Home Blog Page 220

How to Tie: The Yewchuck Rat – “Fly Armory Style”

We sat down with fly tier, Jarrod Mathena of The Fly Armory. He’s an extreme streamer junkie that focuses a lot of his time on chucking meat no matter the species. In this short interview, he talks about a popular fly he ties, The Yewchuck Rat. However, he adds his own twist to it… Check out the video and recipe below!

Flylords: Tell us about yourself

Jarrod: While most people get started into fly fishing with a 5wt, dries, nymphs, and trout, I was introduced into fly fishing with an 8wt, bass bugs, and streamers. Even when I was introduced to trout fishing, I started off throwing streamers while everyone would tell me, “Trout only eat small insect flies” which only encouraged me to prove them wrong. While trout are prone to eating various aquatic insects, they eat bigger stuff as well, to say the least. It didn’t take long for me to come across some fly fishing magazines and videos with names like Kelly Galloup, Michael Schmidt, Russ Maddin, Tommy Lynch, Blane Chocklett, and more with all the various large patterns they tied. Once I learned more about the streamer game and the hosts of other great patterns and streamer tiers abroad along with all the various fish species a person could target with the right fly rod set up and flies…my fate was sealed. Trout, Smallmouth, Largemouth, White Bass, Hybrids, Stripers, Pike, Musky, and anything else that will eat a streamer, I’m all in!

Flylords: What’s rodent fly fishing?

Jarrod: Rodent fly fishing, it may sound crazy or leave some scratching their heads but think topwater streamer fishing. There are those that know how fish become predatory, they don’t discriminate on the meal. It’s about that natural killer instinct and a meaty mouthful. Rodents often end up in water whether it be to get to the other side, a clumsy mistake, or a mishap while scavenging for food. Rodent fishing is not much of a numbers game, it’s sure to bring out the big boys eventually.

Flylords: Where did you learn to tie the Yewchuck Rat?

Jarrod: I came across a picture on Facebook from a guy named Steve Yewchuck. He tied some crazy sized rodents, and not just mice but rat-sized patterns. As someone who was indoctrinated into fly fishing with a passion for big flies, I had to give this pattern a try. When it comes to the tying vice, I can be a bit of a “mad scientist”. There are a lot of great patterns and ideas out there I often find myself tweaking or throwing some personal preferences and flare into my tying. The first time I tied the fly as close to the original as possible. After a test run, I had some ideas. I wanted a rodent that was going to sit lower in the water with its head and nose up as if it were struggling in the water. After taking some foam out and flipping the double-barrel popper head over, I achieved the desired effect.

Photo by Jordan McCall (@jordanmccall_outdoors)

Flylords: Have you had any luck on this fly?

Jarrod: Upon the first few casts of fishing the “tweaked” version, the water erupted beneath my fly. It was followed by 15 seconds of tension and then slackline. While I didn’t end up with a fish in hand, I did have my first topwater musky encounter. Throughout the next couple of weeks of fishing the rat, I had multiple ospreys swoop down and try to take the fly. If you are ever fishing for birds of prey, pike, musky, or the occasional largemouth, it will get their attention. I have no doubt that if you scale the size down it would be great for targeting other species as well.

Recipe:

  1. Hooks: For the Front Hook I’m using an Ahrex TP610 6/0. For the rear hook, you want a shorter shanked hook with some weight to it to help the back end of the fly sit lower in the water, I’m using a Kona BGC in 4/0.
  2. Tail: The tail is a combination of 550 cord sleeves with some Hareline Dura Flash Tubing. The sleeve helps keep the 550 cord tail from moving so much it fouls yet still allows for movement.
  3. Legs: 550 cord
  4. Shank: 40mm Big Game Shank
  5. Thread: Veevus 240
  6. Body: Homemade Arctic Fox Brush. If you have a brush making jig this will be easy to accomplish with some Arctic Fox Tail, otherwise, there are several good sources to purchase brushes with a little bit of looking around. And this by no means needs to be limited to Arctic Fox nor should synthetic brushes be overlooked.
  7. Head: Double Barrel Popper Heads in XL
  8. Articulating Wire: Mason Nylon-strand Coated Wire in 40-60lb.

