Here is Jordan Young-Treadway (@treadwatersfly on Instagram) showing how he carries his long handle guide net on walk and wade trips. By looping it through the net holding loop at the bottom of his BKCNTRY backpack and also supporting the top with the roll top clips, it makes the net easily accessible when it’s time to scoop up a fish. Happy fishing out there.
Korkers™ boots are far and away our all time favorite boots (we REALLY like the River Ops™ and Devil’s Canyon™ model), and we can’t recommend them more highly than by offering them for sale alongside our own brand of DRYFT™ waders.
They’re lightweight, durable, functional, fit our waders well and all come with interchangeable soles. Being able to swap between rubber, felt, studs, and more to match the conditions and allowable materials (felt is banned in some areas) is clutch.
The River Ops wading boot upgraded with Triple Threat Carbide Spike Soles
The Tongass is the Nation’s largest national forest; it supplies habitat for abundant fish and wildlife and ample recreation opportunities in the southeast Alaska region. When you imagine yourself on a remote fishing or hunting trip, a wild landscape where large trout, wild salmon and steelhead, and big game are plentiful, or breathtaking scenery where you can get away from it all, the odds are good you’re thinking of a roadless area in the Tongass National Forest.
From the Situk River in the north to Prince of Wales Island in the south, the Tongass provides hunters, anglers and outdoor recreationists some of the best and most diverse outdoor opportunities available in North America. Taking care of the land that takes care of Southeast Alaska businesses is just common sense.
Recently, the U.S. Forest Service has proposed restoring protections for more than 9 million acres of roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest, reinstating the 2001 Roadless Rule after it was hastily repealed late last year. The removal of the rule went against the wishes of 96% of all public comments, Southeast Alaska Tribal governments, and local anglers, hunters and outdoor recreationists. This news has spurred a 60 -day comment period to provide the public’s input on the reinstatement of the roadless rule on the Tongass National Forest. If approved, the roadless rule will be reinstated on the Tongass and will safeguard important fish, wildlife and recreation areas.
This comment period is the next step toward implementing the Forest Service’s new “Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy”. The strategy ends large scale, old-growth logging on the forest and will, instead, prioritize recreation, restoration and resiliency, and make significant new investments in projects that support sustainable economic growth and community health.
The strategy is part of the Forest Service’s effort to align its forest management with the ecological and economic realities of the region. The Tongass produces more salmon than all other national forests combined and supports fishing and tourism industries that account for 26% of local jobs in the region. In contrast, logging supports fewer than 1% of local jobs while harming the fishing and tourism industries, costing taxpayers million annually, and supporting export markets instead of local demand. This strategy recognizes the Tongass is most valuable for its wild salmon, abundant wildlife, and scenic landscapes, and will support Southeast Alaska’s diversified economy and help conserve scarce forest resources.
Reinstating the roadless rule is what’s best for the land, wildlife, people and economy of Southeast Alaska. Tell the U.S. Forest Service you agree and take action today. We are happy to speak up for the Tongass and encourage everyone to submit a comment supporting continued protections on wildlife and recreation habitat in Southeast Alaska. To learn more, visit AmericanSalmonForest.org
Steelhead fishing in the PNW is a lifetime pursuit. Swinging flies for steelhead is another endeavour entirely. Conditions rarely line up to film this type of unlikely connection from the air. After all, drones are noisy and who wants to take the blame for spooking the run with that jazz?
But if you are prepared and patient sometimes the cosmos throws you a bone and a magic moment is immortalized in a way once only pictured in our dreams.
Friendships forged on the river while steelhead fishing seem to stand the tests of time. This story is no different. Three people, three friendships born out of the same waters and one fish that gave her all.
A surprise season that rewarded the patient and an example of compromise between anglers and organizations in a movement towards a sustainable future,
Thank you anglers, let’s continue to work together for the future of our fisheries united.