The brown trout (Salmo trutta) has earned a reputation as the wariest and wiliest opponent a river angler can face. Whereas a brookie or a cutthroat will often attack flies with gullible abandon, browns are usually more discriminating. The larger specimens, especially, are often. . .
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Fish Facts: Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhyncus clarkii pleuriticus)
This Colorado River cutthroat, from southern Utah, displays dark, rich colors.
Photo by Mike Hadley
Considered one of the more beautiful trout in North America, the Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhyncus clarkii pleuriticus) once inhabited the high-elevation streams and lakes of the Green . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Siberian Taimen (Hucho taimen)
A true river monster, the taimen (Hucho taimen)—also known as the Siberian taimen—can grow to proportions that seem incredible to your average trout fishermen. Whereas John Gierach once wrote about “trout as long as your leg,” taimen can . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Chain Pickerel (Esox niger)
Northern pike are considered one of the premier big-game targets for fly fishers, but they can be tough to find and catch and live mostly in northern waters. Chain pickerel are generally smaller, . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Alaska produces some monster kings, such as this Kanektok River beast.
Photo by Chris Morgan, www.twosherpas.com
Every June and July, anglers flock to Alaska for a chance to test their mettle—and their tackle—against king salmon, which regularly top 50 pounds and are muscular brutes after living at . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Grand Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)
Barracuda are a blast to chase with a fly, as they can be aggressive and fight like hell.
Photo by Greg Vincent, of H2O Bonefishing
The great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) isn’t generally considered one of the premier saltwater fly rod species—it’s not part of the flats Grand Slam, for instance—and few fly fishers head to . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma)
This illustration of a Dolly Varden is from Evermann and Goldsborough’s The Fishes of Alaska (1907).
Photo via Wikipedia
Like the two species to which is it closely related—Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus)—the Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) is a true char that is found . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Sculpins (genus Cottus)
Prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) demonstrates the classic sculpin shape: big head, wide fins, tapering body.
Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Ever since Don Gapen tied the first Muddler Minnow in 1936, fly fishers have recognized that freshwater sculpins (genus Cottus) can be important forage fish for trout, and there are now . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Largemouth Bass, a.k.a Ol’ Bucketmouth
Illustration by Duane Raver via USFWS
Among the more widely distributed game fish in North America, and now around the world, the largemouth bass is prized for its aggressive feeding habits and violent strikes. A big bass blowing up the water around a popper chugging across flat water is. . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Pink Salmon (Oncorhyncus gorbuscha)
The large hump in front of the dorsal fin on spawning males is the reason for the species’s nickname, “Humpy.”
Illustration by Timothy Knepp – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
In the angling community, the pink salmon (Oncorhyncus gorbuscha) is not generally held in the same high esteem as its cousins, the Chinook, coho, and sockeye. However, the sheer. . .
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