The cottonwoods in the Big Hole Valley are on fire, the brown trout are copper colored and spawning; it must be fall. We ended our season at Craig Fellin Outfitters & Big Hole Lodge fishing hoppers, small mayflies, and streamers. The mornings have been frosty and the fishing gets better as the day progresses. For the past few weeks we have been fishing at mid-morning and staying out late. On the great days the tricos were thick in the sun and the blue winged olives came off when the clouds rolled in. On the marginal days…

The storms that raged across the Northeast late last week caused many Catskills trout rivers to jump their banks. According to the National Weather Service, the Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls was expected to hit 16 feet on Friday. Flood stage is ten feet. A few hours north, flooding on the Salmon River in Pulaski washed out a concrete retaining wall and threatened a sewage-treatment plant that sits along the river.

Orvis receives a lot of letters and emails from customers who have a story to tell, but few of these writers capture the excitement of discovering fly fishing and the wonders of a journey to Alaska the way Emily Williams does. Just 14 years old, this high-school freshman from Princeton, Massachusetts, displays language and observational skills well beyond her years. And it seems she’s pretty good with that fly rod, too. Click “Read More” to enjoy Emily’s story.