The State of Trout Rivers

The State of Trout Rivers

Take a real, damn hard look in the mirror, and be honest…

Is the TROUT fly-fishing experience better now than it was 10, 20, 30 years ago?

I’m not loading the deck, and I don’t have all the answers. I’m simply asking a question, and I’m hoping that that prompts you to come up with some honest responses.

I’ve never wanted to be that guy who says, “Yeah, but you should have seen it when…”

But having just spent a few weeks fishing at our family cabin in Michigan, on a river when 10, 20 years ago, we could reliably spend an afternoon coaxing at least a few decent fish to eat hopper flies–the fishing has sucked. Worst I’ve ever seen it.

Fishing the upper Colorado River, near where I now live, always (at least usually) produces some nice fish, but, if I were to rate the action in the past year or so on a 1-10 scale, given what I experienced a decade or more before, I’d rate it a “3” and I think that’s being generous.

Granted, there are about a thousand-plus directions you might point a finger: increased fishing pressure, climate change, warming water temperatures, effects of wildfires, a precipitous crash of bug populations, pollution, obsolete dams and more.

To be sure, there are some gleaming success stories of rivers having been brought back from the brink, where catching happens like it never has before.

And that’s wonderful.

And in some places, the wheels of commerce just keep cranking along. Places like the Delaware in New York/Pennsylvania, the Bighorn and Madison in Montana, the Green in Utah and many more places, just keep on keepin’ on. A July trip to the Green made me shudder with the realization of how many boats run that river on a given day (even the “C” section), but my party still caught plenty of fish, on dries, and it was wonderful.

But it seems to me, especially in places that are not tailwater bug factories/trout factories with constant near-perfect water temperatures, the fishing is not what it once was.

Trust me, I work for Trout Unlimited as my day job, and I am keenly tuned into the success stories. I want, more than anything, for the fishing to be better, as a result of the good work the TU and others do, more than anyone.

But I’m hearing 100 times “it isn’t what it once was” for every “it’s the best I’ve ever experienced.” Especially in the places that aren’t a famous tailwater trout fishery.

And that relates to the sizes of fish caught, the numbers of fish caught, the willingness of trout to eat dry flies and pretty much everything else across the board.

So, what gives?

You tell me. I don’t know.

First of all, is that a fair assessment, or am I just hearing it from the jaded anglers? (But please, spare me the promo, propaganda, chamber of commerce bullshit.)

Most importantly, what do you attribute the falling off to, in places that have fallen off? Is it water conditions, climate change, high temps, impacts of fire and floods, increased angling pressure, are the bugs gone, or maybe it’s a mixture of some or all of the above?

Again, I’m not here to point figures; I’m here to figure things out and hopefully point us in a better direction.

Head over to our survey and tell us what you think about the rivers you fish. – Kirk Deeter

