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Keeping an eye out for wildfires
Sunset over the Caribou National Forest, Idaho. Chris Hunt photo. I've spent the last couple of days working from one of my favorite places in the world -- an out-of-the-way campsite in the middle of the Caribou National Forest. Some years back, while fishing the little trout stream near camp, my phone rang in my…
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The old man’s fly rod
Some years back, I got a gift package in the mail right around Christmas time. It was from my uncle John, my mom’s brother. Long and slender, the package was a complete mystery to me--we’d long since stopped receiving gift packages from aunts and uncles, so I was really curious. Come Christmas morning, I watched…
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A summer for Plan B
When water temperatures approach the mid-60s on your favorite trout stream, it's time for a back-up plan. Chris Hunt photo. The calendar said it was June 18. Not even summer yet. But we hit the mid-90s two weeks earlier and the heat hadn’t really let up. Sure, you could get away from it up high…
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Bury your fly to rid it of unnatural odors
If you’re getting some obvious follows on your streamer, but not getting the takes you want, this might be what gets a trout to make that final commitment. It won’t hurt, that’s for sure
Several years back, while fishing for bonefish on Long Island in the Bahamas, Capt. Markk Cartwright gave me a great tip that translated well beyond the finicky bones on the flats around Dead Man’s Cay. It’s a tip I use every time I cast streamers and nymphs for trout, too. “Bury your fly in the…
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Unattended campfires a symptom of higher public-lands use during the pandemic?
With more and more people escaping outside for safe recreation, it’s vital that people understand the impacts they’re having on public lands, not the least of which is the potential for wildfires caused by unattended campfires and careless behavior in the woods. Case in point: the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming reported a 300…
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A quick guide for fly fishing newbies
National wildlife refuges are often lightly pressured and easy to get to for new anglers. Chris Hunt photo. You have lots of options ... and lots of responsibility A lot of us fly fishers are righteously concerned with the spike in angler numbers thanks largely to the pandemic and the pressure it’s putting on our…
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EZ-P Zipper provides an answer to nature’s call
It is an immutable fact that when you are out in nature, sometimes nature calls. It is also an undeniable fact that removing multiple layers of sling packs, vests, jackets, belts and waders in order to answer nature’s call is both inconvenient and can be detrimental to speedy relief. This is especially true if an angler…
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