Articles

US Dam Removal Trend Continues as Over 50 Dams Fall in 2013

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Feb 20th, 2014

American Rivers' interactive map of dam removals.

The rising tide of dam removal continues to strengthen, as over 50 dams were removed across the country in 2013, according to information released by American Rivers. 18 different states removed dams last year, with Pennsylvania leading the list for the 11th year in a row with a dozen dams removed. Bob Irvin, president of American Rivers, noted that "the river restoration movement in our country is stronger than ever. Communities nationwide are removing outdated dams because they recognize that a healthy, free-flowing river is a tremendous asset."

Highlights of the 2013 removals include the Stearns Dam which had blocked steelhead, salmon and trout passage on Oregon's Crooked River for over 100 years, the Whittenton Dam on the Mill River in Massachusetts and the Lassiter Mill Dam on the Uwharrie River in North Carolina.

Tips for Keeping Ice Off Fly Rod Guides

by Colin K. Breck - Wednesday, Feb 19th, 2014

Stanley's Ice Off Paste

With much of the country still well in the midst of what is beginning to seem like an interminable winter, cabin fever has sent many of us out to the stream on days which would typically keep us indoors in the warmth and comfort of home. Fishing on those frigid days can be frustrating at times. You're cold. The fish are lethargic. Conditions are tough. And your rod guides and tip keep icing up, causing you to have to break from fishing to clear the ice. Patience can wear thin.

Although there's nothing you can do to improve the cold temperatures, sluggish fish and lousy conditions, you can put a dent in the frustrations that come from iced up tips and guides by experimenting with one or more of the remedies below.

Pennsylvania Governor's 'Non-Impact' Plan to Reintroduce Fracking on State Lands Ignores Obvious Impacts

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Feb 18th, 2014

A water impoundment pond on Pennsylvania state forest land (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett recently unveiled an almost $30 billion spending plan for his state that includes proposals that would expand natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania state forests and parks, presumably overturning a moratorium on further expansion of such operations that was put in place by former governor Ed Rendell. According to Corbett's office, his plan to expand natural gas leases could add up to $75 million in new revenue for the state.

Existing, operating natural gas wells on Pennsylvania state forest and park lands exists in or adjacent to watersheds of some of the state's most famous trout streams, such as Slate Run and Pine Creek, amongst others. Pennsylvania state forest, park and game land is also rich with small brook trout streams, many of which are classified by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as Class A Wild Trout water.

In a radio interview with station WITF, Corbett told Radio Smart Talk, “there’s a huge amount” of gas under state parks and forests, “and I don’t believe in leaving it there.”

2 Important Tips for Casting in the W-I-N-D

by Chad Shmukler - Monday, Feb 17th, 2014

Being prepared for the W-I-N-D will give you a much better chance of landing this fish rather than crucifying yourself over that blown opportunity.

When on the water with friend and steelhead guide on Oregon's Deschutes River, Tom Larimer, any mention of the natural movement of the air in a current or particular direction is spelled, not spoken. It's considered bad luck to do otherwise. After all, wind is the fly caster's worst enemy. It butchers trajectories, displaces power, creates knots and impedes the angler's ability to translate load in the rod into a well delivered cast.

Shadow Offering Custom Color Fly Lines

by Ben Kryzinski - Friday, Feb 14th, 2014

Just one of the many color charts used for selecting custom colors for the Shadow Seeker fly line.

Fly fishermen care about aesthetics, well at least most of them. While you could say that this is superficial, the aesthetics of fly fishing are a large part of what initially drew many of us to the sport. And with good reason. There's a great deal of beauty in the world of fly fishing. Flies are often as much pieces of artwork as they are effective fishing tools, rods and reels are exhibitions of the workmanship and creativity of those that designed or crafted them, and so on. With so much visual stimulus, there should be little surprise that many fly fishermen have a developed a high level of attention to detail. As a result, as many fly fishermen scrutinize new pieces of gear for potential addition to their arsenal of fly gear, they are scrutinized not only on their function, but their form.

Fly lines, like other gear, likely fail to escape this level of scrutiny from most anglers. That's not to say that many of us have chosen not to buy a fly line that we thought would be best for the rod we intended to pair it with or the conditions in which we intended to fish it because of its color, but it almost certainly doesn't go unnoticed and may even serve as a scale tipper when choosing between several lines. There are practical reasons to care about fly line color, too. Many anglers have definitely turned down bright orange lines if their main quarry is selective, wary trout on gin clear spring creeks. Others may jump at such a line if they spend their time fishing in situations where fly line visibility comes at a premium.