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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…

Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr It’s not every day that fly fishing shows up in Yahoo News, but it did on July 31. Kurt Spurlock wrote a great behind-the-scenes article for Yahoo highlighting the Orvis fly rod shop in Manchester, Vermont. Manchester is a tiny town with only two stoplights, but it’s also home to some of the most cutting-edge technology in all of fly fishing. As Spurlock writes, “Mass production, efficiency,…

Photo: denverkid/Flickr The famous stretch of the South Platte River through Cheesman Canyon, in Colorado, has been severely damaged by recent flooding and mudslides. Noted guide and author Pat Dorsey documented the impacts on the river over the past few days, with his Instagram updates serving as a focal point for anglers across the world.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Pat Dorsey (@patdorseyflyfishing) In…

For this week’s edition of Tying Tuesday, we get to learn to tie an aptly-named fly: the Picky Eater, courtesy of the Flying Ties YouTube channel. This nymph pattern has a lot going for it – a slim body, a CDC collar, and relatively few materials. If it fishes as well as it looks, then it’ll probably become a mainstay in many fly boxes. The post Tying Tuesday: The Picky…

  Big news! Midcurrent is expanding to be a better and more valuable version of what you already enjoy on a daily basis. This week we are announcing the first big update: the arrival of MidCurrent Travel. MidCurrent Travel is a full-service booking agent that helps anglers filter through a myriad of choices from Alaska to South America to find the perfect lodge and experience. We’re in the business of…

Photo: Giuseppe Milo/Flickr As you’ve likely heard over the past week if you pay attention to social media, the Florida Keys are in some hot water. Per multiple reports, including from the Smithsonian Magazine, scientists recorded a 101.1-deegree Fahrenheit seawater surface temperature in Manatee Bay. This is potentially the hottest the Florida Keys have ever been in recorded history. If verified, this temperature reading would be the new highest-ever for the ocean’s…