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Raising Them Right
Most recently, this little douse of hope arrived at the TU office in Anchorage.
By Nelli Williams As a parent, it often feels like a bit of a crapshoot when it comes to making decisions about raising kids. I am sure many of you who have been there (or are in the thick of it) are familiar with the little voice in your head that’s constantly questioning your moves. Was that the right…
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When all else fails, teach the kids to fish
At a time of year when the state is supposed to be at the top of its game, the last few weeks have been tumultuous for Alaskans. If you follow the TU’s Alaska Program efforts in Bristol Bay, you know that we’ve had a roller-coaster couple of weeks with the close of the Pebble Mine…
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Hopper-dropper fishing
With terrestrial season coming on strong throughout the country, it's an obvious time to start flinging a hopper-dropper rig. But what's the best way to do it? What knots make the most sense? How far below the high-floating hopper should the "dropper" nymph be? https://youtu.be/Nz7QQFOPemU The hopper-dropper rig. Here's a great short video from the…
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Why 50/50 on the water?
Any fly fisher can understand that increasing participation in the craft can help create more advocates for the resources we all love. And the largest opportunity for growth in fly fishing rests with women. https://youtu.be/CFOeti5Ji78 At last check, women make up about 25 percent of the fly-fishing population. Orvis, as you'll see in the short…
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Back to the vest
I had back surgery last winter—three vertebrae were fused just above my tailbone after a lengthy battle with sciatica and what turned out to a cracked and splitting bone. I was honestly worried about the future of my fly fishing. The first few weeks after surgery were miserable. It was so bad, I questioned my…
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Using different fly floatants
Not all fly floatants are created equally. What's more, not all fly floatants are appropriate for universal use on the water. For instance, CDC flies will do better if the angler applies a silicon-based floatant rather than a gel floatant. Bigger flies might require a liquid floatant that can get down into the hairs used…
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Passion on Sheep Creek
Editor’s note: The TU Costa 5 Rivers Program sent a handful of college students to the Columbia River basin to study the challenges facing the drainage’s fisheries. At 6 a.m. we started driving from La Grande, Oregon to the Grande Ronde River headwaters - Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Within 20 minutes, the car’s temperature read 40…