secretary of the National Leadership Council Sharon Sweeney Fee, Livingston, Mont. Trustees Stewart Alsop, Sante Fe, N.M. R. Scott Blackley, Leesburg, Va. Tony Brookfield, Park City, Utah John Burns, Needham, Mass. Amy Cordalis, Arlington, Va. Josh Crumpton, Wimberley, Texas Mac Cunningham, Basalt, Colo. R. Joseph De Briyn, Los Angeles, Calif. Paul Doscher, Weare, N.H. Larry Finch, Wilson, Wyo. Susan Geer, Gilbert, Ariz. Peter Grua, Boston, Mass Chris Hill, Washington, D.C./Haines, Alaska Gregory McCrickard, Towson, Md. Phoebe Muzzy, Houston, Texas H. Stewart Parker, Chapel Hill, N.C. Al Perkinson, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Greg Placone, Greenville, S.C. Candice Price, Kansas City, Mo. Donald (Dwight) Scott, New York, N.Y. Kathy Scott, Norridgewock, Me. Judi Sittler, State College, Pa. Joseph Swedish, Silverthorne, Colo. Blain Tomlinson, Long Beach, Calif. Terry Turner, Gladstone, Ore. Leslie Weldon, Bend, Ore. Jeff Witten, Columbia, Mo./Elkins, W.V.

Rich Thomas Sharon Sweeney Fee Arizona, Susan Geer Arkansas, Melinda Smith California, Trevor Fagerskog Colorado, Marshall Pendergrass Connecticut, Sal DeCarli Georgia, Carl Riggs Idaho, Ed Northen Illinois, Mark Wortsmann Iowa, Bob Sodders Kentucky, Gene Slusher Maine, David Van Burgel Massachusetts, Bill Pastuszek Michigan, Greg Walz Mid-Atlantic, Noel Gollehon Minnesota, Randy Brock Missouri (Ozark Council)

Jeffrey Holzem Montana, Mark Peterson New Hampshire, John Bunker New Jersey, Peter Tovar New Mexico, Jeff Arterburn

New York, Jeff Plackis North Carolina, Mike Mihalas Ohio, Matt Misicka Oklahoma, Scott Hood Oregon, Peter Gray Pennsylvania, Russ Collins South Carolina, Paul McKee Tennessee, Mark Spangler Texas, Mark Dillow Utah, Jeff Taniguchi Vermont, David Deen Virginia, Eric Tichay Washington, Steve Miller West Virginia, Paul McKay Wisconsin, Linn Beck Wyoming, Jim Hissong

Kentucky, Mike Lubeach Maine, Matt Streeter Massachusetts, Henry Sweren Michigan, Tom Mundt Minnesota, Brent Notbohm Missouri (Ozark Council)

Brian Carr Montana, Brian Neilsen New Hampshire, Michael Croteau New Jersey, Marsha Benovengo New Mexico, Harris Klein New York, Cal Curtice North Carolina, Brian Esque Ohio, Scott Saluga Oklahoma, Greg Mann Oregon, Mark Rogers Pennsylvania, Leonard Lichvar South Carolina, Michael Waddell Tennessee, Ryan Turgeon Texas, Chris Johnson Utah, Scott Antonetti Vermont, Jared Carpenter Virginia, Jim Wilson Washington, Pat Hesselgesser West Virginia, Brad Riffee Wisconsin, Scott Allen Wyoming, Kathy Buchner

State Council Chairs Arizona, Alan Davis Arkansas, Michael Wingo California, Trevor Fagerskog Colorado, Greg Hardy Connecticut, John Kovach Georgia, Rodney Tumlin Idaho, Matthew Woodard Illinois, William Beshire Iowa, Michael Chilton

Coldwater Conservation Fund Board of Directors 2023 President Jeffrey Morgan, New York, N.Y. Executive Committee Joseph Anscher, Long Beach, N.Y. Philip Belling, Newport Beach, Calif. Stephan Kiratsous, New York, N.Y. Stephen Moss, Larchmont, N.Y. Directors Bruce Allbright, Steamboat Springs, Colo. Peter and Lisa Baichtal, Sacramento, Calif. Daniel Blackley, Salt Lake City, Utah Stephen Bridgman, Westfield, N.J. Gregory Case, Philadelphia, Pa. Bonnie Cohen, Washington, D.C. James Connelly, Newport Beach, Calif. Jeremy Croucher, Overland Park, Kan. Matthew Dumas, Darien, Conn. Glenn Erikson, Glorieta, NM Renee Faltings, Ketchum, Idaho John Fraser, Norwalk, Conn. Matthew Fremont-Smith, New York, N.Y. Bruce Gottlieb, Brooklyn, N.Y. John Griffin, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Robert Halmi, Jr., New York, N.Y. William Heth, Eau Claire, Wis. Kent and Theresa Heyborne, Denver, Colo. Kent Hoffman, Oklahoma City, Okla. Frank Holleman, Greenville, S.C. Braden Hopkins, Park City Utah James Jackson, Houston, Texas Tony James, New York, N.Y. Jeffrey Johnsrud, Newport Beach, Cali. Jakobus Jordaan, San Francisco, Calif. James Kelley, Atlanta, Ga. Peter Kellogg, New York, N.Y. Andrew Kenefick Seattle, Wash. Steven King, Wayzata, Minn. Cargill MacMillan, III, Boulder, Colo. Ivan & Donna Marcotte, Asheville, N.C. Michael Maroni, Bainbridge island, Wash. Jeffrey Marshall, Scottsdale, Ariz. Jay Martin, Delray Beach, Fla. Heide Mason, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Gregory McCrickard, Towson, Md. McCain McMurray, Golden, Colo. Daniel Miller, New York, N.Y. Robert & Teresa Oden, Jr., Hanover, N.H.

Kenneth Olivier, Scottsdale, Ariz. Brian Paavola, Key West, Fla. H. Stewart Parker, Chapel Hill, N.C. Anne Pendergast, Big Horn, Wyo. Michael Polemis, Old Chatham, N.Y. Adam Raleigh, New York, N.Y. John Redpath, Austin, Texas Michael Rench, Cincinnati, Ohio Andrew Roberts, Highlands, N.C. Leigh Seippel, New York, N.Y. Paul Skydell, Bath, Maine Robert Strawbridge, III, Wilson, Wyo. Paul & Sandy Strong, Lakemont, Ga. Margeret Taylor, Sheridan, Wyo. Robert Teufel, Emmaus, Pa. Jeffrey Thorp, Jackson, Wyo. Andrew Tucker, Larchmont, N.Y. Andrew Tucker, Vero Beach, Fla. Deacon Turner, Denver, Colo. Jeff Walters, Scottsdale, Ariz. Tyler Wick, Boston, Mass. Latham Williams, Ketchum, Idaho Geofrey & Laura Wyatt, Santa Barbara, Calif. Daniel Zabrowski, Oro Valley, Ariz.

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From the President [ C h r i s Wo o d ]

DEPUTY EDITOR

When I went to Cape Cod to tour the Quashnet River this summer, I kept hearing the name “Fran Smith.” I learned how Fran returned from the Vietnam War searching for a cause, and the Quashnet River is better for it. The Quashnet is a five-mile prayer of a river that flows into Waquoit Bay in Cape Cod, Mass. Fishing the river is like walking in a verdant tunnel, as wide as a fly rod is long in many sections. Willows and other vegetation overhang the bank, making bow and arrow casts mandatory. Redwing blackbirds, heron, otter and aquatic life abound. Salter brook trout run into the river from the bay. The river is remarkable for a variety of reasons. Chief among them is that it ceased to exist 70 years ago. For many decades, the Quashnet was part of the largest cranberry bog in the world. Cranberry bogs are devastating to rivers and fish. To turn a river into a cranberry bog, the streamside trees and vegetation are removed, and tons of sand and gravel are dumped into the riverbed, essentially reversing its flow. Dams are constructed every thousand feet or so to control the water levels appropriate for cranberry growth and harvest but not fish habitat. Consecutive hurricanes hit in 1954, which led to the abandonment of the Quashnet cranberry bogs, but by then, the river was long since dead. Enter Fran, and the southeastern Mass and Cape Cod chapters of TU. Before it was a cranberry bog, the river had sustained the Wampanoag people for millennia, and was famous for hosting anglers such as Daniel Webster and President Grover Cleveland, who fished the water in search of its large sea-run brook trout, known as salters. For nearly 50 years, chapter members have gathered about once per month for “work parties” to help heal the Quashnet. The river lost connection with its streambanks, so the members removed the old dams to help re-channel the flow of the river. They installed hundreds of deflectors and other large wood installations to recover the natural sinuosity of the river and to accelerate the removal of the sand and deposition that had been added to create the cranberry bogs. They planted almost 4,000 trees, learning how to plant atop large mounds of peat and compost to keep the roots from rotting. Nearly 450 volunteers donated 26,000 hours of hard labor to help recover the river. Amazingly, all the work accomplished by the Cape Cod chapter and its volunteers was done by hand. Never once has a backhoe, tractor or anything larger than a bush-hog or chain saw been used! You cannot walk up the Quashnet and not notice the work of the chapter. Every 10 yards are vegetation and trees they planted; structures they created; dams they removed. Fran is the undisputed leader of the pack, which is why we honored him with this year’s Mortenson Award, the highest honor bestowed by Trout Unlimited. When I returned from the Cape, and spoke to Fran a few times, I called Beverly Smith and Jeff Yates, and asked “have you heard of this guy?” They both shrugged. I asked how could you not know him? Their response was “he never complained.” Every TU chapter has a home water they work to care for and recover, but I have seen few with the sustained commitment made over a long period like the efforts by the Cape Cod chapter on the Quashnet, led by a wry, unassuming master plumber named Fran Smith.

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EDITOR

Kirk Deeter

Simply Amazing

T R O U T

FALL 2023 • VOLUME 66 • NUMBER 4

Samantha Carmichael E D I T O R - A T- L A R G E

Erin Block Trout Unlimited 1777 North Kent Street Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22209 Ph: (800) 834-2419 trout@tu.org www.tu.org DESIGN

grayHouse design jim@grayhousedesign.com D I S P L AY A DV E RT I S I N G

Tim Romano info@timromano.com (303) 495-3967 TROUT UNLIMITED’S MISSION:

To conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their

watersheds.

TROUT (ISSN 0041-3364) is published four times a year in January, April, July and October by Trout Unlimited as a service to its members. Annual individual membership for U.S. residents is $35 Join or renew online at www. tu.org. TU does occasionally make street addresses available to like-minded organizations. Please contact us at 1-800-834-2419, trout@tu.org or PO Box 98166, Washington, DC 20090 if you would like your name withheld, would like to change your address, renew your membership or make a donation.

Postmaster send address changes to: TROUT Magazine Trout Unlimited 1777 North Kent Street Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22209

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From the Editor [Kirk Deeter]

There’s still great power in print. I only go to my mailbox (which is roughly a mile from my house) every three or four days, because there’s usually nothing in it that I care about. I’ve gone “paperless” with bills, I send Emails (or text, or just call) instead of writing letters, and the junk mail that asks me to consider selling my house or switch dentists goes straight in the recycle bin. But I do check the mailbox because that’s where my printed magazines land. I got my Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Journal the other day, and loved it. I also get Garden & Gun, even though I live in the West instead of the South, because every issue of G&G is an artifact. I admire the work Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited do with their beautiful, perfect-bound publications, and not just because I’m jealous of their formats. I’ve loved The Drake magazine for years, because I care about great writing and photography. I genuinely like sitting in a comfy chair and reading about things that flip my switch, so I think print is still the best medium through which to absorb those things. If you want to learn how to make your own mayonnaise, hear about the hot fly rod or figure out what’s hatching on a certain river, that’s what digital is for. And thank goodness for that. The challenge for print is to be transcendent. In 2023, thanks to our readers, TROUT won the People’s Choice Best Print Publication award at the Outdoor Media Summit, and our contributors also collected numerous awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America. We are deeply grateful. We’ll keep pressing, if you’ll keep reading.

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Pocket Water

BETH JOHNSTON

news bits and bytes

Talking Crossings with author Ben Goldfarb I N T E R V I E W:

B Y DAV I D K I N N E Y

In Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, writer Ben Goldfarb surveys the field of road ecology, which began as a discipline that largely involved counting roadkill but has evolved beyond car-on-wildlife collisions to consider broader impacts of roads on nature: how culverts harm fish, how road noise changes ecosystems, how road salt turns freshwater rivers brackish. Goldfarb, who during his reporting spent time with Trout Unlimited seeing how the Salmon SuperHwy project is reconnecting hundreds of miles of rivers in Oregon, sat down with us to talk about the intersection of roads and wild fish.

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TU: Crossings feels like the flip side of Eager, your conservation-world cult classic about beavers and how they are key to healthy ecosystems. BG: Humans and beavers are the two

species on Earth most motivated to build structures and transform our environment. The difference is, they do it in a way that is beneficial to nearly all other life forms, and we do it in a way that is catastrophic to nearly all other life forms, salmon and trout included. So both books are trying to reveal the hidden impacts of these landscape-changing forces that we take for granted. TU: It’s rare to find somebody who even thinks about culverts, let alone cares about them. BG: You’re right. Culverts are com-

pletely invisible to us. They’re these structures that we drive over every single day and basically ignore, but they’re weak points in our infrastructure. They get blown out by big runoff events, they get clogged with debris,

they cause roads to wash out. They’re the fault lines in our transportation network. They’re also one of the primary forces affecting fish migration. Many culverts were built too small from the get-go. And as a result, they concentrate the flow of streams and turn them into fire hoses that prevent fish from moving upstream. Culverts are these little battered corrugated pipes that we all drive over a million times, and yet they’re denying fish access to huge swaths of habitat. TU: With two million of these roadstream crossings across the country, it can feel like another overwhelming conservation problem. But the team behind the Salmon SuperHwy project in Oregon is working smarter. BG: They’re very strategic in the cul-

verts and the watersheds that they choose to address. They’re working in these coastal rivers in Oregon in part because there are no giant dams in those rivers. You can open up huge amounts of habitat by just dealing with a few culverts. So they brought together

community and nonprofit and agency partners to pool their resources and systematically address culverts that are barriers to fish migration. TU:There’s a lot of doom and gloom in this book about the loss of species to road networks. What gave you hope? BG: There are times when I feel really

hopeful and there are times when I feel totally despondent about the future of biodiversity on Earth. I feel hopeful about how nonpartisan road ecology issues are. We live in this hyperpolarized society, but road ecology issues don’t follow political allegiances. Salmon SuperHwy is a great illustration of that. Here’s this initiative that has plenty of support from the fish huggers, but is also close to the hearts of county commissioners and planners and dairy farmers in Tillamook County. Nobody wants their roads to wash out. Everybody cares about the stability and longevity of rural infrastructure and this is a project that leverages salmon recovery funding to ensure that. TU:You spent a bunch of time on the road for this book. Surely you have a good fish story or two. BG: When I went to coastal Oregon, I

“We live in this hyper-polarized society, but road ecology issues don’t follow political allegiances. Salmon SuperHwy is a great illustration of that.”

did a bunch of fishing in the Nestucca, the Wilson River, the Kilchis. I tried to fish as many of those rivers as possible. I had really never caught coastal cutthroat trout before and it was fantastic. One of the great things about these fish is how flexible they are. It was so cool to think that basically the same species I catch at 11,000 feet in high lakes in Colorado is living this amazing anadromous lifestyle in Oregon coastal rivers. They are just such adaptive fish that take advantage of whatever opportunities nature gives them.

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Pocket Water A BOOK FOR THE AGES:

The Catch of a Lifetime, Moments of Flyfishing Glory Edited by Peter Kaminsky (Artisan Books, $35)

eter Kaminsky is one of the Hutcheson, Linda Leary, and on, and world’s most revered angling on. You’ll even find contributions from journalists and authors. His familiar names from TROUT magazine, Outdoors column has appeared in though almost ironically, most of those The New York Times for 35 years, and he’s stories aren’t about trout. written for myriad classic publications The book spans the world of fly fishfrom Field & Stream to Smithsonian and ing, from trout and salmon to exotic GQ, as well as most of the endemic fly- jungle fish, to the flats, inshore, offshore fishing magazines. Beyond that, he was and beyond. I can’t help but shake a managing editor for National Lampoon, Forrest Gump’s “Box of Chocolates” and his television credits include being metaphor, because no matter where you the creator and executive producer of The crack the pages, you land on a Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and The savory little nugget of storytellLibrary of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular ing that stimulates the senses. Song. He’s also the author of numerous Kaminsky’s own words books, including The Flyfisherman’s Guide are the connective tissue, to the Meaning of Life, and The Moon Pulled beginning with a haymaker Up an Acre of Bass. introductory paragraph: But this book he’s edited—The Catch “There are fish I have caught of a Lifetime—may well be the ultimate that I remember more fully reflection of just how well-respected than whole years of my life— and appreciated he is, because some- moments as peaceful as the how, Kaminsky managed to get over rhythm of a trout sipping Pale 70 notable storytellers to contribute short Kaminsky managed to get over 70 pieces on certain fish, notable storytellers to contribute people and places that indelibly changed them short pieces on certain fish, as anglers. people and places that indelibly It’s a starry—and changed them as anglers. wonderfully eclectic— lineup ranging from iconic fishing literary names like McGuane and Lyons to less-expected aficionados like musicians Brittany Howard and Roger Waters. There are magazine editors like Garden & Gun’s David DiBenedetto, Anglers Journal founding editor William Sisson, and Jason Rolfe of The Flyfish Journal… noted authors Peter Heller, Carl Hiaasen, David James Duncan, Charles Gaines, Monte Burke and John N. Maclean… legendary guides, artists and gifted storytellers like Mary Rolland, Hilary T R O U T

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Morning Duns in a meadow stream or as pulse pounding as double-hauling into an acre of stripers in wind-whipped seas. At such moments, time, or its passage, seems to go away. To find something in this world that takes you out of time, when seconds cease to slip through life’s hourglass, is as close as I’ve come to a state of grace.” This book is brilliant in concept, and even greater in execution. It’s

beautifully formatted, with the perfect balance of alluring photographic images (also from a who’s-who list of outdoor photographers). It isn’t heavy, but it’s deep. It’s a mosaic. It’s why we fish. My gratitude and kudos to Kaminsky could not be more heartfelt, nor could my recommendation to get this book for yourself, someone else who loves fishing, or both. —Review by Kirk Deeter

In the fluid environment that we ply our craft, the demands we place on little more than a couple of ounces of carbon fibre are considerable. We expect featherlight touch and feel in close, backbone enough to drive a long, fast and accurate loop but with the durability to fight and land that fish of the day, season or even a lifetime. Designed in Alnwick England during Hardy's 150th year our new flagship rod "The Marksman" has been developed and tested with this incredibly varied challenge in mind. A strong, yet considerably lighter blank has been matched with an all new reel seat that further accentuates the weight reduction and promotes an almost weightless in hand feel. Fitted with titanium guides and dressed in a subtle non-flash golden olive, its understated looks hide a capability that needs to be experienced to be understood.

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Pocket Water The Drake Turns 25!

om Bie is crazy like a fox. Twenty-five years ago as he was shuffling around the greater Jackson, Wyoming, region, juggling jobs as a fishing guide, rafting guide, taxi driver and part-time outdoors columnist for the Guide, Bie took a leap of faith and decided to print a magazine that tapped into the “counter-culture” of fly fishing, well before anyone really had a grasp of what fly-fishing “culture” really was, let alone a “counter-culture.” Granted, several years earlier, there was “The Movie.” Robert Redford’s film adaptation of Norman Maclean’s novella A River Runs Through It, had attracted a plethora of dot-com millionaires and slumbering traditionalists toward newfound appreciation of fly fishing… but many of them had nowhere to really land. In a media world that was so bythe-book staid and stiff (how many times, really, could you digest another take on “Lefty’s advice for double-hauling” or “when best to deploy 7x tippet?”) The Drake broke the mold and handed the microphone to a different generation of anglers who wanted to focus more on the “why” instead of the “how.” “It was ‘anti-establishment’ back then, for sure, because it wasn’t just about the ‘where-to’ or the ‘how-to’ stuff, but as things evolved, the storytelling niche took off,” Bie recently explained. Bie published a single issue of The Drake in 1998, and did so for nine years. He didn’t make any money with the magazine until taking it quarterly in 2011, instead leaning on day jobs with other gigs editing and contributing to Paddler, Skiing, Powder and freelancing. “I was fortunate as a freelancer to work with talented editors at magazines like Men’s Journal and Outside during some of the last years that kind of mentoring existed,” he explained. He also never lost faith in fly fishing. A native Oregonian, his heart gravitated to the rivers and fishing.

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“I don’t think The Drake could have happened in skiing, or paddling or some other realm,” Bie said. “It was destined to be about fly fishing.” In turn, the fly-fishing world, especially the writers and photographers, sensed the vibe, and responded in kind. It wasn’t about money, or widespread distribution. Instead, it became about being in this “place” with other artists who felt a kinship and connection to grassroots fly fishing. It was much like talented musicians signing with Bloodshot Records or recording in a little studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, just because of the freedom that afforded them. Drake writers and shooters craved an opportunity to play

the way they really wanted to, without a team of editors at a commercial media group sucking the soul out of what they had to say. The beauty these days is that Bie still develops talent. There are minions of fishers who write, and far fewer established writers who fish. In The Drake’s “Tippets” section, Bie makes a point to develop and shine a light on emerging voices. In some issues, 90 percent of those contributors have never been published before. It takes a real editor—arguably a lost breed in this day and age—to make that magic happen. Thanks. Godspeed, and here’s to many more, Tom Bie. —K. Deeter

“I don’t think The Drake could have happened in skiing, or paddling or some other realm. It was destined to be about fly fishing.”—Tom Bie

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Hand-Crafted in Michigan!

J. A. Henry Rod & Reel Co. is a small Michigan business and proud developer of the Two-Hearted Fly Rod - a lightweight rod designed for navigating streams and small rivers. The rod is packaged in a hand-crafted case made from 19th century barnwood; a nod to the fly fishing pioneers of Northern Michigan.

www. Jahenryusa.com

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12 sensible gift ideas, recommended with reason. Oshki shirt ($42, a percentage of which goes to trout preservation; oshki.us)

With so many angling “apparel” options out there, why not choose something with a conscience and some purpose as well as function? Oshki (which means “fresh” in Ojibwe) uses recycled plastic waste from the Great Lakes and turns that into performance fabric. The company has organized beach cleanups, and has, to date, turned hundreds of thousands of single-use plastic bottles into shirts. We fish in those shirts all the time, from rivers to flats, and they’re perfect for all anglers. Moreover, Oshki kicks five percent back to conservation. Any of you chapter, council, club or other organization folks who are interested in a custom design should talk to Oshki (info@oshki.us) and make something cool happen. TROUT will promote it. And that’s a promise. —Kirk Deeter

Hardy “Marksman” Fly Rod ($950; hardyfishing.com)

Designed by world fly-fishing champion Howard Croston, the “Marksman” sports a moniker that plainly states what Hardy is driving at—it’s all about accuracy. So, we decided to play Robin Hood on some western American rivers, banging banks with hopper flies, as well as dropping Trico dries on some morning risers, and by and large, we were impressed by the versatility. The rod does “recover” remarkably fast (meaning, it snaps back into form, quickly, without wobble) as you false cast and deliver shots. The 5-weight we tested was on the quick side, meaning it generates line speed with easy effort, and it isn’t the most dainty for a spring creek situation. But it’s adept enough to throw any bug between a size #8 streamer and a size #18 BWO and comes with some pretty beautiful aesthetic ruffles and flourishes. In the hand of someone who really knows how to cast… oof. Just… oof. —KD

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Grunden’s Deviation Sherpa Ankle Boot ($149.99; grundens.com)

In case you haven’t noticed already, you will soon—Grundens, the Swedish-born company that carved legend status from supplying rain and deckwear to North Sea commercial fishermen, is wading into the fly-fishing market with boots, waders and the like. We’ll surely get into those things down the road, but for starters, we really like these ankle boots. They’re warm, comfortable and grippy for any boat deck, but (truth be told) what we’ll likely be using them for most often is shoveling snow off driveways and decks. The fleece lining is the difference maker. But you need to be careful because once you get that fleece soaked it’s hard to bring it back to being the same. And for goodness sake, wear socks, because your nose (and others) will ultimately thank you! There are other deck boots with slightly taller uppers, but these are more than adequate for sloshy boats (or sidewalks) and they’re easy to pop on and off, literally like slippers. —KD

Coast Zithion-X Rechargeable Batteries ($39.99; coastportland.com)

You’re always in need of batteries, especially around the holidays, right? Well, these are special, because they’re fully rechargeable, they last longer than other lithium batteries, and you can charge them (with a common USB-C plug) at least 1,000 times. At that rate, you don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out that $40 is more than worth it. They can be fully charged up in just over an hour (an indicator light turns from red to green), and they are designed with overcharge protection. Available in AA and AAA sizes, they’ll work in anything from your TV remote to headlamps, toys, portable speakers and more. —KD Lodge of the Year

2014

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Break Down the Dams SWIFT WATER PRODUCTIONS

and let your charitable dollars flow free.

