Short casts: Bonnies come home, new Simms gear, bonefish advice

A little girl checks out a bucket of Bonneville cutthroat trout before they were stocked into Mill Creek after a 100-year absence. 

It’s a good news/bad news Monday for trout-lovers in the West.

First, the good news. After a century of absence, thanks to a dam and the trimmings of progress in the Salt Lake Valley, I’m pleased to report that the effort to return native Bonneville cutthroat trout to Salt Lake City’s Mill Creek is complete. The project took several years to finish, but today, native Bonnevilles are back home again. Something, in the spirit of the season, to be thankful for.

Now, for the bad news. A troubling trend continued this year on the storied Beaverhead River of southwest Montana. For the third summer in a row, the river below Clark Canyon Dam has turned cloudy and, according to outfitters in the area, largely unfishable. Divers actually descended to the bottom of the dam, but the water so turbid, they couldn’t figure out was causing the milkiness in the water.

“Clients show up and see pea soup,” outfitter Brad Platt of Dillon told the Billings Gazette. “They’re envisioning a crystal clear Montana River. You can see the look on their faces.”

Video of the Day

It’s not all doom-and-gloom in the fishing world, though. Wader and soft-goods manufacturer Simms has released its 2017 product line in stores, just in time for the holidays. I love my Simms G4 waders and boots, and have travel-tested a lot of Simms gear over the years. It stands up to the challenges of plane travel, salty air, freezing temperatures and, of course, frequent dunkings. Check out what’s new this year (and maybe subtly suggest a new gift to that significant other).

And, if, by chance, you’re thinking about putting those new Simms flats boots to use on bonefish trip this fall or winter, remember, it pays to be patient. Take a look at this this advice posted in Gink and Gasoline this week—they’re good tips, all of them. I wish I had known half this much on my first bonefish adventure.

Until next time …

— Chris Hunt