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United by Hope: Bristol Bay dialogues
A month from winter solstice, Dillingham, Alaska – where the Nushagak River dumps into Bristol Bay – was dark, quiet, and chilly last November. Snow and wind blew across the surrounding tundra not far from her windows when texts started flooding into Alannah Hurley’s phone. The news: A major permit for the proposed Pebble mine…
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Check out the world’s most amazing dory
A few weeks ago I missed the annual Wooden Boat Float on the Colorado river due to "old man back." It was a bummer in many respects, as I had been looking forward to the event for many months and hoped to bring you all some stories and pictures. My friend Andy Toohey (creator of…
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Fish and fire in the West
In June 2013, researcher and fisheries biologist Ashley Rust and her family were at their family cabin near Creede, Colo., when an afternoon rainstorm—a frequent occurrence in the San Juans at that time of year—worked through the area. The system brought little in the way of rain but contained lightning all the same, andover the…
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How to use your oars
Learning new rowing skills is key to helping boaters grow and become more adept on the water
I know… the title of this post seems silly. One would think it's pretty straight forward, and it is. Until, you start learning new specialized techniques and pushing yourself into more difficult whitewater situations. Or maybe you're are just starting out rowing. It's always nice to have some basic information to rely on. While we…
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A few deep thoughts on fly fishing
What’s it going to take to convince the millions of anglers who found rivers these past few years that “how” is more important than “how many” and is that even possible?
Is it fair to assume that fly fishing is to positive mental health what running or biking is to cardio health? I think so. And if any of you docs or researchers out there want to add to the conversation, I’m all ears, and want to do a deep-dive story. I’m not of native-American ancestry. But my ancestors…
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Barefooting for smallies in the wilds of Wisconsin
The center of attention are schooling smallmouth bass (yes schooling) that willingly slurp down frogs solo or blitz baitfish when fired up
As soon my friend Josh Fiester and I got the text from Hannah Matousek upon landing in Madison, Wisc., last week I knew the next couple days were going to be special. Hannah, one third of the team that makes up Black Earth Angling Company, let us know that she took the liberty of picking…
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Throwback advertising: absurd old-school drift boat sales video
motion, fish handling from hell, absurd rowing lines, more absurd launches, and stress tests with sledgehammers and rocks.
The old Lavro drift boat video I stumbled on via YouTube had me in stitches this past weekend and had to share. The upload date says 2009, but I'm pretty sure it was filmed way before then. Now, don't get me wrong, Lavro made some really cool boats back in the day — especially some…
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