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Video spotlight: I am a Fly Fisherman
Put yourself in the shoes of Rich Schwend, a hard-rock miner from Billings, Mont., but also a rabid fly fisher. "Being a miner in a fly fishing community isn't easy," he says. He gets that, in today's fly fishing world, protecting our trout resources often means that anglers are at odds with the mining industry.…
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Voices from the River: Fishing with worms
By Chris Hunt I’m an unabashed fly guy, so much so that I’m probably part of that snooty long-rod culture that inadvertently looks down their noses at bait fishers. But I have nephews and a niece who have yet to really get into fishing, so I’m coming to grips with my tweedy issues and making…
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Wyoming loses steadfast conservationist and visionary
Mark Fowden retired ater 39 years with Wyoming Game and Fish in early January. He passed away March 31. Photo courtesy Wyoming game and Fish. By Cory Toye Wyoming lost a man who dedicated his life to the conservation and management of our great fisheries when Mark Fowden passed away March 31. Mark led a…
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Short casts: 31-pound brown, Klamath salmon closure, mining in Maine
As my friend Bill Hilts Jr. says in this piece about a 31-pound brown trout caught on the Niagara River, "things happen for a reason." This is a fish of a lifetime, and after you read the piece, you'll understand exactly what I mean. The human spirit, for all its frailties, is good. This proves…
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Fly tying: The Red and Black Midge
Midge nymph patterns are deliciously simple to tie, and the pattern Tim Flagler demonstrates in the video below is no exception. I love any fly that uses simple thread as a true fly ingredient, not just something to fasten all the other ingredients to the hook. The Red and Black Midge is dependen t on…
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Skills: The basics of catch and release fishing
Keeping a fish in the water is one of the simpliest ways to better its chances of surviving. Brett Prettyman photo. By Brett Prettyman Catch and release fishing does not always end with another angler experiencing the thrill of landing a fish you let go with good intentions. Some fish will perish after being caught…
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No traction for mining bill in Montana
The Montana House of Representatives took the side of the hard rock mining industry when they voted to table a common-sense bill, HB 593, recently. HB 593, introduced by Representative Nate McConnell (D-Missoula), would have required an independent audit of mining companies every 3 years. These audits would make sure the mining companies are following…