• The Steelhead With A Thousand Faces

    Maybe if I take five more steps, throw one more mend, skate one more fly, a hero will appear, armored in chrome, and dance to the music of my singing reel.

  • The Birth of A Fishing Town

    Calf deep now in the cold river, Trent’s completed his prelude of silky false casts and is ready to start the show in earnest.

  • In The End, Style Might Be All We Have

    Over the course of 6 trips, in and out, and nearly 40 miles, I question whether or not it’s worth it.

  • Banded

    Folding neatly the greenhead splashed soundly onto the water. The old lady made quick work of the retrieve.

Grouse season is still two weeks away. But there’s no telling her that this is a dress rehearsal. “Scrimmage” doesn’t compute. I make room for gradients, progressions and half-measures, but she lives in a world of absolutes. There either are feathers, or there are not. And there happen to be some feathers very nearby., Read More

 This summer our dogs have been neglected. It’s a crazy time for our family. My wife and I both travel a fair bit for work. Family comes to visit. We try to get into the mountains as much as possible. The dogs have been deprioritized. As pups, I would spend an hour a day all, Read More

It’s a rare kindergartener that wants to fish as often, as long or as hard as mom or dad. I’m sure they’re out there, but I also know that black-footed ferrets exist. I haven’t seen either in the wild. Which shouldn’t be surprising. It’s tough out there for little folks. The brush is higher,, Read More

Brett Seng is a Bozeman, Montana based outfitter, photographer and entrepreneur. I have admired Brett’s images for some time and my ears perked up when I heard he was launching an online shuttle service App. My move back to Montana coincided with the launch of ShuttleSnap and I’ve been using it all summer. The idea, Read More

In the three years since I became a father, I’ve had to redefine some terms.  “Sleeping in” does not mean what it used to for example, nor “big night out” for that matter. “Free time”… I seem to recall using that phrase as a younger man, but the concept is fuzzy now.  Most of, Read More

River trips have become our favorite family adventures. As a way of experiencing the backcountry with kids, few other methods can compare. But with a little planning you can take some simple steps to help ensure your adventure is one that will be fun for the whole family. Planning for shorter days on the water makes, Read More

“Dada, can I um… can I go over to Al and Anne’s house… pleeease Dada?” asked my five year old. Al and Anne are our next-door neighbors. My son visits most days, but he’d missed them the day before. They’d been in the mountains, scouting for elk. They’re 81 and 75 years old, respectively., Read More

The house is spotless. We’ve hardly been home. The pickup is a disaster, so is the boat bag. Clothes shoved into the corners, smelling of bug spray. Plastic bags, food wrappers, and empty soda bottles litter the floor mats. The girls went back East to visit family and my son and I are flying, Read More

“Whoa, hey!” I said, voice rising as I backed involuntarily away from my five year old. He’d crept to my office door, not as stealthily as he may have thought, and paused there. I’d expected to surprise him when I yanked the door open, maybe give him a start. I hadn’t expected the coiled, mummified, Read More

Here at STS we are feeling very fortunate. We’ve been humbled lately by readers sending encouraging emails , others sharing our content across the web, and even colleagues selecting our work for a few awards. Thanks for all of your support. It’s a big reason why we do this. With that in mind it’s time, Read More