Lost in the recent uproar over an attempt to sell federal public lands was an executive order by President Donald Trump to rescind the “Roadless Rule.”
What is the Roadless Rule?
The Roadless Rule was enacted by President Bill Clinton in 2001, just days before George W. Bush took office. The rule prohibits road building and commodity logging in 58 million acres of National Forest throughout the United States. This essentially turns large tracts of National Forest land into Wilderness Areas. Recreation, like hunting, fishing, and backpacking, is still allowed in Designated Roadless Areas.
What might happen?
Under direction from President Trump, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins officially announced that the United States Department of Agriculture would be rescinding the Roadless Rule.
According to a press release from the USDA, “rescinding this rule will remove prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System, allowing for fire prevention and responsible timber production.”
The states most impacted would be Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, according to the Montana Free Press(MFP). Alaska’s inclusion is potentially problematic because 15 million acres of the Tongass National Forest, in the southeast part of the state, are roadless. There have been attempts in the past to remove its protections, but concerns about access to old-growth timber and tribal sovereignty have prevented it, per the MFP.
Would it help prevent wildfires?
One of the main points those in favor of rescinding the Roadless Rule make is that it would allow for timber harvest in areas that are prone to wildfires, potentially reducing wildfire risk.
Opponents, like the group Earthjustice, say that wildfires are more likely to start in forests that have roads and other infrastructure.
Would it impact fishing access?
It’s not clear what processes would be followed when building roads in areas previously designated as roadless. There’s no mention from the USDA of requiring Environmental Impact Statements, and no details have emerged about permitting for logging.
There is potential for impact to watershed quality and habitat fragmentation, which while it may not directly hamper fishing access, would diminish the quality of some fisheries.
Earthjustice has promised to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration for rescinding the Roadless Rule, although that hasn’t happened yet.
Florida is home to some of the most incredible fisheries, especially when it comes to saltwater fly fishing. However, these same fish species are also some of the most vulnerable, facing threats from angling and boating pressure, habitat loss, pollution, red-tide, climate change, you name it. That’s why the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust is so important for the long-term conservation of our favorite flats species. BTT works to develop cutting-edge science that directly informs conservation-minded, science-based fisheries management decisions to ensure these flats species are around long into the future.
To go right to BTT’s Action Alert to protect a recently discovered bonefish spawning habitat, follow this LINK–or keep reading for more information.
On August 8, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider protecting a portion of Biscayne National Park because of a pre-spawning aggregation of bonefish. Specifically, the rule would close a 1.74 square mile piece of reef near Elliott Key to fishing from November through June to protect these vulnerable bonefish before they spawn and produce the next generation of grey ghosts.
BTT Releasing tagged bonefish_PC Ian Wilson
During and around the spawn, bonefish are extremely sensitive to any disturbances.
This looming conservation victory for Florida bonefish is thanks to BTT’s research efforts. Back during the 2022-23 spawning season, BTT tracked 67 bonefish and determined the area in question was a pre-spawning aggregation site in need of immediate protection. However, thanks to additional science, BTT also discovered that more than one-third of bonefish larvae originating from this aggregation return to Biscayne Bay. So the Biscayne bonefish that we protect today will provide for more fish in the future!
BTT’s Dr. Ross Boucek measuring tagged bonefish.PC IAN WILSON
“It is encouraging to see that our bonefish population in Florida has recovered to a point now where big spawning aggregations can form,” said Boucek. “It’s our job to make sure that these fish can keep spawning for years to come. We can do this by protecting the habitats that support these aggregations, reducing human stresses from boat traffic and other on-water activities that could disrupt their spawn, and most importantly improving water quality. Harmful contaminants in the water have been shown to affect fish reproduction. We will continue to let science lead the way by determining what actions need to happen to keep bonefish spawning safe and happy.”
This all being said, BTT needs all of us to help encourage FWC to approve this measure to protect this critical bonefish area. Head on over to BTT’s Action Alert to lend your voice in support today!
It’s been said that trout do up to 90% of their feeding underwater. Whether or not this number is accurate, the point remains the same: trout do a lot of eating under the surface. While many anglers prefer the delicacy and finesse of dry fly fishing, using nymphs is almost always more productive. Nymphs, or flies that imitate immature insects and are fished underwater, are meant to take advantage of the fact that there are always bugs subsurface. This is why nymphing skills are a must-have in the arsenal of any fly fisherman.
