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Spritzer season
Years ago, when I worked for TU's Public Lands Initiative, we'd often wind down a big day in the field with a cocktail. Back then, the PLI was what I liked to call the TU Delta Force. We existed, but we never really acknowledged that fact—our staffers weren't biologists or policy wonks. We were anglers,…
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Video spotlight: Pirarucu
Arapaima can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh close to 500 pounds. That puts them among the largest freshwater fish on the planet. And they'll hit a fly. Video of Pirarucú *TRAILER* Amazon's Giant Arapaima by Todd MoenAbove is the trailer to Todd Moen's Catch Magazine film Pirarucu, the story of chasing the…
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Fly tying: McKenna’s Sexy Walt’s Worm
Dave McKenna is a fly tier after my own heart—he travels a lot for work, so rather than diving into a fly shop to buy local patterns every time he hits a new river, he's come up with a host of flies that seem to work generally everywhere. It's a great notion, that of having…
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Voices from the River: Feeling the weight
“Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, inciting at once to work and rest! Days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God. Nevermore, however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessings of one mountai n day; whatever his fate, long life, short life,…
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Voices from the River: I’m not fishing to catch a fish
By Natalie Stauffer-Olsen I recently enjoyed an intense discussion with a dear friend. I have known this thoughtful fellow since I was a teenager—his passion for science and research, and his encouragement, were influential in my decision to pursue a career in freshwater ecology. In this particular conversation, I found myself intently listening to his…
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Fly tying: UV resin for parachute posts
Over the last couple of weeks, we've focused on parachute posts, largely because they can confound some folks at the vise. First, we showed you a traditional method, then we showed you the 90-degree method. Now, Tim Flagler offers up still another method for tying effective parachute posts, this one involving UV resin. Video of…
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Short casts: Loving New Zealand to death; Wyoming women anglers; fighting a hatchery in Michigan, and more
Photo courtesy of Mike Kirkpatrick Imagine hiking for hours through dense brush, over ridges and bluffs among a Jurassic setting, your fly rod tucked into your backpack, along with a day's provisions—maybe even a tent for an overnighter—just to get to your favorite fishing hole. You arrive, string up your fly rod and start walking…