Do you have a Donor Advised Fund? Fortunately for trout, you can remove the dam from your Donor Advised Fund and put those dollars to work in the coldwater fisheries you love! Recommend a grant to Trout Unlimited today: Trout Unlimited, Inc. 1777 N Kent St Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22209 EIN# 38-1612715 Don't forget to include Trout Unlimited as an ultimate beneficiary of your DAF, so you know where your funds will go well into the future. RESOURCES:

(703) 284-9413 Legacy@TU.org Legacy.TU.org/donor-advised-fund

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Pocket Water Skwala Fusion 3/2 Puffy ($299; skwalafishing.com)

Skwala is coming on strong in the fishing world (probably stronger than anyone, including the company itself, thought possible since Skwala launched just over a year ago). But that’s attributable to the simple facts that the company understands and loves fly fishing, and it designs and makes good, detail-oriented stuff. We’re going to get into waders, rain jackets of different weights, base layers that really take Merino wool to new levels, and all that, later. But for now, we’re going to recommend the one hoody/jacket piece that we’ve been wearing most often, any time the temperature dips under 60 degrees F. The notable attribute of this puffy (besides warmth) is range of motion. It isn’t stiff; it isn’t crinkly… it’s soft, and supple like a sweatshirt. And that ultimately helps you do “fishy” things better… like row a boat, or cast a fly rod. It’s a really smart, utilitarian piece of outerwear. —KD

Bajio Toads Sunglasses (Bajio Toads; $209)

Fish like you give a damn. A statement repeated on the Bajio website. A statement in which I take to heart working in cold-water conservation for Trout Unlimited. Bajio has shown that it gives a damn simply by creating quality products that support organizations like Trout Unlimited on top of the 100 percent plant-based frames which are biodegradable and recyclable as well. I had the opportunity to put the Toads through their paces this summer and wasn’t disappointed. Rowing, fishing, hunting and even biking after forgetting my bike specific pair at home. Not once did they let me down. More specifically, the rose mirror lenses suited nearly all those endeavors. Purchasing from a company that gives a damn is my personal preference and most likely the vast majority of those reading TROUT Magazine. —Josh Duplechian

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Patagonia Forra Wading Boots ($299; Patagonia.com)

We got a test pair of these boots in mid-summer, and have been putting them through the paces in all sorts of fishing situations ever since—hikes to high alpine lakes and blue line creeks, wet wading, climbing in and out of drift boats, kick boats and belly boats, and just plain old wading up rivers in waders. There wasn’t one flaw, one weakness, or one situation where we thought this boot could have been designed better. Some wading boots are like work boots. Others like hunting boots. Still, others are so bulky and overbuilt that they might make Frankenstein’s monster shudder. These boots are alpine inspired, like high-end Italian mountaineering boots. Light, comfortable, yet supportive with a burly tread. All the other wading boots got put in the locker this summer, and these stayed front and center. They are a tad spendy, but you can just tell they’re going to last longer than at least three other pairs of $150 wading boots. —KD

Scientific Anglers Switch Tippet Holder

Nocs Provisions Zoom Tube 8 x 32 Monocular

($19.95; sw)

($75; nocsprovisions.com)

I honestly never have cared for funky tippet holders and what-not. My tippet holder for the past 30 years? Hemostats stuck through the center hole on a spool of 4X or 5X tippet (maybe both stacked together) and clipped onto the strap of my vest or waders. But for some reason I started fishing this little contraption over the summer and fell in love with it. Now, you can buy a tippet-loaded version for more money, but my tippet preferences, for my trout kit aren’t as simple as 3,4,5,6,7. It’s 1X for streamers, 4X times two, 5X, and 6X for hard cases only. You probably (should) have your own mix. The bottom line is that this is a tangle-free, completely utilitarian solution, and it changed (at least a little bit) how I feel about gizmos. —KD

If you want a closeup look at the bugs hatching on the river surface… or that eagle in the tree… or your son or daughter on stage at the school recital… and you don’t really feel like spending several hundred dollars or more for some heavy, bulky binoculars… this just might be your ticket. At a price of $75 we were literally shocked by the optical clarity, and this monocular gives you a pretty steady look to boot. The best part, of course, is that the monocular is light (9.5 ounces). It’s fun, it’s colorful, it’s easy to grip, and easy to tuck in a pocket or pack. The kids or grandkids would love it, and they’d probably even show you how to use it as a zoom lens for your smart phone camera. —KD

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A N D S U P P O RT T U. . .

TU River Topo Beanie ($25; tu.org/gear2023)

Warmth and all-day comfort are a must with any layering during the cold seasons. The allnew TU River Topo Beanie from our friends at Wingo Outdoors gets the job done. This rugged beanie features an exclusive River Topo design with matte black topography and deep blue river, as well as a TU patch. It’s durable, soft and cuffed for total warmth. There isn’t a more fishy, more conservation-minded lid on the market anywhere. —Zack Dingus

TU-Vedavoo Trout Tote Bag ($40; tu.org/gear2023)

The all-new TU-Vedavoo Trout Tote Bag features durable and lightweight PVCbacked poly fabric construction, a tapered opening to maintain balance, a convenient internal pocket for storage, an innovative side seaming and comfortable webbing handles and straps. We put this bag through the ringer. We transported fishing gear to and from the water and in the rain, stashed gear on a boat, hauled kindling and firewood for a bonfire and carried snacks and essentials for a camping trip. It’s American-made and awesome. —ZD

Flymen Tie-And-Try Fly Collection & Loon Outdoors Ergo Prime Scissors ($44; tu.org/gear2023)

I’m by no means an expert fly tyer or angler, but the all-new Flymen Tie-and-Try Fly Collection is great for beginners or experts… and everyone in between. It includes four versatile, finished flies for fall and winter fishing: two Nymph-Head Heavy Metal tungsten prince nymphs and two bead-head woolly buggers… AND tying materials to tie two more Nymph-Head prince nymphs. It comes with super easy-to-follow written and video how-to instructions… and a handy pair of Loon Outdoors Ergo Prime scissors. You’ll have some productive flies for the fall and winter… and some materials and scissors to keep you busy when the cold weather doesn’t cooperate. —ZD

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TAKE OUT THE

LOWER FOUR

STAND UP FOR THE SNAKE RIVER SALMON 23

WWW.TU.ORG/LOWERSNAKE T R O U T

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Trout Myths

Trout Have a Blind Spot Directly Behind Them

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A good example is that “Trout have a blind spot directly behind them so you can creep right up to them if you approach from behind.” Theoretically true but realistically impossible. Most anglers have figured it out over years of trial and error, but propagating this

ILLUSTRATION BY TIM JOHNSON, TIMJOHNSONGALLERY.COM

Much been written about trout in the last 500 years that while not exactly wrong, is often penned by an angler who fishes one watershed and doesn’t realize that fish in different parts of the country and world don’t follow those rules. I can think of a couple examples. One is Art Flick’s Streamside Guide to Naturals and Their Imitations—a delightful and helpful book I memorized as a kid and took as gospel, but soon found out that either the hatches he wrote about didn’t exist in my local streams, or the local insects didn’t behave like the ones he wrote about. Flick did all his research on the Schoharie and its tributary the West Kill and hardly even drove over the mountain to fish the Esopus or the Beaverkill. And then there was an author from Colorado back in the 1980s who wrote an entire book about a method he developed to fish emerging caddis pupae by yanking his special fly very rapidly to the surface. The problem is that the species of caddis in his local rivers is not widespread, and observations by angler/entomologists like the late Gary LaFontaine and Thomas Ames proved that most caddis pupae tentatively rise to the surface. I love it when someone busts these myths with science, or with decades of observation of trout in a wide variety of habitats. Not all of them are myths, some are just bits and pieces of facts that get contorted into whatever theory the author is trying to shoehorn them into.

BY TOM ROSENBAUER

semi-truth to novice anglers may lead to frustration. Most authors who have really studied the vision of trout, Like Jason Randall in Trout Sense, Goddard and Clarke in The Trout and the Fly, and Gordon Byrnes in a 1990 article in Fly Fisherman magazine

entitled “How Trout See” get it right when they say this rear blind spot has little significance. Still the myth persists. And I honestly couldn’t criticize people who said you could sneak right up to a trout from directly behind it until I proved it to myself. I once spent an entire season trying to determine how close I could get to trout if I approached them from their “blind spot.” If you look at those neat charts in books you’ll see straight lines extending back behind the head of a trout at either an acute angle or a rectangle slightly larger than the width of a trout’s body. It doesn’t appear to allow for much of a blind spot, so I decided to see how close I could get to feeding fish. I did

this in small streams in Vermont, on Catskill tailwaters, on the Henry’s Fork in Idaho, and in Wyoming spring creeks. Although trout vision and response to predators should be consistent, I didn’t want to introduce any regional bias into my observations. The trout I tried to approach were either hovering below the surface or in shallow water because I needed to be able to see the reaction of the fish. Even though trout are restricted to what they can see of the outside world because of the circular window above them due to the refractive properties of water, the shallower they are in the water column the narrower the window. All the trout I approached had a relatively narrow

window but could still see something of the outside world. I also tried to eliminate places where pushing waves ahead of me would alert the fish. I used rocks or logs to break my waves, or approached fish in the tails of pools where the riffled water below would block any pulses. I didn’t crouch down because if there was truly a blind spot behind a fish I did not want to introduce another variable by hiding below their window to the outside world. I avoided casting to these fish because the movement of my fly line and rod hand may have extended beyond the supposed blind spot because I always cast a bit sidearm. All these places were in smooth water because the broken surface of a riffle allows you to get closer to fish, but in broken water it’s tough to see their reaction and I wanted to observe their response to my approach. One fish was in a small Vermont meadow stream and was rising periodically but always just a tip of the head punctuated by a sip. It never moved off to one side or the other to eat. I got directly downstream of the fish and was careful not to make waves and crept upstream at a painfully slow pace. The fish kept rising until I got about 15 feet from it. It stopped rising, sunk lower in the water column, and I could see its body tremble which always reminds me of a sprinter in the starting blocks because I know when I see that the fish is about to bolt for its refuge. And it did, into the deeper pool up above. LEFT: The diagram you typically see, showing the locations of a static trout’s binocular vision, peripheral vision and blind spot. RIGHT: In the real world, a trout moves from side to side, either to feed or to inspect items in the drift. Not only does its blind spot disappear because the field of peripheral vision covers it up as the trout moves, the area of binocular vision where a trout is more likely to spot you widens so it is more likely to spot you when approaching from upstream.

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The current here runs from left to right and this fish has moved 90 degrees from the current to inspect a piece of drifting food. No blind spot here.

Some trout I distinctly remember were three large rainbows on the Henry’s Fork in the shallow water at the head of the Millionaire’s Pool, all feeding subsurface together. With careful wading I was able to get within 20 feet of them. I was satisfied and was not going to pass up a chance at one of these fish so I knotted on a size 18 PMD nymph. Just as I was about to cast, one of the fish decided to chase something downstream and as it wheeled around to face me, I was suddenly pinned in its binocular vision. He knew something was up because there wasn’t an object there a few minutes ago, and even though I didn’t move a muscle he bolted down in the deep water below, taking his two friends with him. I find rainbows are like that. They are more likely to make a downstream-facing rise than other species, and they also cruise more often than browns or cutthroats so you never know when a fish could be heading back to the beginning of his racetrack cruising cycle, pointed directly downstream.

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I think there is one main reason I couldn’t get close to those feeding trout. Even if trout have a wider blind spot than the placement of their eyes would indicate, a feeding trout does not stare directly ahead. As it feeds it moves from side to side to inspect drifting food. Another situation I faced was with a large cutthroat taking small olive mayflies in a Wyoming spring creek. I tried to stay directly downstream, and even locked my hands behind my back to try to thin my profile and prevent excess movement. The fish kept rising pointed straight upstream and I was able to get within 14 feet of it when it noticed something especially tasty two feet to the left of its normal feeding

lane and made a splashier rise that it had been exhibiting. I’ve watched trout enough to suspect that when they make a splashy rise that’s out of character, it’s usually because as they are moving for a fly they spot you. And what appears to be a rise is them making a quick detour to the nearest logjam. Sure enough, when I looked back to his feeding station it was empty. I think there is one main reason I couldn’t get close to those feeding trout. Even if trout have a wider blind spot than the placement of their eyes would indicate, a feeding trout does not stare directly ahead. As it feeds it moves from side to side to inspect drifting food. When it does that, the area directly behind it gets more exposure from its peripheral vision. Trout have a cone of binocular vision around 30 degrees in front of them where they have acute vision and substantial depth of field, but a much wider range of peripheral vision to the side because their eyes are located on each side of the head. You

move to cast and they’re going to blow your cover. There are always mitigating factors that let you get almost within a rod length of a trout that could make you believe they do have a blind spot. Trout feeding heavily on a hatch can get so preoccupied with food they can be tough to frighten. Riffled water hides our approach by distorting their view of the outside world. And low light, especially when combined with a heavy hatch and a riffled surface makes you think you could step on a trout before it was disturbed. And you’ll find that heavily pressured trout will let anglers get a lot closer because they’ve learned that if they spook every time someone wades up to them, they’ll starve. But those circumstances have nothing to

do with a blind spot and everything to do with their preoccupation and bold behavior. In situations like this, you can even get very close to a trout even when approaching from directly upstream. I feel that we can still get closer to trout by approaching them from behind. Their vision is not as acute behind them, and I would imagine that at the extreme range at the rear end of their

peripheral vision you’d have to be making a lot of quick movements. It’s hard to cast properly without making quick movements. Keep false casting to a bare minimum and wear muted colors—or try to stay in the shade—and you’ll be able to get closer to trout where you can make a more accurate cast with less drag. But don’t rely on that blind spot you hear about. Assume they can always see you if you can see them.

I find rainbows are like that. They are more likely to make a downstream-facing rise than other species, and they also cruise more often than browns or cutthroats so you never know when a fish could be heading back to the beginning of his racetrack cruising cycle, pointed directly downstream.

The current here is running from left to right and the brown trout on the left is rising in the typical posture. But the rainbow on the right is rising facing downstream, so not only would it see you in its peripheral vision—it would catch you in its binocular view.

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Blue Lines

Our Little Blue Line BY THOMAS REED

There are those among us who are ridgeline-gazers, seekers of the far side of the mountain, the unknown, the move up, over and beyond more important than the soil at one’s feet. The angler in today’s world is quite often the seeker, the mover who goes from spot to spot, peninsulas on distant continents, bays on northern oceans, jungle rivers where oddities swim and slam strange offerings. I have been that traveler, that mover, that hunter and that angler. A seeker. The future, the ridgeline, more important than the present moment. Many years ago on a back eddy in a famous Montana river, I stood with a friend fishing a rise that was nearly unprecedented in its duration and consistency. After what seemed hours of catching and releasing rainbows and browns, I turned to my comrade and asked, well, should we go see what’s happening downstream? To which he added this maxim: Why leave rising fish to go look for rising fish? Good point. Here I was infected with the itch even when what I sought was right before me and all was working. We fished there until dark and rowed out to a towering young moon and a memory indelible. There is no denying the endorphin rush of discovery, of seeing what is around the next bend, of understanding the unknown. But is this true knowing? Does deep knowledge come when the visits are brief and truncated by modern day schedules that pull one away hours, days, a week, two weeks, maybe a month, into our experience? To know the moods of a mountain ridgeline, one must sit and listen, watch shadows move across her face, listen to her winds, stand out in her storms. T R O U T

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The renowned of this and previous ages arise from pairings of human and a particular place. George Grant would not be George Grant without the Big Hole River. Frank and Jeanne Moore without the North Umpqua? Nope. It’s hard to imagine writers J. Frank Dobie without Texas, Jim Harrison without Michigan, Tom McGuane without Florida, Alice Munro without Ontario, Kent Haruf without bitter flat plain of eastern Colorado. These are their settings, where their art met the nature of the land, where inspiration came from knowing and a sense of belonging, being not just the visitor on an adventure, but a part of the whole. I am entranced by a vision . . . grasshoppers in tall grass. Grass nodding their seed heads over sun-spangled brass water, a slow run in late summer’s rich light. This is our place, where we fit. Fourteen years ago we arrived on the banks of a little stream that is a tributary of one of the West’s great destination rivers. Our water, running through the place we call home, is just one tiny segment of this tributary. A good marksman, on an average windless mountain morning in the heart of deer season, could stand on one end of this stream at the west boundary of our ranch, place his crosshairs on a fine whitetail buck at the other end, and bring it down with one shot. That is our creek’s length as it twists, meanders and bends back on itself from the west boundary to the east boundary on this piece of land that soils our toes. 28

My son and I stalk the tall grass and pounce, hands cupped, hoppers caught. We edge up, peeking just over the grass, me on knees, him standing tiptoe as tall as a five-year-old boy can stand and we fling our offerings into the water, watching them kick, kick, spin and then, suddenly, there is a rabid splash and the grasshopper gone. “Yes!” and “Got It!!” we shout and giggle. Then catch more hoppers. The little brown trout in the slack water above the headgate are fed hopper after hopper, father and son laughing, the souls and sounds of boys on a summer day. We don’t think to fish, we only think to feed our fish. “Isn’t it possible that what we call ‘legal ownership’ is impossible?” asks author David James Duncan. “Which part of ourselves do we own with? Our hands? Our minds? Our file cabinets full of legal documents? How do documents, minds or hands own a thing? By gripping it? Thinking about it? Typing a description of a thing, affixing a notary public’s stamp to it and filing it at city hall?” So let us say that while the title for this ranch may be filed and notarized in our county courthouse, that we are mere renters, borrowers of time and place, and when one lives upon a piece of land, one must do one’s dead-level best to be a fantastic tenant. To follow Thich Nhat Hanh’s prayer: “Water flows over these hands. May I use them skillfully to preserve our precious planet.” The “tenants” before us had been sheep enthusiasts and the stream’s banks were bare from boundary to boundary in those early days. No young willows grew, no alder, no shade for coldwater fish. Given a chance, nature rebounds, but we modern humans leave so little to

Ours has been a light touch with a thin budget, or no budget at all. A log left in a stream. A wheelbarrow of cobble and gravel dumped off the bridge, a water gap for the livestock, an old Christmas tree placed on an eroded bank to hold back the soil. chance. What, we asked, if we just stood back and watched? Learned? Time moves on and the land never quits. Things changed, rebounded, came back. Willows and alders and cottonwoods. They planted themselves, the livestock fenced away from tender stream bank and now lush with growth, shade for the water, cold for the trout. There has been no dirt work. No heavy equipment, no consultants with carefully engineered maps and surveys. Ours has been a light touch with a thin budget, or no budget at all. A log left in a stream. A wheelbarrow of cobble and gravel dumped off the bridge, a water gap for the livestock, an old Christmas tree placed on an eroded bank to hold back the soil. This summer a great grandfather cottonwood came crashing down into

the stream, taking more trees with it, creating a massive pile of wood. Only a month or so later, the water backs up, forming a pool, a mock beaver dam that we will leave in place just to see what happens. Ice will form this winter and then spring will be here, carrying snowmelt from the mountains. We will see what the stream does then. There’s a bridge just below this logjam and on spring mornings, when the water temperature is just right, we startle spawning big rainbows nearly as long as the creek is wide. In the fall, it is browns, burly shouldered and butter-yellow sided, up from the big water far downstream. We live in a destination state, a place that causes humans to crow and chestbeat and recount adventure when they return home. But what of home itself? Beyond the 29

mountain on our western horizon is a stream we have yet to visit, an adventure. Someday we will go there. “Water flows from high in the mountains. Water runs deep in the Earth. Miraculously, water comes to us and sustains all life,” prayed Thich Nhat Hanh. In this best-of-both-worlds world, we watch our little segment flow toward the gulf. Author Thomas Reed works for Trout Unlimited from his ranch near Pony, Montana, where he and his wife raise their children and provide food for the local community. He is the author of Blue Lines, A Fishing Life, and his latest work, released in the fall of 2023, is the anthology, Mouthful of Feathers, Upland in America.

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CONVERGENCE

WORDS BY JOHN GIERACH PA I N T I N G B Y B O B W H I T E

Self-Taught My friend Vince and I had split up along a stretch of river we both like. Right at the turnout where we’d parked, there’s a long, broken run with small mid-river slicks and fishy eddies against the banks. A short walk upstream past a featureless riffle, there’s another run with broad, glassy slicks and narrow channels where the trout never seem to hold in the same place twice, so it always seems like new water. In our personal mythology, the lower run is easier to fish than the upper one, although that doesn’t always prove out in practice. Each spot can be worth a few hours if the trout are biting—and if they’re biting in one place, they’re likely to be biting in the other—so it’s the ideal setup for two fishermen who like to fish alone while fishing together. We could see a few rising trout from where we were standing above the river, which suggested that once you got down there for a closer look, you’d probably spot others. Sometimes there’s more discussion about who should start where, but this time Vince took charge with a firm, “Why don’t you start here and I’ll go upstream.” Fine with me. Our unspoken agreement has always been, whoever has the stronger opinion wins. Once I’d picked my way down to the water through a stretch of ankle-twisting riprap, I saw that there were, in fact, more rises than we’d seen from the road; a few tight to bankside rocks and a few other quiet takes in broken water that were hard to spot even up close. The trout were picking at a sparse mixed hatch of small mayflies, both about a size 20, that I took to be Olives and Red Quills. I’ve come to believe that trout key on size first and then on behavior, with silhouette and color coming in last, so I thought a size 20 Adams parachute would be nondescript enough to split the difference. T R O U T

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my best by making an educated guess and then keeping my hook in the water. Meanwhile, Vince had walked upstream to the next run, but as he got close, he saw a black Jeep pulled off in a place where people don’t usually park because there isn’t enough room. Even if you can squeeze onto the shoulder just right, you can barely get all four tires off the pavement, so you risk getting sideswiped by a passing truck. And then a few steps farther on, he saw that someone was fishing his spot; someone short, slightly built and with long hair. Waders make us all look androgynous from behind, so going by the hair alone, Vince at first thought it was a woman, but then, when he got closer, he could see it was a man maybe in his mid-20s. That gave me a flashback to the counter culture days of the late

TIM ROMANO

The fish didn’t love the Adams, but they didn’t hate it, either. For every trout that would flash and reject the fly on a dead drift, there was another that would take it, and I brought my average up a little when I started adding skitters and bumps to my drifts. Trout can get awfully cagey on catch and release water like this, but they’re still predators and sometimes that little intimation of liveliness that separates a living insect from just another speck of flotsam is all it takes to flip their switch. Once I’d have gone into a flurry of fly changes at this point, trying different duns and emergers and adding nymph droppers in order to dial this in even tighter, but that was when I thought the goal of fishing was to catch every trout in the river. I’m easier to please now, and even as a practical matter, I usually do

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‘60s when a redneck might begin a conversation with a deadpan, “Thought you was a girl” and, depending on your read of the situation, you might answer, “How many girls you seen with beards?” Vince stopped for a minute to watch. He said the guy’s casting needed some work, that he was fishing a pattern that was too big for the hatch and that he was casting upstream and dragging his drifts. At this point, most of us would simply think, Well, that guy’s probably not gonna catch anything and move on, but I knew Vince wouldn’t be able to leave it alone even before he got to that part of the story. He opened with the usual, “How’s it goin’?” to break the ice, quickly ascertained that the guy was new to fly fishing (no surprise there) and asked if he could make a few suggestions.

First, he cleaned up the guy’s cast a little. (Vince is a casting instructor who’s done the same for me, but at what I’d like to think was a slightly more advanced level.) Then he showed him the down and across stream cast with an upstream mend in the line that can get you a better drift in braided currents. Next, he showed him how to add the infinitesimal upstream twitches and hops to the fly that can sometimes draw strikes when a dead drift won’t. That probably took the most coaching because the tactic mimics the struggles of a mosquito-sized insect against moving water weighing 8.34 pounds per gallon, so it’s easy to overdo. In the course of all this, Vince learned that the guy was married and had a young daughter. He and his wife had recently moved to Colorado and were just barely scraping by, although in the way of young couples just starting out but in it for the long haul, they hoped to do better soon and were innocently confident that they would. The guy was on the river that day because he had it bad for fly fishing and knew he needed the practice, so that’s how he spent his rare days off, but his wife was working that day, so he’d have to leave early to pick his daughter up after school. Finally, Vince gave the guy a size 20 Red Quill to fish, left him a spare in case he lost the first one, watched until he thought the guy had the drift down well enough, and then went looking for some open water of his own to fish. Vince has always been good at that kind of thing. He’s an easy talker and a good listener—the kind who’ll strike up a conversation with anyone just to see what they have to say—and he’s so predisposed to be helpful that he’s known in some circles as “Uncle Vince.” And even in his 60s, he has this boy-nextdoor thing going that lets him approach people easily. I’m not especially good at it, probably because I came up in fishing at a time when fishermen were jealous of what they knew—even if it wasn’t much—so any impulse to help was counterbalanced by a tendency toward secrecy and

misdirection. And although I do have the requisite generosity if I dig deeply enough to find it, I’m an impatient teacher and there’s something feral about me that makes strangers suspicious. I’m also capable of misreading situations so badly that once I was even invited to go screw myself, but that was before I learned to only offer a hand to people who were so hopelessly inept that they’d grasp at any straw. And even when it goes well, I can still manage to ruin it. For one thing, it’s too easy for me to pose as the benevolent expert, puffing myself up like a conceited tomcat and then feeling foolish afterward. For another, even when I can avoid the pitfall of showboating, I’m likely to walk away from a successful

encounter thinking, Well, there’s one more nimrod clogging up my home water, as if lending a hand had cost me so much; as if all the other fishermen on the river were only there to poach my fish. Still, I sometimes wonder why I’m so bad at this while it comes so naturally to Vince. Is it because I’m not a good enough human being, or that I don’t know as much about fly fishing as I think I do, or just that I need to brush up on my social skills? This isn’t a question I want to linger over because I might not like the answer, but I do think offering help was more common when there were fewer fishermen and therefore more water and more fish to go around, so we didn’t have to be so territorial. Or maybe it’s just that this was before technology had so fully trained us away from face-toface contact, so there was still a kind of graciousness in operation that life in the 21st century has since done its best to beat out of us. I grew up as a bait and lure guy and when I started fly fishing, it wasn’t easy to find someone to show me the ropes. The few fly casters I knew then had all learned from their fathers and uncles at such an early age that they might as well have been born holding fly rods. The assumption was that if the grownups dragged you along often enough, it would eventually just rub off, and it did, but since you weren’t actually taught, you didn’t have the vocabulary to teach anyone else. So although your muscle memory understood the complex physics of fly casting, all you could manage by way of encouragement was something unhelpfully vague like, “Oh, you just kind of wave the line back and forth a few times and then put it on the water.” At the time, there were no instructional DVDs to consult and you couldn’t look up websites or YouTube videos because the Internet didn’t exist yet. (The tech giants were still geeky kids tinkering in their garages and people were still asking, “Why in the world would anyone want a computer?”) As for fly shops, few of them had yet discovered the

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Once I’d have gone into a flurry

of fly changes at this point, trying different duns and emergers and adding nymph droppers in order to dial this in even tighter, but that was when I thought the goal of fishing was to catch every trout in the river. I’m easier to please now, and even as a practical matter, I usually do my best by making an educated guess and then keeping my hook in the water.

