Luray, Virginia: Effective immediately, Shenandoah National Park’s streams and rivers are closed to fishing due to low stream flows and high water temperatures. This closure is being implemented to ensure the long term health of the fish populations in the park. Dry conditions have led to extremely low stream flows throughout the Park, including some …
Tag: Brook Trout
Happy Inevitable Transitions
Close up camp. Back to school. Don’t wear white. Labor Day does not sound like a whole lot of fun. But summer is only a short nine months away. And fall is pretty spectacular. Plus there is the fact that you can’t alter the rotation of the earth and the resultant seasons so there is …
Never Enough Small Trout
Orange fins. Blue halos around red dots. Dark parr marks that span the vertical transition of vermiculated olive back to dusty golden sides. That milky white belly. I can not get enough. And I hope I never will. As an eastern angler, and a passionate devotee of all things small stream, I think about juvenile …
Podcast Ep. 243: A Fin in the Water of Trout Genetics
The eye does amazing things. With our vision alone, we can discern and identify a dazzling array of variables. You can see intricate vermiculation lines across the back of a brook trout, unique spot patterns on a mountain cutthroat, or a shimmering azure cheek of a wild brown trout. And while that counts for a …
Podcast Ep. 238: Approaching Mountain Trout
They’re not the biggest or most technically-challenging fish, but there is something special about a wild trout caught high up in the mountains. And while those who spend a lot of time walking trails with fly rod in hand know that it is possible to catch dozens of feisty trout in these secluded creeks, this …
Trout are Tough
I am all for the safe handling of fish; especially trout. But I’ve seen plenty of things in my decades of being outdoors to dispel any assertions that trout are delicate organisms living their lives in constant threat of mortal peril. You can kill a fish if you’re careless. They’re also a lot more robust …
Rusty Flybox: Hollers & Skylines
Once again I’m spending the holidays in Virginia. I’m from the Midwest. I root for the Bears, love a good relish tray at family gatherings, and don’t think ketchup belongs on a hot dog. Illinois is where I’m from. But Virginia is home. It is where I spent my formative, teenage years. It is where …
Podcast Ep. 206: Tiger Tiger, Hybrid Trout
They’ve been around for at least 75 years, but Tiger Trout have experienced a surge in popularity over the past decade. But what is a tiger trout? In this episode, I briefly talk about what makes a tiger a tiger, why we’re in the business of putting them in rivers, and how we should think …
Red, White, and Brookies
Tomorrow morning I’m waking up early and going fishing. I’ll get to drive on well-maintained interstate highways and state roads. A wide assortment of breakfast options will be available for me to choose from. The forest that I’ll be walking into is public and free to access. Freedom has its perks; even in the small …
Podcast Ep. 186: Why You Should Fish Maine
In this episode, I use words like impressive, remarkable, and excellent more than I usually do. But those adjectives are necessary when describing Maine and her fly fishing opportunities. Maine could (and does) have a whole podcast dedicated to exploring fly fishing from coast to mountains. Between the stripers, the landlocked salmon, and the brook …