Like dry flies, nymphs come in a variety of styles and patterns. Technically, nymphs are a type of wet fly. The term wet fly broadly refers to any fly fished under the surface of the water. That said, many anglers use “wet fly” to refer specifically to traditional winged wet flies, which are usually swung and were historically fished up to ten at a time.
Nymphs, though technically wet flies, refer to subsurface flies that specifically imitate insects or crustaceans, generally don’t have wings like traditional wet flies, and sometimes have a bead for added weight. Though categorizing nymphs isn’t an exact science, there are several notable types, styles, and features used to differentiate them. Here are a few of the major ones.
Non-Beadhead Nymphs
Nymphs without beads are some of the simplest ones out there, and can be very effective. In heavily pressured areas where fish are wary of flashy things, non-beadhead flies may be the way to go.
Beadhead Nymphs
One of the most commonly fished styles is the beadhead nymph. As their name implies, these nymphs have a bead near the eye of the hook. This makes them heavier. Although an angler can add weight to the line with a split shot, having the weight incorporated into the fly is usually more convenient, efficient, and easier to cast.
Euro Nymphs
Euro nymphs generally refer to a group of very heavily weighted beadhead nymphs that ride hook point up underwater. Since getting down in the water column quickly is important in nymphing, these flies are gaining more and more popularity.
Emergers and Soft Hackles
Sometimes grouped separately from other nymphs, these two styles are very effective and worth mentioning. Emergers represent vulnerable insects that are on their way to the surface to transition to the next life cycle stage. Trout take full advantage of this vulnerability. Emergers are fished right below the surface or suspended in the film, much higher than other nymphs. Soft hackles also mimic emerging insects, and though they can be dead drifted, they’re usually swung in the current to entice hungry trout.
Top Nymphs for Trout
With so many different types of nymphs, it can be hard to narrow down which one to fish when you get to the water. As with most things in fly fishing, it depends a lot on the day, the fish, and the location. The good news, though, is that there are also tried-and-true nymph patterns that have stood the test of time across most trout waters. Here are a few examples.
Pheasant Tail – a simple and effective generic mayfly nymph, useful on nearly any body of water.
Flies tied and photographed by Svend Diesel.
Hare’s Ear – one of the deadliest and most versatile patterns, often fished as a mayfly or caddis larva.
Copper John – another stonefly pattern with a little more flash and color than a prince nymph.
Flies tied and photographed by Svend Diesel.
Zebra Midge – midges fish well year-round in most places and are a staple of any flybox.
Flies tied and photographed by Svend Diesel.
San Juan Worm – great for high-water days with heavy flows and off color water.
Flies tied and photographed by Svend Diesel.
Pat’s Rubber Legs – also called a girdle bug, this large stonefly nymph is great for big rivers or rivers at high water stages.
Flies tied and photographed by Svend Diesel.
How to Pick the Right Ones
Choosing the right nymphs is important to consistently catch trout. The more you fish a particular river or lake, the more you’ll get to know the flies that work best there. If you’re unfamiliar with what to use on a given body of water, there are a few steps to take to narrow down your fly choice.
Consult Existing Information
There are a ton of resources, both online and in print, that provide information like where different insects are found, what type of water they prefer, and when they hatch. Some even give fly pattern suggestions to match. This is a great way to go in with an educated guess.
Look Under Rocks
Sometimes it’s hard to get close enough to flying insects to accurately identify a matching dry fly. Nymphs, on the other hand, are easy to find by lifting up rocks and looking underneath. It’s not necessary to know the exact species of bug you find. It’s helpful to know common groups like mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies, but in reality, all you need to do is match the look and size of the fly to the insects you find.
Ask a Fly Shop
One of the quickest and easiest ways to narrow down a selection of nymphs is to check at your local fly shop. Most fly shops are more than willing to give some suggestions for the area, and no one knows the fish’s feeding habits quite like the guides targeting them every day.
Ways to Fish Nymphs
Arguably more important than the actual fly is how a fly is presented. This is especially true for nymphs, which can be fished several ways. Here are four common techniques for fishing nymphs.
Indicator Nymphing
An indicator is essentially a small, lightweight version of a bobber, and using one is probably the most widely used nymphing technique. Though indicator fishing itself has quite a few variations, the most common is a dead drift. This means the fly moves at the same speed as the current, suspended from the indicator above. When the indicator goes down, it’s time to set the hook!