Jarrod: I hope you fellow meat chucking enthusiasts give this pattern a try and are able to have some fun fishing stories as well. I want to throw a thankful shout out to Steve Yewchuck for his inspirational tying along with so many other influential tiers out there.

French Nymphing for Atlantic Salmon in Iceland

Low clear water in the late summer can mean spooky and hesitant Atlantic Salmon. By using French Nymphing techniques you can effectively fish for these spooky fish.

What is French Nymphing?

Originally the French Nymphing was invented by the France National Team during the World Flyfishing Championship in 2000. After that, the Belgian and Czech National Teams continued to develop French Nymphing, which almost totally replaced the Czech Nymphing technique. For the past 15 years, most of the flyfishers from all over the world moved from classical upstream fishing with a dead drift to the French leader technique.

French nymphing is a perfect style of fishing to catch spooky fish in most of the situations. The biggest difference in using the French leader versus any other nymphing methods. Is the lack of fly line. The French leader consists of a very long tapered monofilament leader, ended by a shorter colorful indicator piece. You always cast upstream into the current, a few meters above where you potentially expect fish to hold. When you cast, lift your arm with the rod and keep the leader and indicator above the surface. Let your flies swim towards you and watch the indicator tippet the whole time. Strike the rod every time you see any movement of the indicator tippet.

The Advantages of Using a French Leader:

  1. The lighter leader allows very sensitive fishing for spooky and over pressured fish.
  2. Presentation of your flies without any drag.
  3. Exact casts which can be repeated really quickly.
  4. It allows the leading of your flies at a specific depth.
  5. It is high-contact fishing when you see and feel every strike.

How Does it Work for Salmon?

We were trying the technique on the Icelandic Atlantic Salmon Rivers, the Laxa I Kjos and Grímsa. Which are run by the @hreggnasianglingclub. After the few first casts, I was surprised how effective this technique was for salmon and seatrout on these larger Icelandic rivers.

It is especially effective during the late season when the water level is low, salmon are overfished with usual flies. But with French Nymphing you cannot cast extremely long distances, so you have to stay close to fish.  It does not work on the really deep and large salmon pools, but as long as you can find some pockets in the structure you will have success!

The best thing when you fish for salmon is to spot them first. You can easily lead your flies towards them, try to keep the fly steady as possible, and just shake the flies by lifting the rod tip in front of the fish’s mouth. I have found that usually, the late males ignore flies, which are just dragging by the current. Once you shake flies a bit, they get crazy and grab the fly immediately.

How to setup French Nymphing Gear for a Salmon Rod:

Rod: The usual weight of rods used for the French Nymphing technique are in the range of AFTM between 2-4 with medium or medium-fast action and a softer tip. For salmon it is the most effective to use a #7 rod with the length of 10´. Especially for casting as it is handier to use longer rods, to reach all fish from quite further distances and to not spook them.

Reel: In the case of salmon fishing the reel isn’t just a fly line holder. You have to invest in a quality reel with a strong drag system. The reel should be well balanced with the rod and the set up as light as possible. A wide-diameter reel is recommended to avoid a tangled leader.

Backing: Fly Line backing is something most freshwater fly fishermen don’t get to see very often but in the case of salmon fishing with French Nymph it is more than needed. You will use much more softer and gentle technique so be sure your reel is loaded with enough backing in a case you hook a fish that makes long runs. I always use an old fly line directly connected to the backing and on the other side to the French leader.

French Leader: I personally use a tapered monofilament leader in a length of 10-15 meters. The diameter is in range of 0,55 mm – 0,30 (0,27mm). If you buy a tapered leader in-store with the thinnest part of 0,22mm (usual product) the best way is just to cut the first few centimeters and use just the stronger part (8-9meters should be enough). Fishing a 10-foot rod together with this leader will keep you an effective distance from fish.