Recent News

• Fly-fishing legend Flip Pallot has passed away. Known from the Walker’s Cay Chronicles and a hundred YETI commercials, Flip was a “pioneer, modern day explorer and an innovator whose spirit was fresh and wild.” Some remembrances: “A Reflection with Flip Pallot” from Flylords; “Remembering Flip Pallot” from the AMFF; listen to Flip on the Mill House Podcast; “Flip Pallot, Legendary Fisherman” from the Garden & Gun podcast.
• Colorado Fly Tier A.K. Best Passes Away. “With an eye to detail and a willingness to break traditional norms, Best’s patterns were soon in great demand. So much so that Boulder newspaper writer Ed Engle would say that Best’s flies were the best he had ever seen. Best would keep at it for decades, stopping only as advancing age and the sorrow from losing Jan a couple of years ago forced him away from the fly-tying vise for good.”
• From the DrakeCast: A Dam Removed. “In 2021, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources completed the removal of a derelict dam from the Dowagiac River. For the first time in over 120 years, the bottom four miles of the Dowagiac were reconnected with the 150+ miles of water in the main stem and its many tributaries upstream, making this possibly the most dramatically changed river in the Midwest. But whether or not that change has been for the better is still up for discussion.”
• Consumer Sentiment Falls as Inflation Expectations Surge. “In a survey conducted by the University of Michigan, U.S. consumer sentiment unexpectedly declined for the first time since April, and inflation expectations rose amid concerns about the impact of tariffs. The preliminary August Sentiment Index fell to 58.6 from 61.7 a month earlier, according to data from the University of Michigan released Friday, August 15. The Index was at 67.9 a year ago.”
• Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) President Kent Ebersole Talks About Community and Tariffs. “I think the real challenge is the uncertainty. No one’s ever come to me and said, ‘We can’t have tariffs ever.’ Everybody who’s come to me has basically said, ‘I just want to eliminate the chaos.’ Whether you’re a startup in this industry or you’re a large public brand, you build your company based on a strategy and a plan. When there’s chaos that you can’t control, it makes it harder to do your work.”
• From AFFTA: The outdoor recreation industry reached another milestone in 2024, with participation growing 3 percent to a record-breaking 181.1 million Americans, nearly 60 percent of all Americans aged six and older actively enjoying the great outdoors. “For the fly fishing community, this broad-based growth represents a tremendous opportunity. The study found that accessible ‘gateway activities’ such as walking, hiking, fishing, camping, bicycling and running led to this surge in participation, with fishing remaining a key entry point that helps introduce new participants to the outdoors.” Grab the report.
• Wes Siler does a deep dive on tariffs and regressive tax policies and how they hurt small DTC outdoor brands like the Montana Knife Company. “Tariffs are inherently inflationary–they increase the cost of goods. And while this decreases the value of the dollars you and I have in our pockets, it increases the rates those with vast reserves of money can charge for lending it. So, more of the money we earn goes to banks and other financial institutions. This increase in the supply of debt will be added to by the ballooning federal deficit Trump is creating, and those two factors will combine to further increase the cost of borrowing.” Also his take on the Forest Service Roadless Rule.
• Colorado Stream Access Coalition Pint Night Event: Wednesday, September 10th, 2025, 6:00 pm. Where: Upslope Brewing Co. Flatiron Park 1898 S. Flatiron Court, Boulder, CO 80301. The Colorado Stream Access Coalition (CSAC) is a statewide partnership fighting to secure and protect legal, responsible access to Colorado’s rivers and streams.
• Yvon Chouinard Says Newsom’s (CA) Billion-Dollar Salmon Bet Is Doomed to Fail. “When hatchery salmon are released into our waters, they suffocate their wild counterparts with sheer numbers, weaken the gene pool, spread disease, and increase predation. A 2019 report, based on 50 years of data and published in the journal Fisheries, found that 83 percent of salmon hatcheries caused adverse effects on local wild populations. Another study, published in the Environmental Biology of Fishes, found that wild juvenile Chinook salmon have a survival rate of between 7 and 31 percent. Hatchery salmon came in at 1.3 percent. An analysis from the Columbia River found the cost to citizens to harvest a single hatchery Chinook salmon was $68,031. Wild salmon do it for free.”
• Fill out the University of Massachusetts Amherst “Threats to Freshwater Recreational Fisheries” Survey and be entered to win a Patagonia Guidewater Backpack. The survey is intended to “understand what perceptions recreational anglers have about potential threats to their target species, and how such threats impact their fishing experience and overall satisfaction.”
• Striped Bass Economic Survey (from The Saltwater Edge): “The Striped Bass Survey gives us the chance to quantify the scale of this coast-wide fishery. That data is critical for decision-makers at the local, state, and federal levels, showing just how much recreational anglers contribute to the economy. From tackle shops and guides to hotels, restaurants, and travel, every dollar you spend helps paint a clearer picture of the lasting impact recreational fishing has on local economies.”

