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    by Published on 10-30-2014 08:51 PM
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    It was a Saturday in May in the year before I got my first fishing car. I’d ridden eight miles to the trailhead, hid my bike in the woods, and walked a mile to one of the upstream branches of the Knife River. The water was clear and running bank full, and the air and the water were warming in the late morning sun. This was brook trout water, and I had half a limit of ten inchers when I got to the foot of the islands. ...
    by Published on 08-27-2014 03:52 PM  Number of Views: 46562 
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    Despite flirting with the Big River earlier this summer when I think about fishing in Southern Colorado, I think about backcountry small streams. If these streams are easy to get to then the "trout fishing" is likely to fall short of my expectations/dreams that I have formed through countless daydreams over the previous winter and spring. Over the years, I've concluded that it doesn't take much in the form of fishing pressure, fish harvesting, and frequent visits to change the dynamic of a stream. My own personal skill level, lack of patience, and propensity to fish only dry flies is more in tune with naive backcountry fish that see a fly only once or twice a week or a month rather than "educated" survivor fish living in a stream that flows along a well used road and see flies thrown their way multiple times a day. If these fish from public water represent two ends to a continuum then the amount of trout naiveté is directly proportional to the difficulty of access to the stream. Difficult access -->; naive (and maybe native) trout. With my limited fishing skill there is only one option--hike. ...
    by Published on 08-01-2014 12:04 PM  Number of Views: 38579 
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    Aloha, had a great time down in Baja. Some are saying the sun is setting on the fishing in baja, but for us it was a great time and a great change of scenery. This is the famous light house, one of my favorite spots on Earth to fish. ...
    by Published on 08-01-2014 12:01 PM  Number of Views: 36641 
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    The reports began trickling out of southern Colorado mid-June; reports of phenomenal hatches; the best salmon fly hatch in decades along with grey and green drakes. The Big River was playing the part of the temptress again. The Big River was on fire.
    ...
    by Published on 07-04-2014 04:22 PM  Number of Views: 34736 
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    Each of the my last 10 or so summers have included a trip to the Finger Lakes region in New York to spend some time with family. Mostly we just hang-out together but I also find some time to get out to some of the local creeks. By necessity, these times on the water are of a limited duration so I have found myself fishing the closest water, only 15 mins. from town. Generally, I fish in the morning until about 10 or 11. By that time my granddaughters are awake and ready for whatever activities they or grandma have planned. ...
    by Published on 02-25-2014 12:35 AM  Number of Views: 34715 
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    2013 a Vintage year

    My goal for 2013 was to have at least one overnight fishing trip per month for the entire ...
    by Published on 01-12-2014 09:17 PM  Number of Views: 36937 
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    Editor's note - This is the second part of this story, the second post... if you want to see how this story started, head on in to the forums... and enjoy.

    -Gus

    ------------------------------------

    We had fished this river two days ago and I had thought it was as pretty as any place I had ever imagined but after two to three inches of fresh snow fall it was not even in the same realm of beautiful it had transcended even itself.







    We rigged in silence knowing the drill from our last trip and totally in awe of the scenery and visions spread before us. Sometime even those of us idiots who are to verbose for our own good know enough to just shut up and let the world before us speak with all of it’s glory, it was one of those days when you can’t help but tip your cowboy hat to the power and vision of GOD.
    ...
    by Published on 11-29-2013 01:16 PM  Number of Views: 44324 
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    I haven’t written in a while which is bad, but the reason that I haven’t written is because I have been so busy fishing lately, which is not good but … … great. Just another example of what a “best and worst” summer and fall that I have had, but fortunately the good outweighed the bad, and in the end that is all we can ask for.
    ...
    by Published on 11-19-2013 11:12 AM  Number of Views: 39889 
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    The current statistics regarding Rhino poaching are staggering. The unrelenting assault on these impressive beasts has left disgusting holes in the their dwindling world population. The fight against poaching is ongoing, underfunded and desperate.


