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The True Cast – On fly-fishing “heroes”
I have to admit that I sometimes cringe at the notion of anointing fly-fishing “celebrities,” and especially “heroes.” Fly fishing is, after all, a very niche realm. It’s kind of like honoring the world’s best bowling pin jugglers, or hot-air balloon pilots. Sure, there’s always a difference between good and great, but to be…
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The True Cast – cheering for the fish
I Often Cheer for the Fish
I Often Cheer for the Fish The trout is sipping mayflies off the surface. The angler wades carefully into position, ties on the perfect fly, and metes out some line. He times the rises… one to the left… now to the right… then, just a few feet lower in the run. He girds himself against the…
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The True Cast: So… you want to write about fly fishing?
There’s something about fly fishing that makes people want to put the thoughts they have as they experience a river down on paper. And I think that’s great. I adore words, especially when they spring from rivers, and most especially when they are on paper. I actually think that desire to “express and share” is…
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The True Cast: The Truth About “Euro Nymphing”
If you want to fall for Euro nymphing, knock yourself out. But let’s be honest about a few things.
I remember messing around at the “Toilet Bowl” run under the spillway on Colorado’s Frying Pan River with the late, great guide Kea Hause. The Toilet Bowl literally held tons of big trout, but the water was so turbid and roily (hence the name), you couldn’t fish it like you might the “Texas Bend” or…
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The True Cast: Upstream, downstream.
Some thoughts on teaching kids about fly fishing.
Some thoughts on teaching kids about fly fishing. I’m often asked by eager parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, what is the right age to introduce a kid to fly fishing? My answer is always the same: It depends on the kid! And, more important, it depends on how you define “introduce to fly fishing.” A…
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The True Cast: Wanna fly fish? DON’T tie yourself up in knots.
Before getting into specifics, it’s worth pointing out one fundamental truth: a well-tied knot is far more effective than any fancy knot recipe.
A number of years back, Scientific Anglers completed a study of “people who expressed interest in fly fishing but didn’t quite engage,” asking them what the main obstacles were that prevented them from getting over the proverbial hump. It boiled down to two things. First was casting – some thought making fancy loops was a…
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The True Cast: How this editor truly feels about photos of fish out of water
A few years ago, I took a vacation with my wife and son to London, England, and one of the top things on our to-do list was see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. So, we went early and staked out a spot on the Queen Victoria statue, directly in front of the…
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