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Finding ‘lake mode’ out of angling necessity
I'm not much of a lake guy. Don't misunderstand that statement. I like lakes as an idea. Fishing them, though, is problematic, mostly because the lakes I would relish fishing are well off the beaten track — I'm only willing to tote a float tube so far before I lose interest, and I'm only willing…
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Tying the Wiggler version of the San Juan Worm
The good, old San Juan Worm is one of the best fly patterns out there, even if you might feel a bit sheepish tying it on for fear one of your buddies will see you casting it and accuse you of high-brow cheating. Of course, you’re not cheating—you’re imitating an aquatic food source that’s common…
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Use UV resin to keep small flies from unraveling
Eventually, I got to where I could place just the right amount ahead of the hackle and behind the hook eye before I whip-finished the fly
I’ve always been something of a ham-handed fly tier, and, generally speaking, the bigger the fly, the easier it is for me to tie. I’m a big guy at six-foot-five, and my hands correspond to my height. They just aren’t meant for detail work. But I live in eastern Idaho, and during fall and winter,…
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Tying the Flow Stone for high-water nymphing
Sleek, slender and heavy Euro-style nymphs are gaining popularity in the U.S., largely thanks to international fly-fishing tournaments where European anglers tend to take top honors more often than not. Make no mistake about it, these Perdigon-style nymphs catch fish. Below, Loon Outdoors' Matt Callies ties a larger variant of this Euro-style nymph — his…
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Dean of the Umpqua
The thing about swinging flies for steelhead is that it’s remarkably unproductive. One wiles away entire days, even weeks, cultivating tennis elbow with nary a grab to show for it. Yet the allure of fishing this way for the iconic sportfish of the Pacific Northwest is somehow inversely proportional to its ratio of success. At…
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Faces of Restoration: M. Jolma, Inc. reconnects habitat in Wisconsin
Intro to Faces of Restoration series: TU works with some extremely talented characters while developing and completing projects in the field that help make fishing better. We are excited to bring you a series highlighting these Contractors. We hire equipment operators, truck drivers, laborers, material suppliers, engineers, technicians, and water testing labs. They are unique, talented, humble and some are downright…
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Tension is the key to every cast
Fly casting is an art grounded in physics. Line tension is, indeed, the key to every successful cast
As a longtime fly angler, the basics of casting are now almost completely intuitive. But I remember those early days of fly casting, and can recall how fraught with worry I was when I started fishing with anglers who possessed more experience. Back then, I was less concerned with the opportunity to learn from better…
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