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Fly fishing doesn’t have to be hard
I love to cast a long line, but it doesn’t happen often. If I do, it is ideally with no false casts. The longer my fly is in the air, the more likely it will be caught by a bush. Fewer false casts also means my fly is in or on the water in front of fish longer
By Jim Strogen I loved "A River Runs Through It." I had been fly fishing about 30 years before I saw the film, and appreciated the artistry in Jason Borger's casts -- Borger was the "double" for Brad Pitt, and he's the one casting in the movie. When I see new fly fishers getting started,…
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How to use shanks for articulated flies
There are a few choices when it comes to choosing which shank to use for the flies you're tying, but, generally speaking, the idea is the same: shanks let you make longer fly bodies and then hang a "stinger" hook off the rear of the fly
And which ones to use, depending on the patterns you're tying I started using shanks for tying articulated flies a couple of years ago, and last year, in Argentina, I enjoyed some great streamer days for big trout using the fruits of my labor. There are a few choices when it comes to choosing which…
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How to tie the Yellow Humpy fly pattern
As attractor dry flies go, the Humpy is near the top of my list. Tied to imitate nothing in particular, but still incredibly "buggy," the Humpy is a great high-floating searching pattern for trout in backcountry settings. But, as with a lot of my favorite attractors, the Humpy can be a real pain to tie.…
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Deet and your fly line
Chad quickly reached into a pocket in his sling pack and pulled out a little bottle of bug spray. He quickly doused in his exposed arms in the oily concoction and then passed it around. Johnny did the same — a few pumps and then he handed the bottle to me.
We'd just finished hiking out of a steep canyon after an afternoon of pretty solid fishing. The hike itself was a bear — straight up a rugged ATV trail several hundred feet. By the time we got to the top, we were sweaty and hot, and the little trout stream was a ribbon of silver…
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The ethics of the dropper
By Chris Hunt The ethics of fly fishing can get pretty sticky, or at least I’m gleaning that from social media, where some folks aren’t afraid to scold fellow anglers for teetering on the edge of angling impropriety, whether that impropriety is real or perceived. For instance, when did using a “dropper” become taboo? Last…
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Prospecting blue lines
By Chris Hunt South of Old Faithful, a tiny stream runs beneath the Grand Loop Road—thousands of tourists drive over the little bridge every single summer day. A trail generally follows the stream on its gentle course to Shoshone Lake. If you walk the trail, you might occasionally see a tiny brook trout finning in…
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Last Chance Purple Haze
I spent a couple of days last week on the Henry's Fork's upper reaches, trying to fool uber-educated trout in the Box Canyon and Railroad Ranch stretches of the river. This time of year, those tailwater sections of the river are likely the most hospitable to trout — it's been hot (well, hot for Idaho),…
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