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First look at Denali
I'd come all the way to Alaska and saw more grayling than I'd ever seen in one place. And I didn't catch a single one from this river. And I didn't mind a bit
With a view like this, a fishless day isn't too bad after all Just a glance over the side of the canoe revealed the life swimming in this crystal-clear spring creek situated just off the Alaska Highway about a 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks. Big Arctic grayling—and some of the biggest whitefish I'd ever seen—cruised…
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Tying the Repeat Offender
Trout spey fishing is all the rage these days, particularly in rivers that boast runs of anadromous fish that are swimming home and reacquainting themselves with fresh water and the food they used to eat before they took the salt to dine on the ocean's bounty. Below, Matt Callies with Loon Outdoors ties a great…
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How to practice a straight cast
One of the biggest challenges for new anglers is casting accuracy. With all the perceived nuances to casting among new fly fishers, it can sometimes seem daunting to place a fly generally where they want it. Truth be told — and those who have fly fished for a time can attest — those nuances aren't…
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Tying the Douglas Salmon Camp Swinger
Articulated streamers are quickly becoming some of my favorite patterns to tie at the vise. They are deadly for big trout, bass, pike and even salmon and steelhead, and, contrary to my original impression, they're actually pretty easy to craft. Below, Tim Flagler ties an articulated streamer designed for the lake-run salmon, steelhead and brown…
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Trout Unlimited has crafted its own legacy of protection
Legacy. It’s a small word, but it emotes big energy. It means someone — or a group of someones — has left behind a lasting footprint that guides a discipline years, even decades, later. That’s what Trout Unlimited has done. It created a legacy and blazed a trail for others to follow when it comes…
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Say it with me … ‘Chena’
In time, rivers begin to emote their names ... or maybe it's the other way around There's something in a name. And some rivers ... well, after a fashion, their names are pushed from their currents, roared from their rapids or whispered from quiet slicks where fishy noses poke through flat water in search of…
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Blues and fly fishing: two intertwined pursuits
How are the blues and fishing intertwined? Check this out
I have been a lifelong musician and fisherman, but it wasn't until I really seriously started fly fishing that I realized how closely the two pursuits are intertwined. Becoming a blues musician has been a lifelong learning process that never seems to end. I can say the same for my fly fishing life. By the time I…
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