Currently browsing… Fly fishing
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Fishing dry flies over gravel runs
Those long, featureless gravel runs that can be found on a lot of western rivers--and freestone rivers throughout the country--might often be trout "dead zones," but as Orvis' Dave Jensen points out in the video below, during hatches, these stretches of water can be very productive. https://youtu.be/yjZbz_L7rPc Otherwise nondescript habitat, these gravel shelves can be…
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Schooling the trout
When it comes to our trout fishing, most of us are satisfied with “good enough.” We know a little bit about our local streams and rivers, and a little bit about our gear, and a little bit about insects and fly patterns. While our casting might not be the prettiest around, and while nobody is…
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How to Drift a Soft-hackle
Last week, RIO Product's Simon Gawesworth showed us a great way to swing soft-hackle flies for big-river trout. This week, Simon shows us how to drift a soft-hackle for working trout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTvbWsBLY_U There are some notable differences, obviously. First is the technique. When swinging a soft-hackle, you're interested in line tension and the action of…
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Restoring trout, protecting the future
Editor's note: this is part two of a series on recovering native brook trout. You can read part one here. “What is the name of that tree?” Brandon Keplinger, the district fisheries biologist for West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, asked the 20 or so fifth graders from Slanesville Elementary School in West Virginia. The…
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June
June is not a large horse. Really, she may be only a few inches over a large pony. In honesty I don’t claim to understand horse dimensions, but it’s fair to say that a very tall man could probably touch the ground with tip toes. A body traveling from her back to the ground would…
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How to fish a soft hackle
I became a soft-hackle devotee about five years ago after a visit to Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Mont., on a fly-buying binge for a trip to the Firehole River. The shop's proprietor--and fly fishing legend--Craig Mathews convinced me to give soft hackles a shot that blustery fall day, and I've been a believer…
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How to fish a boulder garden
Here's one for you western anglers who are wondering, with all the late winter snow and the spring rain, if we're ever going to see fishable water levels anytime soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWSL0H-old0 The answer is, the water's already fishable. We just need to find the places where trout are holding amid the near-constant temperature changes and…