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fishing

person swimming underwater with large flippers and a harpoon gun
Profiles

Subsea Hunter: Freedive Spearfishing with Lucas Murray

As many land hunters can attest to, part of the reason they choose to hunt is to get in touch with an instinctual, ancestral aspect of themselves. There is something primal about the pursuit of an animal that we find alluring. Breath-hold diving in the pursuit of fish is particularly addicting as it connects us to two innate and perhaps often-forgotten aspects of ourselves: the physiological dive reflex and the pursuit of prey.

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5 Min
bhatitle
Field Notes

A 2020 Field Report from BHA

Backcountry hunters and anglers is an organization dedicated to the stewardship of our public lands. Here, john gale of BHA offers a look at their mission, some of the year’s most important initiatives, and how you can get involved.

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10 Min
hands holding an olive green colored fish above the surface of the water
Profiles

Matt Mendes of Spin the Handle: Chasing Reservation Chrome

Before Matt Mendes guided on the Deschutes River, he drove the Green Monster. It was 2002, and Mendes was 13 years old; the job was his first on the river. The Green Monster, an old Ford F350, nicknamed for its paint job, belonged to his maternal grandfather, Al Bagley, a revered fly-fishing guide and a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The tribe governs the 1,019-square-mile Warm Springs Indian Reservation, located in Oregon’s high desert and bound to the east by the Deschutes, one of the country’s premier steelhead and trout destinations. In 1997, Bagley became the tribe’s first fly-fishing guide, capitalizing on its exclusive access to 22-miles of the Deschutes’s west bank, per an 1855 treaty with the United States government. The business was gangbusters from the get-go.

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5 Min
pile of glistening shell own pink prawns
How-To's

How to Shrimp in the PNW

Ask 100 shrimpers how it’s done and you’ll probably get 100 different answers. Personal preferences and secret tricks aside, we can all agree that there’s nothing quite like pulling up a pot of prawns on a summer evening and feasting on the day’s catch. In this how-to, we outline what you’ll need and the basics of how to harvest your own shrimp, here in our native Pacific Northwest.

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5 Min
hands holding a fish with a hook in its mouth held over a fishing net
How-To's

How to Take Care of Your Catch

The ethos of the Leave No Trace philosophy has always struck a chord with fishers like me. From leaving our campsite looking as though no one was there, to gently releasing fish that are unharmed, we strive to harmonize with nature. Big strong trophy fish have the strength and ability to survive adverse stream conditions, water temperatures, roaring flood waters and other seasonal challenges. Smaller fish cannot survive these hardships so well. Consequently, our Leave No Harm handling techniques can contribute to nature’s balance and a healthy ecosystem.

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5 Min
small powered boat approaches a buoy with a huge mountain looming in the background
Field Notes

Bellingham to Alaska with Drifters Fish

In April 2020 the crew from Drifters Fish set off from Bellingham, Washington to Alaska – over a 3,500-mile journey – for the start of the annual salmon season. Read the full story below, and tune in next week for a first-hand tutorial on fish filleting techniques, filmed at sea.

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5 Min

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Over the years, Filson's philosophy has never changed: Make sure it's the absolute best. With over 120 years of people wearing Filson, we have quite a few stories to share.

man holding oars while standing in boat
Profiles

Lael Johnson – Olympic Peninsula Fly Guide

Lael Johnson is a fly fisherman and guide on the Olympic Peninsula. His passion for the anadromous fish of Washington’s coastal rivers is contagious. He loves these fish, these rivers, and the people he is lucky enough to experience them with. Filson Contributor Ben Matthews spent a few days on the river with Lael to ask a few questions about guiding, steelhead, and life in general. If you’re interested in heading out on the river with Lael yourself, check out his website and book a trip. You won’t regret it.

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5 Min
sun shining through pine boughs on the side of a river meandering through piles of river rocks
Profiles

Why the Skagit River Watershed Matters

Nothing feels small on the Skagit River. It emerges from the Cascade Mountains, the ridgelines rising suddenly and severely, compressing the landscape and framing the view with their immense, sharp mass. For much of its length, the river is wide enough that three or four drift boats could easily pass side by side with plenty of room to spare. Anglers standing in its flow could never dream of reaching the far bank with a cast. If that angler is fly fishing, then they are likely to be using a two-hand rod to throw a Skagit head, a short specialty fly line developed on its namesake river a generation earlier to deliver big flies and sinking lines to winter steelhead-holding water.