Indicator: The indicator is simply just a piece of Two-tone indicator tippet ( 0,27mm in diameter). The color should be chosen according to individual taste, whatever you are able to see in different conditions (sunset, sun, twilight, rain, clouds….). I would say the most common one is the two-tone fluorescent tippet with pink and chartreuse color from RIO Products. I always use a blood knot to connect fluorescent indicator into the French Leader. The connection between indicator and tippet is always the most critical part of all setup. For that reason always be sure, that your knot was well tied!

Tippet: There is always a possibility while fishing with a French Nymphing leader to use really thin tippet (0,08-0,014mm). I use that strength only for stream fishing for smaller brown trout or grayling. There is a different situation with salmon but still, you are able to use much thinner tippet than usual. It has proven itself to use 0,24 mm tippet (10lb). In combination with the French Nymphing technique is still strong enough tippet material to handle most of the situations. I almost always use one bottom fly and one dropper to get flies straight on the bottom.

Flies: The same type of flies are used for French Nymphing technique as for Czech or Poland Nymphing. The heaviest fly is always on the bottom, it will help you cast easier and more precise. Tungsten nymphs for salmon are bit different then other tungsten flies for brown trout or grayling, where usually the size of the beads is in range of 2,0mm – 4.0mm. The size and weight of flies always depend on water conditions, but the most common set up for salmon will be 3,8mm tungsten as a bottom fly and at 3.4mm tungsten nymph as a dropper. I highly recommend flies tied on jig hooks to avoid getting stuck on the river bottom every time. Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, Orange Tags or Cooper Johns in size of 14 and 16 are the most useful patterns for Atlantic salmon.

Article by Katka Švagrová, a traveler, journalist, ambassador, and fly fishing guide at Hreggnasi Angling Club based in Iceland. Check her out on Instagram at @katka_svagrova.  Additional photos from @myvagrantlife.

Check out the other articles from Katka below:

The Biggest Brown Trout in the World – Thingvellir, Iceland

Mahi Mahi on the Beaches of Croatia – Tips to Catch Them

A Helicopter Incident in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Spurs Federal Investigation

0

The US Forest Service is investigating an incident involving a helicopter, a fly fishing party, and the renowned Bob Marshall Wilderness. Earlier this month, the pictured couple flew their helicopter to a sandbar on the South fork of the Flathead River in the Bob. Well, motorized vehicles, helicopters included, are more or less prohibited in wilderness areas. ‘John,’ who wanted to keep his last name private, witnessed the incident. John questioned the couple about the helicopter, leading to a heated discussion and the helicopter’s departure.

“We appreciate the reporting parties who came forward with the information and take it very seriously. It’s under investigation and we’ll let the public know as we have updates,” said the Flathead National Forest spokeswoman.

This is most definitely not what one would expect to see deep in a wilderness area–especially the one million acre Bob Marshall Wilderness. For more on this story, read this Whitefish Pilot article.

 

10 Pieces of Gear to Improve Your Camp Cooking

Breweries Who Put the Environment First

Colorado Trout Unlimited Offering Free Virtual Fly Fishing Summer Camps

Every summer, Trout Unlimited (TU) chapters all around the nation usually run summer camps for youth looking to learn more about fly fishing and conservation. But, after the COVID-19 outbreak, many had to opt to cancel this year’s camps, but Colorado TU has decided to go virtual with this summer’s camps. The participants “will learn about watersheds, native Colorado fish species, aquatic bugs, streamflow and more, and then can take their families on a field trip to their own outdoor lab. Participants will also learn about conservation and  fly-fishing careers.”

Check out the press release from CO TU below:

From Colorado Trout Unlimited:

In lieu of this year’s river conservation and fly fishing youth camp, Colorado Trout Unlimited will be hosting a series of five, two-hour virtual camp events called TU Teen LIVE. Using Zoom, we will cover various topics in relation to Trout Unlimited’s mission and fly fishing. Participants will get a virtual tour of a Colorado Parks and Wildlife fish hatchery, learn more about their watershed, determine how to select their fly based on macroinvertebrates, and meet a panel of people who have careers in water conservation or fishing. There are only 20 spots available, so secure your ticket today! This event has no cost, but you will need access to the internet and a Zoom capable device. Only for ages 14-18. Participants that fully complete the program will receive a Temple Fork Outfitters rod and reel set up!

Register here!

Breweries Who Put the Environment First

Craft beer and fly fishing are like two peas in a pod. I am sure many of you have your go-to beers and breweries but have you ever considered the impact that these breweries have on the environment and sustainability in general? These are five of the most sustainable breweries in America.

New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing Logo
Courtesy of New Belgium Brewing

While New Belgium is scaled to a fairly large size, they have been able to maintain the title of the most sustainable brewery through a variety of sustainability initiatives. Among this long list, New Belgium is 100% employee-owned; they are a Certified B Corporation; they have ambitious environmental goals to improve waste diversion, energy intensity, and water usage; and they have philanthropic initiatives that funnel $1 per barrel of beer to nonprofits. Since 1991, they have donated more than $26.6 million to help solve the world’s most important issues.

Whether you’re a fan of Fat Tire Amber Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, or Dayblazer EasyGoing Ale, you know that New Belgium has established itself as a company that not only makes great beer but also does right by the planet.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Sierra Nevada Logo
Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Sierra Nevada has focused on sustainability since the brewery began in 1980. Over the decades, Sierra Nevada has passed up chances to brew more easily and cheaply in an effort to not shortchange their values or the environment. Sierra Nevada is a family-owned and operated company that has focused heavily on improving the environmental impact of both of their brewery locations. Their interactive maps are a great tool for learning more about how they are reducing, reusing, and recycling within their brewing system. 

Sierra Nevada also is focusing its efforts on their Take Back Our Trails Initiative. This campaign attempts to support outdoor recreation through the restoration and upkeep of trails and rivers. 

Aslan Brewing Co.

Aslan Brewing Logo
Courtesy of Aslan Brewing Co.

Located in Bellingham, WA, Aslan Brewing Co. makes the shortlist of sustainable breweries. Their defining features include serving 100% USDA Certified Organic beer, being a Certified B Corporation, and having a strong social commitment to their local community. When you walk into the taproom, you will immediately notice that this place is a community hub. Other than serving up local and seasonal cuisines with an array of gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options, they go above and beyond by staying connected to local community organizations and nonprofits by holding fundraisers and local campaigns.

Sweetwater Brewing Co.

Sweet Water Logo
Courtesy of Sweetwater Brewing Co.

Sweetwater Brewing Company is arguably “the fly fishing brewery.” This Georgia-based brewery is a conservation-minded company that supports causes directly connected with many of the fisheries we know and love. Their “Save Our Water Campaign” stems from the idea that you can’t make good beer without good water. For many years Sweetwater has been teaming up with groups like the Waterkeeper Alliance, Trout Unlimited, and the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) to help raise funds and awareness for the work these groups do. Sweetwater will continue to brew tasty beers and team up with more water-focused non-profit organizations. Keep drinking those brews and buying collab swag to help out these causes.

Odell Brewing Co.

Odell Brewing Company Logo
Courtesy of Odell Brewing Co.

Odell Brewing Company strives to be better to their environment, their community, and, of course, their beer. Odell Brewing makes a conscious effort to create a more efficient brewing process for the sake of the environment and their community. They currently use just under 4 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of beer. (This is awesome considering that the national average is above 7 gallons!) Additionally, they have the goal of sending zero waste to the landfill by the end of 2020. (They are currently at 87% of their zero-landfill goal!)

Odell Brewing is leading the way within the brewing community, especially when it comes to water usage. Since water is so important in the process of brewing, they created BreWater— a group that brings together breweries of all sizes to discuss water use in the industry.

Next time you’re picking up some beer for a day on the water or some time on the vice, keep these breweries in mind. These are the companies that are using business for good.

Article written by Flylords Content Team Member Andrew Braker.