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rivers themselves, which would also give up a secret or two if you paid close enough attention. I was at an impatient age with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude about most things, but I trained myself to be a slow fisherman and when people accuse me of that now, I take it as a compliment. The most skillful people I ever knew—fishermen or not—were, if not actually slow, then at least in no big hurry. So: a casting tip here, a fly pattern there, maybe a useful new knot and my own patient observations. No one thing made all the difference, but I eventually pieced things together enough to

Eventually, through observation and mimicry,

I picked up things like live-line roll casting, hauling to increase line speed, changing casting position for a better drift, cocking my back cast sideways to duck under overhanging limbs, mending line and so on. I also learned that if you spent enough time watching someone fish, they’d eventually get selfconscious enough to flub a cast. 34

become an adequate fly fisherman. Supplemental reading helped and, later on, so did spending time with good fishermen. Some were technicians who did things entirely by the book (and in some cases went on to write the books) while others had the kind of fish sense that allowed for playfulness and goofball experiments on the theory that fish don’t always know what they want, but they’ll recognize it instantly when they see it. This all took an appalling amount of time, but time was the thing I had the most of. Like some others of my generation, I was overeducated, underemployed, at loose ends and light on prospects, but at least all the little boxes on my calendar were blank and the nearest trout stream was across the road. I also had the kind of beginner’s mind that made spending eight hours on the water in order to catch a single eight-inch trout seem like a fair return on my investment. And for that matter, the sense that catching a fish was the exception rather than the rule was good preparation for Atlantic salmon and steelhead fishing where, as Ted Leeson once said, hooking one is so rare that it “borders on religious experience and happens about as often.” Anyway, I never had much of what you could call formal instruction until years later when I met Vince. I was writing an outdoor sports column for a daily newspaper at the time and, always hungry for fresh material, I decided to take a casting class from him and write about it. It turned into a better story than I expected, I ended up making a friend and I was embarrassed by how much the lesson improved my casting. So, when I now say I’m a self-taught fisherman, what I really mean is that I was taught by a mostly volunteer faculty of strangers, and although I won’t go so far as to say I owe that favor to others because it was once done for me, that’s at least something I think about. I don’t know how long I spent on that lower run, but by the time I saw Vince walking back downstream, I’d caught plenty of fish and the hatch was petering

MIKE DVORAK

potential for extra income and customer loyalty that came from giving lessons, so they often exuded the standoffish air of private clubs that you didn’t belong to. I’d heard that there was a school for guides somewhere in Montana, but that was a long way to go, I doubted I could afford it and I didn’t want to be a guide anyway; I just wanted to learn how to fly fish. So all I could do was get my hands on a flea market rod and reel, a storebought line and leader and a handful of randomly chosen hardware store flies. Then I tried my best to learn fly casting from the sketchy instructions and still photos in books. (I remember one British writer who began by saying that fly casting couldn’t be adequately described in print and then went on for ten pages to prove his point.) Finally I just hit the river, where my education began. It was trial and error at first—heavy on the errors—but sometimes a passerby would stop to help. A few were downright kindly, as if I reminded them of their own hapless sons, or—from behind with long hair—maybe their daughters. Others were grumpy, as if they’d stopped to help only because watching me try to fish was too painful to endure. But even grudging generosity is still generosity and every little bit helped. I also learned to spy on people who I thought were fishing brilliantly—which usually just meant they were catching fish when I wasn’t. I’d watch until I figured out what they were doing, then keep watching until I thought I’d puzzled out why they were doing it. Eventually, through observation and mimicry, I picked up things like liveline roll casting, hauling to increase line speed, changing casting position for a better drift, cocking my back cast sideways to duck under overhanging limbs, mending line and so on. I also learned that if you spent enough time watching someone fish, they’d eventually get self-conscious enough to flub a cast. And it wasn’t much of a stretch from watching fishermen to watching the

out anyway, so I was happy enough to reel in and take a break. We poured coffee from the thermos, perched on the tailgate as people have done since the invention of the pickup truck, and Vince launched into his story, which took a while. (We’re both extemporaneous storytellers, but one of us edits his first drafts more extensively than the other.) He was just far enough into the tale that when a black Jeep pulled up behind us and a young guy with long hair and wearing a big grin got out, I knew who it must be. The guy shook Vince’s hand, thanked him again for all his help and said that he’d landed four trout on that Red Quill and missed a few others, which is the best he’d done so far in a single day of fishing. (I remember liking the optimism of that “so far.”) Then he

shook Vince’s hand again, shook mine for good measure, and was off down the canyon in a shower of gravel to pick up his daughter. Without missing more than a beat, Vince finished his story. After helping the guy, he’d walked upstream looking for a place to fish. There’s private, posted water just around the bend from that upper pool, but it occurred to him that he’d never taken a close look at the little stretch of river in between. (Me neither, come to think of it. Like many older fishermen, I’ve gotten so used to what I already know that I sometimes overlook the obvious.) It was a short stretch of riffly pocket water that didn’t look like much at first, but it was all he had, so he spent the better part of an hour methodically picking apart all the miniature slicks

and plunges with short casts and drifts. He caught several fish, including one he described as “a really nice brown trout,” which, on this river, I understood to mean a well-fed 15 inches, give or take an inch. It came from a small but deep bucket behind a rock within sight of the no trespassing sign, but still on the legal side of it. There couldn’t have been more than 75 yards of river in there, but it wasn’t visible from the road and he’d never fished it before, so every inch of it must have seemed undiscovered. It may have occurred to both of us that that little stretch of pocket water and the trout that came out of it could have been a reward for Vince’s good deed, but he didn’t say it and neither did I. I think we’d both like it if the world actually worked that way, but we don’t really believe it does.

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Loch Leven

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PAYBACK ON SCOTTISH WATER

BY MARSHALL BISSETT Youthful confessions are rarely dramatic and often self-serving, especially where fishing is involved. But here goes. As a wee boy growing up in central Scotland I was taken to Loch Leven, the ancestral home of America’s brown trout. There, in violation of the loch’s ancient laws, my two uncles, whose angling skills were limited to drinking Scotch in a boat, handed me a fly rod with a tiny worm added to the hook of the fly. Their wives expected fish, and someone had to catch and keep them—a practice that has outlasted all catch-and-release lobbies until the present day. No casting was involved, and dinner was secured. In the glorious 1960s, pristine native browns would eat a dangled worm in any depth of water. In 1929, 53,598 trout were caught and registered in the loch’s ledger. The second confession, while not illegal, has (I believe) jinxed my Atlantic salmon fishing forever, and perhaps into the afterlife. At age 16 I took a job netting salmon on the mighty River Tay, a few miles from my hometown of Perth. It was grueling callus-producing work that paid well. With overtime I was earning more than my school headmaster. We netted round the clock in six-hour shifts and learned the art of bashing salmon on the snout without harming their good looks. Years later the last of these netting stations was bought out by angling associations and the practice ended. For perspective, at that time both bodies of water were viewed as an infinite resource. The Tay fed the appetites of the wealthy before salmon became a supermarket commodity and Loch Leven produced breeding stock for the Western world. More than 50 years later, it’s time to re-visit Loch Leven and the River Tay fair and square—no nets and no live bait. I’m ready to apologize and move on. I’m hoping for redemption, but I would 37

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settle for a good day on the water. Water, or its lack thereof, is a hot topic in the British Isles, where rivers were recently closed in South Wales. Many of England’s rivers are repositories for raw sewage and the hallowed chalk streams contain mainly stocked trout. When Scotsmen complain about a dry, hot summer, you know something is seriously wrong with the world.

THE RIVER TAY

Scotland’s largest river flows from Loch Tay to its estuary in Dundee on Scotland’s East Coast. It holds the British record salmon caught by Miss Ballantine in 1922—a monster of 64 pounds that

took two hours to land. Today I am fishing the nearby Benchill beat with an American friend and my ghillie, Bob White, who in fairness does not oversell our chances. With characteristic Celtic understatement he tells us, “The water’s very low and it’s not exactly wide open.” He approves our gear (7-weight, 13-foot two-handers with Skagit lines), but suggests 18-pound tippet. “The fish we have seen are big,” he adds, “get your fly in the slick water and let it hang.” A ghillie, unlike a guide in the U.S., shows you the likely lies, checks your gear, chooses a fly and leaves you alone to pound the water. If steelhead are the fish of a thousand casts, new math is needed for Atlantic salmon. Seeing the

The River Tay

occasional large fish roll gave purpose to our cast, step and repeat routine, but no fish were “touched” or hooked. At the end of a long day, Bob granted me some absolution. “Netting was never the problem—it’s the North Sea getting warmer every year, and the seals.” He explained how the Greenland fleet could track salmon into international waters and net them legally. “It’s so unfair—these are our Scottish fish trying

Miss Ballantine with her 64 pound, British record salmon, 1922.

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The Tay is stunningly beautiful; wild blackberries line its banks and its tannic tints perfectly set off the firs and cedars of the nearby forest. It has lost none of its allure but most of its fish since my fish netting year.

to come home to spawn—what chance do they have? It’s a miracle any of them make it back alive,” he adds grimly. That statistic was confirmed by an angler who joined our beat for the afternoon session. He told us, “I just spent 12,000 pounds ($15,000) fishing Norway’s best river for a week and didn’t touch a fish.” The Tay is stunningly beautiful; wild blackberries line its banks and its tannic tints perfectly set off the firs and

Most of the brown trout in the U.S. can trace their ancestry back to this 3,200acre loch in the town of Kinross. They were shipped by sea container or as eggs to the eastern United States in

1884 and populated almost every state where they could reproduce. As a thank you, America sent its famed McCloud River rainbows over to Europe. For good measure the castle where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned by the English in the 1560s lies on an island mid-loch. Again, no shortage of scenic beauty, but would this historic loch offer forgiveness or at least a trophy brown trout?

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cedars of the nearby forest. It has lost none of its allure but most of its fish since my fish netting year.

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Our guide is the legendary Dave Downie, a record holder on Leven and a member of the Scottish International team. “If you want big numbers of stocked rainbows, you’re in the wrong place,” he greets us with a grin. “I hope you can cast, or it’s going to be a long day.” The 10-foot 7-weight is the go-to rod for U.K. loch fishing and on this day, we fished full sink Airflo D7 lines to a pair of streamers. The pair of Humongous patterns (see photo) are fished five feet apart on a 12-foot leader. Dave believes there is no species of fish, fresh or saltwater, which cannot be caught on a variant of this fly. The loch is fished in a series of long drifts from depths of 20 feet to shallows of 3 feet. The original 100-year-old wooden boats weighing almost a ton were famous for holding perfect course (anchors were not permitted) and being almost impossible to row. Dave insists we perform a figure-eight as the flies reach the boat. “These huge fish follow the fly to the bitter end,” he says as a menacing dark shadow appears under the point fly. We meet his approval: “I get a lot of so-called experts who can’t cast the length of this boat.” After 10 minutes of long casts and fast strips, a beautiful native brownie comes to the net. In keeping with loch tradition, this fish is quickly dispatched. “This will keep me in the wife’s good graces,” says Dave as he delivers the fatal blow. That would be our only trout of the day, but some fair-sized perch keep hopes alive. As our upper bodies start to yearn for chiropractic help, the fishing takes second place to Dave’s stream of consciousness on the loch’s history, famous anglers who now hate it, Brexit, the international competition circuit and the lake’s owner who wants to turn it into a theme park. As our energy wains he produces a mid-morning snack—a T R O U T

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cream cake with strawberries. “Scottish health food,” he quips. An ardent Americophile (“I love Walmart”), he has fished throughout the United States from Pyramid Lake where he wants to return to fish it “Scottish loch style.” Not a fan of the Madison, he loves Montana’s Big Hole which he considers highly underrated.

The day ends with a trip around Dave’s SAGE RPL rods that he keeps just for competition. A man of strong commitments, he treasures these above any later releases for any manufacturer or in his words, “There’s a lot of crap out there.” If age teaches you anything, it might be that slow days on the water are just fine and that fish don’t care how much

your trip cost, especially those snooty Norwegian salmon. You can’t spend time in Scotland without being entranced by the locals who will chat to you in the stores, in the tea shops or pubs and on the water. Their belief that the good old days might return is palpable and touching. If my next visit to the homeland is for fishing or forgiveness, I win either way.

If age teaches you anything, it might be that slow days on the water are just fine and that fish don’t care how much your trip cost, especially those snooty Norwegian salmon.

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Go to Ireland for the fish; stay for everything else. BY CHRISTINE PETERSON

The wind at our back, we cast our lines down the deep granite lake, letting our teal, blue and silver flies rest on the surface, agitating them just a bit. The casting felt effortless, the wind doing the bulk of the work. I was fishing for brown trout, but not at home in Wyoming where the nonnative fish dominate rivers and lakes with their hooked jaws and red and gold spots. In this 4-mile-long lake in the far northwest corner of Ireland, wild brown trout are native. They’ve been here forever, since the ice caps melted, pulsing back and forth across the island more than 10,000 years ago. It’s an ancient fish to look for on an ancient island full of signs of ancient history, of peoples who have flowed in and out leaving behind castles and tombs, stories of fairy folk and battles lost and won. On this day, we secretly hoped for one of those sea run browns, the fish that will spend four or five years in the oceans before coming back to spawn, similar to salmon. But feeling a tug of any kind at the end of my line would satisfy, and I’m not even sure I required that tug. For fishing in Ireland, just like fishing almost anywhere else in the world with clean water and stunning views, is more about the place and the people than the grip and the grin. It’s about stories and the landscapes that shape the stories. T R O U T

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Rich history When Americans think of fishing for native brown trout, they rarely think of Ireland, says Paul O’Reilly with Inland Fisheries Ireland. Brown trout are native to Iceland, Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa, though they now live around the globe. And so anglers interested in an international destination go to Iceland, another island with a wild landscape and wild stories or they think of Norway, Scotland or Sweden. O’Reilly isn’t sure why Ireland rarely comes to mind. The island’s rich history and dramatic views begin in Dublin as planes touch down. The city’s history is staggering, beginning well over a thousand years ago, before even the Vikings landed on Ireland’s shores, and tracing through

wars, battles, revolutions and romances with still-preserved cobblestone streets, ancient city walls and remnants of monastic towers. The famed River Liffey meanders through Dublin offering even free fishing through some stretches for wild trout and salmon. It’s all part of what Ireland refers to as the Ancient East. Opposite is the Wild Atlantic Way, a 1,600-mile stretch of highway, called one of the longest defined coastlines in the world. Its name is more of a marketing hook than anything else, but worthy of the dramatic moniker. Cliffs plunge hundreds of feet into the ocean and sea stacks rise from crashing waves. Villages dot green hillsides along with castles, prehistoric tombs and stone circles. And everywhere in between are lakes, about 12,000 lakes, in fact, on an island

not much bigger than South Carolina. They’re pockmarks leftover from when glaciers scraped the island’s surface as they receded. And then, O’Reilly says, “We get a lot of rain, and all that rain has to go somewhere.” Unsurprisingly, those deep limestone lakes, some 12-miles wide and almost 20-miles long, create abundant habitat for trout, salmon, northern pike and many other species, some native, some introduced like the chub and dace brought by monks in the Middle Ages.

Wild stocks Go to Ireland for the history, the views and the people and stay for the fishing. But if fishing is what draws you, O’Reilly wouldn’t blame you.

Unsurprisingly, those deep limestone lakes, some 12-miles wide and almost 20-miles long, create abundant habitat for trout, salmon, northern pike and many other species, some native, some introduced like the chub and dace brought by monks in the Middle Ages.

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Sea run brown trout, also just called sea trout, can grow well over 10 pounds and run mostly in late spring. In the summer and early fall, rivers and lakes run full with resident brown trout that stuck around and never quite made it to the ocean. They’re smaller, but still worth the trip and the cast. A day pass for a popular river or lake will only run you $10 or $20 and even a guided trip may only be a couple hundred dollars, O’Reilly said. Atlantic salmon may first come to mind when you think about fishing in Ireland, and anglers can still chase them in about 100 rivers on the island. But while Atlantic salmon numbered about 2 million in Ireland 30 years ago, their numbers right now are just a fraction, around 200,000 to 250,000. O’Reilly believes they’ve stabilized, their drop a result of agriculture, water diversion and the general litany of issues facing freshwater species across the planet. Ireland tracks about 180 salmon rivers. Of those, roughly 50 are open for harvest, 50 for catch and release and the rest are closed for conservation to help rebound their populations. Ireland has an ever-increasing focus on conservation now, pumping money into their fisheries department where they promote fishing to increase tourism to the island of only about 7 million inhabitants, and also hire biologists and conservation officers to monitor populations and enforce fishing laws. “We look after the fisheries and the habitats and the water quality,” O’Reilly said. “The fish look after themselves.”

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETERSON

Deep waters The sky darkened on Lough Veagh nestled in Glenveagh National Park one afternoon in October as our boats drifted down the lake with the wind. Suddenly, as is always the case fishing, my teal, blue and silver fly disappeared. A little brown trout, no bigger than my palm, slurped it off the surface. It was a far cry from the 2-or 3-pounder I hoped

I might see, but still a thrill to catch a wild brown trout in its native habitat, as exciting as netting a Colorado River or Bonneville cutthroat in one of their little streams in the mountains of Wyoming. And where my home mountains of Wyoming would tower nearby, here in Ireland we drifted by a castle with its manicured gardens and green hills,

through a national park with its legends and ecosystems shaped by one another. It’s a reminder that no matter what lies beneath the water, each stream, each lake, comes steeped in its own regional stories, reason enough to occasionally leave the banks of your home water for those of somewhere far away.

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WADING THE CORRIDORS OF POWER BY CHRIS SANTELLA

Bill Horn

may be the most effective fishing and conservation advocate you’ve never heard of… and he’s not a bad writer, either. Bud Hodson, long-time owner of Tikchik Narrows Lodge in the 1.5 million-acre Wood-Tikchik State Park in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, recalled the first time he encountered Bill Horn. “Back in 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared that they would now only issue one-year permits. Without the guarantee of a longer permit, it wasn’t feasible to invest in a Beaver float plane. Someone put me in touch with Bill. With his help, we petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to allow five-year permits. They were permitted. Even then, Bill knew how to work the system. “Some years later, I happened to be in Washington, D.C. Bill said, ‘Do you want to have lunch with the Director of Fish and Wildlife Service?’ So we did. I had the sense that Bill knew everybody.” From his high school days in New Jersey, Bill Horn was fascinated by politics. After serving as president of his high school debate team, he pursued a degree in political theory at American University. “I knew early on I wanted to go work on The Hill and play politics,” he recalled. An attraction to fishing came even earlier. “My family made its first visit Halls Fish Camp on Florida’s Marathon Key for a vacation in 1954,” Horn continued. “But my mother was petrified of the bridges leading to the keys, so we started going to Islamorada instead. My dad was a sailor, and I used to hang around on the docks. I saw the snappers, cowfish and little ‘cudas. They fascinated me. I had to figure out how to catch them. No one showed me. I did it on my own.” The first fusion of politics and fishing conservation came while a high school senior. “There were plans for the Army Corps of Engineers to build a dam in the Delaware Water Gap, Tocks Island,” he continued. “The dam 47

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would have covered up my favorite trout stream, Flat Brook. I wanted to do something on the ground, and I joined Trout Unlimited. Two years later, in college, I contacted the TU office in downtown D.C., and I started as an intern. Eventually I was being paid $2/ hour. I made my first appearance before a Congressional committee in early 1972 to testify against funding for the dam. Later that spring, a group of us from TU visited Nat Reed [then Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks at the United States Department of the Interior], to make sure that Bristol Bay’s salmon habitat was on Interior’s radar. I came away thinking that this was the coolest job in the world… but it would be a pipe dream for someone like me to think I could ever hold that office.” Thirteen years later that office was his. Horn landed a job with the U.S. House of Representatives Republican Conference, working under John Anderson (R–Illinois) and David Stockman (who went on to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan). “One of my jobs was to put out a legislative digest, basically a cheat sheet of pending legislation for Republican house members. At the time, defense and welfare reform were considered the sexy topics. No one was very much interested in natural resources, but I was happy to take it on. The issues fascinated me.” Not long into his tenure Horn had his first brush with Alaska, the beginning of a connection that’s spanned almost 50 years. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline was an important issue at the time, and he was asked by his bosses to bone up. A few years later, he made his first trip to the 49th State. “Some new land conservation legislation was coming up [what would eventually become the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act], and Don Young, the representative from Alaska, was concerned that it might cause problems for a proposed gas pipeline. He wanted me to monitor the situation. One day he asked if I’d ever T R O U T

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From to left: Attending a meeting as TU National Capital Chapter President; Netting a rainbow on Falling Spring, 1976; Tying flies, 1977.

THROUGH HIS YEARS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, AND AS A LOBBYIST AND AN ATTORNEY, HORN HAS SHOWN A SPECIAL ABILITY TO FIND THE SWEET SPOT THAT SATISFIES—OR AT LEAST AMELIORATES—ALL PARTIES.

been there. I said I hadn’t. Soon I was on a charter plane with the rest of the Alaska Lands Subcommittee.” On that trip he befriended a fellow traveler, Lloyd Meeds, a congressman from Washington State who shared Horn’s passion for fishing. “Lloyd later encouraged me to go to law school. I went at night, and it took four years.” The last two of these years, he was also serving as Deputy Undersecretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Bill Horn is not afraid of a little hard work. 48

All good politics are forged from compromise. Through his years in the public sector, and as a lobbyist and an attorney, Horn has shown a special ability to find the sweet spot that satisfies—or at least ameliorates—all parties. “Bill is someone who can see where people’s interests and values overlap,” said Lauren Oakes, an ecologist and human-natural systems scientist who’s an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at Stanford University and a Conservation Scientist on the

Forests and Climate Change team at the Wildlife Conservation Society. “I met Bill in Dillingham when I was working as Alaska Program Officer for Trout Unlimited, back in 2007. “We were working to organize testimony for a bill under consideration that would have supported protection of the Bristol Bay fisheries. It was winter, and there weren’t many places to stay in Dillingham. We were all bunking in a fishery warehouse, and we lost power. I wasn’t long out of college and was used to roughing it, but here was this successful attorney from D.C. working right alongside us, drafting testimony by candlelight. It was quite a juxtaposition. Bill could engage on the complex legal issues and language but also understand how to bring a lot of different people together around a shared interest. He’s a kind and considerate person.” One of Horn’s greatest negotiation coups came when he was serving as Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife,

BILL COULD ENGAGE ON THE COMPLEX LEGAL ISSUES AND LANGUAGE BUT ALSO UNDERSTAND HOW TO BRING A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE TOGETHER AROUND A SHARED INTEREST.

Department of the Interior. “The Collier family owned a huge amount of land adjacent to Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades, over 100,000 acres,” Horn explained. “They knew it was valuable for Florida panther protection, and thought the Department of the Interior would like to buy it. The problem was, the Reagan Administration was being very tight-fisted on domestic appropriations, especially for land. It occurred to me that there must be other ways to secure land beyond seeking appropriations. What if we used other federal assets to fund acquisitions?” It just so happened that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (another branch of the Department of the Interior) was closing the Phoenix Indian School. The property comprised roughly 100

acres north of downtown Phoenix, and Horn thought this might be of interest to the Colliers. It was. The swapping idea wasn’t completely unprecedented. Horn had negotiated a few deals like this in Alaska with Native corporations. But because this was an interstate deal, congressional approval was necessary. “Arizona Senator [Barry] Goldwater hated the legislation. He said it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard, the idea that good property in Phoenix would be given up for swamp water. But then John McCain was elected to the Senate. He and Arizona Representative Mo Udall both became backers.” The Arizona-Florida Land Exchange Act was enacted on November 18, 1988. Over 108,000 acres of land were passed

Hooked up on the Henry's Fork.

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“HE’S THIS HIGH-POWERED LAWYER, BUT HE’S SO HUMBLE AND EASY TO TALK TO, YOU’D NEVER KNOW IT. AND HE PROBABLY KNOWS THE TARPON WATERS AROUND THE KEYS AS WELL AS ANYONE, AND IS EQUALLY GOOD AT THE BACK OF THE BOAT AS ON THE BOW.” — DR. ROSS BOUCEK

Releasing a big bonefish in the Florida Keys.

from the Colliers to the Department of the Interior, with 85,000 acres added to the Big Cypress Preserve; 15,000 acres designated to create the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge; and 7,500 acres added to the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. “Bill Horn has done more to protect the Everglades than anyone I know,” said Dr. Ross Boucek, Florida Keys Initiative Manager for Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a science-driven conservation group based in Miami, Florida. “As BTT’s Vice Chairman, he’s helped us shape many policy stances and navigate the political waters. He’s this high-powered lawyer, but he’s so humble and easy to talk to, you’d never know it. And he probably knows the tarpon waters around the Keys as well as anyone, and is equally good at the back of the boat as on the bow.” T R O U T

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Horn has also served on the Board of Trustees for Trout Unlimited; as U.S. Commissioner of the U.S.–Canada Great Lakes Fisheries Commission; on the National Academy of Sciences Everglades Restoration Review committee, and on the Board of Directors for Friends of the Teton River, among other conservation activities. “Bill’s approach shows that ‘conservative’ and ‘conservation’ stem from the same root word,” Amy Verbeten, Executive Director for Friends of the Teton River, ventured. “Conservation can become a very politicized issue in the West, especially in a time of rapid demographic change. The pendulum can swing wildly, depending on who’s in power. Bill has helped us find universally appealing ways to move forward. He can find the fundamental principles that everyone can agree on.” 50

Though Bill Horn spends more and more of his time fishing and hunting (winter and spring on Marathon Key, summer and fall in Tetonia, Idaho), he still keeps his hand in the legal and lobbying game. “Bill is the antithesis of slick and morally flexible individuals that many people associate with the title ‘K Street Lawyer-lobbyist,’” said Mitch Butler, a partner in the D.C. lobbying firm Natural Resource Results, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. “He comes fully prepared, tells you the political benefits of a piece of legislation, what he wants for his clients and has the answer to every single question. I can’t remember how many times Bill provided me with sage and helpful mentorship. He truly was more like a colleague than an outside advocate.” Butler shared a memory that highlights Horn’s avuncular nature. “Due to attrition and a great deal of luck, I was asked to serve as a Deputy Assistant Secretary while still in my 20s: I’d gone from giving Capitol Hill tours and answering phones to undertaking policy oversight and helping manage a multi-billion-dollar budget and thousands of people, nearly all of whom were more experienced than me, in just four years. Bill saw that I was in over my head and stressed out. He said, ‘You need some nature therapy. I’ll pick you up on Saturday. Bring a 3-weight.’ He drove us up to a little spring creek in Pennsylvania, Falling Spring. It was in the middle of a suburban area, but had wild browns and rainbows. It was a wonderful bit of conservation work. On the way home, I asked who had orchestrated the protections. It turned out Bill had been President of the Falling Spring Greenway for 20 years that raised millions of dollars for land acquisitions along the stream as well as major restoration work.” In the last few decades, Bill Horn has turned his talents to writing. “I never thought of myself as a writer, but found that I was reading a lot of crap in the fishing magazines. I thought I might have

Speaking as newly confirmed Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1985.