Tightlining
Generally considered a more advanced technique than indicator fishing, tightlining is a very effective strategy for getting good drifts with a nymph at close range. Tightlining involves holding the rod tip high to keep the fly line off the water, creating a drag-free drift. Since there’s no indicator, it’s up to the fisherman to feel a strike, notice a twitch at the end of the fly line, or see a fish open its mouth before setting the hook.
Swinging
Swinging is a classic technique and is often used with soft hackle flies. This method involves casting out into a current and letting the line pull tight, causing the fly to “swing” down and across below the angler. Swinging is one of the best ways to thoroughly cover a run, since the wide arc of the fly leaves no area untouched as you take steps downstream.
Stripping
Nymphs can be stripped in rivers, but more often they’re stripped through stillwater. Since most aquatic insects can’t fight the flow of a river enough to move deliberately across a channel, it can look unnatural to strip nymphs in moving water. A quickly stripped nymph in a pond or lake, though, can trigger aggressive strikes from cruising fish.
Learn how to rig up for your next nymphing trip here!
Photo: Mark Rauschenberger
Tips for fishing nymphs successfully
Nymphing is an art, and it takes a lot of practice to do successfully on a consistent basis. Since there are so many variations of nymphing, there are lots of different methods and techniques to master. That said, a few basic tips will go a long way when the details matter.
1. Set the hook quickly
When fishing dry flies, setting the hook often requires a slight pause to be effective. Jumping the gun is common, since the angler may see the fish before the fly is actually in its mouth. The opposite is true for nymphing. Whether you’re feeling for a strike or using an indicator, you should set the hook as soon as possible, since both of those triggers mean the fish has already made solid contact with the fly. Set the hook too slowly, and the fish will be long gone.
2. Make Sure You’re Getting Down Enough
If there’s one thing that’ll make or break the quality of a drift, it’s the depth. If trout are feeding underwater, they’re usually feeding near the bottom. Drawing them out of their feeding lane is easier said than done, but getting into the feeding lane is possible with weight. A single split shot can completely change the outcome of a drift.
3. Treat Every Bump as a Strike
If you’re getting deep enough with your nymphs, you should be hitting bottom now and then. This will cause an indicator to dip, which can get confusing when you’re looking out for bites. Knowing that more often than not, it’s just a rock, some fishermen start to ignore smaller bumps on their indicator. This can lead to a ton of missed fish, as some takes are very subtle. To maximize your number of hook ups, set the hook any time your indicator bumps. Better to set the hook for a rock than not set the hook on a fish!
4. Minimize Line on the Water
Excess fly line on the water does one thing really well: drag. Unless you’re using a technique that benefits from drag, like swinging, you’ll want to minimize the amount of fly line on the water. Sometimes long casts are required, and in these cases it’s hard to keep the line off the surface. But, in many cases, simply pulling in excess line and lifting your rod tip will eliminate all drag, creating a perfect dead drift.
My fascination with smallmouth began at a very young age, being the first gamefish caught on my own. After 50-some years, the fascination hasn’t diminished. Many of the species I pursue entail an inherent challenge requiring near perfection or grinding through the harshest conditions. But smallmouth typically represent the opposite—fun fishing for a species that typically puts on the feed bag, attacks a properly presented fly, and often occurs during pleasant weather periods.
Smallmouth Biology and Habitat
The author, Rick Kustich, with a big deep water smallmouth fooled on the fly.
Native to eastern and central North America, smallmouth bass live in a wide range of water types, from small creeks and rivers to the largest bodies of water in North America. Smallmouth have also been transplanted to rivers, lakes, and impoundments outside of their original range. The smallmouth, known for its energetic fighting style and aerial acrobatics, has been called the pound-for-pound hardest fighting fish in freshwater, and it works diligently to maintain this reputation.
Gear
Fishing deep water for smallmouth bass begins with equipment considerations. While some shoreline structure or break walls provide access to deep water holds, a watercraft opens the ability to cover a full range of water. And this doesn’t need to be a $100,000 plus bass boat rigged with all the bells and whistles. I depend on a 17-foot aluminum Lund for my big water fishing, and with the advancements in fishing kayaks and inflatables, there are options out there for nearly any budget.
