The best wild trout populations are specific to their own river systems, and they’ve adapted to the seasonal highs and lows, to whatever the decades of chance have brought to the collective population. The strength to thrive and persist is in those wild genes . . .

. . . Stocked trout are genetically different and conditioned to be different than wild trout. They feed aggressively and grow fast. That never changes. And this is nothing like our wary wild trout . . .

Continue reading Does a Stocked Trout Ever Become Wild? at Troutbitten.

I walked around the bend and saw his blue truck, but I couldn’t see Gabe until the lean man sat up. He stretched and slid slowly off the tailgate, onto his feet and into his sandals. The climbing sun made the blue paint of his pickup bed too hot, and when the shadows were gone, the dirty fisherman’s rest was finished.

Gabe leaned back on the hot paint again and grabbed the duffel that he used for a pillow. The faded bag was stuffed with clothes: some stained, some clean, and most half-worn-out. He pulled a thin, long-sleeved shirt from the bag and changed, tossing his wet t-shirt toward a damp pile of gear by the truck tires. The long sleeves were his sunscreen; the beard protected his face; the frayed hat covered his head, and the amber sunglasses filled the gap in between.

Gabe was a trout bum. Not the shiny magazine-ad version of a trout bum either, but the true embodiment of John Geirach's term: authentic, dirty, and dedicated to a lifestyle without even thinking much about it. He fished on his own terms. He was a part-time fishing guide for the family business and a part-time waiter. We never talked much about work, though. I just know that Gabe's life was fishing, and everything else was a cursory, minor distraction.

Continue reading The Dirty Fisherman at Troutbitten.

Is this a wild trout movement? There’s certainly more outspoken support for Pennsylvania’s wild trout than I’ve ever seen. The massive turnout at the Wild Trout Summit last Saturday, on a cool and partly-cloudy day (perfect for actually fishing instead of talking about it) was a huge show of support for wild trout, not only […]

Continue reading We Are Wild Trout | Looking forward, after Pennsylvania’s first wild trout summit at Troutbitten.

We believe wild trout populations should be protected, wherever they are found. That starts by eliminating the stocking of hatchery trout over good wild trout populations. It continues by finding struggling wild trout populations and helping them -- strengthening their numbers by improving water quality and habitat.

Neither state nor private organizations should be permitted to stock over established wild trout populations. 

We believe that wild trout, wherever they are found, should be given a chance.

But Why?

I asked some of my fishing friends why wild trout matter, and I thought their answers would be similar. Surprisingly, they weren't. Their reasons for loving and caring about wild trout vary significantly in message and tone.

In truth, there are hundreds of reasons why wild trout matter. And my friends gave me impassioned answers. Here are some of their words . . .

Continue reading Why Wild Trout Matter at Troutbitten.

Easily wadeable, quick to clear after a storm, and holding stable temperatures year-round, my home water is the best classroom a trout fisherman could ask for. The trout are eager, but not easy. And that’s a hell of a good combination.

Continue reading Fifty Fly Fishing Tips: #4 — Fish Familiar Waters at Troutbitten.

Wild trout are the heart of Troutbitten. We chase these fish so we can be part of the extraordinary places where they’re found, if just for a little while. Eventually, the environs become part of us, and we carry a piece of the river inside our own thoughts and desires. The trout are there too, […]

Continue reading The Pennsylvania Wild Trout Summit is Coming at Troutbitten.

A slate of 146 streams are proposed to be added to the Pennsylvania Class A Wild Trout Waters and Wild Trout Streams lists, but they need your help. Surprisingly, streams that have trout populations meeting the Class A requirement are not automatically designated as such. And on April 24th the PFBC will vote on whether to […]

Continue reading Add 146 PA Streams to the Class-A Wild Trout and Wild Trout Streams Lists at Troutbitten.

I was either born or raised with an abundance of fishing optimism.

. . . No matter the situation, I have an ability to regroup and believe in big possibilities again. Within a few hours of making it home and saying to my sons, “It was kinda slow,” I’m ready for more. After a bowl of cereal and a few talks with friends, after a couple flies tied with something just a little different than last time, I always find a reason to believe the next trip will be better . . .

Continue reading Kinda Slow at Troutbitten.

Sunup to sundown.

There’s nothing as simple and yet so full of variation as a full day on the water. The diversity of situations challenges the will of a fisherman: Exhaustion from the forces of water --  its speed, its numbing cold, the pressure of its depth. Weariness from the weather -- the endless wind, the heavy rain, and the consuming heat of the sun. We soak in all the stages and moments that one single day brings, and we are alive through each one.

Continue reading Full Days at Troutbitten.

Hatch Magazine published an article that I wrote. You can find it here. “Truth is, most diehard fishermen aren’t all that diehard. A lot of fishermen are looking for reasons not to fish. Sound absurd? I’ve had enough people cancel plans to believe it. I also live within walking distance of the most popular wild […]

Continue reading Fair-weather or foul-weather | Troutbitten on Hatch Magazine at Troutbitten.