Word was the Upper Sacramento River’s fishing kinda slow — especially in the middle of the day. Naturally, that’s when I went fly fishing, though with expectations tamped down to dog-day levels.

The Upper Sacramento is still riddled with pretty — even when the fishing’s slow.
Did I say my expectations were low? That’s a misstatement. What’s […]

If chasing trout in tiny, remote alpine streams is considered “bluelining,” then we’re officially designating the urban, warmwater version of the same practice as “brownlining.”
Singlebarbed — former Underground gadfly and current Underground Writer’s Network blogger — finally steals a few minutes and goes exploring right around his house. He hits the jackpot, finding a small […]

New West has become one of my favorite online stops. Literature, politics, news, and environmental news are sprinkled liberally with quality essays — this one written by a woman whose husband can’t stand to fish/camp/backpack around other human beings.

It caught my eye because frankly, it sounds pretty damned familiar (the L&T Nancy probably sympathizes). Here’s […]

With the Upper Sacramento River fishing kinda slow, I’m thinking about fishing the backcountry this weekend, where the weather has been cooler and the Brookies (presumably) are more willing. More as it happens.

A River Runs Through It made fly fishing a hot property among the disposable income crowd. Now it’s the fish themselves that are in demand — but as miniature skin care workers:

From Mark at the Blogfish Ocean blog comes this story about the use of tiny fish in spas, where apparently, the fish munch the […]

I’m not necessarily a fan of hatcheries, but the hatchery in Mt. Shasta drags along enough interesting history that it’s worth reading about. For example, in the early 1900s, trout were distributed around the state from the Mt. Shasta hatchery via railroad baggage cars, though eventually the state bought their own car that was specially […]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLJYigWchf0

Years ago, I worked as a photojournalist in Southern California, and part of the gig was shooting the wildfires that raced through the tinder-dry brush. Once I photographed a fire in a small valley: the air grew very still, the fire seemed to stall, the valley grew hotter, and eventually, the the 12-foot high brush […]

We’ve learned the depths to which PETA will go — they’ll torture young bikini models by forcing them to stand out in snowstorms.

I’m sure you’re as shocked as I am by the news that conservation groups — and even a Federal judge — are fighting with federal political appointees about the future of America’s outdoors (Shocked, I say. Shocked!)
First, a Federal judge in Montana is leaning hard on the top forestry official (an administration appointee and former […]

Every writer knows about Hemingway’s six-word short story: “For sale: baby shoes, never used.” Packed with meaning, it’s an outstanding example of saying a lot with a little.
Can fly fishers say as much with as little? Fishing Jones wants to know, so he’s holding a short story contest. You’ve got six words to sum up […]

Via the always interesting Aquafornia blog comes an article that asks the question I’ve been asking myself for years: How many people can California’s water supply really support?

California’s Water Plan, prepared by the state Department of Water Resources and currently being updated, always seems to imply that our supply of water to support development is […]

Participation in outdoor activities like hunting, fishing & backpacking is falling, and one of the reasons bandied about is the lack of generational support. In other words, if your parents don’t introduce you to the outdoors, chances are you won’t go there — and your kids won’t either.
That’s why — on the heels of our […]