Field & Stream We’ve been waiting to share this with you for months now: You’re looking at the first cover of the brand-new Field & Stream journal! Our goal with this cover was simple: Create a modern classic. The “classic” half began with drawing inspiration from our cover archives—specifically, the April 1938 cover of a lone fly angler wet-wading a stream for native brook trout. Next, we enlisted the talents of wildlife artist Ryan Kirby to bring the original artwork to life for the modern version shown here. If you think the cover looks sharp, just wait till you see what’s inside ..read more

An angler holds up a big cutthroat trout taken on a Project Cicada fly. Fly Fish Food The highly anticipated cicada hatch is underway in southern parts of the country, and anglers should start seeing fish of all species come to the surface to feed on these big bugs. In other words, now is a good time to fill your fly boxes with various cicada patterns. One of our favorites—for everything from trout and smallmouth bass to carp and pike—is the Project Cicada. Cofounder of Fly Fish Food and well-known fly-tier Curtis Fry developed the Project Cicada to improve on his already popular Sickada patt ..read more

A sulphur parachute dry fly tied by the author. Max Inchausti Fly tying is as much an art as it is a useful skill for anglers to create their own flies. It is also a never-ending learning experience, with new patterns and techniques being created every year. Much like fly fishing itself, fly tying can be intimidating for beginners who don’t know where to start. But with the basic tools, techniques, and patterns, anglers can start tying their own flies and, eventually, develop unique flies for their home waters. Tying specific patterns for specific fisheries will give you a leg up on the compe ..read more

Gregg Segal To celebrate Mother’s Day, all week long we’ll be publishing a series of stories all about moms––about their companionship in the outdoors, about them encouraging us to hunt and fish, and about how we wouldn’t be where we are, or who we are, without them. Fittingly, we’re calling this series “Thanks, Mom.”  Except for the gaudy wet flies in the circle cast by my headlamp, the only color anywhere was a hazy yellow glow from the window of a stone croft on a hill. My parents and I had rented it for the week we’d be fishing Scotland’s River Spey, and I could picture my mother in ..read more

Travis Hall. On May 2, U.S. Forest Service officials stationed in the Bitterroot National Forest of western Montana said they’ve received a mining company’s Notice of Intent (NOI) to further explore the headwaters of the Bitterroot River for underground minerals used in smartphones, wind turbines, electric car batteries, and a host of other alternative energy applications. The so-called “rare earth elements” are located in the Sheep Creek drainage of the Bitterroot Mountains, which flows into the headwaters of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. But extraction would likely require a large ..read more

Brood XIX and Brood XIII will co-emerge in 2024 for the first time in 221 years. Tytia Habing/Stocksy In case you haven’t heard, 2024 is a big year for cicadas. These hefty periodical bugs that are often the soundtrack to summer will be emerging in numbers that we haven’t seen in 221 years. And if you live in the Southeast or Midwest—or are planning a trip there—the next month and a half has the potential to offer some of the most exciting and aggressive topwater action you’ve ever experienced.   To help you take full advantage, we’ve decided to provide a one-stop spot for informati ..read more

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