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Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good
Wadering up on the banks of a Pennsylvania trout stream last week I faced a dilemma. Which rod? I had three choices. An 8-foot 6-inch 3-weight that’s perfect for dry flies. An 11-foot 3-weight Euro nymphing rod that is perfect for, well, Euro nymphing. And a 10-foot 3-inch 3-weight that is perfect for swinging wet…
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The lost art of roll casting
I wonder why we don’t pay more attention to roll casting. I can’t count the number of books written about perfecting loops and the overhead cast, but there’s a lot less on roll casting. This, despite the fact that when I’m actually fishing, I find myself rolling over false casting at about a 3-to-1 ratio……
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A good guide can teach even old dogs new tricks
Earl Harper watches as guide Mason Haggard demonstrates a casting technique used to reach rising fish across a fast-moving channel. Chris Hunt photo. A guided fishing trip, even for experienced anglers, can be a great way to identify bad habits, learn new tactics and generally improve your fly-fishing game. Don't believe me? I've been fly…
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Enjoy fall’s reds but avoid its redds
The colors of fall excite my retinas. Green leaves slowly fade as dormancy becomes them — it's their yearly retreat so they can prepare for renewal come spring. Yellows are most common out west, but we also have vibrant oranges and even some reds. Oranges and reds of the changing scrub oaks and wild strawberries…
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Embrace the learning curve
I often say that there’s a difference between casters and anglers, and you don’t necessarily need a picture-perfect cast to enjoy yourself on the water. The reason I say that is because I don’t want people to feel intimidated. Scientific Anglers did a survey years ago and learned that the two factors that keep people…
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Early snow isn’t a deal-breaker
I dread mornings like this every year. Sometimes it holds off for a few more weeks, or even a month or longer. But this year, winter showed up early. As I type this, it's snowing. And not just a little snow. We have a good 10 inches of heavy, wet snow in the yard —…
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The water we don’t fish
I still slow down as the car crosses over a river or a stream, and instead of planning and executing an afternoon of fishing, I've found myself photographing covered bridges and watching wild brown trout fin in the current under the shadows of these New England staples
I'm in northern Vermont at Jay Peak Resort, a sweet little year-round resort nestled up against the Canadian border. But I'm not fishing. And, honestly, I'm not sure why--I could have easily tucked a little 3-weight rod into my luggage, or even carried a rod onto the plane. Instead, on little day-trip drives around the…
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