A nine-foot 7- or 8-weight rod is a good match for big smallmouth. I typically choose an 8-weight for punching a cast into the wind and for extra backbone when fighting a five-to-six-pound bass. A smooth drag is always important, although sometimes a smallmouth is played simply by stripping in line without the use of the reel. The key piece to the deep-water approach is the fly line. For depths of ten to twenty feet, a fast-sinking shooting head style line, such as the RIO Outbound Short Shooting Head fast sink, with a sink rate of 6 to 7 inches per second, works very well. I also like the Outbound Custom with the T-11 tip. Both lines load quickly for the next cast after retrieving the fly to within a few feet of the rod tip and cast long distances with ease.
For covering depths up to 30 feet or when heavier winds push your watercraft at a steady pace, a full sink line like the RIO Premier Fathom in the 7-inch per second sink rate is my choice. The low diameter of this style of line, designed for lake fishing, slices through the wind as well as the water column, allowing greater depth in the presentation. My leader for fishing deep is generally six to eight feet in total length. The stealth gained with fluorocarbon for the leader and tippet seems to work best for fooling a smallmouth. I typically rig with 12-to-13-pound test and may go as light as 10-pound test in ultra clear water conditions. But with the superior strength-to-diameter ratio of the top tippet materials available, it’s best to fish with at least 12-pound test to have enough might to handle a trophy smallmouth when hooked.
Tips and Techniques For Deep Water Smallies
Big lakes and rivers rich with forage have the capacity to produce both impressive numbers and size smallmouth. But big water can be intimidating. Open expanses appear stark, featureless, and daunting. Add depth to the equation, and it becomes even more complex. While smallmouth in larger rivers and lakes can be found in the shallows early in the season, being able to work the fly deep into the water column allows for the ability to cover a range of holding structures and encounter top-end smallmouth throughout the year.
Understand Structure
Bait, structure, and spawning dictate smallmouth positioning and behavior in big water. Spawning is usually a small interruption in spring or early summer to an active pre-spawn and post-spawn period. Finding structure is the key to finding smallmouth in open water. Structure attracts bait, and in turn, attracts eating machines like smallmouth bass. Sometimes structural elements are obvious, such as break walls or known reefs that show as a disturbance on the surface of the water or are denoted by buoys or other types of markers.
Most structure requires further investigation. Enter modern electronics. From a sporting standpoint, I try to keep my electronics use to a minimum, but a sonar that shows bottom contour is an important, if not critical, piece of equipment when fishing deep water. Basic electronics can be rigged on kayaks and inflatables. I’m looking for drops and rises in the bottom. Reefs and bars that create significant depth changes are typically high percentage areas for locating bass. But even small changes of just a foot or two can attract fish as well. Some of my most productive waters are large areas where bait is present with an irregular and ever-changing depth or filled with big boulders.
Master the Drift
The basic presentation begins with the drift, either by river current or the push of the wind when fishing a lake. When fishing a river, the cast is made across the current, and when lake fishing, the cast is made into the wind. Make as long a cast as possible; the longer line allows for greater depth and maintains the fly in the deeper zone for a longer period. Count down the sink of the tip and fly based on the depth and sink rate of the line. A stiff breeze pushing the watercraft may require extra sink time to reach the desired depth. Placing some additional slack in the line beyond the tip also assists in getting the fly to sink. It may take some trial and error to arrive at the proper depth, and a bump or two of the fly touching bottom provides a key indicator. The fly does not need to ride the bottom through the presentation, but it is a good place to start.
Once the desired depth has been reached, retrieve the fly with a slow, irregular strip. Smallmouth seem to prefer this subtle retrieve that also allows the fly to maintain depth. But it should never be one size fits all. Experimenting with retrieve speed and cadence can make a positive difference on a slow day.
A slight breeze makes for excellent conditions for drifting.
When fishing lakes, I prefer a gentle breeze that pushes the watercraft at a slow pace. A 5 to 10 mile per hour wind seems to be perfect. And up to 15 mph usually still works. Winds above that level with gusts may require additional considerations. Safety first, particularly when in a small craft or kayak. Always be aware of the forecast and changing weather patterns. Also, a stiff breeze can push the boat or watercraft so fast that it is difficult to maintain the proper depth. A drift sock can be used to slow the drift and control speed.
Fly Patterns
Simplicity describes my fly selection for deep water. Most of my flies incorporate weighted eyes to allow the fly to sink at the same rate as the tip. The Clouser Minnow may be the most effective smallmouth fly ever concocted and works extremely well with this technique. A gray over white version is a perfect imitation for the emerald shiner that is prevalent throughout the Great Lakes region. The color combinations can be adapted to represent other natural baitfish as well. As a modification to the original pattern tied with bucktail, I mainly use Steve Farrar’s SF Flash Blend for the wing material, along with a few strands of lateral line. The Flash Blend has a lifelike sheen in the water and is more durable than bucktail.
