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The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:52 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of January.

Day One: Exploring Colorado’s Upper Dolores River

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:32 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

The Upper Dolores River in southwestern Colorado is one of those special places in the West where the story doesn’t revolve around memories of what the flyfishing or hunting was like “back in the day.” The “prime time” experience—when wild, lightly pressured trout attack gaudy dry flies with almost reckless abandon, and massive elk herds roam aspen-lined mountains and valleys—is happening right now.

The Dolores is a home river of sorts for me. I have fished its upper branches and small tributaries for 25 years, and I don’t think these waters have ever fished better than they do at present. I feel the same way about the hunting. That’s partly because the region’s relative isolation from big cities like Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City keep it just out of reach for most weekend warriors, and partly because those hunters and anglers who have discovered this region have worked to maintain its pristine value.

On the Spot: Guide, Author Pat Dorsey

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:20:44 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

John Merwin's blog post the other day referenced a book by Pat Dorsey (Tying and Fishing Tailwater Flies). So I thought I'd follow up with an "On The Spot" interview I did with Pat at the recent International Sportsmen's Expo in Denver.

Pat and I are old friends. In fact, back when we were in our early thirties, I was co-authoring a book on fishing guides, and Pat was one of our first "volunteer" subjects. He showed me Cheesman Canyon, the Williams Fork, and Dream Stream section of the South Platte in South Park. And he did it for gas money, despite the fact that we didn't have a publisher committed or anything (it was an excuse to go fishing). The book turned out to be Castwork, which boosted my outdoor writing career. It's out of print now, but you can read excepts at MidCurrent.

Rio Grande Road Trip: The Outtakes II

Sarah Smith — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:45:48 -0500

by Tim Romano

Last fall I had the pleasure of following the entire length of the Rio Grande River, from headwaters in Colorado to the terminus in Texas at the Gulf of Mexico; fishing, rowing, and following two guys on motorcycles the entire way. I was on a Field & Stream assignment with Digital Director, Nate Mathews, and his father, Bruce Matthews, who is the executive director for the North Country Trail. I was following in the chase vehicle with my camera equipment, boats, fishing and camping gear.

The story was published in this month's (February 2012) issue of the magazine. In the mag there were 25 images published. I took over 8,000 images over two weeks. I thought heck--let's show em some more… Here's the second half of the trip. The first batch of outtakes can be found here.

Enjoy.

Rio Grande Road Trip: The Outtakes

Sarah Smith — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:34:31 -0500

by Tim Romano

Domestic Pet Hair Fly Winner Announced

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:40:44 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

After careful thought, I have decided to award the prize (The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing) to Kyle Deneen.

He wrote: My cat Schizmak, (I just wanted to put his name in there because its cool) is a long haired Russian Blue, when the winters are around I take his under coat and use it for some of the best dubbing I have ever used. A cats undercoat will make the best "hairs ear nymph" but I guess we should now call it the "cat hairs nymph." Also my buddies and I from Fat Guy Fly Fishing found out that my back hair makes great dubbing after my wife shaves my back.

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From 2011

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:15:14 -0500

The 60 best photos submitted by readers in 2011.

Field & Stream's Best Photo Galleries and Blogs of 2011

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:53:52 -0500

The 25 best online stories from F&S in 2011.

Put Down The Rubber Duckie if You Want To Fish Well

Sarah Smith — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:21:06 -0500

by John Merwin

“You’ve gotta put down the duckie if you want to play the saxophone.” That’s a line from an old Sesame Street song that’s rolling around in my head this morning. Maybe by using it in a blog post, I’ll get rid of it. It also has a lot to say about fishing.

Concentration and focus are essential to successful fishing (with one exception. See below). The more of those things you bring to the game, the more you’ll catch. If you’re thinking or worrying about family issues or job problems, the fishing is not going to go well. So put down the duckie, and you’ll fish better.

Favorite "Non-Fish Fishing" Photos

Sarah Smith — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:46:14 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

I've always said that the best aspects of fly fishing are the 360-degree views around you and the people you share them with, rather than the fish themselves. I certainly respect and admire a strong focus on the mission at hand. But in my book, if you aren't looking around, you're not really getting the most of your fishing.

As such, I've been taking a lot of photographs (Romano is coaching me) in recent years. Curiously, most of my favorite fishing images don't have any fish in them at all. I call them non-fish fishing photos. Clouds that look like iron and light hitting the canyon wall just so--those things.

Welcome to the Little River Princess

Sarah Smith — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:21:53 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

It is with great happiness that Uncle Deeter announces the arrival of Mabel Romano, who entered the world at a healthy 8 pounds 2 ounces a few days ago. She, along with her mom, Ellie, and dad, Tim Romano (my Fly Talk partner) are all doing just fine.

Apparently, we have another Fly Talker (well, for the time being, a Fly Goo-Goo/Coo-er) in the fold. And I can tell you that Tim has transformed flawlessly into a proud father. For the foreseeable future, Fly Talk posts might be a little heavy on the Deeter side. I hope you understand.

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From December 2011

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:44:10 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of December.

The Latest Pending Records from the IGFA

Sarah Smith — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:47:09 -0500

Check out new potential record catches submitted to the IGFA the past few months and over the past two years.

Tis The Season for Sporting Expo's

Sarah Smith — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:18:17 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

When I can't actually be out on the river fishing, the next best thing is to be with thousands of like-minded outdoorsy people talking about fishing. And that's exactly what I'll be up to in the next few days, when the International Sportsmen's Exposition rolls into Denver January 5-8 at the Colorado Convention Center.

I'll actually be hosting the Fly Fishing Theater, introducing the likes of Pat Dorsey, Kelly Galloup, Landon Mayer, and April Vokey. I'm going to be giving a couple talks myself, focused on "Stillwater Fishing for Trophy Trout" at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, and 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

First Shots Photo Collection

Online Editors — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:59:48 -0500

A collection of jaw-dropping hunting and fishing photos from Field & Stream's "First Shots" magazine section.

Day Three: Exploring South Lake Tahoe

Sarah Smith — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:39:51 -0500

by David Stalling

The great John Muir once wrote: “Going to the woods is going home, for I suppose we came from the woods originally.” After spending a few days in the Meiss Meadows area, and now spending some time alone roaming the Caples Creek area, I indeed—for the first time since moving to California—felt at home. Muir also wrote that “the most distinctive, and perhaps the most impressive, characteristics of American scenery is its wildness.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Fly Fishing Video: Bulls On Top, Salmon Flies and Fly Shop Time-lapse

Online Editors — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:38:16 -0500

by Tim Romano

After my usual slogging of the inter-webs I thought I'd share three entertaining videos today with the fly talk faithful. The first is called "Bulls on Top" from Shallow Water Expeditions. It's a season's worth of insane top-water Louisiana redfish eats, the second is a very strange, but gorgeous video of classic salmon flies from Ukraine and the third is a humorous look in time-lapse of fly inventory day at the Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig, Montana.

Enjoy

Bulls on top

Conservation Report: Less Mercury, But More Damage by Invasives

Online Editors — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:42:40 -0500

by Bob Marshall

New Mercury Rules Good News for Fish, Wildlife and People

The Environmental Protection Agency this week issued the long-delayed and debated "Mercury and Air Toxics Standards(MATS)" for power plants. The standards will require reductions of air emissions of mercury and air toxins harmful to humans as well as fish and wildlife habitat. It means that 40 percent of the nation's 1,100 coal fired power plants not using advanced pollution controls, will be required to upgrade to meet the new standards over the next three to four years.

Power plants are the largest remaining source of toxic air pollutants (mercury, arsenic, cyanide) and are responsible for half of the mercury and 75 percent of the acid gas emissions in the United States. When fully enforced, the new rules could reduce the presence of those air pollutants by 90 percent.

Tebowing Reaches the Fly Fishing World

Sarah Smith — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:20:23 -0500

by Tim Romano

You know a celebrity, professional athlete, or any variation thereof has reached fever pitch in the media when their very name works it's way into your everyday lexicon.

I have no idea how many times I've uttered the word Tebow and gotten down on one knee in solidarity and in jest the past few weeks. It's been a number of times for sure. I thought there was no way possible I could work him into a blog post though. Trust me I have tried.

Then I received this email and photo from good friend and carp slayer Will Rice yesterday.

Subject: So I Tebow'd this carp...

"...on the bank of the DSP (Dirty South Platte) less than a mile from the Stadium on game day... and the Pats still won. What the hell?"

Anglers: How Do You Know if You're on Santa's Naughty List?

Online Editors — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:42:21 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

With Santa set to take off in only a few short days, I know many of us fly anglers are shaking in our boots. We tried to be good all year, but we might have slipped now and then. Many of us simply don't know which list we're on, "naughty," or "nice."

Well I know Santa Claus. He's a friend of mine. In fact, we fish together (we usually make a tarpon junket to the Keys in May). And he told me what to watch for:

If you threw rocks in the river (or lake) when your buddy was fishing, that was naughty. If you took at least one person fly fishing who had never done so, that's an automatic spot on the nice list. Dropping a size #22 parachute Adams on the surface of your child's goldfish tank is naughty (even if you are on a carp kick).

2012: The Year of the Carp

Sarah Smith — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:00:47 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

I already have my 2012 New Year's resolutions. Most are the same as they always are (lose weight, swear less, knock a few strokes off my golf handicap, etc.). But I've made one fishing-specific addition: I resolve to make 2012 the Year of the Carp. By that, I mean, for every day I spend trout fishing or bass fishing, I intend to devote at least one day in pursuit of Old Rubberlips. I am absolutely serious about that.

I can see the comments already. Deeter, you have officially lost your mind (to which I say, "You're just now figuring that out?"). But there are solid reasons behind the plan.

Day Two: Exploring South Lake Tahoe

Sarah Smith — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:50:51 -0500

by David Stalling

I awoke a few times during the night and early in the morning from the sounds of my tent rattling from the strong winds. I was glad to have some shelter from it. Dave, on the other hand, had decided to just throw his sleeping bag out under the stars and managed to sleep well. By the time I got up he was already working his way around the lake catching fish. After a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, we took a break atop a large, rocky outcrop with a spectacular view of the Upper Truckee watershed, looking north toward the town of South Lake Tahoe and the large, bright blue waters of Lake Tahoe itself. As far as I could see there was nothing but forests, lakes, rock and snow.

Day 1: Exploring South Lake Tahoe

Sarah Smith — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:25:53 -0500

by David Stalling

I must confess to a bit of bias: Having recently moved from Montana, I wasn’t so sure California could offer much in terms of fishing and wilderness opportunities. I need not have worried. The Golden State has the highest diversity of trout, steelhead and salmon of anywhere in the nation, and a tremendous abundance and variety of wild, pristine habitat sustains such diversity. I recently got to experience a small taste of the California wilds and fishing on a backpack trip with Dave Lass, the Northern California Field Director for Trout Unlimited.

A skilled angler, Dave is as passionate about fish and wildlife conservation as he is about fly fishing. He took me into two spectacular and unique roadless areas, one of which sustains a rare species of cutthroat, which he is fervently fighting to protect.

The 75 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From November 2011

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:13:59 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of October.

The 2011 Angler's Holiday Gift Guide

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:47:26 -0500

Looking for something to buy the special fisherman in your life? Maybe you're the angler and need to supply gift ideas to friends and loved ones. Either way, Field & Stream Fishing Editor Joe Cermele and Editor at Large Kirk Deeter have selected 30 top gear items ranging in price from "stocking stuffer" to "holy cow, that's one heck of a gift!" These wares are sure to please, and most have been tested throughout the 2011 fishing season for quality assurance and the F&S seal of approval. Happy shopping!