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A dog’s life
Pheobe checks out a backcountry bull trout caught on public lands in Idaho. I've had the good fortune of fishing with some great dogs over the years, and while sometimes it can be a burden, a good fishing dog is about the best companion an angler can have on the water. My old mutt Phoebe…
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Video spotlight: Creeking
Of all the types of fly fishing, from the flats of the tropics to the steelhead and salmon rivers of the coastal north, my favorite is what I've always called "blue lining." I love small mountain streams on public lands—places where anyone can visit with a fly rod and, often, not see another angler for…
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Weighted flies? Or a sinking line?
Pike will do real damage to your flies. Check out the thread damage to the fly on the left, which is weighted with dumbbell eyes. I just got back from an epic adventure in northern Manitoba—my son and I spent eight days chasing pike and walleye on McGavock Lake at Laurie River Lodge. I love…
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Video spotlight: High Country Cutthroat
Featuring Heather Hodson of United Women on the Fly, this great new Todd Moen film shows why those of us who live in the West absolutely love native cutthroat trout. These are the fish that always seem to be looking up, always seem to be hungry and, when we're chasing them, the wallpaper is pretty…
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Trout Tips: Edit your water
One of the biggest challenges for new fly fishers is learning water, understanding where trout might hold and approaching water with a solid fishing strategy. Trout Tips | Edit your water from Trout Unlimited on Vimeo. Above, Russ Miller of Fishpond does a great job describing how to approach a classic meadow stream, and offers…
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Voices from the River: The plastic hatch
By Mark Taylor Trout anglers love a good hatch, when popping bugs create a feeding frenzy. I was on Virginia’s J ackson River recently when a different kind of hatch came off with a fury. I heard it before I saw it: Happy shouts and the echoing booms of plastic kayaks hitting river rocks. Soon,…
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Voices from the River: This one’s for Sam
By Eric Booten Excuse the grip and grin, but this fish and smile come with a story. I enjoyed talking fish with Sam, my fishing buddy and coworker. Several hours of the work week were routinely lost to these discussions, but when you work to protect fish and their habitat, sometimes you just take some…