The Face of the Modern Fish Act, Revealed

The Face of the Modern Fish Act, Revealed

For more than six months, representatives of the recreational fishing industry and various anglers’ rights organizations have been telling recreational fishermen to support something that they call the “Modern Fish Act,” a bill more formally known as H.R. 2023, the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017M (Act). Like one of those miraculous diets that […]

Fisheries Management Gone Right

Fisheries Management Gone Right

It’s been about two months since I’ve spent any measureable time on the water here in Oregon. Can’t say I felt I was missing much, when late-run Chinook catches were grim, the rivers were high, and the rain cold and ample. Even the drive down from Portland to the coast tonight seemed unusually long. Been […]

‘Modern Fish Act’… Not Okay

‘Modern Fish Act’… Not Okay

Top photo: Bluefish are managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Supporters of the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act try and unify anglers around the bill… But it sure as hell ain’t good for most of “us” Let me start this off by saying things seem pretty dark lately. They always do for me during this time […]

What Saltwater Anglers Have To Lose

What Saltwater Anglers Have To Lose

About twenty minutes from my house, there’s a spring creek that’s very popular with the flyfishing crowd. It flows through a state park, and is loaded with trout. In the river’s heyday, the park’s phone lines were flooded by calls from anglers trying to reserve fishing time. February and March were catch-and-release months. I remember […]

What to Expect with Striped Bass

What to Expect with Striped Bass

Photo: a striped bass caught Block Island by Steve Brustein of Maine on No Fluke Charters. Photo via Dave Monti Striped bass are the most iconic fish on the East Coast. Countless books have been written about them. Small coastal communities from Maine to North Carolina have depended on striped bass for centuries. We’ve loved […]

The General Public’s View of Fisheries

The General Public’s View of Fisheries

After guiding for about 60 days straight, I decided it was time for a vacation. After all, I hardly had any time with my daughter all summer, and my wife was headed to Chicago for her I-won’t-say-how-many-year class reunion. I can entertain my 8-year old on the water, but one-on-one stuck in Oregon City, I […]