Speaking at the BTT Symposium as Board Vice Chairman, 2022.

some interesting stories and observations to share.” After placing a few pieces in Florida Sportsman and American Angler, he decided to try a longer piece about the annual “Tarpon Camp” he hosts each spring in Marathon. “I sent it to Gray’s Sporting Journal, and it was shot down immediately. I reworked into a book, got an introduction to Nick Lyons, and he recommended it to Jay Nichols

at Stackpole Books. Soon after, it was published as Seasons on the Flats. Another flats-oriented book followed in 2021, On the Bow: Love, Fear, and Fascination in the Pursuit of Bonefish, Tarpon, and Permit. His latest book, Crimson Wave, takes him back to Alaska and Bristol Bay. “A story built around sockeyes had been in the back of my mind for

10 years,” he shared. “There’s so much interesting geology, such rich human and natural history. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the place as an angler, but also be engaged with the region’s issues from a public policy context.” The book blends excerpts from Horn’s angling journal with an overview of Bristol Bay’s complex ecosystems and some “behind the scenes” tales of how policies protecting the area came to be. “I’ve fished Bristol Bay every year for 40 years,” he added. “I’ve fished every major river system at different times of the year, and have worked for many lodges, bush pilots and other stakeholders in the region. I found myself thinking, ‘How many anglers have flown into the lodges, enjoyed the experience and flown home, without every knowing how close we’ve come to losing this?’ My hope is that this book will provide a broader understanding.” As an early reader of Crimson Wave, I can say it does, in a distinctly Bill Horn way. With great detail, empathy and modesty.

“BILL IS THE ANTITHESIS OF SLICK AND MORALLY FLEXIBLE INDIVIDUALS THAT MANY PEOPLE ASSOCIATE WITH THE TITLE ‘K STREET LAWYER-LOBBYIST.’ HE COMES FULLY PREPARED, TELLS YOU THE POLITICAL BENEFITS OF A PIECE OF LEGISLATION, WHAT HE WANTS FOR HIS CLIENTS, AND HAS THE ANSWER TO EVERY SINGLE QUESTION” —MITCH BUTLER

Bristol Bay Alaska. Painting by Bob White.

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WHEREVER YOU GO TO FISH… BE SURE TO LOOK AROUND. One of the greatest rewards of trout fishing is that it takes you to some beautiful places, with knit communities and spectacular rivers—all very much worth appreciating and preserving. Here are but a few of the many such places xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxx. PHOTOS BY TIM ROMANO

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BEAVER ISLAND

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UPPER DELAWARE

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THE GREEN 65

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BY JOHN WALDMAN AND THOMAS QUINN

s two aquatic conservation biologists who have long studied riverine fishes, we know of few rivers in the Lower 48 states with migratory fish populations equal to what European colonists first encountered. Indeed, the losses have often been profound, e.g., six orders of magnitude for American shad in the Susquehanna River. We examined the challenge of restoring salmon, steelhead, shads, sturgeon, eels, lamprey and other diadromous fishes (those migrating between fresh and salt waters) through the prism of “tractability.” That is, regardless of historical causes, what meaningful restoration actions can be taken today? The many “drivers” that reduced these populations differ in how important they are and how tractable they are to resolution. T R O U T

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Jeff Skelding

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Drivers Largely Remediated Overfishing caused many declines but has been reduced by multi-state fisheries commissions on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, and international agreements. Fishery management is imprecise but has benefitted from tribal, state and federal involvement, reducing overfishing in rivers and at sea. Open-cycle electric generating plants using river water for cooling also harm migratory fishes by impinging and entraining them in their early life stages. However, new plants are being built with closed-cycle cooling, reusing water and reducing fish losses.

Continuing to Be Remediated Water pollution, including sometimes egregious levels of sewage and contaminant discharges to rivers, has been improved by the regulations and funding from the Clean Water Act of 1972. Ohio’s Cuyahoga River no longer catches fire, nor are migrating fishes blocked by the “chemical dam” that formed in the lower Delaware River, though there are effects of “legacy chemicals” and new products being developed and released that may be hazardous.

Irreversible Drivers Decades of experience has shown that it is nearly impossible to eradicate deleterious non-native species once they are established. Eurasian zebra mussels—an ecological game changer given their filtration abilities— first appeared in the U.S. in the Great Lakes in 1988 and have spread to at least 25 states. Whirling disease, New Zealand mud snails, round goby and many other non-natives have undermined our aquatic ecosystems but likely cannot be eliminated.

Drivers Reversible in Theory but Not in Practice Climactic warming and associated changes to river flow regimes is shifting fish migration timing, e.g., in Atlantic Coast river herring. And at sea, these fishes may be influenced by “marine heat waves.” Climate change is reversible—in theory. The effects of climate change can be ameliorated by major reductions in greenhouse gases which would translate to cooler water temperatures. However, a modest reduction would not stem the momentum of rising temperatures entrenched in current planetary processes.

Other Drivers There are several other drivers of decline of these fishes. Hatcheries increase abundance but may introduce less-fit individuals that compete and interbreed with wild fish, and can T R O U T

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spur unsustainably high fishing rates. Similarly, In the Pacific Northwest, diversions of rivers for agriculture and drinking water may alter flows, hindering reproduction and survival. Other modifications of rivers such as habitat destruction can spur declines. Many rivers have been channelized, straightened, landfilled and culverted, reducing the ecological value of the altered habitats.

What’s Left? What is left? Dams, culverts and other blockages have been responsible for losses in many large rivers and countless small streams. In assessing the tractability of options for restoration of American migratory fishes, removal or modification of these barriers to migration offer the greatest potential for restoration. Many dams are relics of an earlier age when the developing nation exploited its rivers to power mills at a time when other sources of energy were so limited. Now, obsolete and derelict dams litter the landscape, preventing or hindering migratory fish from reaching their spawning grounds. In an era of alternative energy sources even dams that generate electricity should be weighed for their value vs. the benefits of removal for safety and the environment. Moreover, culverts are smaller than dams but many block upstream migrations, and important benefits can be obtained by modifying them. The traditional answer to sustaining populations of migratory fishes in the presence of dams (other than producing them in hatcheries) is the use of ladders,

In assessing the tractability of options for restoration of American migratory fishes, removal or modification of these barriers to migration offer the greatest potential for restoration. elevators or “trap and haul” operations to drive them past dams. These work better for some species than others but the track record for systems with many dams, for instance, such as the Kennebec and Susquehanna rivers, is abysmal. Instead, dam removals have restored runs of migratory fishes quickly and to large abundances. For instance, removal of Edwards Dam on the Kennebec allowed river herring to reach its Sebasticook tributary, which the dam had made inaccessible for 162 years. River herring counts soon rose from zero to 6 million, and other success stories are reported around the nation. On the West Coast, removal of the two large dams on the Elwha River to give fishes access to the upper river has justifiably received attention, but many other dams have been or will be removed or modified for fish passage. The management of its diadromous fishes has been one of America’s worst conservation failures. When so many drivers of decline offer little hope to restore them, there is one broadly tractable tool left in the box—easing their upstream and downstream passage.

This piece is based on “North American diadromous fishes: Drivers of decline and potential for recovery in the Anthropocene” published in Science Advances, January 2022. Available at https://www.science.org/doi/ full/10.1126/sciadv.abl5486

JOSH DUPLECHIAN

John Waldman is a professor of biology at Queens College, New York, and author of Running Silver: Restoring Atlantic Rivers and their Great Fish Migrations. Thomas Quinn is a professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, and author of The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout.

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The Great Smoky Mountain Adventure BY AN DRE W PEG MAN

At long last, the big day had arrived. It was the moment we had been waiting for: the start of our family vacation. Soon, we would embark on a glorious road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Of course, we had a few small matters to address first. We roll out of bed early, before the phone alarms and the first glimpse of the sun. We begin the process. The process involves relocating packed and loose items, both large and small, from their current rooms to different rooms closer to the car. My primary role in the process has always been arranging the luggage in the vehicle. The vehicles have changed over the years, but the process has not. I wrangle the notso-compact cooler, the stuffed duffels, the bulging backpacks, the fishing gear, the hiking gear and the water jugs. And more. So much more. The 8-bit music began to play somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind as I shifted the cooler into a back corner. It’s a complicated game of Tetris that isn’t complete until the final piece of the puzzle slides neatly into its place. I’m an expert at it now. Everything has its place, and I cover the entire contents with a plaid blanket. Nice and tidy. I’m done—except I forgot the three extra bags of food, drinks and snacks on the kitchen table. Let’s try that again. Cue the music. Once we’re on the road, we’re all smiles. It’s still early, well, kind of early. We swore we’d be on the road by five. It’s a bit later than five, closer to nine, but that’s OK. The sky is blue, the windows are down, the traffic is light and we’ve got great tunes, all we really need. We make great time passing through Ohio and into Kentucky. We travel through rural farms and big cities, enjoying the sights and sounds. Eventually, we settle into silence, that is, until we catch the signage for the Cumberland Gap. It’s clearly time for a song that captures the moment. Now, we are in the groove. It’s that special part of the trip when we’ve been on the road for a while, and we need a little lift of the old spirit, a boost of morale that only music can give us. My son and I belt out the lyrics word for word at the top of our lungs. After a while, we cruise across the state line into sunny Tennessee. Aha, another landmark ahead! Rocky Top! The riders are again happy and content. We’re getting close. Eventually, we slowed down for the increased traffic and rolled through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. We’re staggered; we’re overwhelmed. It’s incredible. T R O U T

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ANDREW PEGMAN

We did some epic hikes on some challenging terrain. We always see it through, though. Whether the goal is a waterfall at the bottom of a trail or a mountain view at the top, we always stick together and make it to our destination.

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It’s the first time I’ve passed through towns where I’ve wanted to stop the trip and immediately visit ALL the stores—The Ripley Museum, the gift shop with the huge alligator door, the other gift shop with the huge shark door, the Titanic Museum shaped like the Titanic, the roller coaster on the mountain… We came to see the national park but would also have to spend some quality time here. I could sense that immediately. We would be back. We finally arrived at our cabin and immersed ourselves in the outdoor majesty all around us. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is nothing short of magnificent. With the huge rhododendrons and endemic species lining the trails, the meandering streams, and the roaring waterfalls, the natural beauty is breathtaking and unique. We hiked for miles with a collective sense of wonder. It’s an experience like no other. While we enjoyed seeing new species of plants and fungi, we can’t forget the incredible wildlife that calls the Smokies home. I know that we never did. The ever-present idea that black bear sightings are somewhat common allowed us to burn those extra calories on the trail by keeping our heart rates elevated each time a twig snapped nearby. Our senses sharpened as we imagined 72

bears emerging hungrily from the dense forests. On one evening hike, we became a bit uneasy, and as we hastily exited, three new hikers were entering the trail. “Plenty of bears in there,” I told them as we passed. “Real and imagined.” “Oh, good!” said one of the men, who sported a gray bushy beard and watery blue eyes. He was taking a long drag on a Marlboro in obvious preparation for his fitness hike. We did some epic hikes on some challenging terrain. We always see it through, though. Whether the goal is a waterfall at the bottom of a trail or a mountain view at the top, we always stick together and make it to our destination. We’ve done some tough ones, and we got tougher—and closer—in the process. I always get some fishing in wherever we travel. I brought a Tenkara rod along in my pack, and I would periodically stop to cast into the pools, hoping to land a feisty trout. However, there had been a lot of rain before our arrival, so the water was running high and fast, which made the fishing difficult. I still tried—I always try. I eventually hooked a small trout but didn’t land it. I looked over at my wife and son, who were searching for salamanders. My son shrugged his shoulders with a smile as if to say, We’ll get ‘em next time. I smiled back. I don’t give up easily when it comes to fishing. As we continued our hikes, I made some ridiculously accurate casts through tight cover and foliage, miraculously dropping the tiny fly into a small pool, but it wasn’t happening this trip. That’s OK, though. I had fished the Smokies. This ending may differ from some wild destination stories, where the protagonist makes one last hopeful cast and lands a new state record. I made one last cast, and all state records remained intact. But I felt content. It was something to look forward to the next time. There are always more fish, more trails and more adventures ahead. We would be back.

Actionline NEWS FROM

THE FIELD

SPOKANE • WA

PHOTOS BY JOSH DUPLECHIAN

SPOKANE • WA

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PHOTOS BY JOSH DUPLECHIAN

ver 300 passionate anglers, conservationists and partner organizations joined us this past September for a dynamic gathering on the banks on the Spokane River in Washington. The event is dubbed CX3, as it celebrates coldwater, conservation and community over a five-day period each fall. At CX3 2023, Trout Unlimited showcased its commitment to collaboration. Partnerships with the Nez Perce Tribe, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc., The Mayfly Project and many others took center stage. These collaborations underline the importance of working together to address complex challenges, challenges like removing the lower four Snake River Dams—the focal point of CX3. Participants were treated to an in-person tour of Lower Granite Dam, engaged in insightful discussions, workshops and presentations that shed light on the critical issues surrounding these dams. Attendees left CX3 with a deep sense of purpose, armed with knowledge and motivation to advocate for the removal of the lower four Snake River Dams to recover Idaho’s salmon and steelhead. The event also involved two days of fishing on area rivers with local volunteers, a stream clean-up with the Spokane Riverkeeper, our inspiring Annual Awards celebration, the State of TU address

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and Annual Members Meeting, casting with Spokane Women On The Fly and a fundraiser for the local Washington Council Trout Unlimited WCTU chapters and Northwest Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Academy. Even Washington’s Gov. Inslee greeted CX3 guests with a message about collaboration, his appreciation for our work and calls to action around climate change and restoring healthy salmon and steelhead in the Snake and Columbia. Special appreciation is extended to our esteemed presenters and speakers, including our keynote speaker, Nez Perce Chairman Shannon Wheeler, as well as session speakers Rene Henery, Kayeloni Scott, Kayla Lockhart Kitty Griswold, Amy Gulick, Nelli Williams, Hilary Hutcheson, Heather Hodson and so many others. And, to our sponsors who made the event possible—Cassidy & Associates, Patagonia Fly Fish, Parametrix, Brick West Brewing Co., Browne Family Vineyards, Cheeky Fishing, Dry Fly Distilling, Greys Fishing, Hardy Fly Fishing, Montana Fly Company, NRS Fishing, onWater App, onX Fish, Orvis, Richardson Sports, Roast House, Sea to Summit, TroutRoutes and YETI. If you want to experience the unique blend of coldwater conservation and community that defines CX3, don't miss your chance to be a part of next year’s CX3 in the Twin Cities, Minn., from Sept. 25-29, 2024.

THE RAY MORTENSEN AWARD

Fran Smith

he Ray Mortensen Award, Trout Unlimited’s highest honor, was awarded to Fran Smith for his tireless work leading the painstaking restoration of the Quashnet River in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Smith was honored at CX3, the organization’s annual national gathering. Over a century ago, the Quashnet River had been transformed from a free-flowing coldwater stream into an impounded cranberry bog by dam building, gravel fill, and removal of all the stream side vegetation. Hurricanes in 1954 led to the abandonment of the bogs. For nearly fifty years, Fran Smith has led the volunteer efforts of Trout Unlimited’s Southeastern Massachusetts chapter and the Cape Cod chapter to restore the Quashnet. Today its unique population of migratory brook trout, known as “Salters,” is growing thanks to their tireless, backbreaking commitment to their home waters. When asked to speak upon receiving the award, Smith implored the gathered Trout Unlimited community to simply “Never give up.” “Fran Smith is a true hero of conservation,” said Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood. “For decades, Fran led monthly work parties on the Quashnet. He, and the other volunteers, removed the old dams, installed hundreds of large wood structures, and planted almost 4,000 trees. Remarkably, they did all of this work by hand. Every TU chapter has a home water they work to care for and recover. I have seen few with the sustained commitment made over a long period like the efforts by the Cape Cod chapter on the Quashnet.” As a TU leader, at different times, Smith has served as a Chapter President, State Council Chairman, and the New England Regional Vice President for the Board of Trustees. He is a Vietnam Veteran, have served with U.S Air Force Special Operations. A Master Plumber by trade and owner of Panton Plumbing and Heating for 28 years, Smith also helped

lead the advocacy that led to Massachusetts purchasing the land along the Quashnet to permanently protect it from development. “I deeply appreciate the recognition given to me and the Quashnet River Restoration by Chris Wood, the Trout Unlimited Board of Trustees, and the staff at TU,” said Smith. “The many people over the past 47 years that have given so much to this ‘all volunteer effort’ deserve every bit of the credit for the resounding success we are enjoying today. If it were not for the untiring commitment and dedication to the Quashnet River Restoration by the participating volunteers, the success of this effort would have never become a reality. Where we once had only one wild sea-run brook trout in 100 feet of stream, we now have 40 and the potential for this number to grow is staggering. Today there are hundreds and hundreds of wild sea-run brook trout that call the Quashnet River home.” “I would like to recognize two Fisheries Biologists from MassWildlife for sharing their knowledge and their caring help,” said Smith. “Joseph D. Bergin and Stephen T. Hurley mentored us and trusted us, but most of all they believed in our sincere effort to restore sea-run brook trout to the Quashnet River.” Smith adds that the work on the Quashnet continues. “We have more to do toward completing the restoration, mostly tweaking the habitat to increase the sustainability of the existFran Smith with Chris Wood ing ecosystem. I for one can’t wait to get back at it!” Smith’s award was named for Ray Mortensen, a founding member of TU’s Chattooga River chapter in Clemson, South Carolina. He held numerous leadership positions with the chapter and the South Carolina State Council, including council chair. As a member of the TU National Resource Board, he helped shape TU’s National Conservation Agenda until his death in 1998.

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Washington Council of Trout Unlimited

COUNCIL OF THE YEAR:

Washington Council

hrough deeply dedicated grassroots leaders and close partnerships with TU staff, the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited is working to care for and recover the Evergreen State’s iconic salmon and trout populations and building a powerful community of volunteers and anglers. GOLD TROUT:

Rocky Mountain Flycasters (Colo.)

he Rocky Mountain Flycasters Chapter takes innovative and thoughtful approaches to building community and advancing Trout Unlimited’s mission. The creativity, dedication and commitment of the chapter’s leaders has resulted in a high-functioning organization that serves its community and state, engendering community involvement, inclusion and conservation advances. Despite facing numerous challenges, including wildfires and flooding, the chapter’s leaders have shown exceptional creativity and commitment. They have formed coalitions with stakeholders, agencies and nonprofits to address post-fire and post-flood actions, becoming a model for Northern Colorado Basins. The chapter’s involvement in the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed has allowed them to actively engage in restoration and education programs. RMF’s flagship conservation program, the Poudre Headwaters Native Cutthroat Restoration Project, focuses on reintroducing the threatened Greenback Cutthroat Trout into over 38 miles of streams in the region. They collaborate closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service to achieve this goal while also involving volunteers in field work, community science and monitoring.

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RMF excels in communication and outreach efforts, utilizing various platforms to engage a broad audience. They have upgraded their website and integrated it with social media platforms, allowing them to effectively communicate with a big and diverse group of anglers and coldwater conservationists. A monthly newsletter is shared via email, Facebook and Instagram, and their events calendar serves as a hub for coldwater conservation and education opportunities, linking events with fly shops, partner organizations, other TU chapters and agency partners. RMF’s community engagement spans multiple levels, including participation in community-wide festivals and events, providing classes David Haeusler with Jeff Yates for underrepresented communities, organizing chapter events and establishing partnerships with local businesses. RMF actively cultivates future leaders through a robust leadership development program. Their commitment to diversity is exemplified by the inclusion of a CSU Fisheries student and a CSU Costa 5 Rivers Club member on their board. The chapter fosters a culture of gratitude through annual volunteer recognition events, acknowledging the outstanding work of their volunteers and promoting a path from volunteering to leadership. Through innovative fundraising strategies, including sustaining donors, corporate sponsorships, grants and community activities, RMF ensures the financial sustainability of their programs. This chapter’s continuous growth, effective leadership and impactful initiatives make them an exceptional choice for TU’s highest award for chapters, the Gold Trout Chapter Award. SILVER TROUT:

Oakbrook (Ill.)

he Oak Brook Chapter has overcome geographical challenges to become a shining example of dynamic, innovative and generous coldwater conservation efforts. Despite lacking nearby coldwater resources, the chapter has collaborated with neighboring states like Michigan and Wisconsin, providing volunteer support for various projects, including macroinvertebrate surveys and invasive species removal. Locally, they actively participate in workdays like the DuPage River Cleanup in Naperville.

Oak Brook TU’s advocacy efforts extend to Illinois and the Great Lakes, where their knowledgeable leaders contribute to the Great Lakes National Leadership Council Workgroup and engage in local partnerships to advocate for important issues like invasive carp and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding. Their effective communications keep members and Chris Wood with David Carlson and William Beshire subscribers informed about upcoming events, meetings and workdays through regular emails, an attractive website and engaging social media pages. Their strong fundraising skills are evident in wellattended events like their Holiday Party, which not only brings the community together but also raises impressive dollars to ensure the success of their chapter and programs. The chapter sets itself apart through its extensive community engagement efforts, offering a variety of programs, including monthly meetings, Trout on Tap nights, the Breakfast Club, fly tying events and fly-casting sessions. Their remarkable youth program stands out, featuring a multi-day Youth Camp, Youth Fly Fishing Program, Wet Bugs classroom program and Trout in the Classroom releases for 10 schools. Additionally, they recently launched a STREAM Girls Camp, providing opportunities for girl scouts in the Chicagoland area. The chapter’s leaders place a great deal of emphasis on empowering future volunteers, from making their events a welcoming place for young people, to breaking down the barriers to fly fishing, making the community a bit less intimidating for beginner anglers, to offering countless learning opportunities to train volunteers for their youth programs. The time, physical work and dedication that this chapter gives to its community every day is remarkable and inspiring, and incredibly deserving of TU’s Silver Trout Award.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN CONSERVATION:

Harvey Morrison

hen the four Lower Snake River Dams are finally breached, Harvey Morrison will be among the key visionaries celebrated for their tireless advocacy to restore a free-flowing Lower Snake River and rebuild the region’s iconic salmon and steelhead runs. Harvey grew up in the region and recalls the watershed before the dams were built, often sharing those memories to remind all of us of what was lost and what could be restored. He has long been a staunch supporter of grassroots efforts to educate the public about the need to remove the dams. Most recently, he was instrumental to bringing TU President and CEO Chris Wood to Spokane to speak about TU’s work to breach the dams. Morrison also spoke at the event. As important as it is, Harvey’s commitment to Eastern Washington’s native salmon and trout and coldwater resources extends far beyond the campaign to remove the Snake River Dams. He is a long-time, stalwart member of the Spokane Falls Chapter of Trout Unlimited, where he has served many leadership and advisory roles including as the chapter’s past President. He is a fierce advocate for the Spokane River watershed and its native Redband Rainbow Trout and was key to establishing it as one of Chris Wood with Harvey Morrison TU’s Priority Waters. He spearheaded and managed a restoration project on a key tributary that installed nearly 4,000 feet of fencing, planted over 800 willow and cottonwood seedlings and established an off-stream cattle watering site to establish and restore a 2.5 acre riparian buffer to improve water quality and cool the stream temperatures. Harvey’s commitment to collaboration has fostered strong partnerships with local landowners, government agencies and community organizations, leading to the successful implementation of numerous conservation projects. In addition to his conservation work, Harvey has been an influential mentor and educator, sharing his knowledge and passion for the environment with TU volunteers and especially with students in the Spokane area. Through his engaging presentations and field trips, Harvey has inspired countless individuals, young and old, to develop a deep appreciation for their local watershed and become active advocates for conservation. His leadership, coupled with his deep knowledge of water management and tireless volunteer commitment has left an indelible mark on the conservation landscape in Spokane and serves as an inspiration to us all.

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BETTY WINN DISTINGUISHED SERVICE FOR ANADROMOUS CONSERVATION:

Amy Cordalis

n the Klamath River, the largest dam removal and river reconnection project in world history is now underway. In the coming years, four dams in California and Oregon will be removed, improving water quality and allowing salmon, steelhead and lamprey to regain access to 420 miles of habitat in the upper basin for the first Amy Cordalis with Chris Wood time in over a century. Dam removal is the result of tireless advocacy, problem-solving and negotiation from a broad coalition of tribes, conservation organizations, fishing advocates and agencies. Amy Cordalis has been a leader in the movement to heal the Klamath River and build durable solutions for the watershed’s communities and ecosystem. The Klamath River is Amy Cordalis’s home water. A member of the Yurok Tribe, Amy and her family have fished the Klamath since time immemorial. In 2002, Amy witnessed the devastating Klamath fish kill firsthand while working as a seasonal fisheries technician. The experience inspired her to earn a law degree and return to fight for dam removal and assert the Tribe’s rights to adequate supplies of clean water. Amy has served as general counsel for the Yurok Tribe and was a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund. Today, she is an attorney for the Tribe and a co-founder of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, an Indigenous-led conservation organization whose mission is to help Indigenous Peoples protect and restore the natural and cultural resources they rely on to maintain their identity and sovereignty. She is a board member of Trout Unlimited and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the nonprofit created by advocates to take ownership of the four Klamath dams, manage their removal and revegetate the former reservoir sites with native plants. JACK WILLIAMS AWARD FOR APPLIED CONSERVATION SCIENCE:

Tom Quinn

ecently retired from full-time teaching and research at the University of Washington, Professor Tom Quinn deserves massive thanks for the huge body of research and writing on Pacific Rim fisheries and especially on salmon and trout of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

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Notwithstanding his very urban roots in New York City, Professor Quinn migrated westward after college, completing his master’s degree and then Ph.D. in the Fisheries Department at the University of Washington. After spending a few years at the University of British Columbia, Professor Quinn returned to the University of Washington where he taught—or rather inspired—students for over 30 years. His research and teaching encompassed virtually every aspect of the behavior, ecology, evolution and conservation of Pacific salmon, trout, and char, and their ecosystems. His curiosity has led him to explore everything from how salmon home to their natal streams, to how bear predation enhances salmon ecosystems, to how salmon and trout recolonize streams after dam removals, to how salmon transplanted to the Southern Hemisphere adapt, and to how human activities have impacted the evolution and ecology of trout and salmon. Capping off the hundreds (yes, hundreds) of scientific papers, his seminal book, The Behavior and Ecology of Tom Quinn with Jeff Yates Pacific Salmon and Trout (2018) is a beautiful and accessible work that dives deeply into all aspects of the life cycle of Pacific salmonids. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN COMMUNICATIONS:

Linnea Turner

innea Turner made a significant impact during her tenure as a TU Costa 5 Rivers College Program leader. As the host of the Emerging Podcast, she successfully managed the entire production process, conducting interviews with a diverse range of guests, including TU staff, volunteers, industry partners, researchers and 5 Rivers students. Linnea’s strength lay in her ability to connect with listeners who may be new to fly fishing or conservation, inspiring them to engage in TU activities and pursue their passions. In addition to her podcasting role, Linnea actively contributed to TROUT magazine, TU’s digital publication and managed the 5 Rivers social media accounts. Her work included compiling features on 5 Rivers Clubs, highlighting their commendable contributions to their communities. Linnea’s commitment to 5 Rivers extended beyond her internship responsibilities. She represented the program at the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo and reached out to other 5 Rivers clubs in the Midwest, encourag-

ing their participation and recording conversations with attendees for her podcast. Prior to her role with 5 Rivers, Linnea gained experience as a seasonal technician on a TU field crew in northern Wisconsin. Her dedication and passion for conservation were evident when she traveled hours to attend the 5 Rivers Midwest Rendezvous and subsequently submitted an article about the event, which was published in TU’s digital Beverly Smith with Linea Turner magazine. Throughout her tenure as a 5 Rivers leader, Linnea demonstrated exceptional leadership within the 5 Rivers program, embracing her curiosity and inviting others to join the conversation. Her contributions have left a lasting mark on TU and have been a source of inspiration for many. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN YOUTH EDUCATION:

Dick Shinton

ick Shinton’s dedication to Youth Education has had a profound and lasting impact on his local chapter, state council and hundreds of young people throughout Colorado. As a longstanding volunteer and leader of the Colorado River Conservation and Fly-Fishing Camp for teens, Dick has been instrumental in shaping the program for 15 of its 18 years of existence. He Dick Shinton with Beverly Smith fully embodies Trout Unlimited’s values and recognizes that engaging youth from diverse backgrounds is crucial to the sustainability of TU’s mission.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN LEADERSHIP:

Russ Meyer

uss Meyer has made the leadership rounds familiar to local TU volunteer leaders—holding various board and officer positions, coordinating habitat projects and leading local chapter fundraising efforts. First in the ’90s in Missouri, as an active member of the Mid-Missouri Chapter and later in the 2000s after a move to Nevada as part of the Sagebrush TU Chapter, where he currently Chris Wood with Russ Meyer serves as Chapter President. Russ’ knowledge of the inner workings of a TU Chapter led to his role as a regional representative on TU’s volunteer Embrace A Stream Committee in the early 2000’s. Since its inception in 1975, EAS has funded more than 1,150 individual projects with more than $4.9 million in direct cash grants to local TU Chapters. Through this involvement with EAS, Russ came to understand the positive impact that just a single grant can have on a local Chapter. When the opportunity to Chair the committee came in 2015, Russ Meyer was a natural fit. He went on to lead the program admirably over the next eight years, despite facing challenges of declining funds to distribute and a global pandemic. Russ helped institute changes to the iconic EAS program that streamlined and simplified the grant process through a digital application and online training sessions. As crowd-source funding became available to grant recipients, Meyer helped make sure as many chapters as possible would have access to this new fundraising opportunity. There was a period where EAS funds were only distributed to the very best written grant applications, leading to a highly competitive, and sometimes combative, process. Russ recognized the need to spread the wealth more and helped change the culture around the program to be more supportive of all of our applying chapters. He knew that even partial funding for a project through the EAS program might be enough of a boost for a local chapter to pull in other partners and revenue streams to see the project fulfilled. Russ Meyer takes a “listen first” approach to leadership. Never quick to judge or jump to conclusions, his ability to hear different points of view and find the common thread has guided many difficult decisions within the EAS Committee. He’s always welcoming to new volunteers and is willing to share the knowledge and resources needed to help the regional representatives be more effective in their service to our local TU chapters. Through his many years of service, Meyer has truly demonstrated distinguished service in his leadership.

