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Voices from the River: Common water
The author's son getting a rowing lesson on Alaska's Skilak Lake. Photo by Nelli Williams. By Nelli Williams Rivers bring people together. Some of my fondest friend-filled memories are on the river. Where we’ve laughed til our cheeks hurt—even years later— over the chaos in the boat when that first fish hit; or enjoyed a…
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Voices from the River: ‘Bucket-fillers’ needed in Colorado
By Scott Willoughby Snow season has arrived in Colorado. For better or worse, this year it coincides with election season. It is, of course, for the better. Despite the grumblings of a few fair-weather fishermen uninterested in facing the cold, hard reality of an early winter, the sooner we can reestablish our snowpack on the…
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Birds of a feather
Step one: throw a long cast down or upstream, immediately click the bail, establish tension, then activate your lure with a six to eight foot pull. Step two: stop everything. In these two moves, you have alerted every trout in the pool to the arrival of a big and vulnerable prey. Step three: resume a…
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Voices from the River: Working for trout in West Virginia
By Jessica Bryzek I recently started working with Trout Unlimited as the West Virginia Volunteer Water Quality and Stream Restoration Coordinator. Out of all the places I have worked, I have never felt so spoiled as I do here in Thomas, West Virginia. Surrounded by miles of primitive trails, wild mountain streams, and blue forests,…
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Voices from the River: Deadbeat dams
Photo by Eric Booton By Eric Booton In the summer of 2015, I spent a week with my family on the Olympic Peninsula. We hiked in Olympic National Park, fished for humpies in the salt, and took a field trip to check out the recently liberated Elwha River whose dam had been re moved and…
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Voices from the River: Tell me a story
Hillary and youngest daughter, Susie, fishing on the Green River. Photo courtesy of Hillary Walrath. By Hillary Walrath “Mommy, tell me a real story from when you were a kid.” Recently, my oldest daughter became obsessed with me telling stories before bed. I started with fairy tales of make-believe but one night I was tired…
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Voices from the River: Luck versus Skill
Luck, or skill? In the case of exceptional anglers like the Steelhead Whisperer, it's mostly the latter. By Jim Burns Consider how much of your fly fishing is skill, how much is luck. This summer I excitedly boarded a plane with my fly tube and sat down, expecting nothing more than a peaceful flight, but…
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