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4 Min
Man with rifle slung over his shoulder standing on rocky outcropping looking through field glasses wearing NeoShell Reliance Jacket
Signature Materials

Filson Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 2

When looking at pictures of rain jackets on a web page, they all kind of look the same. How does one choose? Simple: honestly prioritize your needs as a user and choose the jacket that best fits those needs.

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5 Min
filson rain proof jackets laid out on cloth surface various colorways olive green, tan, navy, brown, etc.
Signature Materials

Filson Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 1

When you’re outdoors and can’t escape wet weather, staying dry is a very real need. Quality rain gear not only keeps you more comfortable—in cold temperatures, it can prevent life-threatening hypothermia. Rain gear that strikes a balance between conflicting criteria such as water resistance vs. breathability, mobility vs. simplicity, and packability vs. durability solves problems for the outdoorsman. This article takes a look at some of the modern technologies available to keep us dry, and how they work.

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5 Min
two people in lush mossy forested area tending to food cooking by an open fire
Profiles

Q & A With the Open-Fire Chefs of Portland’s Tournant

Tournant is an open fire cooking and events company. Based in Portland, OR, their business serves as a homage to the Pacific Northwest, to one another, and to all the things they hold dear: food, fire, nature, craft, connection, community, seasonality and sustainability.

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4 Min
Kathy Burek in green overalls gathering organic material from a beachhead
Profiles

The Puzzle Master: Kathy Burek

Anyone who has ever spent hours huddled over a puzzle knows the joy of finally figuring it out. Whether it’s an obscure image coming together piece by piece, that head-scratcher of a rhyme finally making sense, or completing the last box in a crossword, the endorphin rush of finally getting the right answer makes all of the effort worthwhile. But imagine devoting your life to untangling complicated mysteries but rarely knowing if you have solved the puzzle correctly. Most people couldn’t handle it, it might even drive them mad. But, Kathy Burek has done this almost every day for the last twenty-five years, and she loves it.

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5 Min
small bowls of salt and lemon and condiments and salmon laid out on a wooden cutting board
How-To's

How to Preserve Your Catch

Winter brings slower days and time to cook – and a freezer full of fish after a summer of harvest. Nourishing and delicious protein, wild salmon brings brightness to the table through the cold weather months. This recipe is a personal favorite provided by Nelly Hand at Drifters Fish, a local Pacific Northwest business.

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2 Min
Man draws in a sketchbook at an aquarium
Profiles

Renowned Artist and Activist: Ray Troll

Ray’s Alaska adventure started in 1983, when he moved here to help his sister open a seafood retail store in Ketchikan. Ray soon turned to art to document his experiences in the unique fishing culture that permeated the town.

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4 Min
hand removing salt crust from a baked fish with lemon and herbs exposed on top of the fish skin
Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Whole Salt Crusted Fish with Horseradish Cream

Cooking in a salt crust is essentially a method of steaming, but instead of using water to steam, the salt crust holds in the natural moisture from the fish to steam itself. With the addition of herbs and citrus in the salt crust, we are effectively cooking in a flavor pressure cooker.

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3 Min
black and white image of woman in art studio with assorted paint brushes and reference images strewn about and tacked to wall
Profiles

Marian Beck: The Saltry Restaurant

The first thing you notice about Marian Beck is her hands. Graying Alaskan fishermen all have the same hands, swollen and powerful from decades of picking fighting salmon from gillnets, stacking seining gear, or baiting hooks. Her hands look like they’ve been taken from someone else’s body, twice as big and twice as old, and transplanted onto her wrists.

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4 Min
orca swimming just beneath the surface of the ocean
Profiles

The Ocean’s Top Predator: Puget Sound Orcas

Black fins sliced the water and rose higher and higher, close to our boat. With a puff and a blow, the orcas surfaced: members of J pod, the southern resident whales that frequent Puget Sound. The whales blew mighty breaths. They are mammals,
like us.

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4 Min
man on boat in red plaid shirt and tan apron prepares a halibut stomach as bait on a wooden surface
Profiles

Deep Sea Fishermen’s Union

Back at the turn of the last century, a hardy group of men roamed the wooden docks of Seattle. Grizzled and gruff, they would spend days out on the unpredictable and often dangerous waters of the Salish Sea and nearby Pacific Ocean.

