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Snow Peak, a Japanese camping brand, has acquired a majority stake in the Swift Fly Fishing Company, known for their line of Epic fly rods. “We are thrilled to bring Swift Fly Fishing and the Epic Fly Rod brand into the Snow Peak family,” said Tohru Yamai, Snow Peak CEO and Chairman of the Board. “This union beautifully blends our passion for camping with Swift’s artistry in fly fishing, further…

I first read one of Joseph Jackson’s stories in Fly Fisherman Magazine a few years ago. It was one of the most impressive travel stories I’d read in recent years, and I didn’t recognize his name, so I looked him up. It turns out he’s a native Wyomingite who now lives in Alaska, and he loves fly fishing and bird hunting. I’m a native Utahn who now lives in Wyoming and I…

Photo: Matt Keefe/Flickr This week’s Podcast Roundup has everything from panfish to saltwater fly fishing. It starts off with the Orvis podcast talking to Bart Lombardo about late-season panfish tactics, then we get to hear from Dom Swentosky at Troutbitten about rise forms and hook sets for trout. Finally, we wrap things up with an in-depth look at fly fishing in Belize for tarpon, permit, and bonefish. If you have…

Conservation Hawks has released a new public service announcement on climate change, urging anglers to get involved in the upcoming election to put climate-friendly politicians into office. Tom Rosenbauer, Hilary Hutcheson, Craig Mathews, Kirk Deeter, and Todd Tanner appear in the video, describing the current climate crisis, and discussing a few of the initiatives that politicians could push to help conserve fisheries. The video is titled “50 Million Anglers” and…

Although it’s more common now than just a few years ago, it’s not every day that fly fishing makes headlines in major publications. That is, however, the case with this recent story in YahooUK, by Robin Canniford, Avi Shankar, and Annetta Grant. The authors are also fly anglers and professors at universities in the United Kingdom, and they recently published the results of a new paper which takes a specific…

I can’t believe August is almost over. This summer has absolutely flown by, and I hope you’ve been able to get out on the water. As we shift into fall, our tying habits probably change a bit, as you can see from this week’s Tying Tuesday. We start out with a tutorial on The Shady Accountant, a streamer developed by the Down South Fly Fishing channel, move on to an…

Photo: Spencer Durrant If you spend any time in the fly fishing community on social media, you’ve probably noticed there are two groups of people. The first closely guard their fishing spots, going so far as to blur the background of any pictures they post, lest someone find a landmark and identify the fishery. The second group is free with place names, telling people to fish such-and-such creek between the…

Photo: Louis Cahill Fighting and landing big fish on a fly rod is a skill many anglers hone over time, but they often learn it the hard way. There are a few things you can do to make landing big fish more effective, which is especially important now that we know so much more about how fish recover from catch-and-release. That’s why it’s important to read this story from Kent…

Photo: Bonnie Moreland/Flickr The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced at the beginning of August that the Deschutes River will remain open to summer steelhead fishing. This is thanks to the return of more than 21,000 unmarked fish past Bonneville Dam since July 1. While that number is lower than the 20-year average, it’s the highest to-date run in a decade. Steelhead have faced consistent threats over the…

The folks over at Lid Rig have just announced the release of their newest product, the Lid Rig 3.0, also known as the “People’s Premium Nipper.” This set of line nippers “redefines cutting tools for the avid angler,” per a company press release, and should cut anything from 8x tippet for braid. “The Lid Rig 3.0 is the culmination of 5 years and thousands of customers’ input which is why…

If you live near Island Park, Idaho, you might have heard about a proposal to build a new airport near the outlet of Henry’s Lake. For most fly anglers at large, however, this may be the first you’re hearing of the project. There is currently a proposal in front of the Fremont County (Idaho) Planning and Zoning commission to build a private luxury airport on the Henry’s Lake Flats. The…

I just spent the last week in Alaska, fly fishing my way from the Kenai Peninsula up to the interior. That’s a dream trip for a lot of anglers, and that was certainly the case for my best friend, Lander Crook, and I. The trip came together last-minute, but we had lodging lined up, and should’ve been on the Kenai at the tail end of the sockeye run. In theory,…

Simms Fishing Products, preeminent manufacturer of waders, outerwear, footwear, and technical fishing apparel launch Fall 2024, a product collection inspired by the world’s fishiest destinations and built to keep anglers warm and dry regardless of the conditions.  Simms views the world through the lens of fishing. Whether close to home or across an ocean, there’s more to every destination than meets the eye. Spanning across all categories, Fall 2024 caters…

Photo: USDA NRCS Montana/Flickr Montana’s chief fisheries biologist Eileen Ryce resigned abruptly at the beginning of August, as reported by Amanda Eggert of the Montana Free Press. Ryce’s departure is the latest in a long line of resignations from the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks agency, which according to Eggert’s reporting, has increased since Greg Gianforte became governor of Montana. Ryce resigned after she was placed on administrative leave for an unspecified reason….

Fly fishing doesn’t see many truly revolutionary products these days. Sure, we get fancy new fly rods (but they can’t cast themselves – yet) and lines made from recycled materials. But a true game-changing product isn’t all that common. I’m not saying the Fishtechy Proof Ball will completely change the sport, but I think it has the potential to vastly improve the health of our trout and fisheries. The Proof…

The folks over at Fly Fish Food lead us off on this week’s edition of Tying Tuesday, where Curtis breaks down the must-have flies for the rest of summer fishing in 2024. We’re also treated to a midge/caddis/beetle imitation, along with a great stonefly nymph. These are the top 10 patterns Fly Fish Food reckons you need to have in your box for rest of summer 2024. Up next is…

When I first moved to Wyoming, I lived in a city at 7,000 feet above sea level. The winters weren’t as bad as you’d imagine (a few days a -10F) and in the summer I don’t recall the temps breaking more than the mid-90s. Two years ago, my wife and I moved to a different part of the Cowboy State, trading in our easy access to Wal Mart and Wendy’s…

If you’ve followed Dom Swentosky over at Troutbitten, you know how fond he is of his leader setups. His take on the mono rig has a ton of devotees, and it’s hard to argue with the results. And if you’ve ever had questions about how to utilize a lot of those techniques when fishing smaller water, then you need to read this recent story Dom published. He walks you through…

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr According to a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG), anglers in the Gem State are asked to report any walleye caught from the Snake, Salmon, and Clearwater Rivers. IDFG installed a fish trap at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, and that information combined with reports from anglers indicate that walleye are increasingly more present upstream of Lower Granite Dam. Until…

Do you ever get stuck in a rut? You head to not only the same river, but the same stretch of it, parking at the same spots, hiking the same trails, and fishing the same flies. There’s comfort in knowing you’re doing something that works, but you can’t stave off the feeling that you’re missing out on something else. For a lot of us, we’re stuck in a rut due…