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Aventuron is a big player in small business support for TU
This little retail outdoor shop in a city of 50,000 midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay punches way above its weight when it comes to selling great gear and supporting great conservation.
I didn’t know much about Sheboygan, Wisc. I had the vague idea that it was in the eastern part of the state on Lake Michigan. I knew that Carl and Kathryn Martens, the owners at Aventuron, had been great TU Business Members for some time. But I didn’t know how great. This little retail outdoor…
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Introducing ‘Tying One On,’ with TU’s own Nick Halle
Like a lot of us, Nick's passion is fly fishing, and, like a lot of us, he ties his own flies
At TU, many of us live to fish. For many of us here at the organization, the art of angling is what drew us to the need to protect the trout and salmon that we spend much of our lives chasing. Nick Halle is no different. As a volunteer operations coordinator, Nick is well-known among…
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The gift of the skunk
One learns not to expect much when fly fishing during the winter months. At least around here, or if you’re me. Regardless of the season, sometimes you step into a river and just know something’s off. The water’s not moving right, or the sound of the wind rings particularly empty and distant. I envy steelhead die-hards their familiarity with this feeling, the impending, inevitable void, and how they march into it undaunted. A guy I know…
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Tying the Ruptured Egg Cluster for the spawn
In just a few weeks, spring spawning trout, whitefish and suckers will migrate and begin clearing redds in rivers and streams all over America. Between late February and even into June or July at higher elevations, there will be eggs in the water, and that means predatory trout and char will be on the prowl. Fly fishers…
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Public lands package passes House
Today, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act (H.R. 803). Trout Unlimited strongly supports this legislation, as it will better conserve and restore public lands, watersheds and coldwater fisheries in four Western states and support the country’s commitment to countering the impacts of climate change by protecting at least 30 percent of…
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Welcome to winter steelhead fishing
Dean hollered from upstream as a steelhead took his fly, then hollered again a moment later as the fish released it. At another spot Dean had a nice fish on for perhaps a minute, his rod bowed and bobbing. But that steelhead, too, practiced detachment. Welcome to winter steelhead fishing.
Molly the water dog and Jenny Weis on Oregon's Umpqua River, before everything blew out. By the third day, it seemed a foregone conclusion that at least one of our three-person party would feel the chilly fingers of a stream no longer kept at bay by their waders. The ubiquitous blackberry vines armoring the banks…
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Simms launches new Flyweight collection
It's an interesting time for fly fishing gear manufacturers. The ongoing pandemic has cancelled trade shows and outdoor expos, so marketing departments are working through what's become an unfortunate new normal. How do you introduce a consumer base — even a loyal one — to new products? Simms is facing that challenge as I write…