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3 Min
a green colored image underwater close up of five salmon, one close to the camera, with the others layered behind
Profiles

Salmon Conservation – Chinook in Puget Sound

Wild salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest have taken a steep nosedive over the last few decades. Where once the waters of Puget Sound and the greater Salish Sea teemed with millions of these fish, their populations have drifted to around 3–10% of those once mighty numbers, and 27 native salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest are now listed as endangered.

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3 Min
a finished product of west coast chowder in a red pot with the three pieces of grilled buttered bread and a wooden spoon dipped into it
Food & Recipes

Filson Food: West Coast Seafood Chowder

Chowder is a dish that can be found up and down both coasts of the United States and each regional interpretation has its own unique local style. Regardless of the style of chowder, the main theme remains the same. A medley of seafood is cooked in a broth with a mixture of vegetables and commonly served with crackers.

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4 Min
a straight on view of the work in progress build of the ballard bridge as an old car drives towards the cameraman
Field Notes

The History of Ballard: The First 100 Years

Today, the neighborhood of Ballard is well known for its restaurants and atmosphere. However, the history of this Seattle hamlet is a story of industry, community, and entrepeneurship.

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6 Min
spinner fishing rod and reel on stone
Field Notes

Access to Fishing, Illinois’ Tackle Loaner Program

Imagine if there was a special library made for young anglers; but instead of borrowing books, they could check out fishing rods, reels and other gear. Well there is and it’s available to anyone in Illinois.

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3 Min
man moving fishing net in river
Field Notes

Elver Fishing in Maine

Elver fishing in Maine is based on a lottery system. For those lucky enough to win a license the payout can be over $2,000/lb.

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4 Min
branson pulling crab out of crab pod
Profiles

In Print: Branson Wallace

Last summer while in Kodiak, AK we went crabbing with Branson Wallace and his buddy Aaron Thompson. We recently reconnected with Branson to ask him about life on Kodiak, his duties in the USCG, and how both of those things have shaped his life and effected his journey to becoming an outdoorsman.  Tell me about

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8 Min
hiking along the river with fishing gear
How-To's

What to Pack for a Backpack Fly Fishing Trip

Backpacking is a great way to re-familiarize yourself with the often-elusive feeling of spare time. With a little extra planning, you can turn a backpacking trip into a fly-fishing trip. We asked Sage Elite Pro and backcountry fishing expert Seth Blackamore about what he packs for a minimalist backcountry fishing kit.

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2 Min
Brita at her fly tying station
Profiles

Q+A With Fly Designer Brita Fordice

Atop Brita Fordice’s desk lays a bag of eyeballs. Next to the eyeballs are a variety of feathers – some that look real, some that are real, and some that look like they might have been picked up on the floor of a costume closet. Next to the feathers are resins to hold things together and tools to pull things apart. It looks a bit like a kindergarten art class, save for the cauterizer.

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6 Min
Ed's art of fish and mountain scenes in his journals
Profiles

In Print: Making Art with Ed Anderson

Ed Anderson is an Idaho-based artist known for his iconic scenes using bold colors and lines to present subjects from bush pilots to bull trout and bugling bull elk. We sat down with Ed to learn more about how he got into art, developed his style, and what has influenced him along his journey.

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5 Min
rowing the drift boat
Field Notes

With The Flow: WA Winter Steelheading

When you picture father and son fishing trips in a metal row boat, you might picture a pristine lake with a bobber and worms, goofy hats with oversized boots and dozing off in the warm sun. For my dad and I, we picture something different entirely. Basalt boulders the size of Volkswagens, yesterday clearly exposed, are now lurking millimeters beneath the surface. On days like this, there’s about a 5% margin for navigation error as you’re flying through white water, oars digging hard, unable to change trajectory more than a few crucial inches. It sounds reckless (maybe it is), but the payoff is worth every risk.

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3 Min
salmon filets on prep table
How-To's

How to Fillet a Fish

Whether you fish your local river, the lake the next state over, or the ocean on the other side of the world, knowing how to properly filet your catch is an important step in becoming a fisherman. We commissioned artist Heather Hardison to draw a basic tutorial outlining the few key steps to take your catch

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1 Min
portrait of corey on fishing boat in filson hat and orange overalls
Profiles

Corey Forrest: Fishing Rhode Island

As a little girl, I didn’t know I was going to grow up to be a fisherman, or follow in my father’s footsteps, and his father’s footsteps.  It was a man’s world at the dock of Sakonnet Point, no women working in sight. The faces of fishing, as I recall, were a blue-collar gang of

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7 Min
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