Fly Fishing “The Worm Hatch” for Early Season Striped Bass

For a few weeks each spring, a little something special happens in salt ponds and estuaries around the New England coast. This event is a product of excited worms and hungry Striped Bass. The annual cinder worm hatch can be a fly caster’s paradise or hours upon hours of struggle. Hopefully, this piece will help ease the struggle…a bit!

Cinder Worm

How to find a hatch:

As I said above, the worm hatch generally happens in the spring, when backwaters warm to the low 60℉. The exact timing of the hatch will vary between areas and even specific ponds. The best way to find a worm hatch is to first find a larger estuary or salt pond, with a muddy bottom that is at least a few feet deep (the worms spend most of their time in the mud). This pond or part of an estuary has to have easy access to the ocean, for the bass to swim up. Once you have found a spot that meets all of those parameters, you need to spend some time scouting. Starting at late-April, every few evenings, go down to your spot and look for worms. The worms will be darting around right below the surface, and when they are active, it is hard to miss. If the Bass are present and feeding on the worms, they will be busting and boiling all over the place. Since this is definitely something that you don’t want to miss, it is important that you check regularly and always have your gear ready.

When the hard work pays off

Gear:

Everyone has their opinions about what is the proper gear for fishing the worm hatch. I like to use a 7wt rod with a weight forword floating line. You have to have a delicate presentation because the fish are picky, and most of the action happens near the surface. I like to use a straight piece of fifteen-pound mono or fluoro as my leader. Since the hatch often happens early in the season, waders are a necessity if you don’t want to freeze. Fly choice is another odd topic. Almost every fly angler who fishes the worm hatch has their “secret fly”, but any fly one to three inches long and not too heavy, with a red body, and a black or olive head should work fine.

Tactics:

Now, you have found your spot, gathered all of the right gear, and are ready to fish. You roll up to the spot, and the stars have aligned, the hatch is on! It can be quite overwhelming, boils to your right, busts to your left, and a keeper rolling straight ahead, and you can’t buy a hit. This is where most people get quite frustrated. The key is to have a gameplan. I will wait for a spark of action within casting range, and put my fly where I think, or hope the fish is moving. How you present your fly is also crucial. Cinder worms move oddly, so you have to do your best to mimic their movements. Strip erratically, keep it random. Mix in some short and fast strips, some long slow ones, and plenty of pauses. Always remember, if something’s not working, switch it up! Experiment with your retrieve, swap flies, and move around.

With that said, do some research, scout out some spots, and find some of the best days on the water you’ve had in a while.

IF4 Announces “The Stimmie Awards” Fly Fishing Film Competition

Presented by Fly Fusion Magazine, The Stimmies recognize top emerging fly fishing filmmakers. Calling all filmmakers, amateur and professionals alike, to submit entries to the 2020 Stimmie Awards. The winning film will be included as an official selection in the 2021 International Fly Fishing Film Festival and will be shown at all screenings around the globe. Top films will also qualify for cash and swag…not to mention bragging rights!

Beginning June 1, filmmakers may submit their works into one of two categories, freshwater or saltwater, on the Film Freeway film submission platform filmfreeway.com/stimmies. Entries will be accepted until June 30.

Awards and Prizes: 

The overall winning film will be included as an official selection in the 2021 International Fly Fishing Film Festival and will be shown at all screenings around the globe.

Top saltwater films will be screened at the 2020 Bonefish & Tarpon Trust International Science Symposium.

Top film in each category will receive a $500 cash prize and runners-up will qualify for valuable swag prizes.

Rules and Terms:

The competition is open to all filmmakers, emerging and professional involved in producing any kind of film dedicated to the sport of fly fishing, including adventure, travel, humor, conservation, profiles, and the like. Please note purely “how-to” fly-fishing films are not appropriate for the film fest environment.

All submissions must be made by their respectful, legal owner(s) / agents who have the right to submit all content within the submission, including royalty-free rights to all footage, graphics, and music tracks within the submission. There are no exceptions to these conditions.

