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Fly tying: Managing materials
Crystal flash and tinsel are great for tying flies—particularly patterns that need to attract attention, like baitfish patterns, Woolly Buggers and other streamers. But handling those shiny materials can be a real pain. I can't count the times I've found strands of crystal flash that have managed to make it through the laundry cycle and turn…
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Getting started: From gear to fly
Editor's note: This is the second in an ongoing series meant to give those who are interested in learning to fly fish the perspective and advice needed to get started. More installments will follow. If you have specific questions about fly fishing, feel free to add a comment below, and we'll do our best to…
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New gear: Redington Butter Stick 8-weight
When I think of glass rods, I think of noodly little sticks meant to pluck backcountry brook trout from beneath overhanging willows or in tight quarters where a short backcast is as vital as a quiet presentation. But I have new appreciation for big glass after a day spent casting for tight-lipped reds and trout…
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Fly Tying: Egan’s Red Dart
Yes, it's still January, and here in Idaho, most of spring's upcoming runoff is either stacked a couple feet deep along our rivers, or it's yet to fall as still more snow. But when the weather does warm up, and that snow begins to melt, many anglers will be looking for the ideal high-water fly…
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Getting started: Know your trout
The brook trout is actually char, native to Appalachia, eastern Canada and the upper Midwest. Photo by Chris Hunt. Editor's note: This the third in a series of posts geared toward new fly fishers. More installments will follow. A couple of years ago, I was fishing a small, backcountry trout stream on the Island Park…
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Trout Tips: The ABCs of winter trout fishing
Not all trout water is created equally—particularly in winter. As Umpqua's Russ Miller points out below, there are different holding lies for trout in the dead of winter. Trout aren't likely to spend as much time moving about and chasing food as they are in secure, deeper waters where food is essentially delivered to them by…
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Fly tying: Folding hackle
Tying collars for streamers and salmon or steelhead flies can be a bit tricky, largely becuase saddle hackle is sometimes hard to work with. Video of Folding HackleAbove, Tim Flagler from Tightline Media demonstrates a great way to fold hackle back so when you go to tie in the collar, it's perfect every time. —…
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