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CONSERVATION PROFESSIONAL AWARD:

Matt Jaeger

n his career as a Fisheries Biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Matt Jaeger has been a champion of Montana’s native fish, a critical partner among diverse stakeholders, and a powerful advocate for hard science informing fish management and recovery actions. He led the data collection effort and use of the new date to develop the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Matt Jaeger with Jeff Yates Conservation Strategy for the Missouri River Headwaters of Southwest Montana. This Conservation Strategy encompasses about 17,378 square miles of the Upper Missouri drainage and includes the Beaverhead, Big Hole, Boulder, Gallatin, Jefferson, Madison, Red Rock, Ruby and Upper Missouri River sub-basins. Over the last decade, Matt has been instrumental in adaptive management strategies and conservation planning to protect and recover populations of Montana’s Grayling, a rare, endemic population in the Lower 48 found exclusively in the Upper Missouri River Basin of Southwest Montana. As a part of this critical work, he has coordinated and led efforts to model and experiment with solutions for limiting factors involving Grayling spawning habitat, overwintering habitat and competition from non-native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. Beyond trout and grayling, Matt has conducted important research informing the management of native sauger and the little-known Pallid sturgeon. WASHINGTON COUNCIL’S TIM GAVIN STEELHEAD AWARD:

TU, serves on the board of the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, and maintains key working relationships with partners at the Yakama Nation, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Natural Resources and the Bureau of Land Management, among others. Dave has been dedicated to every aspect of TU’s work and events in the region. He designed, printed and helped install fishing regulation signage for the Teanaway River. He has managed monofilament line collection stations, spent years cleaning up trash on local streams and encouraging others to do so, helped install water temperature data loggers and helped spearhead and run the Teanaway Westslope Cutthroat Trout studies with WDFW. He’s organized fundraisers for the chapters and kept a solid hold on the chapters finances as Treasurer. As Dave often says, his commitment to the work boils down to his mantra “get out and do stuff for fish.”

CORPORATE CONSERVATION PARTNER:

atagonia’s unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship and advocacy in support of coldwater conservation and wild fish has been instrumental in raising awareness and mobilizing communities across the world. Patagonia’s dedication to sustainability and environmental activism is deeply ingrained in the company’s ethos. Since its inception 50 years ago, Patagonia has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to giving back to the planet.

Dave Bouta

he Washington Council’s Tim Gavin “Steelhead Award” is given in honor of a long-time member and dedicated TU volunteer who passed in 2022. Tim set the bar at the highest level for his commitment to TU goals, long term focus, leadership, dedication and relationships with members and the local community. A member and grassroots leader for 25 years, Dave Bouta exemplifies TU’s mission, community and commitment to protecting Washington’s incredible coldwater streams and native fish. For the Duwamish Green Chapter, Dave served as a long-time board member and as Vice President. He is a founding member of the Yakima Headwaters Chapter and currently serves as the Treasurer and Secretary. He has previously served as the Chapter’s Fundraising Chair (four years), the Membership Chair (five years) and on the Conservation Committee (five years). He frequently works closely with the Dave Bouta with Pat Hesselgesser Washington Council of

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Hilary Hutcheson, Chris Wood and Kate Hadeka

Save the Dates

Join Us At a Regional Rendezvous Near You!

Join fellow conservationists, anglers and TU volunteers from across the country at one of three Regional Rendezvous scheduled for 2024! Whether you connect with us in the Northeast, Southeast or West this year, you’ll experience some great fishing, enlightening presentations, inspiring dialogue and engaging camaraderie with those who share your dedication to TU and our mission. S AV E T H E D AT E S F O R :

Southeast Regional Rendezvous – Nashville, Tennessee – March 15-17 Northeast Regional Rendezvous – Arlington, VT – May 3-5 Western Regional Rendezvous – Idaho Falls, Idaho – May 17-19 TU Regional Rendezvous are occasions to be inspired—by the work of TU staff, lessons from volunteer leaders and conversations with newfound friends. They are also an excellent opportunity to discuss the unique issues facing each region as well as a chance to network and build relationships with hundreds of others who share your passion for cold, clean rivers and streams. Learn more at www.tu.org/regionals.

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Dear Miriam...

Easing Into It BY C H R I ST I N E P E T E RS O N

The drive that made him cast over and over in a basketball court in hopes that one day he could feel a tug on the end of his line never faded. He earned a degree in fisheries biology, guided anglers in Alaska and has become one of those people who receives gifts exclusively emblazoned with fish – fish hats, fish shirts, fish mugs and a fish lamp that’s been relegated to the garage. Having a passion poses a quandary for parents, though. Do we push our kid to play football because that’s what we played and loved? Do we encourage them to ride horses, or dance ballet or ski or play the guitar because that’s what we did or do? We can. We can nudge and prod, cajole and even bribe, but we always know, deep down, they’ll do what they want. So we decided when you were a toddler, just learning to walk and eager to touch any fish you saw, that we would take you fishing but you would learn when, and if, you wanted. We took turns looking at ice crystals with you while the other fished on rivers near our home in Wyoming. We brought snacks for you to eat on rafts and looked at bugs when you got bored. T R O U T

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We bought you rods and a pair of waders that leaked the first time you put them on. We helped you cast to rising cutthroat trout in a beaver pond when you were 3 and helped you reel in a walleye as long as your arm when you were 5. But you never really seemed interested in fly fishing on your own. You wanted to throw rocks (preferably not where we were fishing), look at flowers and wade in holes after we’d moved on. And that was fine. Then in mid-July, right after you turned 7, we walked out onto a rocky flat near a milky, glacier-fed river in interior British Columbia. We were ostensibly on a two-week road trip to fish for bull trout, a top predator in these frigid waters and a symbol of cold, clean rivers and lakes. But really, we were on a camping road trip with little plans and even littler idea where we were headed each day. That night on a tributary of a tributary high in the Canadian Rockies, you splashed through shallow braids in last-year’s school shoes turned thissummer’s wet wading boots. You tried to pry an old elk shed out from under a dead tree and picked up rocks perfect for skipping. Then we came up to a 82

nice-looking hole on the river as the sun began to set somewhere before 10 p.m. I threw my heavy streamer a few times, a black, sparkly thing. Nothing. We thought about walking up to check out the next hole when you asked: “Can I try?” I could see your dad try to act cool, like a middle schooler who just realized he might have a chance.

MEG THOMPSON STANTON

When your dad was 12, he signed himself up for a fly-fishing class at the local recreation center in the little town where he was raised, caught a ride with his mom each day and learned how to cast in a high school gymnasium. He’d been fishing before. Your grandpa has a boat, and they would go out on a local lake and cast for walleye and perch. But he wanted to fly fish.

“Sure,” he said, walking toward you with a caddis fly on a 5-weight. “How about with this rod though, it might be easier.” He stood behind you helping you cast, that wood chopping motion that may not look pretty but gets the job done. We all watched as the caddis floated down, swung around, and you raised your arm up and down again. I figured you’d tire after a few casts, go back to examining flowers. But you kept going. Up and down, up and down. Then suddenly your fly disappeared. You had a bite. On your cast. Your rod bowed down. Your dad went to help then stopped himself. You had this, he knew. You could do it.

“Keep your rod tip up,” he said, “hold the line tight.” He came around the side with a net and dipped it in the water. Up came a whitefish, a beautiful, silver creature underrated but as ubiqui-

Find the fish that fill you with wonder, the ones that make you gasp when you feel them on your line and reel them to your net— whether they’re 36 inches or they’re 2.

tous to mountains as the mountains themselves. You couldn’t stop grinning. Your dad couldn’t stop grinning. I couldn’t stop grinning. After a few quick pictures, you released your first, very own fish back into its watery home. I could say you love fishing now, that you’re as obsessed as your dad and never looked back. But you’re still 7, and deep pools are still fun for swimming. You ask to cast more often now, though, and have considerably more patience with a fly rod in your hand. Hopefully you keep asking to fish. We’ll keep trying to play it cool. Love, Mom

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CL A S S I FI E D S OUTFITTERS, GUIDES & FOR RENT ALASKA

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Pennsylvania Guide Service, Sky Blue Outfitters, ½ day, full day and overnight trips available. Penns, Spring, Letort, Little Juniata, Pine and many more. Call 610-987-0073 or visit www.skyblueoutfitters. com for details.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Reel in Relief with Specialized Fly Fisherman Physical Therapy! Expert Care for Anglers, Onsite and Online: Are you an avid fly fisherman struggling with injuries that dampen your fishing experience? Our specialized Physical Therapy services cater to the needs of passionate anglers. We’ll work closely with you to create a personalized rehabilitation program, getting you back to fishing. Call 720-352-0678 for a free 15’ consultation. www.neuromuscularstrategies. com. Mike Kohm PT, BS. Schedule Online: Boulder https://mikekohmpt-boulder.youcanbook.me/

FLIES & GEAR 4-piece bamboo flyrods handmade with bamboo ferrules. cgbamboorods.com chuck-g@comcast.net” Fly or Spin Rods- Veteran Owned www.stanleycanyon. com james.a.boyless@stanleycanyon.com Custom Fly Rods built to your exact specifications. Carbon fiber blanks, Portuguese burl cork handles, nickel silver seats, fine wrapping threads. Professional Certified Rod Builder. LakeLady Custom Rods. rodbuilder@lakeladyrods.com Custom made wooden fly boxes, no two are alike. Contact Jim at jimwhip@q.com for details EZ-P Waterproof Wader Zipper - $80 Installed in any brand. Guaranteed for the life of your waders. Pressure tested for dry suit SCUBA. Contact: bjuniata@verizon.net or 814 569 8843 BAMBOO RODS Buy Sell Consign www.coldwatercollectibles.com (616) 884-5626 No Touch Hook Release™. This tool saves fish, flies and cold hands. Easy to use, it releases most fish quickly without handling and works even for #22 hooks and bead heads. $20/ppd. $1.00/sale to WestSlope Chapter TU. Learn more and buy at NoTouchTrout.com. WOODEN FLY ROD TUBES: Hand-made solid wood fly rod tubes. Super strong, carbon fiber reinforced made from hardwoods sustainably sourced in Pennsylvania. Buy one get one free: For the first 10 orders I will donate a tube to your local TU chapter for fund raising (put TUDonate in the email). www.etsy. com/shop/TedLeBowDesigns or email ted.lebow@ jriconsult.com with questions.

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Custom Hand Crafted Bamboo Fly Rods JGERWECKBAMBOORODS.com jgcanerods@gmail.com FLY ROD RULER Measure your catch with a Rodrule. The micro-thin Rodrule adheres to your rods without hampering the action or finish. Guide approved! Order at: www.rodrule.com

Advertise in TROUT Classifieds

BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

Reach more than 150,000 anglers for just $2.25/ word ($2.05/word for members). Send text of ad and payment to:

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Classifieds must be prepaid. Count phone number, fax number, ZIP code, street number, abbreviations and email or website address as one word each.

By Dave Ames, author of cult fishing classics including True Love and the Woolly Bugger and A Good Life Wasted, Trout Town is at once a veteran’s struggle with PTSD, a murder-mystery, and a fly-fisherman’s journey to the Backbone-of-the-World. Stir that curious amalgam with a humorist’s deft touch and you have Trout Town: a laugh-out-loud page-turner that will keep you guessing until the final scene. Trout Fishing West of the Home Water by TU life member and retired professor William Sharpe. The book begins with brief essays on the author’s research on acid rain, whirling disease and water pollution followed by the author’s sometimes humorous accounts of fishing more than 30 western rivers with extensive coverage of Utah’s Green River and the major rivers of western Montana. Available in paperback at Amazon.com ($14.95) Contact wes@ psu.edu When Trout Feed by Jay Ford Thurston I caught my first trout in 1940. Since then I have gathered information on where and when trout feed. The trout tips, from 100 to 150, are in my five trout books. Order from my website: trouttip.com Vermont trout? Try these guidebooks: Vermont Trout Streams; Vermont’s Trophy Trout Waters; and, The New Atlas of Vermont Trout Ponds. Each book provides maps and complete coverage of the state. Visit www.windknotpublishing.com for information and ordering. FLY FISHING THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES: Small Streams & Wild Places by TU Life Member Paul Downing. Covers Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Available at Amazon.com. Special Club Discount $20/ppd. Contact majesticpress@aol.com.

ART Beautiful Four color fly-fishing poster will look great on your man cave, office, or den wall! Wholesale inquires welcomed. Details www.fishingthoughts.com

Ads may be faxed to (703)284-9400 or e-mailed to samantha.carmichael@tu.org.

Winter Deadline: December 29, 2023. To request a media kit for display advertising, call (703)284-9422

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Support Trout Unlimited’s Business Members Trout Unlimited Business members are TU ambassadors in protecting, restoring, reconnecting and sustaining North America’s coldwater fisheries. To become a TU Business member contact Walt Gasson at (307) 630-7398 or wgasson@tu.org.

BUSINESS

Outfitters

ALASKA 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle Wasilla, AK 99654 (907) 373-5434 staff.3riversflyandtackle@gmail.com www.3riversflyandtackle.com Alaskan Angling Adventures LLC. Mike Adams Cooper Landing, AK 99572 (907) 595-3336 alaskananglingadventures@gmail.com www.AlaskanAnglingAdventures.com Alaska Fly Fishing Goods Bradley Elfers Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 586-1550 brad@alaskaflyfishinggoods.com www.alaskaflyfishinggoods.com Alaska Rainbow Adventures Paul Hansen Wasilla, AK 99687 (907) 357-0251 info@akrainbow.com www.akrainbow.com Alaskan Remote Adventures Ryan Kocherhans St. George, UT 84770 (801) 725-1025 info@alaskanremoteadventures.com www.alaskanremoteadventures.com Alaska Rainbow Lodge King Salmon, AK 99613 info@alaskarainbowlodge.com www.alaskarainbowlodge.com Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge Brian Kraft Kvichak River – Lake Iliamna, AK (907) 227-8719 brian@fishasl.com www.fishasl.com Alaska’s Bearclaw Lodge Rob Fuentes Dillingham, AK 99576 (907) 843-1605 info@bearclawlodge.com www.bearclawlodge.com Alaska’s Boardwalk Lodge Brad Steuart Thorne Bay, AK 99919 (800) 764-3918 info@boardwalklodge.com www. boardwalklodge.com Alaska’s Fishing Unlimited, Inc. Dave Tyson Port Alsworth, AK 99653 (262) 515-3714 (WI – Dave) info@alaskalodge.com www.alaskalodge.com Alaska’s Wild River Guides John Jinishian Dillingham, AK 99576 (203) 247-9070 john@wildriverfish.com www.wildriverfish.com

GOLD LEVEL

Alaska Wild Caught Seafood

Matthew Luck Ketchum, ID 83340 (208) 720-4226 matt@alaskawildcaughtseafood.net www.alaskawildcaughtseafood.net

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Guides

Lodges

Aleutian Rivers Angling Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 pat@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com

GOLD LEVEL

Bear Trail Lodge

Nanci Morris Lyon King Salmon, AK 99613 Lodge: (907) 246-2327 Cell: (907) 469-0622 gofish@bristolbay.com www.fishasl.com/naknek/ Brad’s Igiugig Lodge Brad Waitman Wasilla, AK 99687 (907) 360-1856 bradinalaska@gmail.com www.alaskaslodge.com Bristol Bay Lodge Steve Laurent Bristol Bay, AK Office: (509) 964-2094 Cell: (509) 899-0734 slaurent@bristolbaylodge.com www.fishasl.com Chosen River Outfitters David Stelling Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828) 386-6216 highcountryguides@gmail.com www.flyfishthehighcountry.com Classic Casting Adventures Tad Kisaka Sitka, AK 99835 (907) 738-2737 tadkisaka@hotmail.com www.flyfishsitka.com Coastal Alaska Adventures Keegan McCarthy Douglas, AK 99824 (907) 723-3006 akpointer@hotmail.com www.coastalalaskaadventures.com Copper on the Fly Stephen Munroe Anchorage, AK 99515 (907) 229-6184 smunroe@natca.net www.copperonthefly.com Copper River Lodge Pat Vermillion Iliamna, AK 99606 (406) 222-0624 info@copperriverlodge.com www.copperriverlodge.com Crystal Creek Lodge Dan Michels King Salmon, AK 99613 (907) 357-3153 www.crystalcreeklodge.com info@crystalcreeklodge.com Denali Fly Fishing Guides Rick McMahan Cantwell, AK 99729 (907) 768-1127 2fishon@mtaonline.net www.denaliflyfishing.com Deneki Outdoors James Kim Anchorage, AK 99503 (800) 344-3628 info@deneki.com www.deneki.com

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EPIC Angling & Adventure Rus Schwausch Alaska Peninsula, AK (512) 656-2736 rus@epicaaa.com www.epicaaa.com Equinox Cameo Padilla & Brooks Areson Sitka, AK 99835 (907) 738-4736 info@equinoxalaska.com www.equinoxalaska.com @equinoxalaska Expeditions Alaska Carl Donohue Anchorage, AK 99507 (770) 952-4549 www.expeditionsalaska.com/ contact.html www.expeditionsalaska.com Expedition Broker Greg Schlachter Haines, AK 99827 (907) 766-3977 (877) 406.1320 travel@expeditionbroker.com www.expeditionbroker.com Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop Jason Croft Anchorage, AK 99501 (608) 512-3966 fireislandbread@gmail.com www.fireislandbread.co Fishe Wear Linda Leary Anchorage, AK 99503 (907) 854-4775 linda@fishewear.com www.fishewear.com Fly Out Travel/Media Cory and Katie Luoma Columbia Falls, MT 59912 (406) 781-7184 cory@alaskaflyout.com www.alaskaflyout.com Frontier River Guides/ Brightwater Alaska Marty Decker Anchorage, Alaska 99523 (877) 818-2278 info@frontierriverguides.com www.frontierriverguides.com Gray Light Sportfishing Andy Mezirow Seward, AK 99664 (907) 362-1600 (800) 566-3192 graylight@alaskan.net www.graylightalaska.com Grizzly Skins of Alaska Rochelle Harrison and Phil Shoemaker King Salmon, AK 99613 (907) 376-2234 info@grizzlyskinsofalaska.com www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com Iliamna River Lodge Bill and Melanie Betts Pedro Bay, AK 99647 (719) 371-6177 bill@iliamnariverlodge.com www.iliamnariverlodge.com Kenai Riverside Fishing Cooper Landing, AK (800) 478-4100 info@kenairiversidefishing.com www.kenairiversidefishing.com/

Kulik Lodge Bo Bennett Anchorage, AK 99502 (907) 243-5448 (800) 544-0551 info@bristoladventures.com www.kuliklodge.com Lakeview Outfitters Phil Hilbruner Cooper Landing, AK 99572 (907) 440-4338 info@lakeviewoutfitters.com www.lakeviewoutfitters.com Lost Boys Fishing LLC Drew Petrie Anchorage, AK 99502 (907) 202-6422 fishguide@kenaineverland.com www.kenaineverland.com No See Um Lodge John Holman King Salmon, AK 99613 (907) 232-0729 john@noseeumlodge.com www.noseeumlodge.com Outer Coast Charters Captain Christopher Paul Jones Sitka, AK 99835 (907) 623-8290 contact@outercoastcharters.com www.outercoastcharters.com Ouzel International Expeditions, Inc. Robert Durnell Girdwood, AK 99587 (907) 783-2216 info@ouzelexpeditions.com www.ouzelexpeditions.com

GOLD LEVEL

Pride of Bristol Bay

Steve and Jenn Kurian Bloomsburg, PA 17815 (570) 387-0550 contact@prideofbristolbay.com www.prideofbristolbay.com Rainbow King Lodge Iliamna, AK 99606 800-458-6539 info@rainbowking.com www.rainbowking.com Rainbow River Lodge Chad Hewitt Iliamna, AK 99606 (503) 720-5063 chad@rainbowriverlodge.com www.rainbowriverlodge.com Royal Coachman Lodge Pat Vermillion Dillingham, AK 99576 (406) 222-0624 info@royalcoachmanlodge.com www.royalcoachmanlodge.com Sitka Fish Outfitters Jamie Steinson Sitka, AK (907)738-4011 jamie@sitkafish.com www.sitkafish.com Tikchik Narrows Lodge Bud Hodson Anchorage, AK 99522 (907) 243-8450 info@tikchik.com www.tikchiklodge.com Wilderness Place Lodge Jason Rockvam/Cory Wendt Anchorage, AK 99519 (877) 753-3474 wildernessplacelodge@gmail.com www.wildernessplacelodge.com

ARIZONA Arizona Flycasters Gene Hechler Phoenix, AZ 85016 (520) 203-4140 president@azflycasters.org www.azflycasters.org AZ Fly Shop Chris Rich Phoenix, AZ 85032 (602) 354-8881 info@azflyshop.com www.azflyshop.com

Fly Fish Arizona and Beyond Cinda Howard Eagar, AZ 85925 (480) 217-5089 cinda@flyfisharizona.com www.flyfisharizona.com Imus Investment Partners Gary Imus Tucson, AZ 85718 Direct: (877) 813-4985 or (520) 314-1301 Fax (520) 529-4031 Cell (520) 991-5317 gary@imusinvestmentpartners.com www.imusinvestmentpartners.com Lees Ferry Anglers Marble Canyon, AZ 86036 (800) 962-9755 anglers@leesferry.com www.leesferry.com Oxbow Ecological Engineering, LLC George Cathey Flagstaff, AZ 86005 (928) 266-6192 george@oxbow-eco-eng.com www. oxbow-eco-eng.com Sedona Fly Fishing Adventures Brian Mowers Sedona, AZ 86336 (928) 451-0492 sedonaflyfishing@gmail.com www.sedonaflyfishingadventures.com Southline Industries LLC Stuart Jones Prescott, AZ 86303 (405) 315-7605 info@southlineindustries.com www.southlineindustriesusa.com Spiral Creative Services Graphic Design Susan Geer Gilbert, AZ 85234 (602) 284-2515 Susan@spiral-creative.com www.spiral-creative.com Wilkinson Wealth Management Eb Wilkinson Tucson, AZ 85715 (520) 777-1911 (877) 813-4985 eb@wilkinsonwealthmgmt.com www.wilkinsonwealthmgmt.com

ARKANSAS Dally’s Ozark Fly Fisher Steve Dally Cotter, AR 72626 (870) 435-6166 info@theozarkflyfisher.com www.theozarkflyfisher.com Freedom Fire Pro Michael Cormier Rogers, AR 72756 (479) 631-6363 mcormier@freefirepro.com www.freefirepro.com JFLY Jake Flood Fayetteville, AR 72701 (479) 351-0555 gofish@jflyfish.com www.jflyfish.com McLellan's Fly Shop Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 251-7037 info@mcflyshop.com www.mcflyshop.comvi Natural State Fly Shop Jane Hatchet Cotter, AR 72626 (870) 471-9111 (870) 321-2792 (Cell) flyfishcotter@gmail.com www.naturalstateflyshop.com Peglar Real Estate Group Matt Hershberger Mountain Home, AR 72653 (870) 405-4144 matt@peglarrealestate.com www.peglarrealestate.com Stonefly Nets Ethan Igleheart Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 227-0406 info@stoneflynets.com www.stoneflynets.com

The White River Inn Steven Sonnamaker Cotter, AR 72626 (870) 430-2233 info@thewhiteriverinn.com www.thewhiteriverinn.com White River Trout Lodge Jo Anna Smith Cotter, AR 72626 (870) 430-5229 info@whiteriverlodge.com www.whiteriverlodge.com