Submissions may be made by individuals and production companies, as long as such information is properly indicated within the submission form.

Submissions may contain built-in sponsor logos & branding only within the ending credits, which must be no longer than 20 seconds long.

Submissions must not contain any illegal/irresponsible or unethical behavior, activities, or practices.

Submissions must not contain any footage, photographs or other visual references to non-conservation minded or offensive activities or efforts. This is a conservation and family-friendly minded film festival.

Should your film be assigned Official Selection status a festival producer will contact you by email and provide a copy of the International Fly Fishing Film Festival license & usage agreement.

To be eligible, an entry must have been produced after January 1, 2018.

Featured Fly Tyer: Coastfly

Welcome to our Featured Fly Tyers series! Each month we will be highlighting a different fly designer to learn more about what they do, how they create such beautiful and effective patterns and why they tie. This month, we spoke with Morten Hansen (a.k.a @Coastfly) a Danish fly designer and photographer who sparked a viral fly tying challenge a few years ago and has inspired countless new people to pick up the bobbin and start spinning up unique creations. We sat down the Morten to chat about his process, fly photography and passion for creating fly patterns.

Flylords: When did you tie your first fly? What pattern was it?

Coastfly: I tied my very first fly 6 years ago, it was a pattern called “the White Prince”. It’s basically a white woolly bugger sort of fly.

Flylords: What was the first fish you caught on your own tie?

Coastfly: My first fish on my own tie and a fly rod also was an escaped, stocked Rainbow Trout on the coast in Denmark, on a pattern I dubbed the “Christmas Tree.” I guess it counts as a pseudo-steelhead then… It weighed 4 kg (~9 lbs) so it really got me hooked on fly fishing so to speak. I haven’t caught a trout over 2.7 kg (~6 lbs) since.

Flylords: What is your favorite pattern to tie these days?

Coastfly: I love tying shrimp flies. Mostly because I fish for sea trout 80% of the time and shrimps are like little scooby snacks for our seatrout here in Denmark!

Flylords: What draws you to fly tying and fly design?

Coastfly: I guess it has become more of a meditational thing. I struggled with depression and anxiety in my mid 20´s because of a rough childhood. Fly tying gave me something I could focus my attention on and it literally helped me to learn how to deal with the thoughts you have when depression and anxiety turn your world upside down. So I would tie flies for at least a few hours every. Single. Day. for almost one year. I guess that’s how I picked up so many skills so quickly.

Flylords: What is your process while designing and testing a new pattern?

Coastfly: It’s usually pretty simple. When designing flies for my home water I Google the prey sea trout feed on, then I look for key attributes in that baitfish or shrimp. If its light tan and has a dark spot on the side I pick my materials based on that to mimic them as best as possible. 

Flylords: Do you have any advice for new tiers or anglers looking to pick it up?

Coastfly: Don’t get to overwhelmed with all the stuff the shops tell you, you need. You can get far with a cheap starter kit and a few good materials. The glass shrimp was invented on a cheap vise and had only 3 materials in it. If there is any secret to nice-looking flies it lies in the quality of the materials you buy. Look at the stuff in the bags. Ask the shop owner if you may take out that gorgeous looking neck from Whiting and have a closer look.

Flylords: How do you photograph your flies? What’s your camera setup?

Coastfly: All my photos are handheld actually. In the garden on a piece of driftwood, I found on the beach on a fishing trip. I started out with cell phone pics, then upgraded to a DSLR from canon and a kit lens (18-55mm) in the mid-price range. Now I use a full-frame from Canon EOS 6D Mk ii) and the 100mm f./2.8 L macro lens. It’s a super expensive kit for just photographing flies, I know. But as I tied and started photographing my flies, I also developed an interest in photography and cinematography. Currently, I am building up my own company based on that – under the name of “Deeper Pixels”. I even have a few jobs coming up related to flyfishing, which I will share more about when I have the clearance. It’s kind of a secret still. But not for much longer.

Flylords: How did you get the idea for the #CoastFlyChallenge? What is your favorite part of it?

