Blog

Guides Across America Giveaway

Friday, May 03, 2024

Guides Across America (GAA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting fishing, rafting, and all other outdoor guides, has launched a new giveaway. The giveaway runs through May 31 and will raise funds for GAA’s Guide Relief Program. The Guide Relief Program provides financial assistance to guides when they need it most, with a focus on serving guides’ mental health. People who donate to the Guide Relief Program are eligible to…

Tip: Plan For The Hook Set

Thursday, May 02, 2024

Photo: Domeneick Swentosky/Troutbitten In this recent story from Dom Swentosky over at Troutbitten, he shares a tip that I first heard from a Boy Scout leader in my early teens. Dom talks about the importance of planning for your hook set, especially when fishing on smaller water. On big, wide-open rivers, you don’t necessarily need to plan for the hook set as thoroughly. On water that’s overgrown, or with a low ceiling…

A Conversation with Chris Dombrowski

Wednesday, May 01, 2024

Chris Dombrowski is one of the most celebrated fly fishing writers in recent memory. He recently sat down with the folks over at Hatch Magazine to talk about his journey to becoming an author, as well as his most recent book, The River You Touch.  You can read the conversation with Dombrowski here. The post A Conversation with Chris Dombrowski appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Tying Tuesday: Small Looped Zonker Streamer

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

If you struggle tying streamers with rabbit zonkers, then you need to watch this week’s Tying Tuesday video. The folks at McFly Angler show a simple, effective method for tying in zonker strips, and you’ll end up with a great-looking streamer just in time for ice-off fishing. The post Tying Tuesday: Small Looped Zonker Streamer appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Yukon Salmon Struggles Continue

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Photo: Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr According to Lois Parshley, of The Guardian, Alaska officials have a new plan to help save salmon in the Yukon River. Chinook salmon in the Yukon have struggled mightily for years, prompting reductions in both commercial and subsistence harvest quotas. Earlier this year, Alaskan tribes petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reduce the accepted chinook bycatch for the pollock trawl fleet…

Orvis Podcast: This May Save Your Life

Saturday, April 20, 2024

The most recent episode of the Orvis podcast features a conversation between Tom Rosenbauer and Ralph Cutter. Cutter is a lifelong angler who has decades of experience in whitewater situations, as well as performing water rescues. He shares tips on what to do if you fall in while wearing waders (including an observation that we’ve been taught how to handle that situation all wrong) and some other tips for safely…

America’s Most Endangered Rivers

Friday, April 19, 2024

Photo: Ken Lund/Flickr American Rivers, the conservation group that has worked to address problems with waterways in America for a half-century, released their 2024 report of the country’s most endangered rivers. These rivers face a variety of problems, but common among them are pollution and habitat degradation. Of note is that each river in New Mexico makes the list, as does the Kobuk River in Alaska. Other rivers include the…

Illinois TU Youth Camp Announced

Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Illinois Trout Unlimited council announced the dates for a Youth Camp this summer, from July 21-26 near the Au Sable River in Michigan. You can learn more about the youth camp from a press release below. the Council is now accepting prospective  campers’ applications.  According to Council Chair Dan Postelnick, “campers 13-18 receive instruction, close  supervision and get hands-on experience in fly fishing, fishing safety, fly tying, catch and…

Hatch Magazine Launches “Reading the Water” Podcast

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Photo: Courtesy Hatch Magazine Longtime Hatch Magazine contributor and author Tim Schulz is hosting a new podcast (presented by Hatch) dubbed “Reading the Water.” This podcast will focus on “literature, art, adventure, and conservation,” according to Hatch.  “Over the first few months, guests will include writer and conservationist Hal Herring; author, poet, professor, and guide Chris Dombrowski; aquatic biologist and writer Ann Miller; writer and contributing editor Monte Burke; writer, poet, and teacher Michael Garrigan;…

Code Breaker Angler Series Launches

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Gilbert Rowley and the crew at Capture Adventure Media have launched a new fly fishing series on YouTube. The Code Break Angler series is a marriage of Rowley’s award-winning cinematography, paired with different point-of-view cameras and narration to help teach other anglers how to have more success out on the water. The first episode is out now, and you can watch it below. The post Code Breaker Angler Series Launches…