CALIFORNIA Buff, Inc. Kevin Walker Santa Rosa, CA 95403 (707) 583-8995 customerservice@buffusa.com www.buffusa.com Confluence Outfitters Andrew Harris Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 632-3465 andrew@confluenceoutfitters.com www.confluenceoutfitters.com Fish First! Leo Siren Berkeley, CA 94707 (510) 526-1937 Leo@fishfirst.com www.fishfirst.com FishMammoth Jim Elias Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 (760) 582-2195 jim@fishmammoth.com www.fishmammoth.com Fly Fishers Club of Orange County Brian Mayer Santa Ana, CA 92711-3005 (562) 619-9169 bdmayer@hotmail.com www.ffcoc.org

GOLD LEVEL

The Fly Shop

Terry Jepsen Redding, CA 96002 (530) 222-3555 terry@theflyshop.com www.theflyshop.com Matt Heron Fly Fishing Matt Heron Truckee, CA 96161 (518) 225-6587 mattheronflyfishing@gmail.comwww. mattheronflyfishing.com Mongolia River Outfitters/Fish Mongolia Michael Caranci Palo Cedro, CA 96073 (530) 604-2160 michael@mongoliarivers.com www.mongoliarivers.com www.fishmongolia.com Mountain Hardware and Sports Bran Nylund Truckee, CA 96160 (530) 587-4844 Brian.nylund@yahoo.com www.mountainhardwareandsports.com Mike Pease Adventures Mike Pease Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 426-2082 mikepeaseadventures@gmail.com www.mikepeaseadventures.com REYR Gear Derek Roedel Oakland, CA 94601 derek@reyrgear.com www. reyrgear.com Snowbee USA, Inc. William Lin El Monte, CA 91732 info@snowbee-usa.com www.snowbee-usa.com Rodney Strong Vineyards Kim Sayre Healdsburg, CA 95448-9523 (800) 678-4763 www.rodneystrong.com

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Support Trout Unlimited’s Business Members Big Trout Brewing Company Tom and Emily Caldwell Winter Park, CO 80482 (970) 363-7362 bigtroutbrewing@gmail.com www.bigtroutbrewing.com Black Canyon Anglers Matt Bruns Austin, CO 81410 (970) 835-5050 info@blackcanyonanglers.com www.blackcanyonanglers.com Breckenridge Outfitters Breckenridge, CO 80424 (970) 453-4135 info@breckenridgeoutfitters.com www.breckenridgeoutfitters.com Budge’s Wilderness Lodge Nelson Stutzman Gypsum, CO 81637 Cell: 970-230-1386 Lodge: 970-422-1311 (July October) howdy@budgeslodge.com www.budgeslodge.com Campfire Ranch on the Taylor Almont, CO 81210 (833) 226-7227 howdy@campfireranch.co www.campfireranch.co Coldwell Banker Realty Erin Hoover, Realtor Evergreen, CO, 80439 (303) 668-3625 erin@erinmhoover.com www.erinmhoover.com Confluence Casting Jack Bombardier Eagle County, CO 81637 (970) 524-1440 jack@confluencecasting.com www.confluencecasting.com

Trout Creek Outfitters Miles Zimmerman & Scotty Koper Truckee, CA 96161 (530)563-5119 info@troutcreekoutfitters.com www.troutcreekoutfitters.com Wild on the Fly Adventure Travel Kevin Bell Fullerton, CA 92833 (800) 543-0282 marriotts@wildonthefly.com www.wildonthefly.com

COLORADO 5280 Angler Jay Baichi Arvada, CO 80004 (720) 450-7291 info@5280angler.com www.5280angler.com 8200 Mountain Sports Joel Condren South Fork, CO 81154 (719) 873-1977 (800) 873-1977 info@8200sports.com www.8200mountainsports.com Abel Reels Jeff Patterson Montrose, CO 81401 (970) 249-0606 info@abelreels.com www.abelreels.com AGORA Search Group Rob Lauer Colorado Springs, CO 80919 (719) 219-0360 info@agorasearchgroup.com www.agorasearchgroup.com AirFlo USA Jeff Patterson Montrose, CO 81401 (970) 249-0606 jeff@ablereels.com www.airflousa.com Alpacka Raft Mancos, CO 81328 (970) 533-7119 workshop@alpackaraft.com www.alpackaraft.com An Angler’s Bookcase Craig and Catherine Douglass South Fork, CO 81154 (719) 221-9027 books@ananglersbookcase.com www.aabks.com Anglers All Littleton, CO 80120 (303) 794-1104 (800) 327-5014 info@anglersall.com www.anglersall.com

GOLD LEVEL

Cutthroat Anglers

GOLD LEVEL

Angler’s Covey

David Leinweber Colorado Springs, CO 80904 (719) 471-2984 info@anglerscovey.com www.anglerscovey.com Angles Sports Fly Fishing Shop, Classes and Guide Service Longmont, CO 80501 (720) 600-6855 matburditt@gmail.com www.anglessports.com Angling Trade Magazine Tim Romano Boulder, CO 80304 (303) 495-3967 tim@anglingtrade.com www.anglingtrade.com Aspen Outfitting Company Jarrod Hollinger Aspen, CO 81611 (970) 925-3406 contact@aspenoutfitting.com www.aspenoutfitting.com AvidMax Cory Anderson Centennial, CO 80112 (866) 454-5523 customerservice@avidmax.com www.avidmax.com

T R O U T

F A L L

Ben McCormick Silverthorne, CO 80498 (970) 262-2878 anglers@fishcolorado.com www.fishcolorado.com Drifthook Fly Fishing Matthew Bernhardt Westminster, CO 80021 (773) 359-3474 info@drifthook.com www.drifthook.com DiscountFlies Chris Nielsen Castle Rock, CO 80108 (303) 741-4221 support@discountflies.com www.discountflies.com Dotsero River House Chris and Teri Blackstock Gypsum, CO 81637 (720) 289-5857 dotseroriverhouse@gmail.com www.dotseroriverhouse.com Duranglers Flies & Supplies John Flick and Tom Knopick Durango, CO 81301 (970) 385-4081 duranglers@duranglers.com www. duranglers.com Dvorak Fishing and Rafting Expeditions Bill Dvorak Nathrop, CO 81236 (719) 539-6851 (800) 824-3795 info@dvorakexpeditions.com www.dvorakexpeditions.com Eleven Angling Cameron Davenport Crested Butte, CO 81224 (970) 237-5985 cdavenport@elevenangling.com www.ElevenAngling.com Find A Fly Fishing Guide LLC Caiden Boyt Durango, CO 81301 (970) 481-4052 info@findaflyfishingguide.com www.findaflyfishingguide.com

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Fishpond, Inc. Ben Kurtz Denver, CO 80223-1346 (303) 534-3474 benkurtz@fishpondusa www.fishpondusa.com FlowMap Keny Whitright Colorado Springs, CO 80919 (719) 310-9426 keny@wybron.com www.crossroadmotorsport.com FlyWater, Inc. Corey Engen Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 217-3182 corey@flywater.com www.flywater.com

GOLD LEVEL

Freestone Aquatics, Inc.

Clint Packo Littleton, CO 80127 (303) 807-7805 clint@freestoneaquatics.com www.freestoneaquatics.com Front Range Anglers Antonio Rodriguez Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 494-1375 antonio@frontrangeanglers.com www.frontrangeanglers.com JP Fly Fishing Specialties James Pushchak (719) 275-7637 Canon City, CO, 81212 jamespushchak@gmail.com www.jpflyfish.com Kebler Corner - RV Resort Somerset, CO 81434 (970) 929-5029 info@keblercorner.com www.keblercorner.com Alan Kube Fine Bamboo Fly Rods Alan Kube Denver, CO 80223 (303) 378-2365 akubebamboo@yahoo.com L4 Construction Matt Lamar Greeley and Lyons, CO 80540 (970) 628-0047 mlamar@l4construction.com www.l4construction.com Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop Mike Kruise Longmont, CO 80504 (303) 772-9110 laughinggrizzly@comcast.net www. laughinggrizzlyflyshop.com LoKation Real Estate Libby Earthman Longmont, CO 80501 (720) 487-3126 libby@libbyearthman.com www.libbyearthman.com Maia Wealth Mark Candler Denver, CO 80202 (720) 644-8803 info@maiawealth.com www.maiawealth.com Map the Xperience Dan Bryant Edwards, CO 81632 (888) 306-9580 dan@mtxp.net www.mapthexperience.com Montrose Anglers Nolan Egbert Montrose, CO 81401 (970) 249-0408 nolan@montroseanglers.com www.montroseanglers.com Mule Creek Outfitters Larry McCracken Lake George, CO 80827 (719) 748-3250 larry@mulecreekoutfittersco.com www.mulecreekoutfittersco.com North Fork Ranch Guide Service Jeff Poole Shawnee, CO 80475 (303) 478-1349 info@nfrgs.com www.northforkranchguideservice.com

onWater Fly Fishing Patrick Straub Louisville, CO 80027 team@onwaterapp.com www.onwaterapp.com RadoWear Bret Ehret Littleton, CO 80128 (502) 409-3428 radowear@gmail.com www.radowear.com Ramble House Creede Fly Fishing Cole Birdsey Creede, CO 81130 (719) 658-2482 contact@creedeflyfishing.com www.creedeflyfishing.com Ramble Outdoors, Inc. Matt Oesterle Golden, CO 80401-5608 Matt.Oesterle@gmail.com www.ramble.camp

GOLD LEVEL

RepYourWater

Garrison and Corinne Doctor Erie, CO 80516 (303) 717-0267 customerservice@repyourwater.com www.repyourwater.com RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service Ridgway, CO 81432 (970) 626-4460 info@fishrigs.com www.fishrigs.com Ripple Creek Lodge Dan and Kerri Schwartz Meeker, CO 81641 (970) 878-4725 dan@ripplecreeklodge.com www.ripplecreeklodge.com Riversmith John Koza Boulder, CO 80301 (888) 795-1483 info@riversmith.com www.riversmith.com Ross Reels Jeff Patterson Montrose, CO 81401 (970) 249-0606 customersupport@rossreels.com www.rossreels.com The San Juan Angler Cole Glenn Durango, CO 81301 (970) 382-9978 sanjuanangler@gmail.com www.thesanjuanangler.com SaraBella Fishing April Archer Denver, CO 80220 (303) 908-1933 info@sarabellafishing.com www.sarabellafishing.com Scheels All Sports Johnstown, CO 80534 (970) 663-7800 communitycolorado@scheels.com www.scheels.com/johnstown She’s Fly Ft. Collins, CO 80524 (970) 682-4704 info@shesfly.com www.shesfly.com St. Peter’s Fly Shop – Old Town Ft. Collins, CO 80524 (970) 498-8968 shop@stpetes.com www.stpetes.com St. Peter’s Fly Shop – South Ft. Collins, CO 80524 (970) 498-8968 shop@stpetes.com www.stpetes.com Scott Fly Rods Montrose, CO 81401-6302 (970) 249-3180 info@scottflyrod.com www.scottflyrod.com

Seek Outside Angie and Kevin Timm Grand Junction, CO 81504 (970) 208-8108 info@seekoutside.com www.seekoutside.com SET Fly Fishing Kevin Landon Denver, CO 80247 (720) 425-6270 kevin@setflyfishing.com www.setflyfishing.com Steamboat Flyfisher John Spillane Steamboat Springs, CO (970) 879-6552 johnnyspillane@gmail.com www.steamboatflyfisher.com Talon Fishing Company Tallyn Bronson Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 (720) 984-5041 tallyn@talonfishingcompany.com www.talonfishingcompany.com Telluride Outside John Duncan Telluride, CO 81435 (970) 728-3895 fun@tellurideoutside.com www.tellurideoutside.com The Broadmoor Fly Fishing Camp Scott Tarrant Colorado Springs, CO 80906 (719) 476-6800 rbabas@broadmoor.com www.broadmoor.com The Next Eddy Sarah Briam Salida, CO 81201 (719) 530-3024 info@thenexteddy.com www.thenexteddy.com

Willowfly Anglers Three Rivers Resort Almont, CO 81210 (970) 641-1303 fish@3riversresort.com www.3riversresort.com Wolf Creek Anglers, LLC Brad Shallenberger South Fork, CO 81154 (719) 873-1414 info@wolfcreekanglers.com www.wolfcreekanglers.com Zen Tenkara/Zen Fly Fishing Gear Karin Miller Loveland, CO 80538 (970) 412-8392 (844) TENKARA zenflyfishingear@gmail.com www.zenflyfishinggear.com www.zentenkara.com

GOLD LEVEL

Acme Monaco Corporation Lucas Karabin New Britain, CT 06052 (860) 224-1349 acmecorp@acmemonaco.com www.acmemonaco.com Cross Current Insurance Group Pete Sconzo Farmington, CT 06032 (833) 553-2244 pete@crosscurrentinsurance.com www.crosscurrentinsurance.com J. Stockard Fly Fishing Kent, CT 06757 (877) 359-8946 service@jsflyfishing.com www.jsflyfishing.com Shelter Inc. Chip Parrish Newtown, CT 06470 (203) 231-1236 hello@sheltercares.com www.sheltercares.com Urban Lodge Brewing Company Max Dougan Manchester, CT 06040 (860) 791-8100 info@urbanlodgebrewing.com www.urbanlodgebrewing.com

Trout’s Fly Fishing

Tucker Ladd Denver, CO 80218 (303) 733-1434 tucker@troutsflyfishing.com www.troutsflyfishing.com Umpqua Russ Miller Louisville, CO 80027 (303) 567-6696 Umpqua@umpqua.com www.umpqua.com UpRiver Fly Fishing Andrew Maddox Buena Vista, CO 81211 (719) 395-9227 shop@upriverflyfishing.com www.upriverflyfishing.com Uncompahgre River RV Park Mark Hillier Olathe, CO 81425 (970) 323-8706 info@urrvp.com www.urrvp.com

GOLD LEVEL

Upslope Brewing

Henry Wood Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 396-1898 henry@upslopebrewing.com www.upslopebrewing.com Vail Valley Anglers Brett Elkman Edwards, CO 81632 (970) 926-0900 (877) 926-0900 brett@vailvalleyanglers.com www.vailvalleyanglers.com Volpe Law LLC Ben Volpe Parker, CO 80138 (720) 441-3328 ben@volpelawllc.com www.volpelawllc.com Western Anglers Ned Mayers Grand Junction, CO 81501 (970) 244-8658 info@westernanglers.com www.westernanglers.com

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA District Angling Richard Farino Arlington, VA 22207 (703) 268-7500 info@districtangling.com www.districtangling.com Interior Federal Credit Union Washington, DC 20240 Reston, VA 20192 (800) 914-8619 info@interiorfcu.org www.interiorfcu.org Wampold Strategies Merv Wampold, Jr. Washington, DC 20002 (202) 258-6182 merv@wampoldstrategies.com www.wampoldstrategies.com

CONNECTICUT

FLORIDA Captains For Clean Water Daniel Andrews and Chris Wittman Fort Myers, FL 33902 (866) 670-2329 info@captainsforcleanwater.org www.captainsforcleanwater.org FieldCore – A GE Company Tampa, FL 33602 www.fieldcore.com Fresh Catch Coffee Derek and Natalie Edwards St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (724) 771-4372 derek@freshcatchcoffee.com www.freshcatchcoffee.com Recurrent Ventures (Field & Stream, Outdoor Life) Adam Morath Miami, FL 33131 www.recurrent.io

Join American Fly Fishing to find where your next angling adventure awaits, learn about great flies and new gear, keep up on the latest conservation efforts, and reflect on the way of the fly-fishing life. Jefferson River MONTANA

July/August 2023

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 4

Aransas Pass TEXAS

Batten Kill

NEW YORK / VERMONT

Incredible fly-fishing destinations

$7.99 US/CAN • www.americanflyfishing.com

Exposure

Washington on the Dry Side

Pioneers & Legends Ed Shenk

Autumn Offender Page 62

To request a no-obligation issue, subscribe, or give a gift subscription to an fly-fishing friend, visit www.americanflyfishing.com or call 844-251-2652.

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Support Trout Unlimited’s Business Members GEORGIA

IDAHO

Alpharetta Outfitters Jeff Wright Alpharetta, GA 30009 (678) 672-0027 alpharettaoutfitters@yahoo.com www.alpharettaoutfitters.com

GOLD LEVEL

Alaska Wild Caught Seafood

GOLD LEVEL

Atlanta Fly Fishing School

Mack Martin Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 889-5638 mack@mackmartin.com www.atlantaflyfishingschool.com Escape to Blue Ridge LLC, Blue Ridge, GA Pamela Miracle Alpharetta, GA 30023 (866) 618-2521 (706) 413-5321 pamela@escapetoblueridge.com www.EscapetoBlueRidge.com Hulsey Fly Fishing David and Rebecca Hulsey Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513 (770) 639-4001 (706) 838-4252 info@hulseyflyfishing.com www.hulseyflyfishing.com Kioti Outfitters David Smith Athens, GA 30601 (706) 340-1982 kiotioutfitters@gmail.com www.kiotioutfitters.com Noontootla Creek Farms Emily Owenby Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (706) 838-0585 (voice) (706) 809-6055 (text) emily@ncfga.com www.ncfga.net North Georgia Trout Fishing, LLC Joe DiPietro Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (706) 851-4001 FanninTrout@gmail.com www.NorthGeorgiaTroutFishing.com Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (706) 374-4239 shannen@oysterbamboo.com www.oysterbamboo.com Redd’s Flies Jordan Redd Atlanta, GA 30305 (404) 202-4692 jordanredd590@gmail.com www.reddsflies.com Reel Em In Guide Service James Bradley Ellijay, GA 30536 (706) 273-0764 jbradley@ellijay.com www.reeleminguideservice.com River Through Atlanta Guide Service Chris Scalley Roswell, GA 30075 (770) 650-8630 chrisscalley@bellsouth.net www.riverthroughatlanta.com SweetWater Brewing Company Brian Miesieski Atlanta, GA 30324 (404) 691-2537 info@sweetwaterbrew.com www.sweetwaterbrew.com

GOLD LEVEL

Unicoi Outfitters

Jake Darling Helen, GA 30545 (706) 878-3083 flyfish@unicoioutfitters.com www.unicoioutfitters.com Unicoi Outfitters General Store Jake Darling Clarkesville, GA 30523 (706) 754-0203 flyfish@unicoioutfitters.com www.unicoioutfitters.com

T R O U T

F A L L

Matthew Luck Ketchum, ID 83340 (208) 720-4226 matt@alaskawildcaughtseafood.net www.alaskawildcaughtseafood.net The Bent Rod Outdoors Greg and Cheri Webster Challis, ID 83226 (208) 879-2500 thebentrod@custertel.net www.thebentrod.com Decked, LLC Matt Hardinge Ketchum, ID 83340 (203) 979-5555 mhardinge@decked.com www.decked.com Elevate Fly Fishing Trevor Sheehan Boise, ID 83703 (208) 514-7788 trevor@elevateflyfishing.com www.elevateflyfishing.com Healy Law PLLC Chris Healy Salmon, ID 83467 (208) 450-5788 cjh@chrishealylaw.com www.chrishealylaw.com Henry’s Fork Anglers Mike Lawson Island Park, ID, 83429 (208) 558-7525 info@henrysforkanglers.com www.henrysforkanglers.com Henry’s Fork Lodge Jamie Short Island Park, ID 83429 (208) 558-7953 info@henrysforklodge.com www.henrysforklodge.com Karmik Outdoors Robert Gillingham Boise, ID 83712 (205) 999-8733 info@karmikoutdoors.com www.karmikoutdoors.com The Lodge at Palisades Creek

Justin Hays Irwin, ID 83428 (866) 393-1613 palisades@tlapc.com www.tlapc.com The McCall Angler Reba Brinkman McCall, ID 83638 (208) 315-6445 info@themccallangler.com www.themccallangler.com New Phase Inc. Daniel Stark Shelley, ID 83274 (208) 523-2565 (800) 245-6752 dan@newphaseinc.com www.newphaseinc.com Northwest Outfitters Mike Beard Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 (208) 667-2707 info@nwoutfitters.com www.nwoutfitters.com Northwest River Supplies, Inc. (NRS) Mark Deming Moscow, ID 83843 (877) 677-4327 service@nrs.com www.nrs.com Quadrant Consulting Steve Sweet Boise, ID 83705 (208) 342-0091 steve@quadrant.cc www.quadrant.cc RIO Products Idaho Falls, ID 83402 (800) 553-0838 rio@rioproducts.com www.rioproducts.com

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KANSAS

River Structures Consulting Christopher Boyd Boise, ID 83706 (208) 819-0808 chris@riverstructures.com www.riverstructures.com RIVHAB Engineering Design Jeanne McFall Eagle, ID 83616 (208) 401-6129 jeanne@rivhab.net www.rivhab.net Silver Creek Outfitters Terry Ring Ketchum, ID 83340 (208) 726-5282 office@silver-creek.com www.silver-creek.com South Fork Lodge & Outfitters Zach Peyton / Guide Manager Swan Valley, ID 83449 (208) 483-2112 fish@southforklodge.com www.southforklodge.com StreamTech Boats Link Jackson Boise, ID 83703 (208) 869-7384 info@streamtechboats.com www.streamtechboats.com Tight Line Media Kris Millgate Idaho Falls, ID 83405-0242 (208) 709-0309 kris@tightlinemedia.com www.tightlinemedia.com Trout Jousters, LLC Travis Swartz Meridian, ID 83646 (208) 283-1780 travis@troutjousters.com www.hankpatterson.com

Great Blue Heron Outdoors Robert Marsh Lawrence, KS 66044 (785) 856-5656 info@gbh-outdoors.com www.greatblueheronoutdoors.com K & K Flyfishers Kevin Kurz Overland Park, KS 66212 (913) 341-8118 (800) 795-8118 sales@kkflyfisher.com www.kkflyfisher.com

MAINE Appalachian Mountain Club Maine Wilderness Lodges Jenny Ward Greenville, ME 04441 (207) 695-3085 jward@outdoors.org www.outdoors.org Chandler Lake Camps and Lodge Jason and Sherry Bouchard North Maine Woods, ME 04732 (207) 731-8938 info@chandlerlakecamps.com www.chandlerlakecamps.com Eldredge Bros Fly Shop & Guide Service Jim Bernstein Cape Neddick , ME 03902 (877) 427-9345 info@eldredgeflyshop.com www.eldredgeflyshop.com HMH Vises Jon Larrabee Biddeford, ME 04005 T: (207) 729-5200 F: (207) 729-5292 jon@hmhvises.com www.hmhvises.com Sam Lambert Keller Williams Realty Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 522-7728 samlambertrealestate@gmail.com L.L.Bean Inc. Mac McKeever Freeport, ME 04033-0002 (207) 865-4761 www.llbean.com Rangeley Region Sports Shop Brett Damm Rangeley, ME 04970 (207) 864-5615 rangeleyflyshop@gmail.com www.rangeleyflyshop.com

GOLD LEVEL

WorldCast Anglers

Mike Dawkins Victor, ID 83455 (800) 654-0676 gofish@worldcastanglers.com www.worldcastanglers.com

ILLINOIS HeadWater Guides Danny Zagorski Lockport, IL 60441 (847) 997-2891 www.headwaterguides.com team@headwaterguides.com Sankoty Lakes Resort Shawn Dixon Spring Bay, IL 61611 Direct (309) 570-1111 Mobile (309) 265-8270 sdixon@sankotylakes.com www.sankotylakes.com

Cheeky Fishiing Ted Upton (339) 707-3017 North Adams, MA 01247 getcheeky@cheekyfishing.com www.cheekyfishing.com High Hook Oregon Wines T. Mark Seymour Leverett, MA 01054 (413) 218-0638 mark@fishhookvineyards.com www.fishhookvineyards.com Overwatch Outpost Charles Ricko Charlemont, MA 01339 (413) 339-8800 Overwatch@verizon.net www.overwatch-outpost.com Swift River Fly Fishing Rick Taupier New Salem, MA 01355 (413) 230-1262 swiftriverflyfishing@earthlink.com www.swiftriverflyfishing.com Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods Neville Orsmond Greenfield, MA 01301 (413) 475-3840 info@thomasandthomas.com wwww.thomasandthomas.com Vedavoo Scott Hunter Lancaster, MA 01523 (307) 399-0780 campfire@vedavoo.com www.vedavoo.com Wild Soul River, LLC Justin Adkins Williamstown, MA 01267 (413) 597-1172 info@wildsoulriver.com www. wildsoulriver.com Wingo Outdoors Ted Upton (339) 707-3017 North Adams, MA 01247 info@wingooutdoors.com www.wingooutdoors.com The Wooden Fly Bart Estes Easthampton, MA 01027 (413) 588-1125 bartestes42@yahoo.com www.etsy.com/shop/TheWoodenFly

MICHIGAN

876 Baldwin Restaurant Paul Santoro Baldwin, MI 49304 (231) 791-5876 psantoro@876baldwin.com MARYLAND www.876baldwin.com Rich Dennison Fly Fishing Au Sable River Guide Service Rich Dennison Captain Tom Quail Parkville, MD 21234 Lake Orion, MI 48360 (443) 668-3535 (248) 495-2615 richdennisonflyfishing@gmail.com ausableriverguideservice@gmail.com www.richdennisonflyfishing.com www.ausableriverguideservice.com Ecotone, Inc. Baldwin Bait and Tackle Scott McGill Steve Fraley and John Karakashian Forest Hill, MD 21050 Baldwin, MI 49304 (410) 420-2600 (231) 745-3529 chall@ecotoneinc.com fishbaldwin@hotmail.com www.ecotoneinc.com www.fishbaldwin.com Flys in Disguise Country Anglers Bryan Donoway Jac Ford Jarrettsville, MD 21084 Saginaw, MI 48609 (443) 567-0663 (989) 280-3238 info@flysindisguise.com canglers@aol.com www.flysindisguise.com www.countryanglers.com Resource Restoration Group, LLC The Gremel Group Tracys Landing, MD 20779 Andrew Gremel info@rrgroup.us Belmont, MI 49306 www.rrgroup.us (616) 874-2200 Savage River Lodge andy@gremelgroup.com Mike Dreisbach www.gremelgroup.com Frostburg, MD 21532 HFF Custom Rods (301) 689-3200 Steven Haywood mike@savageriverlodge.com Taylor, MI 48180 www.savageriverlodge.com stevenh@hffcustomrods.com www.hffcustomrods.com MASSACHUSETTS Indigo Guide Service BlueLines Fly Fishing Kevin Morlock Andrew Morgens Branch, MI 49402 Sherborn, MA 01770 (231) 613-5099 (508) 330-8080 indigoguidekevin@gmail.com andrew@bluelinesflyfishing.com www.indigoguideservice.com www.bluelinesflyfishing.com

IOWA The Kelley Group Co. Chris Kelley Hull, IA 51239 (712) 746-6500 chris@gotkg.com www.gotkg.com Pescador on the Fly Jeff Ditsworth West Des Moines, IA 50266 (515) 240-6774 info@pescadoronthefly.com www.pescadoronthefly.com Rod and Rivet Kevin Hansen Des Moines, IA 50322 (515) 314-7228 kevin@rodandrivet.com www.rodandrivet.com Trout Buddy Driftless Guides Mike Warren La Crosse, WI 54601 (608) 792-2521 Mike@TroutBuddy.com www.TroutBuddy.com Wilderness Lite LLC Phillip Hayes Maurice, IA 51036 wildernesslite@gmail.com www.wildernesslitefloattubes.com

J. A. Henry Rod and Reel Company Andrew Mitchell Rockford, MI 49341 j.a.henryusa@gmail.com www.jahenryusa.com Steve Lynch Wealth Management Stephen Lynch Albuquerque, NM, 87110 (888) 881-7526 stephenclynch@aol.com www.stevelynchwealth.com Red Moose Lodge Cast Away Guide Service Clint and Debi Anderson Baldwin, MI 49304 (231) 745-6667 info@redmooselodge.com www.redmooselodge.com www.castawayguideservice.com MothBear Outfitters Tylor Witulski Alpena, MI 49707 (989) 884-3288 www.mothbear.com support@mothbear.com Muskegon River Inn Jay Allen Guide Service Jay Allen Newaygo, MI 49337 (307) 690-2962 guidejayallen@gmail.com www.muskegonriverinn.com North Rivers Lodge Joe Neumann Luther, MI 49656 (231) 266-6014 northriverslodge@gmail.com www.northriverslodge.com Northern Lights Guide Service John and Trish Kluesing Baldwin, MI 49304 (231) 745-3792 jtkluesing@gmail.com Oshki Jackson Riegler Muskegon, MI 49441 (231) 955-1392 jackson@oshki.us www.oshki.us Pere Marquette River Lodge Frank Willetts Baldwin, MI 49304 (231) 745-3972 staff@pmlodge.com www.pmlodge.com PM Trailhead Lodge Bonnie Price Baldwin, MI 49304 (810) 247-0972 pmtrailheadlodge@gmail.com www.pmtrailheadlodge.com Salmo Java Roasters Fred Taber Kalamazoo, MI 49048 (269) 806-6829 salmojava@gmail.com https://salmojavaroasters.com/ Tight Lines Digital Dave DeJonge Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (616) 437-0472 dave@tightlinesdigital.com www.tightlinesdigital.com Upper Peninsula Concrete Pipe Co. Gabriel Kloet Escanaba, MI 49829 (906) 786-0934 gkloet@upconcretepipe.net. www.upconcretepipe.net Village Eyecare Company Darren Smarch Clarkston, MI 48346 (248) 625-3500 info@villageeyecareclarkston.com www.villageeyecareclarkston.com

MINNESOTA The Driftless Fly Fishing Company Melvin Hayner Preston, MN, 55965-1096 (507) 765-4915 melvin@minnesotaflyfishing.com www.minnesotaflyfishing.com

Make 2024 the year you check the Bighorn from your fishing bucket list!

