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Beads for fly tying can be mystery, especially for beginning tiers who are looking to either dress up a nymph or a streamer or to simply get the fly down deep and avoid having to use split shot while fishing. Video of Beads and Cones Here, Tim Flagler gives some sage advice on beads, and…
If you’re like me, any pattern that calls for a size 24 hook is a pattern best left to the experts. Tim Flagler’s Zelon Musk Midge is a prime example. Video of Zelon Musk Midge This might be the simplest midge pattern I’ve ever seen. It consists of two ingredients in addition to the thread,…
Todd Moen’s latest fly-fishing film is a story of three women and their fights with breast cancer. It’s a sobering reminder that, while the “river of life” moves on, some of us fall victim to the cruelest of conditions. And, yet, some find ways to persist, and for these three ladies, fly fishing proved to…
Tailing bonefish. A daisy chain of 80-pound tarpon. The reflection of the Caribbean sun off the sythe-shaped tail of a permit. A striper blitz. And rising trout. These are the images that raise goose bumps on our arms and up our blood pressure. The are, for lack of a better term, potential. They represent the…
It’s fun to edit the magazine and website for Trout Unlimited, because we get to work with many skilled authors and photographers from around the world. But sometimes, I am amazed by the talent we have among our own staff. The latest case in point is a wonderful essay by TU’s vice president for volunteer…
One of the surprising highlights to the summer camping season was the day my Thermacell “Backpacker” arrived in the mail. This little device does a number on mosquitos. Thermacell’s lantern has been out for awhile, but the “Backpacker” is new. It attaches to a typical camp propane canister and uses a repellent mat to do…
April, particularly in the West, is a bona-fide shoulder month. Higher up, it’s still winter. In the valleys, spring is springing and water is rising. It’s a tough month for trout fishing, given the transition happening between winter and spring and all the trappings that come with it, both good and bad. Video of Trouts…
Tying small-ish mayfly patterns might be one of the most common fly-tying applications, but it doesn’t mean it’s super easy. Like any tying activity, it takes practice, particularly for the more detailed aspects of your average mayfly pattern, including the hackle fibers use for the tail. Video of How to Make Mixed Hackle Fiber Tail…
Handling fish once you’ve caught them has become a touchy issue (pun intended), and rightly so. The #KeepEmWet movement has been great for educating anglers on proper fish handling and release techniques, and now, as you’ll see below, the fly fishing industry is getting involved in the effort to promote responsible handling and release of…
For those of us who tie flies and work with various resins, from head cement to full-on UV materials, a dubbing needle is likely our tool of choice for applying the goo. For years, I used a square of craft foam to clean the needle after each use—I’d just poke the needle through the foam…
Here’s one for you western anglers who are wondering, with all the late winter snow and the spring rain, if we’re ever going to see fishable water levels anytime soon. The answer is, the water’s already fishable. We just need to find the places where trout are holding amid the near-constant temperature changes and water…
If you don’t know where to go fishing next, check out this map. Compiled by the Trust for Public Land, it outlines every project the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped become a reality over the past half century. There is also a map to looks at potential future projects — a glimpse into…
12/13/1999 Dam Removal Success Stories, Executive Summary Dam Removal Success Stories, Executive Summary Restoring Rivers through Selective Removal of Dams that Don’t Make Sense Contact: 12/13/1999 — — Few human actions have more significant impacts on a river system than the presence of a dam. Although dams can provide important societal benefits, dams also cause…
Since the mid-nineteenth century, the central question of the American West has been: How much water is there in the region, and how do we best use it? This question has been a topic of debate for more than the past 150 years, and we’re still trying to answer it now in the twenty-first century.…
For the past seven years, Mark Hieronymus has been on a mission to explore and document previously unknown anadromous waters in Southeast Alaska for Trout Unlimited’s Fish Habitat Mapping project.
Sometimes the bugs that make Mother’s Day famous for fly fishers don’t adhere to the calendar, but it’s generally pretty close. From the Arkansas the Yakima to the Henry’s Fork, the first couple weeks of May typically mean it’s time for caddis flies. I had an epic caddis day on the Warm River, a tributary…
Did you all know that Sweetwater Brewing is giving $100,000 this year again to #saveourwater? Marking the campaign’s 10th anniversary, SweetWater will donate $100,000 and promote a matching funds effort, with the goal of raising an additional $100,000. Save Our Water has officially kicked off and runs through Labor Day. If you’d like to get…
Contact:Chris Wood, President and CEO, Trout Unlimited, (571) 274-0601 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Trout Unlimited CEO lauds pick of REI’s Jewell Press statement from Chris Wood, president and CEO, Trout Unlimited: “Sally Jewell would make a great Secretary of Interior. Her background suggests that she would bring needed balance to energy development on public lands. Her…
R.A. Beattie’s film about the tarpon of Mexico’s Holbox (pronounced HOLE-bosh) Island is a lively feature on the legendary guide Sandflea, and it’s a pleasure to watch. But sometimes, it’s the little things that get me interested in today’s fly fishing films. As mentioned in the trailer, Holbox used to be a great fishery for…
Midge nymph patterns are deliciously simple to tie, and the pattern Tim Flagler demonstrates in the video below is no exception. I love any fly that uses simple thread as a true fly ingredient, not just something to fasten all the other ingredients to the hook. The Red and Black Midge is dependen t on…