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The Gurgler: The under-utilized foam fly
I'm headed to East Texas this week for some bass and panfish fishing in some of the region's swampier areas, and I've done some tying over the last few days to make sure I'm armed with "all the right stuff." But I didn't feel like I was ideally equipped until I tied up a handful…
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Ode to the homely jon boat
As I rowed the 14-foot lumbering jon boat back to her berth on the side of a remote lake in the Adirondack mountains after an incredible day of smallmouth fishing the other day, I thought to myself how much I both love and hate jon boats. They are ugly as hell, hard to row, but…
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‘To thine ownself be true’
The Roan Plateau in northwest Colorado. Sharing creates advocates, while oversharing creates problems “To share or not to share…” If Hamlet were a fly fisher instead of just an angst-ridden 30-something pining for his dead father, this might have been what he uttered as he pondered the value of his own life. For, much like…
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What’s your vote for America’s ‘national fish?’
The author's choice? The smallmouth bass. USFWS photo. It’s a silly question, but it’s fun. And it’s Friday. If you were to vote for a national fish, what would it be? The brook trout currently holds the title of most revered freshwater “state fish” with nine states—including Michigan, Pennsylvani and New York—making it their choice.…
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What’s the most important piece of gear when going boating?
Is it your PFD? Probably. What about a spare oar? We all know what happens when you forget that important piece of equipment. First-aid kit? That's an obvious one. What's not as obvious, easily forgotten and potentially dangerous is forgetting the spare key. Dude, wait. Where are the keys? I'd argue it’s almost as important…
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Tying the After Hours Stonefly
It's later in the season, but not too late for stoneflies. Below, TU's Nick Halle ties his After Hours Stonefly, a solid "tweener" of a bug that could be seen by trout as either a smaller Yellow Sally or even a larger, nocturnal stone. Even more likely? This pattern, at least this time of year,…
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River straps are for more than just boating
River straps. Cam straps. Tie downs. Whatever you call them they’re as important as having oars when you’re on the water. Having only rafted for seven years myself, I’ve already missed a lifetime of river-strap usage. But I’m making up for the lost time by putting them to work wherever I go outdoors. I’ve used…
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