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Will the 5-weight always rule trout fishing?
So why is the 5-weight the undisputed title holder? My friend Jerry Siem, who designs rods for Sage, hit the nail on the head when he explained that the size of a rod an angler uses is less about the size of the fish he or she chases, and more about the size of the…
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Trout Tips: Small stream structure, part II
Trout in austere, backcountry creeks are oppotunists. The very thing that makes these streams so appealing to anglers—cold, cystal clear waters, amazing viewscapes, a wild, largely untouched setting—is what makes life so tough on small-stream trout. Food is scarce, and just about anything that looks like food will get a look from backcountry trout. In…
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Video spotlight: Clackamas Complete
Bull trout are the only native char to the interior Northwest. Close relatives to brook trout, Arctic char and Dolly Varden, they require the coldest and cleanest waters to survive and thrive. It's no suprise that their populations have been greatly impacted by development over the years. Dams have segregated their habitat, generations of logging…
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Voices from the River: Hopper time
By Chris Hunt The old two-track along the small stream in Idaho’s Caribou National Forest sees some ATVs now and then, but not too many folks in their Razors are there to fish, thankfully. It’s not a secret stream, not by any means. But it takes some effort to get there. And once you’re there,…
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Video spotlight: Grading PA’s trout streams
This may come as a shock to a lot of anglers out there, but the state with the most miles of trout water isn't Montana or Colorado. It's not Idaho or Wyoming or California. It's Pennsylvania. And in Pennsylvania, folks are serious about their trout water, so much so that state Fish and Boat Commission…
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Fly tying: Down to the wire
I started using wire in my fly tying about a decade ago, and today, I'm not sure what I'd do without it. It's a versatile tying material that do anything from add weight to simple sparkle, or to toughen up a fly to make it last longer. I've even started using really thin wire on…
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Gear test: Scientific Anglers SharkWave Ultimate Trout line
At the beginning of summer, I reached out to John Van Vleet at Scientific Anglers. It was going to be what I was calling the "3-weight summer," and I wanted to take the opportunity to review some light-weight fly lines under a variety of circumstances. John sent me several lines to use this summer as…
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