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True Cast – Hunt birds, tie flies, catch trout (in that order)
It’s hard for me to land on anything quite as fun, nor nearly as rewarding, in the whole wide world of fly fishing, as catching a wily, wild trout on a fly pattern you tied yourself. If it’s your own design, so much the better. I often laugh when I remember some of the crazy,…
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The True Cast – The home river: until we meet again, old friend…
It’s always difficult to say goodbye. But I am grateful for these last few weeks we’ve shared together. And I’ll look forward to the next reunion. It’s going to be several months until we meet up again. But you can rest assured that I’ll often think about you, and I’ll be wishing you well in…
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The True Cast – What ever happened to August?
August used to be the “prime” month for many fly-fishers like me… now, in many places it might be rightfully considered the “cruelest” month of an angler’s calendar year. Of course, that all depends on where you are and what you’re chasing. Living for fishing in August I used to think... if I could put…
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The True Cast – What do you have against bobber fishing?
The other day, whilst scanning through social media (which can be a very unhealthy or extremely informative deal, depending on how you look at it) I noticed a post that asked, “What do so many fly anglers have against the bobber?” That’s a very fair question, and it isn’t easy to answer, but I’ll do…
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The True Cast – Wildfire
I hiked up to the top of the road where I live and paused to stare southward toward a plume of black smoke about 25 miles away. Another wildfire. Sure, wildfire is often a natural occurrence. It’s part of living in the West. The Southeast has its hurricanes. Tornado Alley has twisters. Seems like in…
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The True Cast – What inspired the creation of TU?
Here’s how my family tells the story… I think the things that fueled the Trout Unlimited story started happening long before the organization was founded in 1959. A long, winding road led to TU’s founding Prior to 1884, Michigan—which is still essentially a giant sponge resting in the middle of the Great Lakes—was an entirely…
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The True Cast – Why not fish only one fly at a time?
It strikes me that the root appeal of fly fishing is about fair chase using simple tools, basic techniques and challenging the skills of the angler. Question: So why has the fly-fishing “industry” invested so much effort over the past 30 years or so dumbing down the sport to the point that any living being…
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