Whitesitt released the impressive fish back into the Clark Fork River. IDFG. On April 13, an Idaho fly fisherman caught a 25-inch cutthroat trout while drifting a stonefly nymph beneath on the Idaho side of the Clark Fork River. Danielle Whitesitt recorded the massive trout’s measurements, took several photos, and released it shortly after catching it that morning. Twelve days later, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) declared his giant cutthroat a new catch-and-release state record. Learn how to subscribe to the new Field & Stream magazine here! The Clark Fork flows into Prie ..read more

Two anglers hold a 100-plus pound tarpon in the water before reviving and releasing the fish. Shimano There is no sight in saltwater fishing as impressive and exciting as a jumping tarpon. The sheer size and power of these fish will make even the most experienced anglers forget how to set a hook. Even if you’re lucky enough to stick a silver king, bringing one to hand is no easy task. In fact, serious tarpon anglers have a language of their own, often referring to hooking or even seeing a tarpon as a success. But don’t be discouraged; with some basic knowledge about silver king behavior and h ..read more

The Brooks Range is home to moose, caribou, dall sheep, and other iconic big game species. Jim Dau. Back in November, Field & Stream reported on a growing movement to stop a proposed industrial road through the heart of one of Alaska’s most pristine hunting and fishing destinations. The so-called Ambler Road would have stretched for 211-miles, providing foreign mining outfits ready access to mineral deposits in the foothills of the southern Brooks Range, near Alaska’s Arctic Circle. It also would have posed grave threats to iconic wildlife species like sheefish and barren ground caribou ..read more

An angler holds up a nice dropback caught on the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York. Ryan Chelius Steelhead are anadromous fish, meaning they migrate from the ocean, or in this case, the Great Lakes, into rivers to spawn. This annual migration starts in the fall and ends in the spring when they return to the lakes to spend the summer. For most anglers, Great Lakes steelhead fishing means cool fall mornings, crowded rivers, and fresh fish. But from March until May, spring steelhead, also known as dropbacks, offer anglers one more chance at swinging flies and floating nymphs until autumn. Great ..read more

Ralph Smith We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more › Everything about modern fly fishing is fast. We’ve got fast rods, fast-shooting heads, fast-drying UV resin, and even pre-made wings, legs, and tails that let you whip up flies faster than ever. This might be why spun-hair bass bugs aren’t commonplace in fly boxes today. Everything about them is slow. They need to be fished with patience, you can’t knock them out at the vise, and their air-resistant bodies made Granddad’s slow, noodly fiberglass rod the perfect hair ..read more

A Pennsylvania pumpkinseed fooled on top. Barry & Cathy Beck Most anglers have the bluegill to thank for getting them hooked on fishing. Unfortunately, many also forget about this introductory species after they graduate from dipping worms on the shore of the local park pond. That’s a mistake, because not only are bluegills a blast on a light fly rod, but catching them hones your casting and presentation skills, which can help you catch more of the “grown-up” species later. Fly casting for panfish is an excellent way to practice your technique—and a whole lot of fun. Chad Robertson/Adobe ..read more

Lukas Gojda / Adobe Stock Growing up, I had three goals in life: to meet the great A.J. McClane, my boyhood hero; to impress him so that he would offer me his daughter’s hand in marriage; and, finally, to take his job as the fishing editor of Field & Stream. Alas, he passed on to the great bonefish flats in the sky before I could meet him. All I had to show for my efforts to impress him was duplicating his ability to toss 90 feet of fly line without a rod, which is just as useless a trick as it sounds, though it can improve your timing.  Fishing is moveable feast, and McClane moved ..read more

These old trout flies served the author well on Michigan’s Au Sable River. Christopher Testani THE LAST TIME I DROVE between the spires of jack pines that line the road to Wa Wa Sum, I had just turned 20 and was working summers for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. It was a dream job for a fisherman, living on the river in a tent, building logjams, stump covers, islands, and bank riprap to improve habitat for trout in the Au Sable River. This was the stretch known as the Holy Water, the first ­fly-fishing-only trout stream in the country. It was a tea-​­colored current over a bo ..read more

The author shows off a nice rainbow trout. Max Inchausti Fly fishing for trout can be one of the most rewarding and exciting outdoor pursuits there is. It can also be one of the most frustrating. I often hear people who don’t fly fish talk about how difficult or impossible it is to catch a trout on the fly. I’ll let you in on a little secret: Fly fishing isn’t as hard as it may seem.  Like anything, there are different levels of anglers, and starting out doesn’t need to be so intimidating. The reasons new fly anglers don’t catch trout have more to do with the basics—reading a river, unde ..read more

There are approximately 152,000 caribou in the Western Arctic herd, according to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Jim Dau. Late last month, the Alaska Board of Game voted to substantially reduce harvest numbers for the Western Arctic Caribou Herd. The move will limit non-resident bull caribou tags, previously available over the counter, to a limited entry draw. The new non-resident draw system—which allots up to 300 Western Arctic bull tags per year—won’t be implemented until 2025. In order to hunt the upcoming season, non-residents will need to apply for permits between Novembe ..read more