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Fly tying: The pinch wrap
Sometimes, we take the little things for granted. As a long-time (but hardly accomplished) fly tier, I've incorporated a few of the basic tying tactics into just about every fly I produce at the vise. Video of How to do a Pinch WrapAs you'll see above in this great little Orvis video, Tim Flagler demonstrates…
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Trout Tips: Skate the fly
This little small-stream rainbow gobbled up a skated caddis. Ah, the dry fly, cast upstream over the perfect current seam. Is there a better sight in all of fly fishing?And when it works out ... Damn, it 's awesome. It's inspiring, effective and, well, it's proper. But things don't always line up just right, do…
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Trout Tips: Choosing a rod
When you can, cast a rod, or even take it fishing, before you spend hundreds of dollars on it. These days, when even a modestly priced rod will set you back $350, it's more important than ever to choose wisely. Whenever I rod shop, I'm reminded of that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last…
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Fly tying: The Parachute Hendrickson
The venerable Hendrickson, the fly tied to imitate the famous hatch that's well under way on rivers in the East, is more than just a match-the-hatch pattern. Here in the West, we use the Hendrickson as an attractor mayfly pattern starting in spring and early summer, because it does a serviceable job imitating one of…
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Fly tying: Mixing hackle fibers for tails
Tying small-ish mayfly patterns might be one of the most common fly-tying applications, but it doesn't mean it's super easy. Like any tying activity, it takes practice, particularly for the more detailed aspects of your average mayfly pattern, including the hackle fibers use for the tail. Video of How to Make Mixed Hackle Fiber TailAbove,…
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Trout Tips: 40 feet, 4 seconds
When I first waded the flats some years back, one of the Bahamian guides explained to me that I should have a good amount of line out on the water at all times, and if I wasn't fishing, I should have the fly pinched between the thumb and forefinger of my non-casting hand. That way,…
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Fly tying: UV resin to secure parachute hackle
Proof that really good fly tiers are also real innovators, Tim Flagler, in the short video below, demonstrates yet another way to tie a parachute-style dry fly. The method he demonstrates below seemed pretty dubious to me, but Flagler swears by it. Video of Parachute Hackle Method - "UV to the Post"Parachute-style dry flies are…
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