Author: sdurrant

Four years ago, a group of sixteen kids filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana, alleging the state has violated its constitution by prioritizing fossil fuel development over the health and safety of Montana residents. According to Hatch Magazine, that case made it all the way to the Montana Supreme Court, where the justices ruled in favor of the...

I've had the pleasure of documenting many cutthroat restoration efforts over the past decade, mostly in Utah, where I grew up. But this recent story from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is one of the most interesting cutthroat conservation tales I've ever heard. Rachel Gonzales wrote the story for Colorado Outdoors, and I highly recommend you read the...

Fly fishing show season is about to get underway! Attending one of these events is a great way to get out and involved in fly fishing, even in the dead of winter, when many of us just can't be on the water. We've put together a list of consumer-focused fly fishing shows starting in January, which you can browse below. You'll get to put your hands on new...

In reporting on recent legislation passed by the United State Congress, Kirk Deeter, over at Fly Lab, questions whether this new bill is perhaps the biggest environmental win ever for trout anglers. Deeter makes this claim about the recently-passed Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hard Rock Mines Act, which was approved in "the House by voice vote...

This week's Tying Tuesday features an interesting array of patterns, and in particular, one of the more unique flies I've seen in a long time. The Super Mottle nymph from Tim Flagler looks like something I'll tie a lot of this winter. Up first this week is the latest installment of the Fly Tying Skill Builder series from Fly Fish Food. In this video, you'll...

According to the Wild Fish Conservancy, Washington state is "on the verge" of permanently banning and removing net pen aquaculture from Puget Sound. Net pen aquaculture is the practice of raising fish in pens in the ocean. For years, it was seen as a way to keep robust populations of endangered fish from going extinct (alongside hatcheries located on the...

Tom Rosenbauer sat down with Pete Kutzer, a renowned casting instructor, to talk about the basics of getting started in trout spey. This is a style of fishing that I think is underutilized here in the West, and it's something I'd like to learn more about myself. Pete and Tom are very knowledgeable on the subject, and this podcast offers a wealth of...

Places like Ennis, Montana; Durango, Colorado; or Roscoe, New York regularly make the lists of "best trout towns in America." These are places to move to and fish if you're an aspiring trout bum. The trouble is, those places aren't secrets anymore, and they can start to feel a bit crowded with drift boats, guides, and fishing dogs. There's one town that...

When you head out to the river, how often are you 100% confident in knowing what flies you should tie on? Sure, if there's a hatch going on, picking the right fly can be relatively straightforward. But if the fish aren't active, what's the process to use to pick a great fly? Well, there are ways to figure out the perfect fly, but it's always good to have a...

I love fly fishing in the dead of winter. The quiet and solitude are hard to beat, but the biggest stumbling block I hear about from folks who haven't fly fished with snow on the ground is staying warm. My answer is always the same: ditch the cotton and go for wool. Heck, I'd even suggest folks stay away from the synthetic base layers (mostly...