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Baitfish patterns that imitate emerald shiners are a go-to for smallmouth.
Every angler should have goby flies in the Great Lakes region.
Crawfish patterns are an essential fly for smallmouth bass.
Crayfish, sculpin, and round goby patterns complete my selection. I tie some patterns like the Getting Jiggy on a jig hook with dumbbell eyes tied on the top of the shaft. It incorporates a rabbit strip tail, rubber legs, and hackle and works well as a sculpin or goby imitation. A brown or olive Wooly Bugger on a jig hook, along with rubber legs and a little flash, is a very effective pattern representing a wide range of bass foods. Various Game Changer style flies in natural colors are also quite useful for the deep-water approach.
Final Thoughts
Some of the largest smallmouth bass in North America live in the big open water of the Great Lakes, their connecting waterways, and other large lakes and impoundments. Working deep water structure in the pre-spawn and then post-spawn through fall provides the opportunity to catch the smallmouth of a lifetime.
Fly fishing is, for all its eccentricities and accoutrements, a relatively simple sport. Your goal is to put a fly in front of a fish, and make that fly look real. Sure, you can argue that the big streamers we throw for pike or muskie don’t look like anything “real,” and the same goes for some of more popular steelhead flies.
But the majority of fly fishing, whether it’s for trout, bass, carp, or panfish, involves putting a fly in front of a fish and making that fly look like part of nature.
I wish that simple lesson had been pounded into my head years ago. If I could’ve made this my singular focus, I think I’d be a much better fly angler now.
When all you care about is a good drift with a fly that’s a close match to what the fish are probably eating, fly fishing becomes incredibly simple. Does your casting need to be Instagram-perfect? No, it just needs to be good enough to get your fly in the right spot. Do you need Ph.D.-level knowledge of your local aquatic insects? Nope. If you can match the size and shape of real bugs to the fake ones in your box, you’ll do just fine on a majority of rivers.
Of course, I’m not downplaying the importance of good casting, or learning your bugs. But those are the steps you take as you level up. That’s the bridge you cross when you fish the Henry’s Fork for the first time, or any other highly-technical fishery where exact imitations and perfect drifts often aren’t good enough.
If you can let all the noise about different tactics and techniques fall to the wayside, and focus solely on getting a good drift through fishy water, you’ll be lightyears ahead of most other beginners. When I first started, my dad handed me a fly rod, told me to walk downstream, and said, “Don’t get it tangled.”
Five minutes later the line was a rat’s nest, and I spent the rest of the evening trying to untangle it.
Most beginners have it a bit easier than that, but they’re still bombarded with a lot of information that, frankly, doesn’t matter.
The first time I went to fly fish the Green River in Utah, I was 18. I drove my old Camaro out to Dutch John, stopped in a fly shop, and looked at the board of “hot flies.” There were names I didn’t recognize—Yellow Sallies and Chubby’s stand out in my memory—and, predictably, the fly bins weren’t labeled well.
When I asked a well-meaning shop employee for help, he handed me a cup full of flies and told me to “walk upstream from Little Hole a bit and fish ’em.” The flies cost north of $40, so I figured I’d just punched my ticket to big-fish nirvana.
I pulled into Little Hole—an access point on the river—paid my fee, and walked upstream a ways along the well-worn path. Anglers were stacked up five wide and three deep anywhere there was enough room for a backcast, but eventually I found a spot, waded in, and stared at all the fish in the clear water.
One jumped clean out of the water, so I tied on a Chubby because I liked how it looked. I don’t know if there were hoppers out yet or not (I think this was in late June, so a bit early for hopper action), but I plopped that fly in front of the fish for the next three hours.
My casting wasn’t great, and I was self-conscious every time my line slapped the water behind me. Everyone else made graceful, quiet casts. Mine had all the delicacy of a toddler running with a knife.
Predictably, the fish didn’t eat. One angler nearby took pity, and waded over to see if he could help. He had a complex nymph rig tied up, and his flies were tiny. None were in the fly cup I’d paid $40 for.
“You’ve gotta use this fly, and it’s gotta be right down deep, and you’ve gotta use this rig,” the guy said. “It’s the only way to catch fish here, it’s my go-to.”
