Daily Drift - 10/05/2012

A tribute to The West’s great river

Growing up in the upper midwest, the Columbia River took on a nearly mythical quality while I read the history of its taming. It may not be the giant brawler that it once was, but it’s still an amazing river with a deep impact on those who live near it.

On a soggy May morning, Bruce Ely and I stuffed a Chevy Blazer to the breaking point and set off east, tracing the Columbia River until we found sun. Among the cameras, tripods and camping gear was also a shared dream of creating a beautiful and lasting film from the Northwest’s largest river.

From Oregon Live — h/t moldychum

 

Native Trout Come Home to the San Juans

CO Parks and Wildlife are working to return native cutties to the San Juan Mountains southwest of Telluride.

“This area was populated with native trout before settlers arrived in Colorado, but the fish haven’t been present in, probably, over a half a century,” said Dan Kowalski, an aquatic researcher with Parks and Wildlife in Montrose. “This is one of the few spots in southwest Colorado suitable for this type of restoration project and it will provide a great refuge for this important native fish. This project will help give the cutthroat a long-term foothold in the area, expand their numbers and range, and benefit native trout conservation throughout southwest Colorado.”

 

Timely tips on fly fishing for steelhead

Looking to get into fly-fishing for steelhead? The Spokesman-Review has a quick set of tips to inform the beginner or to remind those of us that have been freezing our behinds off, not catching fish for years.

Don’t overthink it! If you have done some trout fishing then you are already fishing well enough to catch a steelhead. Don’t spend too much time changing flies, depths, tippets, or sinking rates on your line. Keep your fly fishing smooth, clean, and in a way that will ambush a steelhead. Keep your fly in the water.

 

What we could lose on the Green

Three photographers spent three days fishing and shooting the Green River in Utah. Take a look and see what’s at stake.

h/t TU’s own Randy Scholfield