Gear Buzz

• Enter the Keep Fish Wet Giveaway. Flylab is partnering with Keep Fish Wet, Fishpond and Small Craft Sales to promote better, science-based best practices for catching, handling and releasing fish. We’re also giving away a bunch of great “fish friendly” gear valued at $659.80 to one lucky winner to help promote the cause.
• It’s that time of year when every fly-fishing brand is putting gear on sale: Simms fall stuff, Madison River Fishing Company has piles of gear on sale + an Airflo fly line sale, Epic Fly Rods have great Fly Rod & Reel Combos with awesome savings, BOTE SUP deals, Grundens End of Summer Sale, 3Bird Summer Sale, Stio Warehouse Sale.
• Outdoor Brands Sourcing Used Gear to Offset Tariffs, Consumer Sentiment. “As outdoor brands face an array of problems–from dwindling consumer optimism to rising prices caused by Trump’s tariffs–the circular economy presents an opportunity to keep products in the hands (or on the feet) of outdoor participants.”
• Patagonia’s Fly-Fishing Worn Wear has been leading on this reused equipment trend for a few years. We’ve also been testing Patagonia’s Swiftcurrent Waders this summer and are big fans of the design, construction and durability.
• Fishpond Thunderhead Submersible Backpack Review. “With the divider insert, I found that I could truly organize the gear I put in the pack, whether that gear consisted of fly boxes, leader sleeves, and various on-the-water tools…” Find one at MRFC ($299.95).
• Big Sky Angler’s 2025 Trout Spey Rod Review. “While there weren’t a ton of brand-new Trout Spey rods released this year, that gave us the perfect opportunity to refine past reviews, revisit popular setups and improve rod and line pairings. The biggest news is the complete remodel of the Orvis Mission Trout Spey lineup, highlighted by a sweet new 2-weight model. We’ve also added a couple of excellent rods from Echo and Sage–models we had previously overlooked but that many of you have been asking about.”

Boats

Small Craft Sales is THE go-to marketplace for buying and selling small boats and other specialty watercraft. Looking to buy or sell a small boat? Check out the brand-new used boat marketplace: modern, searchable, community-driven platform built for anglers, paddlers, rowers, tinkerers, outboard junkies and anyone dreaming of their next waterborne adventure.

Best Fishing options this week:

• 2025 Boulder Boat Works Low Side Dory
• 2024 Outcast Pac 900 Inflatable Pontoon
• 2023 Outcast Stealth Pro Stillwater Pontoon
• 2022 Towee Calusa Pro - 20hp Yamaha
• 2019 Boulder Boatworks Pro Guide
• 2019 Gheenoe LT 10
• 2012 Saturn Raft with NRS Rowing Frame
• 2003 13-foot Gheenoe
• 1984 Boston Whaler Super Sport 15
• 1971 Boston Whaler Fly Fishing Skiff
• Wooden Drift Boat
• Adirondack Guide Boat Vermont Fishing Dory

BOTE Rackham Aero Fischer Review ($1,849). “I’ve found the APEX PD to pedal as smoothly as any other pedal drive system I’ve used. It has some resistance, but I’ve pedaled over a mile to reach a fishing spot, and my out-of-shape self wasn’t tired. It’s not slow but also not as quick as some of the other pedal drives on the market, so you won’t win many races. It still gets you where you need to go in a timely manner.”

Over It Raft Cover Review. “Made for rafts: These covers are actually cut to fit. They have slots for oar towers and trailer winches, cinch tight without a wrestling match and come with bomber D-rings so you can secure them properly. No more bungee cord gymnastics. Available in four raft sizes, plus a cataraft version.”

Custom electric drift boat build (anchor, bilge pump) from Adipose Boatworks. “Anything to save the shoulders and make those Smith River downpours easier…”

Last Week’s Survey Results

Fly rod and reels purchases. Despite the looming impacts of tariffs and an unsettled economy, anglers still appear active in the rod and reel categories. It might worth learning more about where these purchases are happening (shops, DTC, Amazon etc.).

