Articles

Patagonia's new River Salt II wading boots aim to do it all for anglers

The new boots are designed from the ground up for both freshwater and saltwater angling

by Hatch Magazine - Sunday, Apr 26th, 2026

The new Patagonia River Salt II wading boots (photo: Arian Stevens).

Most anglers that split their time between freshwater and saltwater don’t get to enjoy a high degree of fly fishing gear overlap. Rods and reels that perform well on streams and rivers don’t typically fare well on flats and skiffs. Bags and packs with metal fasteners, which are perfectly suitable in freshwater, rust and wear out in saltwater. Pliers that are ideal for removing a parachute Adams from a 15-inch trout will quickly get you into trouble when trying to rescue a large baitfish pattern from the toothy maw of a bluefish or barracuda. The list goes on.

Orvis walks the hard road in an effort to remain true to its roots

After layoffs and restructuring, Orvis looks in on its beating heart

by Chris Hunt - Friday, Apr 24th, 2026

Orvis' Simon Perkins tosses a long cast on the Belizean flats (photo: Will Hereford).

In October 2024, Orvis President Simon Perkins announced that the company would eliminate about 8 percent of its workforce (112 employees), close many of its company retail stores, and discontinue its iconic catalog.

New twice-monthly School of Trout learning series debuts

A full year of all-new expert fly fishing instruction is on tap for Hatch Magazine readers

by Hatch Magazine - Saturday, Apr 18th, 2026

Class in session at the School of Trout (photo: Tim Romano).

Beginning this month, we’re introducing a new column in partnership with the Montana-based School of Trout. This new, bi-monthly learning series will offer readers valuable insight into a wide range of fly fishing topics — casting, angling techniques, fly tying, entomology, gear and other equipment, trip and travel planning, and much more — all shared by the school’s expert instructors.

Trump admin attempts to contain blowback from Forest Service 'reorganization'

The White House lobbed slurs while USDA leadership offered weak refutations of both reporting, statements from Forest Service veterans, and other critics of planned actions

by Jim Pattiz - Wednesday, Apr 15th, 2026

Deputy U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Stephen A. Vaden and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins (not pictured), joined by U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), announce the sale of USDA facilities in Washington, DC on February 25, 2026 (photo: Christophe Paul / USDA / cc2.0).

The U.S. Forest Service is in damage control.

Almost two weeks ago, we published an article documenting the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in its 121-year history — the gutting of its headquarters, the elimination of every regional office, and the destruction of the largest forestry research program on Earth. The article widely circulated on social media, reaching hundreds of thousands of readers.

If I was starting over

Fly fishing advice for my younger self

by Todd Tanner - Tuesday, Apr 14th, 2026

Photo: Jeremy Roberts / Conservation Media.

While it’s still a little hard for me to believe, I’ve actually been fly fishing since Ronald Reagan was president. And the fact that I’ve been at it so long — I started guiding on the Henry’s Fork and the Madison in 1992, and writing about the sport on a national level a couple of years later — had me wondering what type of advice I’d offer myself if I could go back in time and slip a note in my younger self’s pocket.

So here, on the chance it might prove helpful to at least a few of you, is what I came up with: