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Sam Lungren

Sam Lungren
Sam Lungren is MeatEater's Fishing Editor and a former freelance writer/photographer, commercial fisherman, and editor of BHA's Backcountry Journal. Though originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, he's been in Montana for almost a decade and probably isn't leaving—except during steelhead season. Send him an email sam@themeateater.com or follow him @samlungrenmedia.

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Latest

Wildlife Management

Hunters and Trappers Hit Wisconsin Wolf Quota in Two Days
In a blisteringly fast effort, sportsmen and women in Wisconsin harvested 162 wolves as of Wednesday morning—43 more than the target set at 119. All units opened on Monday, Feb. 22 and closed Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
After wolves were removed from the Endangered Species List across the Lower 48 in January, Wisconsin moved toward hosting their first wolf season since 2014 in the fall of 2021. However, a lawsuit by Hunter Nation won a court order...

Freshwater

The Greatest Soft Plastic Lure of All Time
The wacky-rigged Senko worm operates as a hack to bass ecology, a virus in the network, a glitch in the matrix. They’re mesmerized by it. If you ever get a chance to land one near a visible bass without spooking it, you’ll see what I mean. They just can’t help themselves but to go have a look. And then often, aw, hell, gotta try a bite.
Craziest thing is: it doesn’t look like anything in nature. Leeches don’t flex at the middle and scoot sideways...

Ice Fishing

6 Ways to Die While Ice Fishing
Casey and I were standing outside the wall tent enjoying the Montana winter starlight in all its glory when red flashing lights from the top of the grade cut through our rapture. Two and a half hours from the nearest hospital, we figured the ambulance must be arriving for a critical reason.
Over the next couple days, we found out through ice chat with fellow anglers and the manager of the small marina shop that two older fishermen had driven...

Policy & Legislation

Idaho Congressman Proposes Breaching Snake River Dams to Restore Salmon
Representative Mike Simpson, Republican of Idaho, released a massive infrastructure proposal on Feb. 6 that would fundamentally restructure Pacific Northwest shipping and energy with the goal of rehabilitating Idaho’s remaining wild salmon and steelhead runs. Realizing a decades-long dream of anglers and tribes, the congressman is calling for the demolition of the four Lower Snake River dams that have rendered the water hot and slow and reduced...

Policy & Legislation

Montana Legislation Would Give Majority of Non-Resident Tags to Outfitted Hunters
Editor’s note: this article was amended on Feb. 4 following a hearing in committee.
A new bill in the Montana legislature would guarantee up to 60% of all non-resident deer and elk tags to hunters sponsored by an outfitter. On Jan. 25 State Senator Jason Ellsworth of Hamilton introduced SB 143 and it was heard in the fish and game committee on Feb. 2. Hunters are sharply divided on the merits of this legislation.
In effect, the bill...

Policy & Legislation

California Bear Hunt Ban Bill Withdrawn Amid Online Outcry
California State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco has dropped his bill to end bear hunting in the state after mass protest online and organized opposition from numerous industries.
As the COVID pandemic continues to ravage the state, Wiener believed “this isn’t the time to focus on this right now,” Catie Stewart, a spokesman for Sen. Wiener, told the Sacramento Bee on Monday. This news comes one week after the bill was introduced, before it was...

Policy & Legislation

New Legislation Could Ban Bear Hunting in California Forever
As black bear populations continue to climb past historic levels in California, a state senator introduced a bill to permanently ban bear hunting in state. On Monday, Jan. 25, Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco brought forth S.B. 252, the “Bear Protection Act,” which would abolish bear permits and make it illegal to kill bears except for scientific research and the protection of human safety, public property, livestock, and endangered...

Ice Fishing

4 Habits of Highly Successful Ice Anglers
On a recent remote ice fishing adventure, out of the seven friends in attendance, MeatEater Production Assistant Chester Floyd  caught more than half of the fish. On nearly every ice excursion I’ve ever joined, I’ve seen similar trends play out: one guy is filling the bucket while the others are drilling holes around him and asking what lure he’s using.
I’m not saying that hot rod is me. It often isn’t. I didn’t grow up ice fishing, but I’ve...

Freshwater

Video: Survival Fishing with a Candy Wrapper
I spend a huge portion of my small amount of disposable income on fishing gear. But sometimes all that space-age gear does is demonstrate just how simple fishing really can be.
That’s an important thing to remember when you’re lost in the woods. With just a tiny bit of gear squirreled away in your first aid kit beforehand, you could potentially survive for months on just fish. They provide protein but also fat that many terrestrial animals lack...

Policy & Legislation

The Unfortunate Inevitability of Washington’s Boat Ban for Steelhead Fishing
Faced with several years of dismal steelhead returns and even worse predictions this year, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in early December announced a suite of new angling regulations meant to reduce impacts on fish while preserving fishing opportunity. Among those regulations are single-point barbless hooks, no bait, earlier closures, and a prohibition on fishing from a floating device on all coastal streams.
Many anglers and...