Half-sized tippet use. The results were mixed, and the industry would probably be wise to create more use cases for the product. These half-sizes could make a difference with tiny flies, but we haven’t tested them enough. Worth looking into this fall.

TrackFly Industry Trends

TrackFly is a data aggregation and analytics platform, connecting specialty retailers, brands and sales professionals. They are helping Flylab track key industry trends.

Overall, fly rods are the last fly-fishing product category to be making a slow comeback as we (presumably) make our way out of the broad consumer confidence slump that’s hung over the country for much of 2025. Although anglers have been getting to fly shops and definitely buying consumables (flies, leader-tippet, floatant, indicators), some portion of those anglers have simply been holding off on larger-dollar categories for months. It’s a theme we’ve heard across other outdoor industry verticals, and even across other non-sports consumer categories, for much of the year.

In fly fishing, there is finally some good news. First, June wasn’t bad, up +2% over prior June in total product sales. And July was up slightly as well. Reels, eyewear, tools, combo’s, packs-bags and luggage-cases have all shown two months of moderate growth over 2024. Softgoods has been holding steady; and of equal importance is that the closely watched category of fly rods finally came within 1% of matching prior year’s sales in July.

In general, approximately 35% of rods selling through the specialty channel (measuring units sold, not dollars sold) are less than $300, with a large number in the $200-300 range. Only 23% are $300-600. 27% are $600-1000. And 14% are $1000+. The $1000 price point is strong, but in the middle of that $600-1000 price band is a hole in the $700-800 price point–simply a low number of rods right at $700-800.

It would be interesting to hear both brands and retailers talk about that. Ultimately, retailers can only sell what brands produce, but many shop owners will tell you they would much rather sell a $1000 rod over a $750 rod, as it yields at least another $100 of margin. Of course, that makes sense; but if $1000 is first class, then $700-800 must be “business class,” and we wonder how many intermediate anglers would more readily “opt up” to business class, rather than first class, if there was more business class inventory to buy.

We suspect that price sensitivity presents itself differently in discretionary spending behavior than it does in core consumer spending.

The bottom line: both June and July were better overall than earlier in the year, presumably because the uncertainty and concerns over tariff wars may have settled somewhat, as news of tariff agreements occupied more of the news space. The fly rods category has been coming back more slowly than the other categories, but there has been interesting product from brands in the channel all year. So, if the prevailing economic news can stay mostly non-catastrophic in the coming weeks, then perhaps more people will spend on higher-dollar gear before end of season.

On another note, we at TrackFly believe it’s not too early to start planning for the holiday season. There are brands and retailers that might simply intend to put seasonal leftovers out for holiday shoppers, but that introduces the risk of forfeiting sales. (Of course, it’s impossible to measure sales that don’t happen, so, you don’t know if you could do better.) Conversely, staying very purposely stocked on top-selling, highly “gift-able” SKUs, and messaging/marketing with intent, substantially increases opportunities for incremental sell-through in both November and December. And that’s just around the seasonal corner.

AT Trackfly Analysis

Some of what is surely getting lost in the fly shop purchasing data is an underrepresentation of online channels, as well younger demographics of buyers.

We heard a lot of anecdotal stories this summer of consumers purchasing “new” fly rods on Ebay and secondhand sites (based on better-value-to-price), and being perfectly willing to pass on the warranty guarantees until a break actually happens. So, the term “new” always has a relative consumer value.

As far as younger fly-fishing consumers, Cliff Watson, who heads up angler recruitment for the Trout Unlimited Costa 5 Rivers program, mentioned that the vast majority of Gen Z consumers are purchasing second-hand and used gear off similar discount and auction sites.

Some of this is related to price, obviously, but there’s also a demographic and generational component: younger generations value experiences, and not necessarily gear (as much)–this has been fleshed out in numerous consumer studies. They are spending, but the value is on the trips and locations, particularly as inflation erodes spending power across the board.

Brands are connecting with these younger demographics through ethos, purpose and storytelling, not necessarily or exclusively through the checklist of product specs you can tick off.