Tying Tuesday: Top Spring Flies

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

With spring finally here in most of the country, it’s time for many anglers to head back to the water. The folks over at Fly Fish Food put together a video on the top 5 flies they recommend every angler have in their box this spring. The post Tying Tuesday: Top Spring Flies appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

ODFW Announces Steelhead Tagging Program

Monday, April 15, 2024

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced last week the implementation of a new program to track steelhead. According to the agency’s website, “Biologists are putting satellite ‘pop-off’ tags on 10 adult winter steelhead in the Rogue and Chetco rivers this spring. The goal is to tag ‘kelts’ – the fish that already successfully spawned and are heading back to sea.” What’s interesting about steelhead…

Review: Hardy Marksman Z Fly Rod

Sunday, April 14, 2024

The folks over at Field & Stream had the chance to take the new Hardy Marksman Z saltwater rod out for a spin in Florida. The Marksman Z is Hardy’s premier saltwater rod, so expectations for its performance were high. You can read about how the rod performed here. The post Review: Hardy Marksman Z Fly Rod appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Orvis Podcast: How To Preserve Native Trout

Saturday, April 13, 2024

Ted Williams joined Tom Rosenbauer on the most recent episode of the Orvis podcast to talk about preserving native trout. Ted is a sometimes outspoken environmental writer, and recently wrote a series of stellar articles about glyphosate and native trout here at MidCurrent. The conversation Ted has with Tom centers around using rotenone to remove nonnative trout and support native trout species, and it’s a worthwhile conversation for anyone who’s…

Pro Tip: Stretch For Success

Friday, April 05, 2024

In this recent story over at the Orvis blog, Phil Monahan reminds anglers, who might just be getting out for the first time this year, of a handy little trick. After a winter of being spooled tight on your reel, your line and leader might more closely resemble a slinky than the long loops we need for effective fly fishing. Stretching those items out to remove the memory can help…

Douglas Releases New DXF Gen 2 Rods

Thursday, April 04, 2024

Douglas Outdoors has announced the release of their new DXF Gen 2 fly rods. These rods are the “next step” in the DXF lineup, according to the company, and feature a completely redesigned rod. The blank has been tweaked from the ground up with new materials, component have been updated, and Douglas claims this leads to a fly rod with “unparalleled feel, superb rod action, and optimal accuracy.” The original…

Simms G4Z Wader Review

Wednesday, April 03, 2024

Chris Hunt, over at Hatch Magazine, penned a review of the Simms G4Z waders. I recently reviewed these waders here at MidCurrent, but I was interested to see what Chris had to say about them. In short, I think the two of us agree, although he offers a few different perspectives that I didn’t dive into in my review. If you’re thinking of buying a pair, I’d highly suggest reading a few…

Tying Tuesday: Bugs We Found on The River

Tuesday, April 02, 2024

In this week’s edition of Tying Tuesday, we treated to a bit of an impromptu masterclass from Brian Flechsig and Tim Flagler. The two discuss how they found some Hendrickson nymphs on the Mad River, and how that led them to tie up their own imitations of that venerable bug. It’s fun – and enlightening – to see the thought process of two accomplished tiers. The post Tying Tuesday: Bugs…

BOA vs. Traditional Laces

Monday, April 01, 2024

I had the fortune to fish almost every day last week, crisscrossing my way through Montana and Wyoming. Everything went fine until Wednesday, when I was gearing up. I slipped my wading boots on and started turning the knob to tighten my BOA laces, only to notice a few strands of the steel wire starting to peel free. I’ve been fishing BOA laces for the better part of a decade…

Orvis Podcast: How Trout See

Sunday, March 31, 2024

In this episode of the Orvis podcast, Tom Rosenbauer chats with Jason Randall about an interesting topic – how trout see. Randall is a scientist and fly fisher, so he’s the perfect person to distill the complexities inherent in this topic into something all anglers can easily understand. Listen to the podcast here. The post Orvis Podcast: How Trout See appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2