    Very scary numbers!


    With the recent extinction of the Western Black Rhino, we are again reminded of the fragility of these robust, sometimes comical, animals. I have recently found myself thinking more and more about what this in this world is going to be left for my children. It is a scary process and the reality of the situation – the fact that species are still becoming extinct because of human greed and naivety – pisses me off!
    ...
    by Published on 11-19-2013 11:09 AM  Number of Views: 40528 
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    The Piedra River in southwest Colorado is a pretty, mid-sized mountain freestone stream. Piedra means “stone” or “flint” in Spanish and like much of the water in southwest Colorado it was named by the Spanish. I had fished it several years before on a section of public water near a campground upstream a ways from where I fished it this time without much success. This time a buddy and I had decided to fish the Animas up near Durango but ended up fishing the Piedra instead. ...
    by Published on 09-09-2013 10:10 AM  Number of Views: 47568 
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    For more than 45 of my 60+ years, I have spent part of my summer in the Southern Rockies. No matter whether I am with family, with a friend or by myself I cherish the entirety of the experience. I'm not big into detailed agendas or plans so each trip usually has a sense of spontaneity and adventure--if adventure is described as things not going as planned. Even though I abhor detailed plans--where should we stop, what shall we eat, how long will we stay here, etc. I find that over the years an informal structure to the trips has emerged. Of course that structure is dependent on who is on the trip but it is mostly driven by goals. In the deep past, before fly fishing, the goals centered around wilderness experiences, camping, hikes, and scenery shared with a growing family. Typically, I'm not one to look back and regret decisions made in my life with only a couple of exceptions---one being that it took so long for me to take up fly fishing in Colorado and that I didn't share this with my family when they were young. Now, it seems that my goals for each trip are tempered by this regret and I try to pack in as much river and stream fishing as I possibly can to make up for lost opportunities, while I still can. High on that list goals are wilderness streams. There is a sense of urgency--fueled not only by my advancing age but also by the fact that society's appreciation and perception of wilderness along with avocations like fishing is constantly changing. ...
    by Published on 09-09-2013 10:05 AM  Number of Views: 33138 
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    The Trout season has just opened on the streams of the Cape Piscatorial Society here in South Africa. It's been a relatively dry winter with the real rain only arriving fairly recently.

    While this should mean well conditioned (and fairly fat) from our streams, it also has meant high water levels at a temperature that makes wading deeper that mid-thigh a rather uncomfortable proposition. Yes, waders could be used but we rather break them for the streams, especially considering the blue skies and warm sun. ...
    by Published on 09-03-2013 08:47 AM  Number of Views: 43244 
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    In science, some concepts and ideas are so complex or abstract that they defy definition. In order to proceed and communicate, the researcher is often forced to propose an operational definition that seldom satisfactory in the deeper sense but gets the job done in the short term. If the operational definition strategy is still not workable, then an alternate approach might be to talk all around the central, indefinable concept in an attempt to at least triangulate the boundaries of the indefinable--kind of like using the donut to define the donut hole. Obviously, this is not just a challenge in science. The reason we fly fish must be equally hard to communicate and define based on the number of words dedicated to the task in numerous films, videos, articles, essays and book chapters. I'm not quite the fool to propose that I have an answer to this question but let me try to describe a fisherman and scientist that I greatly admire in an attempt to draw the beginnings of the boundary around "Why we fish." ...
    by Published on 08-01-2013 10:36 AM  Number of Views: 40500 
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    Returning to Cochetopa Creek

    A number of years ago my wife and I took a trip up into Colorado for a domestic vacation of hiking and fishing. We discovered a true gem of a small stream called Cochetopa Creek about 30 minutes outside of Gunnison in the heart of some of Colorado’s wildest and most beautiful country. We were staying at a cabin in Gunnison and on the day we decided to fish the creek we slept late, drank coffee and generally got a slow start on the day. By the time we made it to the creek it was noon. ...
    by Published on 06-28-2013 01:04 PM  Number of Views: 37496 
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    The Fishing Hat


    Bill returned from Germany and the Army of the Occupation in 1955. He brought back with him a taste for good lager, a barracks degree in Pinochle and Poker, and a newfound love: Fishing moving water with Mepps spinners.

