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The experience matters … maybe more than the fishing
By Jim Aylsworth Corey, an old friend from college, has become a wise philosopher. He thinks life is all about “experiences” and how he wants more of them. This adventure to Colorado was my sixth attempt to time my trip for the famous Mother’s Day caddis hatch on the Arkansas River. The moment the Ark…
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Terrestrial season arrives, but is it wise to fish?
It's my favorite time of the year. Big, fat terrestrial insects have had a summer to mature, and they're prominent along trout streams all over the West. Normally, I'd have stuffed a couple of fly boxes with hopper and beetle patterns, and I'd be spending any free time I had throwing big bugs at fish…
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Boat Books: ‘The Ocean’
rfer Laird Hamilton, marine archeologist Robert Ballard, and famed sailor Lin Pardey presented in a handsome foil-stamped cover to make this the definitive go-to guide for anyone captivated by the wonder, power, and mystery of the ocean.
The Ultimate Handbook of Nautical Knowledge An interesting coffee table hardback came across my desk a few weeks ago with the title above. I will admit at first I merely glanced over it as I get a lot of books sent to me for review. I’ll be honest — not that many get me fired…
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North Umpqua fire changes complexion of an iconic river
We stopped first at Swiftwater Park. My brother, Greg, and I always start there when we fish the North Umpqua searching for summer steelhead. It’s not much of a park, really. Just some parking next to the river, along with his and her’s vault toilets. The river is the attraction. This is the final upstream spot before reaching the North’s famous fly-only water. We…
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Red is the new golden
Rough roads and spooky golden trout in California Daniel Ritz is fishing across the Western United States this summer in an attempt to reach the Master Caster class of the Western Native Trout Challenge, attempting to land each of the 20 native trout species in their historical ranges of the 12 states in the West. You can follow Ritz as he…
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The popper-dropper? You bet
My friend Rob McConnell is the Texas equivalent of a Rocky Mountain creek freak -- a kindred soul if you will ... a fellow traveler. But, instead of searching out small, out-of-the-way cutthroat trout streams in little-traveled reaches of high-elevation backcountry, he combs the precious few acres of public lands in East Texas for swampy…
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Infrastructure package could help the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin
A massive package of legislation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is currently working its way through Congress, having been passed by the Senate earlier this week. If enacted, this bill would make essential investments of remarkable size and scope to help the nation address the impacts of climate change, including some of the worst impacts of the…