Al’s Point of View
Sometimes I think you just have to “get it off your chest”, and hope that your words don’t fall on deaf ears. In the category “Al’s Point of View”, I have expressed my thoughts on topics such as the spread of whirling disease and the misplaced blame on the role of felt soles, the detrimental effects of stocking, and so on. If my comments start conversations, they will have served their purpose!
Should Montana Become a Smallmouth Fishing Destination?
Montana's Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), has documented a steady decline of trout numbers in its famous southwest ...
What is a Trophy Trout ?
Judged by blogs and books, it seems that most anglers are obsessed with catching a trophy trout. But what exactly ...
Are We Part of the Problem?
It is increasingly difficult to find solitude on many of our trout streams. When I began fly fishing 60 years ago, ...
Is Wade-fishing Harming the Madison River Fishery
Let me make it clear at the outset that I am a dyed-in-the-wool wade-fisherman. For some time now, I have ...
It’s “Getting Western” on Montana’s Madison River
Several years ago (?4) a commission was appointed by the state to study the increasingly popular and crowded Madison River ...
The Ramblings of an Aging Angler, 2nd Edition
I have just published the 2nd edition of my book, "The Ramblings of an Aging Angler, Lessons Learned While Fly ...
Is Tightline Nymphing Spin-Casting Made Difficult?
I was fishing with a friend, Jake, a few weeks ago. He was tightlining, with a prodigious length of mono ...
Support the Henry’s Fork Foundation
The Henry's Fork Foundation is conducting it's annual fundraiser, a virtual auction this year, featuring 124 items. Offerings include fishing ...
Is Montana’s Madison River Being Fished to Death?
I noticed a change last year, 2019, when fishing my home water in Montana, the Madison River. There were fewer ...
Global Warming, a Call to Trout Anglers
I was prompted to write this blog after reading an editorial, written by 13 year old Kian Tanner, already an ...
Native Trout Restoration
I am a life member of Trout Unlimited, and believe in the balance of nature that biodiversity provides. But native ...
Passing the Torch to the Next Generation of Fly Fishers
This New Year is different for me; I am a new grandparent! This constellation of events has caused me to ...
Euro Nymphing- an Old American Fly Fishing Technique
In the past few years, Euro nymphing, or tight-line nymphing, has become all the rage. It has been hailed as a ...
Fly Fishing Etiquette- Some Real Scenarios
I recognize that to venture into the topic of fly fishing etiquette may be Quixotic. But with the ever increasing ...
Matching the Hatch and Other Fly Fishing Short Stories
I want to start the new year off with a bit of a twist. Instead of writing an advice column, I'm ...
Professional’s Corner- Interviews with Fly Fishing Guides
I met Justin Witt in Kamchatka, Russia, last year, where he was the head fly fishing guide for a wilderness ...
Professional’s Corner- Interviews with Fly Fishing guides
With this article, I would like to introduce a new type of article, interviews with professional fly fishing guides. I ...
Trout Stocking- Helpful or Harmful
I have been reluctant to write a blog about trout stocking, because it is a very emotional issue for me ...
Conservation Controversy over Exotics
Felts vs Rubber, revisited In March, I discussed the problem of exotics, with a focus on the conservation controversy over ...
Conservation Controversy- Felts vs. Rubber
Zebra mussels, lake trout, didymo, northern snakehead, and myxobolus cerebralis- what do these have in common? They are all referred ...
