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Trout Tips: Do new anglers a favor
Editor's note: The following is exerpted from TU's book, "Trout Tips," available online for overnight delivery. As somebody who has covered fishing for more than 25 years, I have realized, hopefully not too late, that I relied too heavily on the people I was writing about. Too often, I let them tie the knots, pick…
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Fly tying: Zelon Musk Midge
If you're like me, any pattern that calls for a size 24 hook is a pattern best left to the experts. Tim Flagler's Zelon Musk Midge is a prime example. Video of Zelon Musk MidgeThis might be the simplest midge pattern I've ever seen. It consists of two ingredients in addition to the thread, as…
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Fly tying: Ribbing a fly
Fly ribbing is not only a great way to "segment" a nymph body, but, as Tim Flagler points out below, it's a great way to protect delicate materials, like peacock herl. Video of How to Rib a Fly and WhyI tie a few nymphs with wire ribbing, and even add wire to simple streamers, like…
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Trout Tips: Practice and conditioning are key
The following is exerpted from TU's book, "Trout Tips," available online for overnight delivery. To enjoy fly fishing, the following tips have proven to be extremely helpful and true: take the time to learn how to cast, and practice, practice and practice. Practice is not for the day you go fly fishing! Similarly, take the…
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Fly tying: Using a whip-finisher
When I got my first beginning fly-tying kit all those years ago, most of the tools made sense. But there was this weird loopy, wiry thing that just confounded me. It was a whip-finishing tool. I set it aside and when I tied my first fly (likely a horrible-looking Woolly Bugger that, on its best…
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Trout Tips: Hit the tail light
In New Zealand, where the waters are typically very clear, and the trout are always very smart, the exact spot where a fly lands near a trout can matter down to the inch. The Kiwis will tell you that as you are casting upstream at a fish's position, it's always best to miss to the…
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Fly tying: Adding weight with lead-free wire
Adding weight to flies can be tricky. A lot of tiers prefer to simply add a bead of varying weight to the hook before tying, which not only gives the fly some weight, but also some flash and character. Video of Adding Lead-Free Wire WrapsBut sometimes, as Tim Flagler notes in the video above, adding…
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