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Embrace the learning curve
I often say that there’s a difference between casters and anglers, and you don’t necessarily need a picture-perfect cast to enjoy yourself on the water. The reason I say that is because I don’t want people to feel intimidated. Scientific Anglers did a survey years ago and learned that the two factors that keep people…
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Choosing a rod is about the flies, not the fish
I had always assumed that an angler chooses a fly rod based on the type of fish they wanted to chase. Turns out, that’s not exactly true. Sure, a 5-weight is probably still the gold standard “trout rod,” but that has less to do with fighting the fish, and more to do with the range of…
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Books: The Orvis Guide to the Essential American Flies
Originally printed in 2011, and including a foreword by the late Lefty Kreh, this book drills down on 20 patterns
I was delighted to receive an advance paperback copy of The Orvis Guide to the Essential American Flies by Tom Rosenbauer, because it just snowed for the first time this fall and as such, I’m about to enter what I call “tying season.” And when I tie, I like to focus on the basics, spinning…
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What’s the greatest fly-fishing technological advance in the last 75 years?
While fly fishing is still a very traditional sport involving simple tools—primarily a stick and a string—there have been a number of technological advances that transformed the sport. What would you rank as the most significant, say from your grandparents’ era to present? No doubt, graphite materials and space-age resins have changed fly rods dramatically,…
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The best month of the year
So… if I could pick one month to fish anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, it would start now…. This is what I consider the “golden month.” Granted, it isn’t a “calendar” month, per se, but it is the best month to be a die-hard angler, in many places in America. Mid-September to mid-October. This is…
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A few deep thoughts on fly fishing
What’s it going to take to convince the millions of anglers who found rivers these past few years that “how” is more important than “how many” and is that even possible?
Is it fair to assume that fly fishing is to positive mental health what running or biking is to cardio health? I think so. And if any of you docs or researchers out there want to add to the conversation, I’m all ears, and want to do a deep-dive story. I’m not of native-American ancestry. But my ancestors…
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Five tips to land trout in a timely manner
Fact: the faster you land a fish, the better the odds of survival. Here are five tips to help you turn a 15-round heavyweight boxing natch into a shorter, tougher MMA fight... and win more often than not. — Use 5X or stronger tippet. I know, there are times when you really feel fine 7X tippet…
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