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Terrestrial bugs offer great dry-fly fishing on small creeks
Late summer and early fall offer some of the season's best dry-fly fishing on small creeks in the east. This isn't hatch-matching fishing. It's terrestrial season
Most years, Virginia’s small mountain trout streams have become unfishable trickles by August. This year has been a bit different. Massive rains in May and June meant the streams were in great shape heading into summer’s peak, which was a good thing because July brought record heat and a strange lack of the almost-daily thunderstorms…
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Fly fishing doesn’t have to be hard
I love to cast a long line, but it doesn’t happen often. If I do, it is ideally with no false casts. The longer my fly is in the air, the more likely it will be caught by a bush. Fewer false casts also means my fly is in or on the water in front of fish longer
By Jim Strogen I loved "A River Runs Through It." I had been fly fishing about 30 years before I saw the film, and appreciated the artistry in Jason Borger's casts -- Borger was the "double" for Brad Pitt, and he's the one casting in the movie. When I see new fly fishers getting started,…
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How to use shanks for articulated flies
There are a few choices when it comes to choosing which shank to use for the flies you're tying, but, generally speaking, the idea is the same: shanks let you make longer fly bodies and then hang a "stinger" hook off the rear of the fly
And which ones to use, depending on the patterns you're tying I started using shanks for tying articulated flies a couple of years ago, and last year, in Argentina, I enjoyed some great streamer days for big trout using the fruits of my labor. There are a few choices when it comes to choosing which…
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The desert browns of the Owyhee
TU is leading a coalition of sportsmen to permanently protect the Owyhee Canyonlands The thing that strikes me most about the Owyhee River is the incongruity. This amazing trout stream springs from, and flows for many miles through, a desert. Okay, most of this country is technically sagebrush steppe. But it’s dry, hot and largely…
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How to tie the Yellow Humpy fly pattern
As attractor dry flies go, the Humpy is near the top of my list. Tied to imitate nothing in particular, but still incredibly "buggy," the Humpy is a great high-floating searching pattern for trout in backcountry settings. But, as with a lot of my favorite attractors, the Humpy can be a real pain to tie.…
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How to catch four cutthroat trout subspecies in one day
An angler uses one fly, drives 600 miles and completes the Utah Cutthroat Slam before the sun sets By Jeff Bringhurst Downtown Salt Lake City was quiet at 4:30 a.m. as we stood in front of a camera explaining our plan. The sun was just starting to illuminate the peaks of the Wastach Mountains. It…
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A look at Loon’s new Rogue hook-removal forceps
For me, a good pair of forceps has become a requirement on the water, particularly during summer when I'm fishing more frequently and, subsequently, catching more fish (hopefully!). Forceps or hemostats are great multi-purpose tools — they help with hook removal, they mash barbs down and they can even be helpful when untying knots. But,…
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