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Cortland’s Cold Salt series of fly lines has mastered the melding of supple and tough. For decades, fly fishing manufacturers sold gear with broad, all-weather promises. A fly line was “versatile.” A floatant “worked great.” A leader was “strong.” But in 2026, the industry appears to have crossed a threshold—and the anglers who fish through winter’s tightest windows are the ones benefiting most. Across fly lines, terminal tackle, weighting systems,…

Image by Ben Knight As of early February 2026, the decades-long fight over the Bristol Bay watershed continues on multiple fronts: federal courts, the Alaska State Legislature, and regulatory agencies. While the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 veto of the proposed Pebble Mine remains in effect, legal and legislative skirmishes have intensified, with the next two weeks bringing a major deadline that could shape the project’s future. Key Deadline: The Department…

Michael Kuhn and Schyler Vargas will play Paul and Norman Maclean in the premiere of A River Runs Through It, a commissioned opera for Opera Montana. Photo courtesy of Opera Montana In a landmark convergence of literary legacy and operatic ambition, Opera Montana has announced the world premiere of a new operatic adaptation of Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It. The production, set to debut in September 2026 at…

In a significant policy shift for the 2026 fishing season, Yellowstone National Park has announced that the Firehole, Gibbon, and Madison rivers will open to anglers on May 1—weeks ahead of the traditional Memorial Day weekend opener. The decision, announced January 27 by park officials, represents a strategic adaptation to changing climate conditions that have increasingly disrupted summer fishing on these thermally influenced waterways. The standard fishing season in Yellowstone…

Jim Murphy, a true fly-fishing Renaissance man and leader of an astonishing number of angling brands over the years, passed away on January 21 after a long illness. At the time of his death, Murphy was the Director of Fly Fishing for Pure Fishing—which owns iconic brands such as Hardy, Greys, Pfleuger, and Fenwick—but his history in the business goes all the way back to 1989, when he went to…

Image courtesy of Mayfly Outdoors The Coors Light Cimarron LT doesn’t look like a revolutionary piece of fly fishing equipment. At first glance, it’s simply another beautifully machined reel from Ross Reels, finished in a luminescent silver with the familiar Rocky Mountain silhouette that has adorned Coors beer cans for decades. But dip it in cold water—or wade into a trout stream on a crisp morning—and something unexpected happens. The…

It’s late January, the rivers are locked up or running gray, and if you’re like most of us, you’ve been staring out the window wondering when you’ll feel a tug on the line again. Cabin fever is real, but so is the cure: a well-lit vise, a warm beverage, and a few hours of wrapping thread. This week’s Tying Tuesday has no central thread (so to speak). We’re not building…

Image by Daniel Thornberg The U.S. House of Representatives voted 214-208 on Wednesday, January 21, to allow mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, setting the stage for a potential copper mining project in the Superior National Forest watershed. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minnesota), would rescind a public land order from the Biden administration that protected roughly 225,500 acres of the Superior National Forest…

The Ozark artist is creating a permanent tribute to the man who helped make Arkansas’s White River a world-class fishery. Image courtesy of Duane Hada’s Rivertown Gallery On a stretch of Central Boulevard in this small Arkansas river town, a 50-foot mural is taking shape—one that tells the story of a man whose influence on American fly fishing rivals that of Lefty Kreh or Lee Wulff. Renowned Ozark artist Duane…

Image by Danita Delimont The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission unanimously approved new trout harvest regulations on January 16, 2026, marking a significant step in the recovery of the state’s world-renowned trout fisheries following a catastrophic production crisis at two critical hatcheries. The new rules, effective February 1, 2026, replace the emergency catch-and-release orders enacted in October 2025 and signal cautious optimism that the White River system can sustain limited…

Image by Kent Sanders A decades-long legal battle over the fate of four federal dams on the Lower Snake River has entered a critical new phase, with environmental plaintiffs and the Trump administration heading toward a pivotal courtroom showdown. Tomorrow marks the deadline for legal briefs in what could become one of the most consequential rulings for Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead in years. The intensified litigation follows President Trump’s…

This week’s collection begins at the surface with Savage Flies’ Snow Fly, a masterclass in visibility design for winter dry fly fishing. Charlie Craven’s Bucky’s Midge Cluster tackles complex hatches through clever material stacking, offering a smart solution when fish key in on clusters rather than singles. Below the film, the SOS Chironomid from Fly Fish Food demonstrates how profile and subtle movement can make all the difference. And McFly…

Image by Kent Sanders The wild steelhead are coming back to the Skagit River. The anglers who’ve waited all year to meet them may not get the chance. As of mid-January, the highly anticipated catch-and-release season on Washington’s Skagit and Sauk rivers—a bucket-list destination for steelhead anglers across the Pacific Northwest—stands on the verge of cancellation. The culprit isn’t biology. It’s bureaucracy. According to recent reports from Northwest Sportsman Magazine…

Image by Robert Haase As of January 1, 2026, Wyoming anglers face the most significant overhaul of fishing regulations in decades. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s new rules mandate barbless hooks on the legendary North Platte River tailwaters while simultaneously expanding opportunities in the Jackson Region—a regulatory balancing act that responds to both conservation crisis and evolving angler behavior. A River “Being Loved to Death” The North Platte River…

Image courtesy of Far Bank Enterprises Just as saltwater fly fishers begin booking spring trips to Caribbean flats and the Florida Keys, Sage has introduced what may become the most sought-after reels of the season: the Enforcer Grand Slam limited edition series. The three-model collection pays tribute to the legendary saltwater “Grand Slam”—the rare feat of landing a bonefish, permit, and tarpon in a single day. Each reel in the…

Photo courtesy of Backbone Media Wiley X has introduced a new Custom Eyewear Program that lets customers design their own frames through the company’s website. The program currently offers customization on three models—the WX Founder, WX Ovation, and WX Jakl—with options to mix and match frame colors, lens colors, logo colors, and bag choices. Each custom pair meets ANSI Z87.1+ safety standards and features impact-resistant lenses built with the company’s…

Photo by Mitch Bowers It’s mid-January. By now, Western river corridors are usually buried under a comforting blanket of white—money in the bank for July hatches and August dry-fly action. But this year, a glance at the SNOTEL map reveals a starkly different reality: red and orange dots dominate the landscape, signaling a winter that simply hasn’t arrived. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, snow cover across the…

Bajío Sunglasses has released its 2026 collection, adding three new frame styles purpose-built for anglers spending long hours on the water. The new lineup—Palehorse, Cocho, and Coulee—shares a core set of performance features: integrated sun shelves, polarized blue light–blocking lenses, and either removable or discrete side shields designed to cut glare and boost contrast for sight-fishing, reading current, and tracking structure. All three styles are available in three frame colorways…

This week’s selections pair bold attractors with subtle naturals. The Infamous Pink Worm leans into visibility for when subtlety takes a back seat. On the opposite end, the Pheasant Tail Nymph remains a masterclass in restraint—proof that classic materials and clean proportions never go out of style. The Cased Caddis is worth a close look with impressive textured realism, and the heavy profile keeps it hugging the bottom where lethargic…

Image by Maarten Bruinenberg The president of the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association is pushing back against what he calls government “lip service” toward protecting the country’s world-renowned flats fishery. In an interview with Tribune Business published December 9, BFFIA President Prescott Smith said a conservation fund established under the 2017 Flats Fishing regulations has never been implemented—despite being written into law. The fund was designed to channel flats fishing…