Returning to School

As similar trends play out along the West Coast, it is now more critical than ever to bring attention to the issue of declining salmon and steelhead populations. The Skagit River is School’s start and end, symbolically representing what is happening to all the world’s salmon. The struggles confronting salmon and steelhead in the Skagit drainage are not unique; they are often the result of ambivalence for salmon, wherever they swim.

Adaptation: An Important Message From the Editor

Throughout the past year, with a steelheader’s thorough cast-and-step methodology, I have searched under every rock and crevice for a way to save money and keep the publication sustainable. While it is with sadness that I say we must move on from a quarterly magazine – which I know so many of you look forward to receiving four times a year – I am full of excitement for the next stage in the continuing adaptation of Swing the Fly.

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On the Water with John McMillan

It is early January when I board the ferry crossing the Puget Sound. I’m on my way West to the coast, to the hallowed rivers of the Olympic Peninsula, to catch up with John McMillan and swing a couple runs. The trip is a welcome escape from Seattle’s traffic and high-rise construction projects towering over […]

Terminal Thinking

Terminal thinking seems especially prevalent as we contemplate the changes to our lives in a post-COVID-19 world. It’s a tough time to be a swinger of flies. On the West Coast, steelhead guides and fishermen lost a good chunk of their season due to the closure of rivers and non-essential businesses…. Become a member of […]