Articles

Pebble Isn't the Only Mine Threatening Alaska's Fisheries

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Oct 29th, 2013

Proposed KSM mine site.

The Unuk River in southeast Alaska is home to one of the largest king salmon runs in the world, as well as the other four species of pacific salmon, steelhead, rainbow and cutthroat trout, char and whitefish. The waters where the Unuk flows into Behm Canal and eventually the Pacific Ocean are bountiful shrimp and crab fisheries. And, while so many eyes are justifiably trained on the saga surrounding the Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, the proposed KSM (Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell) mine -- which is part of what Trout Unlimited describes as a "mining frenzy" in northern British Columbia -- that poses serious threats to the Unuk and other nearby rivers edges closer to becoming a reality.

Trout Unlimited notes, "spurred by weakened environmental regulations and the construction of a massive new power line that is one of Canada’s biggest transmission projects ever, as many as 10 new large-scale mines are undergoing exploration in the mineral-rich region that borders Southeast Alaska. Five of these Canadian mineral projects are located in trans-boundary watersheds of key salmon rivers including the Stikine, the Taku, and the Unuk. These mines could produce water pollution that may harm Southeast Alaska fishing and tourism industries while offering few, if any, economic benefits to the communities of Southeast Alaska."

Winston's New Boron III Two Handers Shipping Soon

by Ben Kryzinski - Monday, Oct 28th, 2013

The new Winston Boron III TH series.

Winston's all-new lineup of two-handed spey and switch rods are expected to begin shipping in the next 1-2 weeks. The new two-hander lineup from Winston brings Winston's newest blank technology, Boron III, to its spey and switch rods. The Boron III line of two handers features eight different rods, ranging in size from a 11' 6-weight to a 15' 9-weight.

According to Winston, the new series is "more powerful, more responsive, smoother casting and has faster recovery than the incredibly popular Boron IIx two-handed series it replaces. This rod is also lightweight and allows an angler to present a fly with incredible accuracy and cast long distances, with ease."

Review: Redington Vapen Red Fly Rod

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Oct 25th, 2013

The grip, featuring a season of filth. The handle reportedly cleans off easily for those who aren't too lazy to wipe it down.

The Vapen Red is a fly rod I didn't want to like. I'm just being honest. While I'm most certainly gear addicted, and particularly giddy about the next new thing, there was something that rubbed me wrong about the Vapen as soon as Redington introduced it. The Vapen introduces two entirely new technologies into the world of fly rods, with its X-Wrap blank construction and -- of course -- the bright red polymer handle that Redington co-developed with golf club grip manufacturer Winn Grips. For some reason, the combination of the two made the Vapen Red feel gimmicky rather than innovative, so I was prepared to be disappointed when the rod landed on the front steps.

While I consider myself quite adept at quickly judging the character of people, never let it be said that I am adept at doing so with fly rods. I've been fishing the Vapen Red for many months now, on everything from small Pennsylvania spring creeks to big Alaskan rivers, and in that time it has become one of my favorite rods currently in my quiver. That's not to say the Vapen Red is right for everything, but it is a very versatile rod that impresses in many arenas. And, despite my holding out as long as I could, I've even come around on the grip.

What are Some Good Uses for Old Fly Lines?

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Oct 22nd, 2013

What are your favorite uses for your retired fly lines?

The other day, I reluctantly headed down to my basement for some long overdue purging and cleaning. Though, at times of the year, the shelves on which virtually all of my fly fishing gear is stored are an picture of organization and care, by this point in the season they're typically a horrifying mess. This year has proved no exception to this pattern. So, amongst tasks like bagging up old toys for Goodwill and gathering up the 50 empty bottles of Tide my wife has accumulated in the laundry area, I did a bit of surveying of my fly fishing gear to see what could go on eBay, what I could offer to friends and what could just get junked in order to clean up the disaster that has developed. In the process of doing so, I came upon the rat's nest seen below.

Of course none of the fly lines pictured above are labeled. Labeling my lines as I take them off the reel is a good habit I've only more recently developed, previously lingering under the delusion that I would remember by sight what each fly line was and be able to quickly identify it. The reality could not possibly be farther from that delusion, as not only can I not accurately identify any of these fly lines, I can't even hazard a guess as to what they might be.

Hatch Magazine to Donate Portion of Advertising Space to Non-Profit Conservation Organizations

by Chad Shmukler - Monday, Oct 21st, 2013

Part of the Tongass National Forest, one of many locations where important conservation efforts are underway (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Hatch Magazine has seen some changes over the last few months, with several more to come as we close out 2013. Some of the changes that have already happened have been small, such as changes in layout. Other changes have been more significant, such as the addition of advertising to the site. Ads began popping up a few months ago, and it is worth noting that the decision to add advertising to hatchmag.com was one not taken lightly, as the site was initially envisioned as an ad-free destination. That said, we abandoned the idea of keeping ads off the site in favor of growing the site and bringing readers more of what we strive to do well: showcasing fly fishing photography, covering conservation news specifically as it relates to anglers, producing pieces about travel and fly fishing destinations, bringing you news and reviews on new gear and providing fly fishing tips and insight when we can. As part of making the decision to introduce advertising "work" in our minds, we've decided to reserve a portion of the advertising available on the site for non-profit organizations that are doing work to conserve and protect waters and lands that are important to anglers. This advertising will, of course, be offered free of charge to these organizations.

Currently, we're reserving 5% of our total inventory of advertising (total ad impressions) for this purpose. If you represent an organization that fits the description above would like to advertise your organization, project or other aspect of what you do on Hatch Magazine, please contact us and let us know. We'll limit the number of advertisers in this regard each month, in order to be able to give each group a reasonable level of visibility, as opposed to spreading things too thin.