“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”~ Henry David Thoreau When nature's green turns to gold, it is high time to head to a river and go fly fishing. Heed the call. There will be time for hibernation later...now the sky seems bluer, the air more elemental,…
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"The great charm of fly-fishing is that we are always learning; no matter how long we have been at it, we are constantly making some fresh discovery, picking up some new wrinkle. If we become conceited through great success, some day the trout will take us down a peg."~ Theodore Gordon The fall is a great time to pick up…
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"Fishing is a quest for knowledge as much of a pursuit of fish; it is as much acquaintance with beavers, dippers, and other fishermen as it is the challenge of catching trout." ~ Paul Schullery When the cottonwood leaves start to change color and the air is crisp and clear, the fly fisherman receives the call to adventure and crosses…
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"It was a long time since Nick had looked into a stream and seen trout. They were very satisfactory." ~Ernest Hemingway, from "Big Two-Hearted River" The satisfaction comes from not just seeing the trout, but from seeing the trout feed. And then seeing what the trout is feeding upon. And then imagining your presentation; imagining how your fly would float…
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"I didn't know it, but a radical change had taken place in my life. I had become a fisherman and would never be quite the same again." ~Jack Hemingway With the air and water cooling down, the leaves starting to change color and fall, and with the traditional celebrations of summer coming to a head, it is time to let…
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"If fishing interferes with your business, give up your business...the trout do not rise in Greenwood Cemetery." ~ Sparse Grey Hackle The nonstop flights into Sun Valley continue into the fall season and some great deals can be found! The cool fall mornings, the yellow, orange foliage, and some of the best fishing of the season awaits. And with school…
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"Never forget: Fly fishing is fun partly because it is frustrating." ~ Phil Monahan The upper end of Sullivan's Slough is aptly named the Shark Tank. From the road cutting across the sage covered hillside above the Slough, gawkers stop and admire the size and quantity of looming rainbow trout. The simple fact is, these fish are hard to fool.…
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"A fly fisherman's knowledge is compounded of many things. It grows out of imagination, curiosity, bold experiment, and intense observation." ~ Roderick L. Haig-Brown The next time you go fishing, fish less and watch more. Don't rush into the water and start casting the same flies that worked last week. Watch the water closest to the bank. Observe the patterns…
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"Spring creek trout have a reputation for being moody, which often means they are difficult, but when they are in the mood to feast, almost nothing-- not sloppy wading, not poor casting, not a ridiculous choice of flies--will dissuade them." ~ Ted Leeson Ted is right about spring creek trout. When it is time to feast, when the Tricos and…
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"Respect your quarry." ~ Paul Guernsey Learning how to properly land and release fish is as important as learning how to read the water, cast, and set the hook. Studies have shown that when large trout are fought to exhaustion, then held out of the water for 30 to 60 seconds during hook removal and photo, these trout have a…
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"At times I have wished life as simple as this riverbank — the world a logical structure of bend, current, riffle, and pool, the drama already unfolding on the glassy surface, and me, here on the bank, armed with some simple lovely balanced tools and some knowledge, prepared to become part of it for a few moments." – Nick Lyons…
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"I make the first casts to the tail end, less in anticipation of raising a fish than in raising the pleasure of anticipation." – Ted Leeson As we move into August, a good strategy for angling success is to fish near to far, shallow to deep. Be stealthy. Fish more like a heron, less like a water buffalo. Expect a…
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