$1795

FlyFishFinder Andrew Boeddeker Rochester, MN 55901 (507) 363-1715 andrew@flyfishfinder.com www.flyfishfinder.com Honor Dental Dr. Andrew Greenslade Rochester, MN 55901 (507) 288-1101 honordental@outlook.com www.honordentalrochester.com Namebini Carl Haensel and Jade Thomason Duluth, MN 55804 (218) 525-2381 info@namebini.com www.namebini.com Rose Creek Anglers Rich Femling Roseville, MN 55113 (763) 807-5878 rich@rose-creek.com www.rose-creek.com Solid Rock Masonry Eric Moshier Duluth, MN 55803 (218) 343-2978 info@solidrockmasonry.com www.solidrockmasonry.com Trout Buddy Driftless Guides Mike Warren La Crosse, WI 54601 (608) 792-2521 Mike@TroutBuddy.com www.TroutBuddy.com TroutRoutes Zachary Pope Columbia Heights, MN 55421 (612) 965-8039 zpope@troutinsights.com www.troutinsights.com

Bob White Studio Bob White Marine on Saint Croix, MN 55047 (651) 433-4168 bob@bobwhitestudio.com www.bobwhitestudio.com

MONTANA Absaroka Beartooth Outfitters, Inc. Cameron S. Mayo Big Timber, MT 59011 (406) 579-3866 cameron@aboadventures.com www.aboadventures.com Alphagraphics Missoula Troy Peissig Missoula, MT 59801 tpeissig@alphagraphics.com www.alphagraphics.com Alpine Foot and Ankle Clinic Dr. Gregg Neibauer Missoula, MT 59801 (406) 721-4007 www.alpinefoot.com Dan Bailey’s Outdoor Company Dale Sexton Livingston, MT 59047 (406) 222-1673 info@danbaileys.com www.danbaileys.com Bauer Fly Reels Jeff Evans Twin Bridges, MT 59754 (406) 684-5674 jevans@winstonrods.com www.bauerflyreels.org Beartooth Flyfishing Dan and Nancy Delekta Cameron, MT 59720 (406) 682-7525 info@beartoothflyfishing.com www.beartoothflyfishing.com

Big Hole Lodge Craig Fellin Wise River, MT 59762 (406) 832-3252 info@bigholelodge.com www.bigholelodge.com Bighorn Fly and Tackle Shop Duane Schreiner Fort Smith, MT 59035 (888) 665-1321 bighornfly@gmail.com www.bighornfly.com Big Sky Anglers Justin Spence West Yellowstone, MT 59758 (406) 646-7801 info@bigskyanglers.com www.bigskyanglers.com

GOLD LEVEL

Blackfoot River Outfitters, Inc.

John Herzer and Terri Raugland Missoula, MT 59808 (406) 542-7411 trout@blackfootriver.com www.blackfootriver.com Bozeman Real Estate Group Keegan Latta Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 587-1717 keegan@bozemanrealestate.group www.bozemanrealestate.group Casting for Recovery, Inc. Faye Nelson Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 624-6583 www.castingforrecovery.org info@castingforrecovery.org Complete Fly Fisher Jim Reilly Wise River, MT 59762 (406) 832-3175 jim@cffmontana.com www.completeflyfisher.com

CrossCurrents Fly Shop Chris Strainer Craig, MT 59648 (406) 235-3433 crosscurrentsflyshop@gmail.com www.crosscurrents.com CrossCurrents Fly Shop Chris Strainer Helena, MT 59601 (406) 449-2292 crosscurrentsflyshop@gmail.com www.crosscurrents.com Damsel Fly Fishing Lynae Axelson and Kara Tripp Belgrade, MT 59714 (406) 274-1997 lynae@damselflyfishing.com www.damselflyfishing.com Fay Ranches Greg Fay Bozeman, MT 59715 406-586-4001 info@fayranches.com www.fayranches.com Flint Creek Outdoors Matthew Churchman Philipsburg, MT 59858 (406) 859-9500 matthew@blackfootriver.com www.flintcreekcoutdoors.com Gallatin River Lodge Steve Gamble Bozeman, MT 59718 (888) 387-0148 sgamble@grlodge.com www.grlodge.com Glacier Anglers Mike Cooney West Glacier, MT 59936 (406) 888-5454 info@glacierraftco.com www.glacieranglers.net

Steven E. Goodson, PLLC Steven E Goodson Boulder, MT 59632 stevegoodsonmt@gmail.com Glacier Excavating Bob Cuffe Eureka, MT 59917 (406) 297-3155 glacierexcavating@hotmail.com www.glacierexcavating.com Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop Brendan Bannigan Missoula, MT 59802 (406) 721-8996 (800) 297-8996 info@grizzlyhackle.com www.grizzlyhackle.com Grossenbacher Photo Brian Grossenbacher Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 581-4159 photos@grossenbacherphoto.com www.grossenbacherphoto.com

GOLD LEVEL

Healing Waters Lodge

Mike and Laura Geary Twin Bridges, MT 59754 (406) 684-5960 hwlodge@gmail.com www.hwlodge.com Hubbard’s Yellowstone Lodge Nancy Hubbard Emigrant, MT 59027 (406) 848-7755 nancy@hubya.com www.hubbardslodge.com Lakestream Fly Shop Justin Lawrence Whitefish, MT (406) 862-1298 www.lakestream.com info@lakestream.com

Lary’s Fly & Supply Hilary Hutcheson Columbia Falls, MT 59912 (406) 897-3357 outsidehilary@gmail.com larysflyandsupply@gmail.com Facebook.com/larysflyandsupply

GOLD LEVEL

Linehan Outfitting Company

Tim Linehan Troy, MT 59935 (800) 596-0034 info@fishmontana.com www.fishmontana.com Long Outfitting Matthew A. Long Livingston, MT 59047 (406) 220-6775 info@longoutfitting.com www.longoutfitting.com Madison Valley Ranch, LLC Manu Redmond Ennis, MT 59729 (800) 891-6158 mvr@3rivers.net www.madisonvalleyranch.com LV Wood James and Tara Caroll Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 624-7273 west@lvwood.com www.lvwood.com Denny Menholt Honda Matt Smith Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 587-0761 matts@dennymenholthonda.com www.dennymenholthonda.com Missoulian Angler Taylor Scott Missoula, MT 59801 (406) 728-7766 info@missoulianangler.com www.missoulianangler.com

T R O U T

F A L L

2 0 2 3

Support Trout Unlimited’s Business Members Montana Angler Fly Fishing Brian McGeehan Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 522-9854 business (406) 570-0453 cell brian@montanaangler.com www.montanaangler.com Montana Angling Company Max Yzaguirre Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 579-9553 info@montanaanglingco.com www.montanaanglingco.com Montana Fishing Outfitters Garrett Munson Helena, MT 59601 (406) 431-5089 heymfo@montanafishingoutfitters.com www.montanafishingoutfitters.com Montana Fly Company Jake Chutz Columbia Falls, MT 59912 (406) 892-9112 jake@montanafly.com www.montanafly.com Montana Fly Fishing Lodge Lincoln Powers Billings, MT 59106 (406) 780-0015 info@montanaflyfishinglodge.com www.montanaflyfishinglodge.com Montana Troutfitters Justin King Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 587-4707 mttrout@troutfitters.com www.troutfitters.com Montana Trout Stalkers Joe Dilschneider Ennis, MT 59729 (406) 581-5150 joe@montanatrout.com www.montanatrout.com Outdoor Guide Association Mollie Simpkins Bozeman, MT 59771 (406) 404-4655 info@outdoorguideassociation.com www.outdoorguideassociation.com PRO Outfitters Brandon Boedecker Helena, MT 59624 (406) 442-5489 pro@prooutfitters.com www.prooutfitters.com The Ranch at Rock Creek Patrick Little Philipsburg, MT 59858 (406) 859-6027 (877) 786-1545 welcome@theranchatrockcreek.com www.theranchatrockcreek.com The River’s Edge Dan Lohmiller Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 586-5373 info@theriversedge.com www.theriversedge.com The River’s Edge West Dan Lohmiller Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 284-2401 info@theriversedgewest.com www.theriversedge.com Riverside Anglers, Inc. Alice Owsley MT Outfitter #9435 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 (406) 640-1698 riversideanglers@gmail.com www.riversideanglers.com Royal Bighorn Club Dan Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 dan@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com Ruby Springs Lodge Paul Moseley Sheridan, MT 59749 (406) 842-5250 info@rubyspringslodge.com www.rubyspringslodge.com

T R O U T

F A L L

Dan Rust State Farm Insurance Dan Rust Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 587-8287 dan.rust.b60w@statefarm.com School of Trout Todd Tanner Bigfork, MT 59911 (406) 792-5545 finn@schooloftrout.com www.schooloftrout.com SCS Wraps Steve Miller Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 585-2635 info@scswraps.com www.scswraps.com Simms Diane Bristol Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 585-3557 info@simms.com www.simmsfishing.com Skwala Fishing Rich Hohne Bozeman, MT 59715 (833) 523-1500 rich@skwalafishing.com www.skwalafishing.com Sportsman and Ski Haus Grant Dickson Kalispell, MT 59901 (406) 755-6484 gdickson@crowninc.com www.sportsmanskihaus.com Stillwater Anglers Outfitters Chris Fleck Columbus, MT 59109 (406) 322-4977 info@stillwateranglers.com www.stillwateranglers.com Stockman Bank – Bozeman Paul Pahut Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 556-4100 paul.pahut@stockmanbank.com www.stockmanbank.com Stockman Bank – Missoula Bob Burns Missoula, MT 59801 (406) 258-1401 bburns@stockmanbank.com www.stockmanbank.com Sweetwater Fly Shop Dan Gigone Livingston, MT 59047 (406) 222-9393 dan@sweetwaterflyshop.com www.sweetwaterflyshop.com Sweetwater Travel Company Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 dan@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com The Tackle Shop John Way Ennis, MT 59729 (406) 682-4263 john@thetackleshop.com www.thetackleshop.com TicketPrinting.com Lance Trebesch Bozeman, MT 59715 (888) 771-0809 support@ticketprinting.com www.ticketprinting.com Total Outfitters Randy MacLean Lolo, MT 59847 (406) 493-1502 info@total-outfitters.com www.total-outfitters.com Toyota of Bozeman Jayden Schaap Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 551-6642 marketing@resslermotors.com www.toyotaofbozemancom Triple-M-Outfitters Mark Faroni Dixon, MT 59831 (406) 246-3249 mark@triplemoutfitters.com www.triplemoutfitters.com

2 0 2 3

TroutChasers Lodge and Fly Fishing Outfitters Jason and Julie Fleury Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 763-9049 jason@montanatroutchasers.com www.montanatroutchasers.com Trout On The Fly Nate Stevane Outfitter #8533 Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 580-7370 nate@montanatroutonthefly.com www.montanatroutonthefly.com TroutRoutes Zachary Pope Columbia Heights, MN 55421 (612) 965-8039 zpope@troutinsights.com www.troutinsights.com Trout Scapes River Restoration, LLC Brian Cowden Bozeman, MT 59715 (201) 230-3383 bcowden@troutscapes.com www.troutscapes.com Trxstle 2915 Broadwater Avenue Helena, MT 59602 (360) 481-8216 sales@trxstle.com www.trxstle.com Wild Montana Anglers Mark Fuller Martin City, MT 59926 (406) 261-4343 mark@wildmontanaanglers.com www.wildmontanaanglers.com R.L. Winston Rod Company Adam Hutchison Twin Bridges, MT 59754 (406) 684-5674 ahutchison@winstonrods.com www.winstonrods.com Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, LLC Bozeman, MT 59715-4630 (406) 585-8667 info@yellowdogflyfishing.com www.yellowdogflyfishing.com Yellowstone River Outfitters Brogan Ballard Livingston, MT 59047 (406) 531-1838 yellowstoneriveroutfitters@gmail.com www.yellowstoneriveroutfitters.com Yellowstone Traditions, Inc. Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 587-0968 info@yellowstonetraditions.com www.yellowstonetraditions.com

NEVADA Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Kaley Chapin Elko, NV 89803 (775) 738-9214 nca@nevadabeef.org www.nevadacattlemen.org Outlaw Rod Company Anthony Saling Sparks, NV 89431 (775) 636-2945 anthony_saling@yahoo.com www.outlawrodco.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE Hobbs Brewing Company Ossipee, NH 03814 (603) 539-3795 info@hobbsbeer.com www.hobbsbeer.com Schilling Beer Company Jeff Cozzens Littleton, NH 03561 (603) 444-4800 jeff@schillingbeer.com www.schillingbeer.com Stone River Outfitters 1 State Route 101A, Unit 1 Amherst, NH 03031 (603) 472-3191 (800) 331-8558 sales@stoneriveroutfitters.com www.stoneriveroutfitters.com

NEW JERSEY The Perfect Cast Tracey Clarke Oldwick, NJ 08858 (646) 522-3426 Tlw@theperfectcast.com www.theperfectcast.com Ramsey Outdoor Marty Brennan Succasunna, NJ 07876 (973) 584-7798 mbrennan@ramseyoutdoor.com www.ramseyoutdoor.com South Branch Outfitters Abraham and Lindsey Beates Califon, NJ 07830 (908) 867-8067 info@sboutfitters.com www.sboutfitters.com Suburban Fly Fishers Tim Glynn Maplewood, NJ 07040 (973) 220-3031 timothyglynn@verizon.net www.suburbanflyfishers.com Tightline Productions Tim and Joan Flagler Califon, NJ 07830 (908) 832-6677 tightlineproductions@comcast.net www.tightlinevideo.com Wise Wader Fly Fishing Paul F Ruzzo III Blairstown, NJ 07825 (732) 481-2335 WiseWaderFlyFishing.com www.WiseWaderFF@gmail.com

NEW MEXICO Chama Trails Motel Austin and Karlee Phippen Chama, NM 87520 (575) 756-2156 chamatrails@windstream.net www.chamatrailsmotel.com FishSki Provisions Rob and Tania McCormack Alcalde, NM 87566 (720) 442-0814 fishski@fishskiprovisions.com www.fishskiprovisions.com Fly Fishing Outpost Santa Fe, NM 87506 (505) 629-5688 trout@loeflyfishing.com www.flyfishingoutpost.com High Country Anglers Doc Thompson Northern New Mexico (575) 376-9220 doct@flyfishnewmexico.com www.flyfishnewmexico.com Land of Enchantment Guides Noah Parker Velarde, NM 87582 (505) 629-5688 trout@loeflyfishing.com www.loeflyfishing.com Questa Economic Development Fund Lindsay Mapes (575) 586-2149 lindsay@questaedf.com Rezo Systems Marc Harell Taos, NM 87571 (505) 603-1342 info@rezosystems.com www.rezosystems.com A. Rubey Rod Company Andy Rubey Corrales, NM 87048 (614) 546-7828 andy@rubeyrods.com www.rubeyrods.com Steve Lynch Wealth Management Stephen Lynch Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505) 881-7526 stephenclynch@aol.com www.stevelynchwealth.com

The Reel Life Ivan Valdez Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 995-8114 info@thereellife.com www.thereellife.com Rio Grande del Norte Outfitters, LLC Chris Michael Questa, NM 87556 (575) 776-6216 hcadventurescm@gmail.com Facebook: Rio Grande del Norte Outfitters, LLC Instagram: Rio Grande del Norte Outfitters, LLC

GOLD LEVEL

Taos Fly Shop

Nick Streit Taos, NM 87571 (575) 751-1312 info@taosflyshop.com www.taosflyshop.com Vermejo Park Ranch James Reidy Raton, NM 87740 (575) 445-3097 james.reidy@vermejo.com www.vermejoparkranch.com Watershed Artisans Craig Sponholtz Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 577-9625 watershedartisans@gmail.com www.watershedartisans.com Where the River Runs Gregg Flores Albuquerque, NM 87105 (505) 203-6799 greggjflores@gmail.com www.wheretheriverruns.com

NEW YORK Black Dog Outdoor Sports Target Sports Steve Borst Glenville, New York 12302 (518) 355-8923 www.blackdogsports.com Dette Flies Livingston Manor, NY 12758 (845) 439-1166 flyshop@detteflies.com www.detteflies.com Douglas Outdoors David Barclay Phoenix, NY 13135 (315) 695-2000 info@douglasoutdoors.com www.douglasoutdoors.com Fly on the Water Allen Rupp New York, NY 10023 (872) 205-9211 allen@flyonthewater.com www.flyonthewater.com Joshua D. Hendrickson LCSW, PLLC Wading River, NY 11792 (631) 449-7904 joshua.hendrickson@ficrli.com www.ficrli.com High Peaks Adirondack Outfitters Brian and Karen Delaney Lake Placid, NY 12946 (518) 532-3764 info@highpeakscyclery.com www.highpeakscyclery.com North Flats Guiding Captain David Blinken East Hampton, NY 10028 (917) 975-0912 northflatsguiding@gmail.com www.northflats.com Old Souls James and Tara Caroll Cold Spring, NY 10516 (845) 809-5886 hello@oldsouls.com www.oldsouls.com Orvis Retail Store–Buffalo Adam Cook Williamsville, NY 14221 (480) 905-1400 cooka@orvis.com www.orvis.com/buffalo

Orvis Retail Store–Rochester Jim Wallace Rochester, NY 14618 (585) 586-3956 Retail-rochestermgr697@orvis.com www.orvis.com/rochester Remote Control Media Jordan Harvey New York, NY 10001 (646) 761-6664 info@remotecontrol.media www.remotecontrol.media Tailwater Lodge Brian Benner Altmar, NY 13302 (315) 298-3435 bbenner@tailwaterlodge.com www.tailwaterlodge.com Merrill L. Thomas, Inc. Jonathan Gorgas Bloomingdale, NY, 12913 (518) 637-2873 jonnygorgo@gmail.com www.adirondackestates.com

NORTH CAROLINA Anchor Fly Eric Carter-Spurio Asheville, NC 28806 (828) 490-9077 eric@anchorfly.com www.anchorfly.com Brookings Anglers Matt Canter Cashiers, NC 28717 (828) 743-3768 info@brookingsonline.com www.brookingsonline.com Coastal Cottages Mark Milby Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 obxcottageplans@gmail.com Davidson River Outfitters Kevin Howell Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 (828) 877-4181 (888) 861-0111 davidsonrivr@infoave.net www.davidsonflyfishing.com Ecosystem Services, LLC Kip Mumaw Asheville, NC 28801 (540) 239-1428 kip@ecosystemservices.us www.ecosystemservices.us Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company Winston-Salem, NC 27101 (336) 999-8945 info@fiddlinfish.com www.fiddlinfish.com Hunter Banks Company Frank Smith Asheville, NC 28801 (828) 252-3005 staff@hunterbanks.com www.hunterbanks.com Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions Will Lillard Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 (828) 577-8204 info@lillardflyfishing.com www.lillardflyfishing.com Nantahala River Lodge Mickey and Annette Youmans Topton, NC 28781 (912) 596-4360 (800) 470-4718 mickey@nantahalariverlodge.net www.nantahalariverlodge.net Pesca Muerta Winston Salem, NC 27104 (336) 355-4561 info@pescamuerta.com www.pescamuerta.com Pisgah Outdoors Heath Cartee Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 (828) 577-3277 heath@pisgahoutdoors.com www.pisgahoutdoors.com Primavera Leathers Evenlight Eagles Blowing Rock, NC 28605 (828) 773-6256 evenlighteagles@gmail.com www.primaveraleathers.com

Whitetail Fly Tieing Supplies Nancy Richardson Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (630) 294-2947 nancy.richardson55@gmail.com www.whitetailflytieing.com

OHIO BEG Group LLC Joseph Greco Atlantic, OH 16111 (724) 681-4414 joe@greco.tc www.thefacilitators.net Outtech Leah Wallenhorst Aurora, OH 44202 (330) 562-9929 lwallenhorst@outtech-online.com www.outtech-online.com Time Timer, LLC David Rogers Cincinnati, OH 45243 (877) 771-8463 dave@timetimer.com www.timetimer.com Wildwood Anglers Bradley Dunkle Sylvania, OH 43560 (419) 540-8585 brad@wildwoodanglers.com www.wildwoodanglers.com

OREGON Alpine Archery and Fly John Appleton La Grande, OR 97850 (541) 963-4671 alpinearcheryllc@gmail.com www.alpinearcheryandfly.com

GOLD LEVEL

The Caddis Fly Angling Shop

Chris Daughters Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 505-8061 caddiseug@yahoo.com www.caddisflyshop.com The Fly Fishing Shop Mark Bachmann Welches, OR 97067 (503) 781-6468 flyfish@flyfishusa.com www.flyfishusa.com Fly Water Travel Ashland, OR 97520 (800) 552-2729 info@flywatertravel.com www.flywatertravel.com Loon Outdoors Brett Zundel Alan Peterson Ashland, OR 97520 (800) 580-3811 service@loonoutdoors.com www.loonoutdoors.us Minam Store Outfitters Grant Richie Wallowa, OR 97885 (541) 431-1111 grant.minam@gmail.com www.minamstore.com Paul’s Pipes Paul Menard Bend, OR 97703 info@paulspipes.com www.paulspipes.com The Rogue Angler Mark Koenig Eugene, OR 97402 (800) 949-5163 customerservice@therogueangler.com www.therogueangler.com Royal Treatment Fly Fishing Joel La Follette West Linn, OR 97068 (503) 850-4397 joel@royaltreatmentflyfishing.com www.royaltreatmentflyfishing.com Sawyer Paddles and Oars Zac Kauffman Gold Hill, OR 97525 (541) 535-3606 zac@paddlesandoars.com www.paddlesandoars.com

Soul River Runs Deep Chad Brown Portland, OR 97217 (503) 954-7625 chad@soulriverrunsdeep.com www.soulriverrunsdeep.com The Wet Fly Swing Podcast (971) 220-1093 dave@wetflyswing.com wetflyswing.com

PENNSYLVANIA Adventure Explorations 101 Front Street, Suite 1 Boiling Springs, PA 17007 (240) 394-0442 cody@adventureexplorations.com www.adventureexplorations.com ARIPPA Jaret Gibbons & Cristy Sweeney Camp Hill, PA 17011 (717) 763-7635 jgibbons@arippa.org csweeney@arippa.org www.arippa.org Aquatic Resource Restoration Lee Irwin New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 428-9368 lee@arrc1.com www.arrc1.com Arnot Sportsmen’s Assoc., Inc Ron Signor Arnot, PA 16911 (570) 638-2985 sms2333@PTD.NET Cross Current Guide Service and Outfitters Joe Demalderis Starlight, PA 18461 (914) 475-6779 crosscurrent@optonline.net www.crosscurrentguideservice.com Drop Tine Taxidermy LLC Mason Farnell Albrightsville, PA 18210 (570) 983-4054 droptinepa@outlook.com Fish Gods Tyler Waltenbaugh and Hunter Klobucar Edinboro, PA 16412 (724) 681-4771 fishgodsco@gmail.com www.fishgods.co Flyway Excavating, Inc. Bradford Clubb Lilitz, PA 17543 (717) 560-0731 bclubb@flywayexcavating.com www.flywayexcavating.com The Forest Lake Club Colleen Van Horn Hawley, PA 18428 (570) 685-7171 gm@forestlakeclub.net www. forestlakeclub.net Gleim Environmental Group Stephanie Rider Carlisle, PA 17013 (717) 258-4630 srider@jwgleim.com www.jwgleim.com Gorski Engineering Jerry Gorski Collegeville, PA 19426 (610 489-9131 jgorski@gorskiengineering.com www.gorskiengineering.com Jim’s Sports Center Terry Malloy Clearfield, PA 16830 (814) 765-3582 terry@jimssports.com www.jimssports.com The Lodge at Glendorn Shane Appleby Bradford, PA 16701 (814) 362-6511 sappleby@glendorn.com www.glendorn.com The Lodge at Woodloch Josh Heath Hawley, PA 18428 (800) 966-3562 jheath@thelodgeatwoodloch.com www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com