But hadn’t the fly shop employee told me the “hot flies” were the go-to? And all I needed to do was “fish ’em?”
Looking back, I should’ve been more observant about what bugs were on the water, and tried to match them to something in my box. I should’ve quit worrying so much about how my cast looked, and instead paid attention to whether my fly was where it should be.
In short, I should’ve been laser-focused on putting flies in front of fish and making them look real. If I’d done that, I reckon I would’ve caught a fish or two that day.
In this week’s “How to Tie” video feature, the legend Davie McPhail ties a variation of a classic Atlantic salmon pattern, the Red Francis Spey Fly.
Learn About This Fly:
Difficulty: Difficult
Atlantic salmon fishing is well underway for both our Canadian and European friends as we are nearly midway through July. There are few species as picky and difficult to understand as Atlantic salmon, but their fight and mysterious behavior have turned many anglers into true addicts. Not only are these fish visually stunning, but the patterns that are often used to fool them also match that description. There is a reason why people dedicate their lives to Atlantic salmon fishing, and it all starts when that first fish is hooked, which is why every novice should be carrying the Red Francis Spey Fly during their first season.
This pattern will be easiest to master by those with tying experience. Although no singular step is exceptionally difficult, proportions are very important to the profile and effectiveness of spey flies. Take your time with this one, as classic patterns deserves the utmost respect and attention to detail. What is a better way to spend a night than breaking out your favorite drink and decompressing by tying the Red Francis Spey Fly this summer.
Swinging is the name of the game when targeting Atlantic salmon, so it is wise to freshen up on your skills with a two-handed rod before you hit the water. You shouldn’t begin chasing this species if you are looking for numbers, but rather an experience more similar to hunting. Enjoy your time on the water this season and always be mindful of temperatures as we begin seeing peak heat, unfortunately making our beloved species stressed and more prone to death if caught. Chasing Atlantic salmon for the first time is a daunting task, but choosing the Red Francis Spey fly should give you the confidence needed to hook your first leaper.
“I was out with a client from the US he was on a fly fishing trip to Australia doing the cape lodge program in Weipa with Aussie fly fisher and we were fishing the west side of cape York looking for Anak permit. It was a super lively day on the flats that day we ended up with 3 permit that hammerhead shark was cruising the flats looking for food in the distance and stumbled across that eagle ray and chased it directly at the boat, best part about the whole experience was seeing the look on the clients face after!”
Angler Story of the Week from Brody, be sure to follow his Instagram at @brody.sutton !
Wild trout and stocked trout are different fish and require a slightly different approach if you want to maximize your potential on the water. Check out this video from Ventures Fly Co. for all the information you need to dial in your fly fishing strategies for wild vs stocked trout.
A perfect specimen and the 30 inch brown trout we were after.
Don’t shoot the messenger just based on the headline—hear me out.
While the Flylords crew was chatting earlier this week, our own Wills Donaldson told us a story about something a renowned guide in Alberta once told him. This guide reckons brown trout should be considered a char instead of a trout.
The reasoning? Browns spawn in the fall, same as bull, brook, and lake trout. Rainbows, cutthroat, and goldens spawn in the spring. Is that just a genetic anomaly, or is there more to it?
To answer that, we need to revisit some high school biology. But don’t worry—this stuff is interesting!
Animal Family
All trout and char belong to the family Salmonidae. And if you remember back to biology class, “families” are one of the taxonomic classifications used to sort all animals on earth into different groups. A taxonomic family is a group of closely related genera, which is the plural for genus.
A taxonomic family is a fairly narrow classification, because right after family, animals are sorted by their genus, then species. You really can think of it like your own family—all related, but each with enough quirks and differences that you deserve your own spotlight.
So, within the Salmonidae family, you’ll find every trout, char, salmon, grayling, and whitefish, all getting together for 4th of July barbecues and Christmas parties.
On a serious note, that’s why there’s so much similar behavior and, to an extent, appearances, between trout, char, salmon, grayling, and whitefish. They’re all cousins.
Where Do Brown Trout Fit?
Within the animal families we just learned about, biologists will also group animals together into subfamilies and tribes. Subfamilies and tribes are tools to further define animals, while keeping them within their family.
A good example is to look at cats. Within that family (Felidae), you have the Pantherinae subfamily that includes your lions and tigers, and your Felinae subfamily that’s home to domestic cats.