Coastfly: The idea for the challenge was to, well, challenge myself and others out there to step out of their comfort zone and try something different. I often find that new and exciting things happen exactly when you step out of that comfort zone, I mean, look at where it got me!

Flylords: Can you tell a difference between the European and American fly tying styles?

Coastfly: It seems to me that the European/Scandinavian style of tying is smaller and more detailed, maybe. Not that super complex flies like the “Perfect Leo Shrimp” are better than a simple woolly bugger, but I think we tend to put more attention to details in our fishing flies “over here”. And as I said they are smaller. I use hooks in size 8-12 for trouts weighing up to 6 kg´s – and Americans seem to use big articulated flies for the same size fish.

Flylords: What is next for you in 2019?

Coastfly: Build my business. Crank out more flies and create more content for my social media accounts. Not only tying tutorials but also fishing films and so on. Oh and also raise my two sons and be a good father and husband. That actually comes before any of the above – but that will be a story for another time. So lots of work ahead of me and I’m excited to share it with all of the guys following my journey out there. Hopefully what I do brings value to just a few and hopefully, I can inspire some minds to step out of their comfort zones and go with whatever comes. It could take you around the world. Like Greenland. Not saying more ;).

Coastfly’s Live Fly Tying Takeover

Pennsylvania Seeks Public Comment on New Strategic Plan for Trout Fisheries Management

Pennsylvania and trout fishing are nearly synonymous in the fly fishing realm. Once dominated by native brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout have also made the state home. Since, the state has seen a growth in wild trout populations but has failed to protect them properly, favoring stocking trout over wild trout.

Read the drafted Pennsylvania Strategic Plan for Trout Fisheries

Pennsylvania is home to 62,725 streams, creeks and rivers and 51,800 of those have not been assessed for wild trout, which make up whopping 82.6% of streams in the state. In a press release sent yesterday, the state announced that a new 4-year Strategic Plan for Management of Trout Fisheries in Pennsylvania had been drafted and will be open for public comment until June 24th. So, if you’ve ever laid a line down on any of the historic streams of PA or know someone who is passionate about the fishery, please help us take a stand and protect the state’s wild trout populations!

PA Wild Brown Trout
The wild Brown Trout of Pennsylvania need your help!

Read the drafted Strategic Plan for Trout Fisheries, and the statewide press release below:

From the PA Fish and Boat Commission:

“HARRISBURG, Pa. (May 26) —

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is seeking public comment on a new Strategic Plan for Management of Trout Fisheries in Pennsylvania.

This updated plan for 2020-2024 was developed based on input provided by a workgroup of partners including Commission staff, anglers affiliated with several sportsmen’s organizations, and independent trout anglers.

The goal of this strategic plan is to ensure that adequate protection is afforded to Pennsylvania’s wild trout resources and that fisheries provided through the management of wild trout and stocking of adult and fingerling trout produce high-quality angling opportunities in Pennsylvania.

The plan is available online for public review and a 30-day public comment period will remain open from May 26 through June 24, 2020. Comments can be submitted through the comment portal on the PFBC website (www.fishandboat.com) or mailed to PFBC, Attention: David Nihart 595 East Rolling Ridge Drive, Bellefonte, PA 16823.

The plan will be finalized during summer 2020 following consideration of public comments.”

Simon Perkins Named President of Orvis

0

From Orvis:

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Simon Perkins to President, effective immediately. Simon will assume full strategic and operational leadership of the company as President and is the third generation of the Perkins family to lead Orvis since 1965. Outgoing President/CEO Bill McLaughlin, who has worked closely with Simon on the Orvis executive team, will act as an advisor through the transition period.

As you may know, Simon spent more than a decade guiding before coming to his family business in 2012 and contributing leadership across the core sporting product categories, marketing, and operations teams. He has been a champion of the Orvis model for purpose-led business, including the 50/50 on the Water initiative and efforts to protect the Bristol Bay fishery, the Everglades, and other valuable natural resources across the U.S.