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The True Cast: In fly fishing, failure IS an option… (and that’s just fine).
I’ve found that the most dedicated anglers tend to be those who relish challenges, even simple ones like, “how am I going to trick that creature, hiding behind that rock, to eat this fly?”
While I was fishing the Delaware River with him several years ago, my friend, author Monte Burke, summed up the entire fly-fishing experience with succinct aplomb: “At the end of the day,” he said, “it’s really just about problem solving, like putting pieces of a puzzle together.” How true! And I’ve found that the most…
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TU Business: Barbless Flies
Barbless Flies is one of a handful of international TU Business members. They’re great promoters of ethical fish handling and the work of Trout Unlimited.
I’m a big fan of barbless hooks, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Experience has taught me that fish are easier to release when you use a barbless hook, and science has taught me that we kill fewer fish when we go barbless. But you have to wonder why we continue to buy…
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Why fly fishing is like pizza
Pizza is pizza, right? A little crust, a little sauce, some cheese… bada-bing! There you go. Not hardly! Perish that thought. Great pizza is an artform. It should be a perfect balance involving great crust, delicious sauce, golden cheese and fantastic toppings. If any of those four elements are deficient in any way… meh pizza! The operative word…
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Barbless Flies for happier fish and happier anglers
A big cicada fly prompted me to become an advocate for barbless hooks. It was a great fly, tied by a friend and proven effective over and over on a host of different waters. Like many of us, I was conscious of the importance of pinching down the barb on my flies to make releasing…
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Umpqua tarpon flies worked their magic in Mexico
Since I lived in a landlocked state and only chase salty fish occasionally, I always find myself questioning my fly choice. Luckily, the team at Umpqua set us up with some nice boxes of flies to chase baby tarpon. We boarded the plane in Durango donning masks and carrying our rods and reels for our…
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