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Photo: Tom Hart/Flickr Steelhead returns haven’t been great in 2023, and that trend is unfortunately showing itself on the legendary Skeena River. In an open letter on Steelhead Voices, Bob Hooton (a retired fisheries biologist who worked on the Skeena River) laments the current state of Skeena steelhead. “The 2023 Skeena steelhead return is anything but stellar,” Hooton writes. “It is the latest in a continuing downturn that those paying…

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr The Biden administration announced on September 6 that they have canceled oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), per a press release from the Department of the Interior. A total of nine leases were sold during the Trump administration, totaling “more than 430,000 acres” in ANWR. However, President Biden issued an executive order in 2021 that prompted a review of…

Photo: Oregon State University/Flickr We’ve recently reported on issues with the Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River in Oregon, but we haven’t gone into the problems in detail here at MidCurrent. To help you stay abreast of this pressing problem in the fly fishing community, I’ve compiled a comprehensive overview of what’s going on with the Winchester Dam. The Winchester Dam sits on the North Umpqua River in Oregon….

Before breathable waders, what did anglers use to stay dry in the river? Neoprene and rubber, largely, which are both materials fraught with their own issues. Breathable waders are a remarkable innovation in the sport, which is why Ross Purnell over at Fly Fisherman Magazine put together this wonderful feature story on them. If you’ve ever had any interest in how breathable waders work, you should read the story. You’ll learn the…

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie When Soda Butte Creek was treated to remove nonnative brook trout a few years ago, many anglers breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that another milestone for cutthroat trout conservation had been reached. Earlier this year, however, brook trout were rediscovered in Soda Butte Creek, which meant fisheries managers had to once again poison the river and remove them. Brook trout are highly competitive fish, and will…

Photo: Tom Hart/Flickr Earlier this year, MidCurrent reported on the proposed repairs to the Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River. At the time, the Native Fish Society predicted the dam repairs – which are currently underway – would have negative impacts on steelhead runs, in a watershed where they’re already endangered. Unfortunately, the Native Fish Society was correct in their predictions. The company carrying out the repairs on the…

Photo: Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr Hatchery salmon have been used to bolster the wild salmon stocks in Alaska for years, and that practice’s ill-effects have been well-documented. But another, previously unknown, impact of stocked salmon coexisting with wild fish is playing out in Southeast Alaska. According to an article in the Craig Medred, hatchery-born salmon are inflating salmon runs so much in some streams that they’re literally…

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr Alaska isn’t the first place we think of when we talk about patience. It seems like – from Instagram and YouTube, at least – the fishing is always fast and furious in the Last Frontier. That’s not always the case, however, as you’ll find out in this excellent story from Phil Monahan over at the Orvis blog. He recounts a day he spent guiding on the Copper…

The folks over at Fly Fish Food say this might be the best nymph for a dry-dropper rig. This CDC French Jig has a ton to live up to in my world, since I often fish either a Frenchie or a zebra midge in my dry-dropper rigs. Regardless, this fly does look like a great one, which is why it’s featured in this week’s Tying Tuesday. The post Tying Tuesday:…

This week’s Tying Tuesday comes to us from Troutlore on YouTube. We’ll learn how to tie a Palomino Caddis variant, which is a timely pattern since caddis hatches are starting to become the main staple on many rivers. The post Tying Tuesday: Palomino Caddis appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Photo: denverkid/Flickr Earlier this month, massive rainstorms caused flooding that triggered mudslides throughout the Cheesman Canyon section of the South Platte River in Colorado. This section is widely-regarded as one of the premier fly fishing rivers in the country, and it’s where famed South Platte guide Pat Dorsey has worked for decades. Dorsey is an acclaimed guide, but he’s also an excellent writer and teacher. His photos of fly boxes…

Photo: Tom Hart/Flickr The Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River will be undergoing repairs at the end of August. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. But in this case, the repairs will shut down the fish ladder on the dam, and release loads of sediment into the river downstream, negatively impacting already struggling runs of salmon and steelhead. According to the Native Fish Society, “The release of stored water…

One thing that all of your outdoors gear has in common with everyone else’s is its use of PFAS – per or polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS are used to waterproof everything from rain gear to waders, which makes them an integral part of an angler’s outfit. PFAS are harmful chemicals, however, that have been linked to potentially harmful side effects like liver damage and asthma. That’s one reason why multiple state…

Does the idea of being stuck at a fishing lodge sound like a bad time? Do you think there’s ever a situation in which you’d be unhappy to be stranded in a fishing lodge? Chris Hunt takes us through that thought process in his latest story over at Hatch Magazine, aptly titled “Stranded.” You’ll get an inside look at life at an Alaskan fishing lodge when the food runs out, and the…

Photo: Tom Hart/Flickr Lodges, outfitters, and local businesses in the Skeena region of British Columbia are calling on province authorities to close down the commercial steelhead fishing season. Jeff Blagden, with CFNR, wrote that the recent low returns of steelhead in the Skeena system have prompted this move from the angling and conservation community. Commercial fishing operations are estimated to kill between 20-40% of all steelhead returning to the Skeena…

Simms officially announced the launch of their 2023 Fall Line of gear. This line features updated Freestone Waders, a new Bulkley Insulated Jacket, and plenty of other goodies to keep gear heads (like myself) interested. Of particular note is that Simms is introducing a zippered model for the Freestone Waders, that retails for $479. Adding a zipper to the budget-friendly Freestone line is certainly going to turn some heads in…

This week’s Tying Tuesday features an absolutely massive streamer, with a fitting name – The Beast. This fly is tied for us by Andre van Wyk, and while it’s a complicated fly, he does a good job of explaining the process. The post Tying Tuesday: The Beast appeared first on MidCurrent. Source: Fish2

Photo: Louis Cahill Tarpon fishing is an entirely different game that plays by a set of rules most of us trout anglers don’t fully understand. For the tarpon-obsessed, there are few other fish as enticing as these big silver kings. If you’re looking to fish for tarpon for your first time, or you’re interested in learning new tactics to better your odds against them, then you need to read this…

Dry fly fishing is emblematic of fly fishing as a whole, and it’s been romanticized since we started opining about the sport. But effective dry fly fishing is arguably the most difficult aspect of angling to master. One way to improve your dry fly fishing is using the right leader setup, which according to Dom Swentosky over at Troutbitten, is the George Harvey Dry Fly leader. This leader rig allows for more…

The youth team for Fly Fishing Team USA won the gold medal the International Youth Fly Fishing Competition in Bosnia, per a story by Brooke Snavely in Central Oregon Daily News. Snavely’s story focuses on local teen Kage Kossler, from Bend, OR, who took home the silver medal for his individual performance at the competition. You can read her story here.   The post Youth Fly Fishing Team USA Wins Gold…