RHODE ISLAND

McConkey Insurance and Benefits Steven Buterbaugh York, PA 17402 (717) 755-9266 info@ekmmcconkey.com www.ekmcconkey.com Milestone Financial Associates David S. Coult, CFP® Macungie, PA 18062 (610) 421-8777 dcoult@milestonefa.com www.milestonefa.com PA Fly Company Doug Yocabet Mount Pleasant, PA 15666 (724) 322-0037 doug@paflyco.net www.paflyco.net Papillon & Moyer Excavating & Paving, LLC Dave Moyer Stroudsburg, PA 18360 (570) 421-5020 dave.moyer@papillon-moyer.com www.papillon-moyer.com Perfect Hatch Fly Fishing Tony Grubb Lansdale, PA 19446 (800) 523-6644 tony@rayrumpf.com www.perfecthatch.com

EA Engineering, Science, and Technology PBC Sal DeCarli Warwick, RI 02886 (401) 244-5485 sdecarli@eaest.com www.eaest.com

SOUTH CAROLINA

GOLD LEVEL

Pride of Bristol Bay

Steve and Jenn Kurian Bloomsburg, PA 17815 (570) 317-2200 contact@prideofbristolbay.com www.prideofbristolbay.com

GOLD LEVEL

Sky Blue Outfitters

Rick Nyles Fleetwood, PA 19522 (610) 987-0073 rick@skyblueoutfitters.com www.skyblueoutfitters.com Spring Creek Trout Camp Mark Lauer Bellefonte, PA 17356 (800) 519-8467 info@springcreektroutcamp.com www.springcreektroutcamp.com That Fish Place-That Pet Place Stephanie Welsh Lancaster, PA 17603 (717) 345-4671 swelsh@thatpetplace.com www.thatpetplace.com Thomas Spinning Lures, Inc. Peter Ridd Hawley, PA 18428 (800) 724-6768 info@thomaslures.com www.thomaslures.com Troutman Wealth Management, LLC Steve Troutman Malvern, PA 19355 (877) 393-9660 steve@troutmanwealth.com www.troutmanwealth.com Walsky Investment Management Craig Hafer Wyomissing, PA 19610 (610) 670-6918 info@walsky.com www.walsky.com Wild East Outfitters Nick Raftas Coatesville, PA 19320 (610) 500-3147 wildeastoutfitters@outlook.com www.wildeastoutfitters.com Wild for Salmon Steve Kurian Bloomsburg, PA 17815 (570) 387-0550 info@wildforsalmon.com www.wildforsalmon.com Zach Johnson Medland Designs Zach Johnson Medland Lancaster, PA (570) 460-1169 zachjohnsonmedland@gmail.com www.zachjm.com

Dodson Fishing Company Drew Malone Travelers Rest, SC 29651 (864) 704-4658 info@dodsonfishing.com www.dodsonfishing.com Fenwick Jim Murphy Columbia, SC 29203 (800) 334-9105 info@purefishing.com www.purefishing.com Hardy Fly Fishing Jim Murphy Columbia, SC 29203 (800) 334-9105 info@purefishing.com www.purefishing.com Lowcountry Outdoor and Adventure Group Andrew Loffredo Charleston, SC 29407 (704) 846-2634 andrew@lcoutdoorgroup.com www.lcoutdoorgroup.com McConnell Orthodontics, PC Dr. Beechard C. McConnell, III Anderson, SC 29621 (864) 225-0380 office@mcconnellorthodontics. com www.mcconnellorthodontics.com/ Southern Outlaw Adventures Kevin Clinton Landrum, SC 29356 k1clinton@aol.com www.southernoutlawadventures. com

TENNESSEE 3 Rivers Angler Allen Gillespie Knoxville, TN 37919 (865) 200-5271 allen@3riversangler.com www.3riversangler.com Barrett’s River Lodge Megan Barrett Bluff City, TN 37618 (423) 444-2408 info@barrettsriverlodge.com www.barrettsriverlodge.com Dun Magazine/Fly Squared Media Jen Ripple Dover, TN 37058 (734) 846-3708 jen@dunmagazine.com www.dunmagazine.com Fightmaster Fly Fishing Rob Fightmaster Great Smoky Mountains, TN 37803 (865) 607-2886 guide@fightmasterflyfishing.com www.fightmasterflyfishing.com The Lodge at Green Cove Green Angler Store Jason McConkey Tellico Plains, TN 37385 (423) 252-4014 greencoveangler@gmail.com www.greencoveangler.com Outfitter Marketing Pros Paul Wingfield Kingsport, TN 37663 (423) 250-9405 paul@outfittermarketingpros.com www.outfittermarketingpros.com Ranger Outdoors, LLC Dave Luzader Charleston, TN 37310 (865) 690-1814 (877) 462-4682 marketing@anglersportgroup.com www.rangeroutdoorsllc.com

River Run Angling Taylor Klarman Johnson City, TN 37601 (423) 408-9438 taylor@riverrunangling.com www.riverrunangling.com Smoky Mountain Angler Harold Thompson Gatlinburg, TN 37738 (865) 436-8746 info@smokymountainangler.com www.smokymountainangler.com The Strike Indicator Company LLC Barry Dombro Joelton, TN 37080 (615) 945-0104 info@strikeindicator.com www.strikeindicator.com Toccoa River Outfitters Andrew Bruce Copperhill, TN 37317 (423) 548-0066 toccoariveroutfitters@gmail.com www.graylightoutfitters.com

TEXAS Action Angler Chris Jackson New Braunfels, TX 78132 (830) 708-3474 info@actionangler.net www.actionangler.net Advance Golf Partners Larry Galloway Irving, TX 75038-5961 lg9295@gmail.com www.advancegolfpartners.com Castell Guide Service Dan Cone Round Rock, TX 78130 (325) 423-0045 info@castellguideservice.com www.castellguideservice.com Fly Fisher Pro Ben Kepka Dripping Springs, TX 78620 (512) 333-1896 ben@flyfisherpro.com www.flyfisherpro.com

GOLD LEVEL

Gruene Outfitters

Tiffany Yeates New Braunfels, TX 78130 (830) 660-4400 tiffany@grueneoutfitters.com www.gueneoutfitters.com HB Systems Inc. Corey Allen Plano, TX 75023 www.hbsystemsinc.com Joshua Creek Ranch Kevin Welborn Boerne, TX 78006 (830) 537-5090 kevin@joshuacreek.com www.joshuacreek.com

GOLD LEVEL

Living Waters Fly Fishing

Round Rock, TX 78664 (512) 828-3474 chris@livingwatersflyfishing.com www.livingwatersflyfishing.com Wild Rivers Coffee Company Marshall and Sammie Seedorff Dripping Springs, TX 78620 Marshall@wildriverscoffeeco.com www.wildriverscoffeeco.com @WildRiversCoffee Soggy Dollar Camp Christy Jagodik Austin, TX, 78738 (830) 294-0203 soggydollarcamp@gmail.com www.soggydollarcamp.com Spoke Hollow Outfitters Josh Crumpton Wimberley, TX 78676 (512) 842-7220 admin@hookandfield.com www.hookandfield.com

Texas Injection Molding Jeff Applegate Houston, TX 77034 (281) 489-4292 Jeff@tx-im.com www.texasinjectionmolding.com/ Yeti Coolers Jake Drees Austin, TX 78735 (512) 394-9384 info@yeti.com www.yeti.com

UTAH Blackhouse Botanicals Michael Berry Cottonwood Heights, UT 84093 admin@blackhousebotanicals.com www.blackhousebotanicals.com Fishwest JC Weeks Kamas, UT 84032 (435) 783-6791 (877) 773-5437 jc@fishwest.com www.fishwest.com Flare Construction, Inc. Jeremy Richins Coalville, UT 84017 (435) 336-2888 jeremy@flareconstruction.com Headwaters Bamboo David Rogers Washington, UT 84780 (208)789-4391 david@headwatersbamboo.com www.headwatersbamboo.com Hosed by the Hive Charlie Card Dutch John, UT 84023 (435) 720-8821 guidebrigade@gmail.com JANS Guide Service aka JANS Travis Vernon Park City, UT 84060 (435) 649-4949 (800) 745-1020 travis@jans.com www.jans.com MooseHead Outdoor Company Nick D’Urso and Skylar Marsh Park City, UT 84098 (516) 353-1487 mooseheadoutdoorco@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/ mooseheadoutdoors/ Park City Outfitters Brandon Bertagnole Park City, UT 84098 (866) 649-3337 bbertagnole@hotmail.com www.parkcityoutfitters.com R.A. Smith Custom Fly Rods Ross Smith Fountain Green, UT 84632 (435) 445-3497 smary@cut.net www.bamboosmith.com Tactical Fly Fisher, LLC Devin Olsen Springville, UT 84663 (801) 870-7091 info@tacticalflyfisher.com www.tacticalflyfisher.com Twin Territory A.J., Jace and Cameron Garcia South Weber, UT 84405 (801) 663-4162 calynogarcia@gmail.com www.twinterritory.com

VERMONT Early Riser Coffee Roasters Kim Bryant Dorset, VT 05251 (802) 579-4799 hello@earlyriser.co www.earlyriser.co Jackson’s Lodge Gloria Jackson Canaan, VT 05903 (802) 266-3360 info@JacksonsLodgeVT.net www.JacksonsLodgeVT.net

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Support Trout Unlimited’s Business Members Seiyu Institute for Health and Training, L3C Anthony Parmenter Dummerston, VT 05301 (802) 490-3848 seiyuiht@outlook.com www.seiyuinstitute.com Vermont Fly Rod Company Gavin Wright Essex Junction, VT 05452 bluebamboo80@gmail.com Woodstock Inn and Resort Shay Berry Woodstock, VT 05091 (888) 338-2745 fish@woodstockinn.com www.woodstockinn.com

VIRGINIA Atlantic Bulk Carrier Corporation Mark Short Providence Forge, VA 23140 mshort@atlanticbulk.com www.atlanticbulk.com Crooked Run Fermentation Sterling and Leesburg, VA (571) 375-2652 (571) 918-4446 mckinnen@crookedrunfermentation.com www.crookedrunbrewing.com Dunburn Farms Bed and Breakfast John Lentz Glade Spring, VA 24340 (276) 475-5667 dunburn@naxs.com www.dunburnfarms.com Ecosystem Services, LLC Kip Mumaw Charlottesville, VA 22903 (540) 239-1428 kip@ecosystemservices.us www.ecosystemservices.us Flies by Two Brothers Mason and Palmer Kasprowicz Reston, VA fb2bemail@gmail.com fliesbytwobrothers.com Hutton Fly Expeditionary Fly Fishing Travel Derek Hutton Lexington, VA 24450 (208) 399-1888 info@huttonfly.com www.huttonfly.com Interior Federal Credit Union Washington, DC 20240 Reston, VA 20192 (800) 914-8619 www.interiorfcu.org Matt Miles Fly Fishing Matt Miles Lynchburg, VA 24504 (434) 238-2720 matt@mattmilesflyfishing.com www.mattmilesflyfishing.com

GOLD LEVEL

Mossy Creek Fly Fishing

Colby Trow Harrisonburg, VA 22801 (540) 434-2444 store@mossycreekflyfishing.com www.mossycreekflyfishing.com/ Ms. Guided Kiki Galvin Falls Church, VA 22043 (703) 899-6793 angla56@msn.com www.msguidedflyfishing.net New River Fly Fishing Mike Smith Willis, VA 24380 (540) 250-1340 msmith@swva.net www.newriverflyfish.com Potts Creek Outfitters Daniel Walsh Paint Bank, VA 24131 (540) 897-5555 pco@pottscreekoutfitters.com www.pottscreekoutfitters.com

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Reilly Rod Crafters, LLC WEST VIRGINIA Chris Reilly Angler’s Xstream Palmyra, VA 22963-4932 Parkersburg, WV 26101 (434) 989-8746 (877) 909-6911 chris@reillyrods.com fishing@anglersxstream.com www.reillyrods.com anglersxstream.com South River Fly Shop Tommy Lawhorne WISCONSIN Kevin Little Aventuron Waynesboro, VA 22980 Carl & Kathryn Martens (540) 942-5566 Sheboygan, WI 53081 shop@southriverflyshop.com contact@aventuron.com southriverflyshop.com www.aventuron.com Stonegate – An Elegant Guest House Driftless Angler Margaret Hutton Mat Wagner Lexington, VA 24450 Viroqua, WI 54665 (208) 399-1887 (608) 637-8779 hutton@stonegatevirginia.com info@driftlessangler.com www. stonegatevirginia.com www.driftlessangler.com Virginia River Guides Fall Line Outfitters and Derek Hutton Fly Shop Lexington, VA 24450 Craig Cook (208) 399-1888 Stevens Point, WI 54481 trips@VirginiaRiverGuides.com (715) 896-8032 www.VirginiaRiverGuides.com c.cook@falllineoutfitters.com www.falllineoutfitters.com WASHINGTON The Green Earth Company Bighorn Bamboo Fly Rods and Guide Andrew Busse Service New Holstein, WI 53061 Kevin Sugden (800) 528-1922 Selah, WA 98942 info@thegreenearthco.com (509) 961-9557 www.greenicemelt.com kevinsugden1971@gmail.com Lund's Fly Shop Canoe Ridge / Ste Chappelle / Brian Smolinski Sawtooth Wines River Falls, WI 54022 Seattle, WA 98102 (715) 425-2415 P: (206) 267-5252 brian@lundsflyshop.com F: (206) 267-5251 www.lundsflyshop.com info@preceptwine.com Musky Fool Fly Fishing www.preceptwine.com Company DRYFT Dan Donovan Sam Thompson and Nick Satushek Madison, WI 53719-1872 Bellingham, WA 98229 (608) 509-7536 (360) 818- 4047 shop@muskyfool.com contact@dryftfishing.com www.muskyfool.com www.dryftfishing.com Pahlow Masonry Emerald Waters Anglers Doug Pahlow Dave McCoy Shiocton, WI 54170 Seattle, WA 98116 (920) 740-9647 (206) 708-7250 dpahlow@pahlowmasonry.com dave@emeraldwatersanglers.com www.pahlowmasonry.com www.emeraldwatersanglers.com Trout Buddy Driftless Guides Grundens Mike Warren Poulsbo, WA 98370 La Crosse, WI 54601 (800) 323-7327 (608) 792-2521 support@grundens.com Mike@TroutBuddy.com www.grundens.com www.TroutBuddy.com Methow Fishing Adventures Leaf Seaburg WYOMING Twisp, WA 98856 Angling Destinations (509) 429-7298 methowfishingadventures@gmail.com Clark Smyth Sheridan, WY 82801 www.flyfishersproshop.com (307) 672-6894 Oly Women on the Fly clark@anglingdestinations.com J Michelle Swope www.anglingdestinations.com Olympia, WA 98501 Arrow Land and Water, LLC (360) 349-0743 Chad Espenscheid olywomenonthefly@gmail.com Big Piney, WY 83113 www.olywomenonthefly.com (307) 231-2389 Redington chadespen@gmail.com Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Dunoir Fishing Adventures, LLC (800) 253-2538 info@redington.com Jeramie Prine www.redington.com Lander, WY 82520 Red’s Fly Shop (307) 349-3331 Joe Rotter jlprine@gmail.com Ellensburg, WA 98926 www.dunoirfishing.com (509) 933-2300 Fish the Fly Guide Service staff@redsflyshop.com & Travel www.redsflyshop.com Jason Balogh Sage Fly Fishing Jackson, WY 83001 Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 (307) 690-1139 (206) 842-6608 jb@fishthefly.com (800) 553-3004 www.fishthefly.com sage@sageflyfish.com Fly Shop of the Bighorns www.sageflyfish.com Clark Smyth Seasons on the Fly TV and Lodge Sheridan, WY 82801 Greg Heister (307) 672-5866 Spokane, WA 99203 clark@anglingdestinations.com gheister@mac.com www.sheridanflyfishing.com www.seasonsonthefly.com Frog Creek Partners Silver Bow Fly Fishing Brian Deurloo Sean Visintainer Casper, WY 82601 Spokane Valley, WA 99216 (307) 797-7720 (509) 924-9998 brian@frogcreek.partners flyfish@silverbowflyshop.com www.frogcreek.partners ww.silverbowflyshop.com

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Frontier Brewing Company and Tap Room Shawn Houck Casper, WY 82601 (307) 337-1000 www.frontierbrewingcompany.com Grand Teton Fly Fishing Scott Smith and Mark Fuller Jackson, WY 83002 307-690-4347 ssflyfish@rocketmail.com markwfuller@gmail.com www.grandtetonflyfishing.com Graylight Outfitters David Collom Elsinore, UT 84724 (435) 720-7440 graylightoutfitters@gmail.com www.graylightoutfitters.com Guild Outdoors Adam Guild Afton, WY 83110 (307) 799-6409 guildadam@yahoo.com www.guildranchwyoming.com Jackson Hole Fly Company Greg Epstein Jackson, WY 83001 (800) 346-4339 support@jacksonholeflycompany.com www.jacksonholeflycompany.com JD High Country Outfitters Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 733-7210 scott@jdhcoutfitters.com www.highcountryflies.com Koyoty Sports Warden Patzer Saratoga, WY 82331 Trophyroomtaxi@yahoo.com www.koyotysports.com Live Water Properties Macye Maher Jackson, WY 83002 (866) 734-6100 macye@livewaterproperties.com www.livewaterproperties.com Maven Brendon Weaver Lander, WY 82501 (800) 307-1109 customerservice@mavenbuilt.com www.mavenbuilt.com North Fork Anglers Tim Wade Cody, WY 82414 (307) 527-7274 tw123r4w@yahoo.com www.northforkanglers.com North Platte Lodge Erik Aune Alcova, WY 82601 (307) 237-1182 info@northplattelodge.com www.northplattelodge.com Park County Glass Cody, WY 82414 (307) 587-9303 pcg@bresnan.net www.parkcountyglass.com The Red Rock Ranch Steven Stimmel Kelly, WY 83011 (307) 733-6288 info@theredrockranch.com www.theredrockranch.com Rock Creek Anglers Clark Smyth Sheridan, WY 82801 (307) 684-7304 (888) 945-3876 clark@anglingdestinations.com www.rockcreekanglers.com Sunlight Sports Wes and Melissa Allen Cody, WY 82414 (307) 587-9517 info@sunlightsports.com www.sunlightsports.com

Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions, LLC George H. Hunker III Lander, WY 82520 (307) 332-3986 phunker@wyoming.com www.sweetwaterfishing.com Thin Air Angler Bob Reece Cheyenne, WY 82009 (307) 256-2741 coach.bobreece@gmail.com www.thinairangler.com TroutHut Net-Worx Mike Jensen Cheyenne, WY 82009 (307) 421-3188 trouthut@gmail.com Turpin Meadow Ranch Ron Stiffler Moran, WY 83013 (307) 543-2000 gm@turpinmeadowranch.com www.turpinmeadowranch.com Two Rivers Fishing Company Josh Hattan Pinedale, WY 82941 (307) 367-4131 info@tworiversfishing.com www.tworiversfishing.com TyOutdoors Ty Hallock Casper, WY 82609 (307) 315-8287 ty@tyoutdoors.com www.tyoutdoors.com West Laramie Fly Store Brandon Specht Laramie, WY 82070 (307) 745-5425 flystore@flystore.net www.flystore.net

BRAZIL

GOLD LEVEL

Mongolia River Outfitters/ Fish Mongolia Michael Caranci Palo Cedro, CA 96073 (530) 604-2160 michael@mongoliarivers.com www.mongoliarivers.com www.fishmongolia.com Mongolia Taimen Camps Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 dan@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com

Wind River Outdoor Company

Ron Hansen Lander, WY 82520 (307) 332-7864 ron@windriveroutdoor company.com www.windriveroutdoorcompany.com

INTERNATIONAL ARGENTINA Nervous Waters Fly Fishing Santiago Seeber Buenos Aires, Argentina 1425 (800) 530-6928 santiago@nervouswaters.com www.nervouswaters.com SET Fly Fishing Kevin Landon Denver, CO 80247 (720) 425-6270 kevin@setflyfishing.com www.setflyfishing.com

AUSTRIA Association Die Bewirtschafter c/o Clemens Gumpinger Tb Gewässeroekologie 4600 Wels Austria / Europe 436648333208 office@diebewirtschafter.at www.diebewirtschafter.at

BAHAMAS Mangrove Cay Club Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 dan@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com

Agua Boa Lodge Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 dan@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com

CANADA 3 Rivers Steelhead Expeditions Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 jeff@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com Frontier Farwest Lodge Derek Botchford Telkwa, BC V0J 2X0 (877) 846-9153 info@bulkleysteelhead.com www.bulkleysteelhead.com Lower Dean River Lodge Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 jeff@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com Steelhead Valhalla Lodge Dan, Jeff & Pat Vermillion Livingston, MT 59047 (888) 347-4286 jeff@sweetwatertravel.com www.sweetwatertravel.com

NEW ZEALAND Fly Fisher Pro Ben Kepka Napier, HKB 4110 ben@flyfisherpro.com www.flyfisherpro.com

MONGOLIA

SPAIN Salvelinus Lodges Ivan Tarin C/ Pablo Remacha 17 3o 9 Zaragoza 50008 +34 696 16 48 10 info@salvelinus.com www.salvelinus.com

UK SCOTLAND

Alba Game Fishing Scotland Ltd. Stewart Collingswood Port Seton, EH32 OSX (near Edinburgh) +44 (0) 7734 810706 800 972 0408 (USA Toll Free) stewart@albagamefishing.com www.albagamefishing.com WALES

Llyn Guides J. Noel Hulmston Nefyn, PWLLHELI LL53 6LF T Int + (0)1758 721654 C Int + (0)7774 610600 llynguides@dnetw.co.uk www.llynguides.co.uk

Get Involved: For information on TU’s Business Members program, or to update your listing, please contact Zack Dingus at (703) 284-9438 or Zachary.Dingus@tu.org.

Join George.

In July 1959, on the banks of the Au Sable River in Michigan, 16 anglers concerned about

the future of trout fishing gathered at the home of George Griffith to discuss what anglers could do to protect and conserve trout and the waters they inhabit. From that discussion, Trout Unlimited was formed.

GRIFFITH

CIRCLE

Named in honor of TU Founder George Griffith, Griffith Circle donors carry forward the vision of that original discussion, and donors annually commit to TU’s mission by providing financial support for programs that conserve wild and native trout and salmon. Becoming a Griffith Circle Member by making an annual gift of $1,000 or more is one of the most impactful ways you can help ensure future generations can experience clean, cold fishable waters. For information on how to join the Griffith Circle, please visit www.tu.org/troutmag or contact Jennifer Gaillard at 703-522-7224 or GriffithCircle@tu.org.

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MICKEY FINN

Too nice a day?…..Better slip ‘em a Mickey! B Y PA U L B R U U N

rowling fly bins is an addiction I adopted from only with trout but in larger patterns for bass and exposure to Abercrombie & Fitch’s inviting saltwater snook. In the 1990s, fellow Tierra del Fuego explorers Tom 1950s stores. That’s where I instantly admired a real Mickey Finn, Montgomery, John Simms and I experienced an absurd an eye-catching red and yellow bucktail streamer. Legends weather change on Argentina’s Rio Grande. Frigid, say this masterpiece was designed for brook trout around screaming gales vanished and an unexpected still allowed peaceful wading and casting! Swell conditions… except 1900 by Quebec tier, Charles Langevin. In the 1930s, John Alden Knight, a Pennsylvania the sea-run browns were shut down. Yet upstream, our caporal, Marcelo Morales, was outdoor author, was handed a red and yellow streamer with which he landed a batch of New York state brook hooked to a rambunctious silver streak roaring into his trout. In his ensuing Hunting and Fishing magazine article backing. “What fly, Marcelo?” I yelled. “Mickey Finn!” grinned our Argentine mentor. extolling this heroic pattern, he labeled it The Assassin. Scrounging streamer boxes, our Yank trio improvised Reports from a 1937 New York Sportsman’s Show were that astonishing numbers of this bucktail pattern enough colorful bucktails for adequate sea-run action were sold. Similarly, Weber Fly & Tackle Company to rescue the afternoon. I’ve always wondered how Marcelo happened to tie on advertised Knight’s streamer Mickey Finn? in that same magazine. Sublimely immersed in trout history, bamboo Thousands of orders rod building, fly tying, Argentine casting inundated its Stephens lore, guiding and owning the Buenos Point, Wisconsin, Aires Angler, Marcelo’s fishing offices. library soars above expansive. The best part of this He was friendly with the enduring fly pattern’s late Bebe Anchorena, history comes from its street the renowned name, chloral hydrate, aka Argentine angler “knockout drops,” a substance The name Mickey Finn evolved from Michael Finn, who famously slipped into an unsuspecting a notorious Chicago 1900s pickpocket-turned-bar hosted American person’s drink. The name owner, who famously drugged drinks and stole writer Joe Brooks. Mickey Finn evolved from Brooks wrote extenMichael Finn, a notorious patrons’ cash and valuables. sively on early red and Chicago 1900s pickpocketturned-bar owner, who famously drugged drinks and yellow streamer patterns in both feathered Phillips Optic Beadhead saltwater versions and striper and stole patrons’ cash and valuables. Slip ‘em a Mickey was copied by disgruntled nightclub trout bucktails. Willard Greenwood II’s personalized Mickey Finn servers and bartenders for poor tipping customers. Such creativity wasn’t missed by journalist and angler, admissions in American Fly Fisher, prompted me to reGreg Clark, whose Toronto Star story renamed Knight’s examine the “Sea Trout” chapter in my dusty copy of Brook’s Complete Book of Fly Fishing. Assassin pattern to Mickey Finn. Voila’! There’s the pioneering American fly rod author A pulsating opening and closing action of properly tied bucktail streamers differs from the wiggle hoisting a hefty Rio Grande brown landed on a “red and of marabou and other minnow imitating materials. yellow streamer” during his earliest Tierra del Fuego Such lifelike action has been productive for me not adventures with Anchorena.

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SET THE BAR IN TRAVEL CASES

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Clean water for trout, and for her. JOSHUA DUPLECHIAN

Help Trout Unlimited continue to care for and recover rivers and streams by making TU a beneficiary of your will, trust, retirement account or life insurance. For questions, sample language, or to explore which gift is right for you, contact Sue Thomas, Director of Gift Planning. (703) 284-9421 | Legacy@TU.org | TroutLegacy.org

TIM ROMANO

Put Trout Unlimited in your will.