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Fly tying: Mixing hackle fibers for tails
Tying small-ish mayfly patterns might be one of the most common fly-tying applications, but it doesn't mean it's super easy. Like any tying activity, it takes practice, particularly for the more detailed aspects of your average mayfly pattern, including the hackle fibers use for the tail. Video of How to Make Mixed Hackle Fiber TailAbove,…
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Trout Tips: 40 feet, 4 seconds
When I first waded the flats some years back, one of the Bahamian guides explained to me that I should have a good amount of line out on the water at all times, and if I wasn't fishing, I should have the fly pinched between the thumb and forefinger of my non-casting hand. That way,…
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Fly tying: UV resin to secure parachute hackle
Proof that really good fly tiers are also real innovators, Tim Flagler, in the short video below, demonstrates yet another way to tie a parachute-style dry fly. The method he demonstrates below seemed pretty dubious to me, but Flagler swears by it. Video of Parachute Hackle Method - "UV to the Post"Parachute-style dry flies are…
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Trout Tips: Bring two rods
Fishing in late winter and early spring, before runoff kicks in, can be pretty tricky, given short windows for dry-fly action, the likelihood that, even though the calendar reads April, an out-of-nowhere snow squall is certainly possible and the general finicky nature of cold-water trout. The solution, as Garrison Doctor of Rep Your Water describes…
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Fly tying: The SBR Hendrickson Nymph
Heavy nymphs that get down are ideal this time of year, as rivers start to pick up steam from upstream snowmelt. They may not be cloudy or dirty with full runoff yet, but water levels in the spring are on the rise, and we anglers need flies to anchor two-nymph rigs that get down and…
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Fly tying: Finishing your parachute post
We've showed several of Tim Flagler's videos over the last few weeks on tying in parachute posts—there are several methods that he has demonstrated to make this somewhat complicated method a little bit easier. Now, it's just up to you to find the method that works best for you. For me, I'm a fan of…
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Trout Tips: Practice makes perfect
Here's one from the archives, and I picked it because a lot of fly fishers around the country are dusting off the gear and getting ready to hit the water for the first time this spring. It's simple, really. Don't forget to practice. Practice Casting Intro from Trout Unlimited on Vimeo. Ask Kirk Deeter shows…
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