Chris Hunt, Hatch Magazine Journalist Profile

Articles

A down-and-dirty nymph with a royal name

4 weeks ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

Like most fly fishers, I have many mentors who have helped me as I’ve pursued the craft over some 50 years now. Some, like both of my grandfathers, physically delivered me to trout water as a kid. Others, contemporaries like my friend Kirk Deeter or our shared mentor, Charlie Meyers, the late, great outdoor writer and editor for the Denver Post, helped me hone my craft and instill in me not just the desire to go fishing but to get at the root of the passion.
Sick fishing

1 month ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

That first ominous little tickle in the back of my throat came on the morning after a fairly raucous evening of hand-rolled cigars, butter-smooth rum and, of all things, the hideous mixture of vodka and Red Bull. It was one of those nights that, at my age, you only endure on a far-flung fishing trip away from the steady influence of someone who has your best interests at heart.
Colorado native trout found reproducing in new home waters

1 month ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

A native cutthroat trout found only in the Arkansas River drainage of southern Colorado, and once on the brink of extinction, is now reproducing naturally in waters where it was reintroduced after a devastating wildfire wiped out much of its native habitat nine years ago.
Planning a fly fishing trip? It's never too early to start.

2 months ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

Years ago, when I was busy coordinating media trips into some of the last remote places in the country, all with the intent of sharing the challenges our last great, wild landscapes faced from the pervasive forces of “progress,” I learned the value of meticulous planning.
Faster isn't always better, even on the flats

2 months ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

As I get ready for an upcoming saltwater trip, I’ve been enduring the challenges most right-brained thinkers deal with when it comes to organization and preparation. For me, it generally starts with unpacking my duffle from my last big trip. That means I have several notable organizational obstacles. First, I need to remove everything “trouty” from my bag.
Britain's brown trout could be gone by 2080

2 months ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

A new study conducted by the Environment Agency in Great Britain predicts that water temperatures across the British Isles will be too warm in the summer to support native brown trout by 2080, a dire warning for anglers and what’s hailed as the commonwealth’s favorite fish.
Utah's public lands battle shows the power of political contributions

Jan 24, 2025 | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

Years ago, when I was working to protect public lands in the West from any number of extractive industrial activities, I was fond of telling the generally conservative hunters and anglers that I came into contact with on a daily basis, “You don’t have to be a left-wing radical to engage thoughtfully in conservation.
Sage intros new CLASSIC R8 fly rods

Jan 23, 2025 | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

A noteworthy development out of Bainbridge Island this week: Sage just dropped a new fly rod, and it’s not a rocket-fast stick that can send a lead-eye Clouser at you so quickly that it might leave an exit wound. The company just introduced its new Sage CLASSIC R8, a throwback fly rod that’s intentionally slower and designed to be cast by anglers who fish deliberately.
The Florida Keys' Longest Scenic Bridge Takes You Across Miles Of Stunning Emerald Waters

Jan 20, 2025 | islands.com | Chris Hunt

America loves its highways. Throughout the mid-20th century, road construction was in its heyday, as efforts were afoot across the country to build connecting spans of concrete and asphalt so Americans could get from one end of the country to the other. It was the age of the American road trip, and from Route 66 to the Pacific Coast Highway and its stunning beaches, these connecting ribbons of roads linked U.S. citizens together in a way that persists even today.
Explainer: The 11th hour approaches for the Okefenokee

Jan 18, 2025 | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

The effort to stop a dragline mining project on the fragile fringes of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and its namesake blackwater swamp is just over five years old, and Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals LLC already has draft mining permits in hand.