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Photo: Fisherga/Flickr Joe Cermele and Kirk Deeter teamed up to write an in-depth guide for anglers looking to catch trout on the fly this winter. While the first half of their story focuses on conventional angling techniques, there are some nuggets fly anglers can glean from it. The second half, however, is full of four tips to help you put more trout in net this winter, provided you’re willing to…

Photo: Bonnie Moreland/Flickr The folks over at Engadget – yes, Engadget – put together a wonderfully enlightening story on the impacts of the Elwha River Dam removal in Washington State. As we’ve documented extensively here are MidCurrent, the removal of the Elwha River dams has been one of the best success stories for conservation in recent memory. It’s the largest dam removal project ever undertaken, although it will be eclipsed…

Have you ever heard of underhand casting? Me neither. But apparently it’s a technique that has some value, because the folks over at Loop Fly Fishing put together a wonderful video detailing the technique. You can view it below. The post Video: Underhand Casting appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

This week’s edition of Tying Tuesday features a great little nymph called the Mostrout Mule. The folks over at AvidMax are going to walk you through how to tie this. The post Tying Tuesday: Mostrout Mule appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie Yellowstone is one of the bucket-list locations for most anglers to visit, and for good reason. It’s home to some of the sport’s most storied rivers, but they can get incredibly crowded during Yellowstone’s short fishing season. Enter the park’s backcountry. There’s more room to explore within Yellowstone than most anglers could ever venture through in a lifetime. If you want to go experience that backcountry for…

With winter now in full swing, it’s time to put your fly fishing focus on midges. These bugs are the staple throughout the winter months (even if trout will still eat stonefly nymphs and crawdads) and they’re the most likely bug to spur on some afternoon dry fly action, too. Rick Takahashi and Jerry Hubka put together a great story that goes into detail on twelve of the best modern…

Photo: Fisherga/Flickr In this piece over at Fly Fisherman Magazine, Boots Allen walks us through the reasons that so many anglers now fly fish during winter. There are a whole host of factors pushing more anglers onto the water this time of year, but chief among them are more fishing opportunities with fewer crowds. Especially here in the West, our fisheries are jam-packed during the summer months. Winter offers a reprieve that…

Photo: USFWS Fish and Aquatic Conservation/Flickr In a new story over at Men’s Journal, Chase McCoy details how a minimalist attitude can actually help you maximize your fly fishing success. It’s a view I agree with, as I’ve tried to simplify my approach to the water in recent years, as well. You can read the entire story here. The post Maximize Your Fly Fishing appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Photo: Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr Last week MidCurrent reported on a disturbing new story from Scientific American which details how some of Alaska’s rivers are turning orange. Alec Luhn did a wonderful job explaining the issues going on in Alaska, and I highly recommend you read his story. To summarize, though, Luhn accompanied scientists who were studying climate change in Kobuk Valley National Park, along the southern…

Photo: Alaska Region US Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr As glaciers retreat in the northern climates – specifically in Alaska – new habitat for salmon is opening up. But salmon aren’t the only ones with their eye on this new real estate, according to Hatch Magazine. Mining companies are also trying to stake claims on these new rivers, in part to help feed the world’s insatiable need for minerals. It’s an conundrum that…

Photo: Jens Cederskjold/Flickr Scientists are set to study, for the first time, the impact of installing offshore wind turbines has on fish species in those areas. According to the Virginia Mercury, scientists from the Nature Conservancy and the federal government will be spearheading the study. You can read more about the project here. The post Scientists to Study Offshore Wind Impacts on Fish appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

In the most recent episode of the Orvis podcast, Tom Rosenbauer sits down with Dr. Aaron Adams to talk about the impact of water temperature on saltwater flats fish. Water temperature is often discussed in relation to trout, but it’s not as prominent when talking about fishing on the flats. This discussion will help you understand where fish move to, and how they feed, depending on certain water temperatures. You…

Photo: Dom Swentosky In his most recent post over at Troutbitten, Dom Swentosky makes an interesting point about using the correct hand to retrieve line on your fly reel. Some anglers will cast with their dominant arm, hook a trout, then switch the rod to their non-casting arm so they can reel with their dominant hand. To Dom, that process isn’t as efficient as it could be, and he makes…

Photo: Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr Alaska’s Brooks Range is under threat from a number of factors, but a proposed private mining road is the most pressing. Public comments on the proposed road will be accepted until Friday, December 22. It’s imperative that we all share our opposition to the private mining road, which would bisect thousands of streams and serve foreign-owned mining interests. We’ve covered this proposed…

Photo: Ricardo Rossi/Flickr When we talk about problems facing salmon, we often focus on their struggles in Alaska and throughout the Columbia River Basin. However, salmon in other parts of the world need our attention too, especially those off the California coast. In this recent story, studies are analyzed and recent evidenced synthesized to further the point that California’s practice of trucking salmon down river in the Sacramento – San…

Photo: Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr In a wonderfully in-depth, informative story, Alec Luhn takes us through the next great environmental threat facing Alaska -its rivers are turning orange. Rivers throughout the Brooks Range (which has been in the news recently as hunters and anglers flock to protect it from foreign mining interests) are turning orange as permafrost thaws and iron is leaked into the water. Other factors…

Photo: Courtesy George Hill George Hill is an artist we’ve featured here at MidCurrent for years, and for good reason. His portraits of trout are among my favorite, and even if you don’t recognize George’s name, I’m sure you’ll recognize his work. George has recently announced the release of a new brown trout print – “Bitterroot Brown.” It’s an 18×24 print on 240 GSM archival paper, and it’s currently available…

The folks over at Mainely Flies just dropped a new fly tying tutorial, which is our focus for today’s Tying Tuesday. And despite what the video thumbnail might show, this isn’t just a standard wooly bugger. No, the folks at Mainely dressed this up with a secret ingredient. The post Tying Tuesday: Secret Wooly Bugger appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Photo: Bonnie Moreland/Flickr Last week it was announced that the Biden administration has entered into an agreement with tribes and local governments to work on the Columbia River Basin. That agreement is meant to span the next decade, and includes initiatives around energy, recreation, agriculture, and transportation. This formal agreement, combined with other projects, will deliver $1 billion to the Columbia River Basin in the next decade, according to The…

Photo: Courtesy of Domenick Swentosky In this great story over on Troutbitten, Dom Swentosky talks about the concept of keeping things simple while fishing. I wholeheartedly agree that it’s nice to just keep things as simple as possible, but sometimes, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds a bit. Dom’s piece is a great reminder of how to stay grounded and focus on the basic things while you’re on the water….