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No shame
A couple weeks ago a buddy posted on social media a picture of himself holding a large brown trout with a brief caption: “No shame.” No additional information was necessary. The other prop in the photo, the one in addition to the gorgeous 22-inch brown, was a spinning rod. The fish hit a large Rapala,…
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Colorado small streams
As a son of Colorado, I can attest to the wonder and beauty found high in the small waters of the Centennial State's mountains. Chasing trout in off-the-grid creeks is, to this day, my favorite fly-fishing pastime. https://youtu.be/uIjNNxFokqA Above, Todd Moen of Catch Magazine, teases us with a trailer on a yet-to-be-completed film that focuses…
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Her place in the history of the West
TU's Hillary Walrath has inspired Wyoming women to connect with rivers Before she was old enough to attend kindergarten Hillary Walrath knew she would end up working in rivers. So, it was no surprise Walrath went right from grad school to working for Trout Unlimited. What Walrath didn’t expect was that the increasing disconnect with…
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The Chugach National Forest caught up in roadless mess
By the TU Alaska Program staff Although Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s main target is the Tongass National Forest, where he hopes to revitalize and greatly expand the outdated practice of industrial clear-cut logging of old-growth forest, the Chugach National Forest is also now caught in the crosshairs. (Take action today!) Post-logging on Prince of Wales…
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Fitting it all in before it snows
Fall beauty in southern Colorado Fall means trying to do a little bit of everything before the snow flies: the last mountain bike rides on dirt, climbing peaks to glass for elk, leaf peeping before they turn brown and litter the ground and of course, the last warm days of fishing. I celebrate this time of year and find…
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Tips for urban angling
Several streams draining from the mountains that enhance my urban viewscape snake their way through Anchorage, paralleling urban trails, bordering neighborhoods and sometimes disappearing underground for blocks at a time. While the aesthetics and natural state of the creeks range from non-existent to surprisingly impressive, for an angler it’s difficult not to look at the flowing water, assess the potential lies of hungry fish, and subsequently…
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Tying in the dreaded bucktail
The bucktail wing is one of the elementary ingredients in a number of popular flies, from Clousers to Coachmen ... even some caddis patterns call for bucktail. But, man, can it be hard to work with or what? I've always struggled with bucktail—I either lash it too tightly to the hook shank, which makes it…