Or, you could think of all this like your collection of fly rods. You probably have some that are trout-focused, some for saltwater, and then an old antique or hand-me-down bamboo rod that you never use much, but you keep it with your fly rods because that’s what it is.
Brown trout are in the subfamily Salmoninae. Within the Salmoninae family, there are two tribes: Salmonini and Oncorhynchini. Brown trout are in the Salmonini tribe, alongside the genus Salvelinus, which is the genus for char like brookies, lakers, and bull trout.
Rainbow, cutthroat, and golden trout are in the Oncorhynchini tribe, which also includes Pacific salmon.
Here’s a screenshot from Wikipedia that shows it all laid out in a way that might make more sense:
On the phylogeny chart on the right, you can clearly see how the Salmo and Salvelinus genera are connected in their own tribe, while the Oncorhynchus genus is on its own branch of the family tree (and interestingly enough, more closely related to taimen than brown trout).
So What?
The scientific name for brown trout is Salmo trutta. It’s the only fish considered a true “trout” that has its own genus. Rainbow trout are Oncorhynchus mykiss, cutthroat trout are Oncorhynchus virginalis, and king salmon are Oncorhynchus tshawytscha.
That means cutthroat trout and king salmon are more closely related, genetically, than cutthroat are with browns. And it gets all the more confusing because we call a brook, lake, or bull trout a “trout,” even though they’re technically a char.
If it sounds like I’m splitting hairs—I am. There’s a reason we refer to all these fish with the common name “trout.” Browns, rainbows, cutthroat, brookies, goldens, lakers, bulls, Arctic char, and dolly varden all share the same basic shape and feeding habits. I’ve caught dolly varden on an elk hair caddis on Kodiak Island, in Alaska—the same fly I use to catch cutthroat here in Wyoming.
I don’t mean to sound like a biologist (I’m not) and I’m certainly not questioning the long-established order of things. But the observation that brown trout have more in common with char than trout really is a fantastic way of looking at these fish.
On one hand, brown trout clearly belong in the “trout” group, instead of with the char, because of their coloration. The surefire method for differentiating char from trout is that char have dark bodies with light spots. Trout have light bodies with dark spots.
But brown trout spawn in the fall. They share a Linnean tribe with char and Atlantic salmon. Other than their coloration, brown trout seem to fit the bill as a char, instead of a true trout.
I bet you’re not thinking of that when you hook into one, though.
Aquatic invasive species are taking hold throughout the United States, drastically changing our waterways and harming native populations. Non-native plants, animals, and pathogens can fundamentally dismantle healthy aquatic environments. Unfortunately, humans—anglers and river enthusiasts, particularly—serve as the perfect vehicle to speed up the spread. “Clean, Drain, Dry” is a nationwide effort to curb the spread of these harmful aquatic invasive species, and Montana is going above and beyond to protect the incredible lakes, rivers, and streams from a pressing yet preventable threat.
One of the most harmful aquatic invasive species is the zebra mussels, which originated from Eastern Europe and Western Asia. While these mussels have spread throughout much of the US, Montana has successfully stalled a destructive invasion—for now.
If these mussels spread and take hold throughout the state, Montana will be severely impacted.
According to the Montana FWP, mussels invading the state would result in a $234 million economic hit annually, $122 million of which would be due to recreational impacts.
As so many of us know, Montana is home to some of the best fly fishing in this country and has one of the most vibrant fly fishing communities. For over 40 years, Madison River Fishing Company in Ennis, Montana, has outfitted anglers and supported the local fishery through conservation and encouraging responsible angling.
Joe Dilschneider of Madison River Fishing Company had this to say, “Fly shops definitely play a role in promoting ethical use of local resources. “Invasive species are clearly a present and serious threat to our rivers, lakes, and way of life.”
But the concern for his waters with invasive species is ever-present in the back of Joe’s head. “Any threat to the health and well-being of the Madison River is a direct existential threat to my business and our entire local economy.”
So, what can you do to protect Montana’s waterways and keep these ecosystems productive in such a vulnerable time? Clean. Drain. Dry.
Clean your watercraft and outdoor recreation gear after each use.
Drain all bilge, ballast tanks, bait containers, and live wells.
Dry all equipment and gear for 5 days before you go to another water body.
For much more information, be sure to check out the incredible resources on Clean.Drain.Dry from Montana FWP.
So, next time you’re planning or on that out-of-state fishing excursion, be sure to take these critical precautions to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic invasive species AND protect all of our waterways.
