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Five Rivers Odyssey: The role of commercial fishing in the Tongass
When people think of Alaska, they often think of large commercial fishing boats raking in their piece of the fortune that salmon bring to the waters off the coast of Alaska. Commercial fishing has shaped Alaska's economy and culture, and it has provided job opportunities in places where they might not normally exist. In Southeast…
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Gear test: Filson Feather Cloth shirt
When I think of what makes a great shirt for spending the day on a river, the first attributes that I look for are functionality, fit and color. Functionality, because I want pockets that accommodate fly boxes, fit because I want sleeves with adequate length, and color because I have a hard-enough time not alerting…
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Fly tying: The Chubby Chernobyl
Everybody loves the venerable Chernoble Ant—the high-floating foam creation that late-summer trout simply can't seem to resisit. Video of Chubby ChernobylAbove, Tim Flagler ties his Chubby Chernobyl, and even gawdier, nuclear-inspired critter that "floats like a cork and works like a charm." Indeed, it is "Hopper Season," after all—there's no better time to tie up…
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TU in Action: Oregon collaboration; fishing clinic in Michigan; trouble for the Tongass, and more
More water in Colorado's Yampa River, thanks in part to TU. Photo courtesy of The Steamboat Pilot. One of Trout Unlimited's strengths across the board—from its volunteers on the ground in their home waters to its policy staff working the halls of government—is its ability collaborate to solve the challenges faced by trout and salmon…
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Five Rivers Odyssey: American Salmon Forest
The Tongass National Forest is often referred to as America’s Salmon Forest because the entire ecosystem depends on salmon in one way or another. Salmon can be traced all the way to the trees, and the cycle runs full circle. Animals that feed on salmon drag the carcasses into forest, effectively applying thousands of pounds…
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Voices from the River: Teachers and preachers
By Toner Mitchell The four-day gathering was a professional development course for secondary school teachers, its mission to explore the nexus of fly fishing, religion and philosophy, and how the re sulting ferment might motivate resource conservation in anglers (and students). We discussed several texts, some Thoreau, a PhD thesis arguing that fly fishing naturally…
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Video spotlight: How to fish small dry flies in low light
Here's a pretty common challenge: you're on a great stretch of trout water at last light, and fish are rising to small mayflies or tiny micro-caddis flies. You have the right fly, but in the low light, there's virtually no chance you're going to be able to see it. How many times have you been…
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