Articles

Of stormclouds and smoke

Why is America taking it on the chin from wild weather?

by Todd Tanner - Wednesday, Sep 13th, 2017

Smoke blankets the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park (photo: Neal Herbert/NPS )

If you’re blessed with the normal human share of empathy and compassion, you probably can’t look at images from Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma without feeling incredibly bad for the folks who have suffered—and are still suffering—so much from these unprecedented storms. We’ve seen homes flooded, and buildings ripped apart, and people trapped and waiting for rescue. We’ve watched as families are displaced, loved ones go missing, and survivors return home to sort through the detritus of their lives.

A fracking ban may be coming for the Delaware, but is it a step backwards?

New proposal would ban drilling but not some of fracking's most hazardous processes

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Sep 12th, 2017

Two anglers fish amongst the fog and mist in the Delaware River Water Gap (photo: Thomas James Caldwell).

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), a federal interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin, announced yesterday that it intends to consider a resolution seeking a permanent ban on fracking anywhere within the Delaware River watershed. If adopted, the resolution would initiate a process that would seek to formalize the de facto ban that has been in place since the DRBC enacted a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2010.

Combo deal: Lamson's new reel, with rod included

Waterworks-Lamson's new 'Center Axis' all-in-one rod and reel

by Kris Millgate - Monday, Sep 11th, 2017

The Waterworks-Lamson 'Center Axis' (photo: Kris Millgate).

There's a large, shallow, rectangular casting pond at the International Fly Tackle Dealer's show in Florida. I stare at it more than I use it. It's the show-off spot. That's where you go when your arm's on fire and you have a double haul you think deserves to be on display.

My arm rarely heats up in man-made conditions. I need fresh air to get the most out of my casting. There's no fresh air in a convention center no matter how high the a/c is cranked so I don't cast much at the show.

Sadistic insanity on the Snake

Are the authors of H.R. 3144 too stupid or too evil to be in charge of managing an already teetering wild steelhead and salmon population?

by Josh Mills - Saturday, Sep 9th, 2017

Photo: Uncredited

I’m so pissed that I have to resort to cliché. And not that idiotic one, “that’s why they call it fishing and not catching,” intended to justify a fruitless day on the water. Hell, these days I’d kill for the chance to step into my homewater and futilely swing flies through a river full of wild steelhead. But unfortunately, that’s not a possibility because when it comes to steelhead management, we’ve gone insane.

Nissan's new hitch cam offers easy, solo trailer hookup

The new Titan is poised to save friendships, marriages and time

by Kris Millgate - Thursday, Sep 7th, 2017

Photo: Kris Millgate

This is going to save my marriage. That's my first thought as I stare at the truck dash glowing with the view of a boat ready for hitch. I just finished fishing for tarpon in Florida's Treasure Coast. Truth be told, I tanked. I couldn't help myself. I stopped stripping line to stare at tarpon, which look like dolphins compared to trout. They were on to me as soon as my fly stopped twitching. I didn't hook a single fish, but I looked at a lot of them.