Chris Hunt, Hatch Magazine Journalist Profile

Articles

The Missouri River Gale of 2024

3 days ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

It wasn’t one of those windstorms that made the news last summer in central Montana. TV coverage might have included the weatherman on the local Helena ABC affiliate remarking about how “it sure was windy today,” although seemingly minor events can make the news on a slow day. Just this week, a squirrel got zapped in an electrical substation, cutting power to thousands in Helena.
What makes a pike fly great?

1 week ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

My pike problem started during the summer of 2007 in northwest Saskatchewan. It was my first trip to Canada to fly fish for pike and grayling, and I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants.
What makes a pike fly great?

1 week ago | flipboard.com | Chris Hunt

7 hours agoHow to Fly Fish for Trout in Low, Clear WaterDon't let low flows keep you off the water. Low water is a challenge that all trout anglers are familiar with. At a certain point every summer, the …1 day agoA ‘Slow’ Day on God’s River Was Still the Best Fishing of My LifeThis story, “Giants of God’s River,” appeared in the April 1960 issue of Outdoor Life. I felt like a sardine in a can.
Brewery Road Trip? These 8 Nebraska Stops Pour the Perfect Pint

2 weeks ago | omahamagazine.com | Chris Hunt

When it comes to breweries, the plains of Nebraska are anything but plain. Whether you’re just figuring out the hops that make you hop or you’re already an IPA aficionado, the Cornhusker State undoubtedly has something to offer. Regardless of geographic location, the craft brewery scene in Nebraska is full of teamwork and innovation.
The beasts of the Bighorn

2 weeks ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

I’ve lost count of the number of eye-rolling stories that I’ve heard from guides about clients killing trophy fish caught from the West’s great trout rivers. The notion that a fish must die to appease the ego, it seems, is still richly embedded among a few trout anglers. And guides, well, they get to know a few trout anglers. The dominant approach to fly fishing these days involves a catch-and-release ethos that’s borderline religious.
Public lands caucus: gift or grift?

3 weeks ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

May’s been a weird month for those who have worked in the conservation field for any length of time.
Are U.S. public lands on the chopping block?

1 month ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

During a late-night meeting of the House Natural Resources Committee May 6, as congressional members were negotiating the inclusions in the federal budget bill, two Western lawmakers put forth an amendment that could have lasting impacts on America’s public lands and how they’re managed going forward. U.S. Reps.
Are U.S. public lands on the chopping block?

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Chris Hunt

11 hours agoWhat to Do With Non-Native Trout Species? | MidCurrentThis brown trout is clearly wild—beautiful, feisty, and fun to catch—but it lives in a river where it competes with native brook trout. Photo: Phil …1 day agoAll About Blue Lining | How to Use Maps & Apps to Discover Trout StreamsIt's never been easier to find trout in remote places.
Burn pile

1 month ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

Growing up on the fringes of the Deep South, in the East Texas piney woods region, there was always a tricky summer ballet we had to perform. It was a careful balance between wandering down to the local pond — where we’d sneak through the woods after carefully climbing through a barbed-wire fence erected to keep us out — to chase bass and bream on sticky summer days and handling the “chores” that came with living on three-quarters of a pine-tree pocked acre.
4 underrated Western trout towns

1 month ago | hatchmag.com | Chris Hunt

I spent a beautiful spring week on Montana’s Bighorn River, one of those western gems that gets fished aggressively come summer. And, on a glorious April day when the mercury tickled 80 degrees, the river saw its share of anglers. The good news? The ‘Horn is one of those rivers that just keeps on delivering big fish, no matter how many boats and how many anglers find their way to its chilled waters below Yellowtail Dam.