    Since then, he’d wooed and married my mother, fathered three children and worked until the bitter end for 3 successive small companies that each failed to adapt as wholesale and retail modernized in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s. Bill had his full share of life’s lows and though he perhaps was shorted a couple of high notes, he was the calm and quiet force that kept our family close and my siblings and I feeling secure even when we really weren’t. Dad had come through life with no complaints he felt were worth mentioning and very few regrets. We were all profoundly grateful to have Bill as our father. ...
    by Published on 06-21-2013 03:10 PM  Number of Views: 33826 
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    Post Danica Blues

    I'm sitting here trying do decompress after a couple of pretty intense weeks.

    The Ephemera Danica hatches around end of May/beginning of June. This year I saw the first flies on the water on May 27.
    Prior to that I have been on the water every day to see when it would happen this year, because you never know. The hatch lasted until yesterday. ...
    by Published on 05-21-2013 12:21 AM  Number of Views: 36275 
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    Aloha. I got the unique opportunity to guide on Palmyra for the Nature Conservancy a couple of weeks ago. Here is Time Boyle owner of Columbia Sporting wear getting ready to board our jet leaving Honolulu and heading to Palmyra. It was about a 2 hour flight.

    Here is the group arriving at Palmyra. It is a remote island north of Christmas Island, part of the Line island group. The Nature Conservancy has done some remarkable things with the island like exterminating all the rats that were left there after World War II. During that period the island housed over 5,000 soldiers and they basically rebuilt the island into an oceanic airport.
    ...
    by Published on 04-25-2013 12:33 PM  Number of Views: 25798 
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    ForkFest 13

    Back in ’05, I have always wanted to say that like a true old timer, I asked a trusted “internet” ...
    by Published on 04-12-2013 09:39 AM  Number of Views: 14047 
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    I hoped the precipitation would turn to snow by the time I reached the trailhead, but the temperature was still hovering around 32 degrees and it was still raining heavily. It had only dropped a mere two degrees from the time I left home. I contemplated seeking out a roadside wild trout stream in case the weather became unbearable and I needed to call it quits. I also thought about heading back home. As I sat in my truck considering my options I dosed off. When I awoke 30 or 40 minutes later it was still around 32 degrees and raining hard, without a hint of snow mixed in. It wasn’t going to get any better. I finally decided to suck it up and go for it. I put all my gear on in the front seat of my truck, which is no easy task these days, and headed out. ...
    by Published on 04-01-2013 10:09 AM  Number of Views: 20348 
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    I had never thought I would have a bamboo rod in my life. They are heavy, cast too slow for windy days, and can’t be broken down to 4 pieces. On top of that, they are ridiculously expensive. At least that’s what I thought.

    A few years ago, however, I suddenly became a bamboo rod owner. Not one, but two! The rods are gifts from two generous friends. One rod was a secondhand rod, 7.9 ft 3wt, with the name of a friend on it. Along with this beautiful rod, he gave me a Hardy Flyweight reel. A perfect combination. According to his advice, I bought a #3 silk fly line from a Chinese shop through e-bay, and took care of it for 6 months before beginning to use it. Now the rod is my first choice when I go amago fishing around here. I already posted fishing with this rod before.

    This time I’d like to talk about the other rod. This two piece rod came to me as a blank with an extra tip section, with a reel seat, guides, and silk thread for wrapping. The ferrules and tops were already put and fixed, so all I had to do was to finish the rod. But it had been more than 20 years since I built my old graphite rod by myself. I started to study how to finish a bamboo rod. After looking at several web pages on the internet, I came to the conclusion that I needed a rod wrapper/dryer. ...
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