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When checking your phone while fishing is acceptable
The weather was perfect, fish were rising, we had the whole day to fish, and yet my mind was elsewhere. I watched from the bank as my good friend Andy lengthened his cast to cover the top of the run he was fishing. The white post from his Parachute Adams suddenly appeared in the roughest…
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Caring for the Kenai
Renowned Alaskan river is part of TU’s Priority Waters Alaska’s famed Kenai River is beloved by many. Its frigid, glacial-blue waters run 82 miles and offers great fishing throughout. The abundance of easily accessible fishing opportunities attracts visitors and residents alike. This cherished river is one of Trout Unlimited’s Priority Waters, and I’m here to…
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The Versatile Angler: Fishing hard baits for big winter trout
It’s no secret that most Trout Unlimited members are fly anglers, many of them avid. It’s also no secret that many fly anglers also use other methods sometimes. I’m one of them. I started fishing with conventional gear, and I still use it pretty frequently—even for trout. Winter into early spring is one of my…
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Something about Beginners Luck and Big Bows
There was a circulation of steam from hot coffee and one’s breath as excited chatter filled the crisp fall morning air. Though the morning was cold, hearts were warm, and the anticipation of tight lines was on the mind. The day had finally come for the Armed Forces Fishing trip! Morning huddle before a day…
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Your next secret spot might be right under your nose
“He was right!” My friend Sam Dean exclaimed this as the 10-inch wild rainbow jumped around the small pool trying to throw Sam’s size 16 Copper John nymph, which it had mistaken for actual food. “He” was the guy who had told me a while back that a certain non-trout-looking creek was actually quite trout-y.…
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Joy and Wonder
I caught my first fish with a fine, mesh net in the creek behind my childhood home. The silver minnow measured no more than a couple inches, but your uncle and I placed it and a couple others in a bucket and carried them into our house like treasures pulled from the deep. We kept…
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Working towards a solution
Montana TU is collaborating and trying to come up with answers and solutions for trout health issues in SW Montana. Early this summer, biologists with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) presented stark findings from this year’s population surveys for brown and rainbow trout in southwest Montana. The surveys indicated that populations in some of…
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