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Horsing around with native cutthroat trout in Great Basin National Park
Bonneville cutthroat trout wait in Snake Creek before being loaded on horses and mules for a ride to Johnson Lake. Brett Prettyman photo. Biologists ask riders to move trout to sanctuary in Great Basin National Park Editor's note: Our "American Places" series highlights lands and waters that make this nation unique. These places are near…
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The best month of the year
So… if I could pick one month to fish anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, it would start now…. This is what I consider the “golden month.” Granted, it isn’t a “calendar” month, per se, but it is the best month to be a die-hard angler, in many places in America. Mid-September to mid-October. This is…
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Boat Books: Drift Boats and River Dories
Roger Fletcher's book, Drift Boats and River Dories sat on my shelf for many years before I actually picked it up and leafed through it. Why I waited so long I couldn't tell you — I think at first glance it looks like a dense, "how-to" dictionary on wooden boat building. Which it is. In…
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House takes steps to modernize oil and gas leasing
America's public lands are meant for multiple uses: fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, general outdoor recreation, and of course, industry—where it makes sense. But for too long, oil and gas leasing and drilling on public lands throughout the nation have enjoyed priority status. It is past time to grant all uses equal footing — and there…
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Fooling Dollies with dancing streamers
All trout and char, to some extent, are predators — even the little fish that swim in small water and eat virtually nothing but insects. But there are true predators in the salmonid world, and these are the fish that make fly fishers tremble. They're big browns that feed on smaller fish and, during the…
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Visualize the path of a rain droplet from source to sea
I’ve often wondered if some of the water running past me in rivers has been there before. What I mean by this is, has one single drop of water that has brushed my leg or boat made it all the way to the sea, evaporated, gone to the clouds and somehow made its way back…
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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…