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Do you remember the end of 2020? When most of us have passed this pandemic year zealously in the rearview mirror, assuming 2021 will mark a return to normalcy? When we would get together with friends, go back to traveling across the country and the world, and work and play like we did before a new coronavirus arose and disrupted life? Well, it didn’t exactly go as planned. But, at the same time, he didn’t quite not go to the plan either. Life started to return to normal, although it happened more gradually than most of us would have liked or expected. Businesses have reopened, travel has resumed, and events and activities that were taken off the calendar in 2020 have become part of our lives again, albeit often in modified and more deliberate ways.
Unlike our favorite readers of 2020, which were littered with COVID-related topics, this year’s readers clearly focused on matters more strictly related to fly fishing – whether they were fly models, skills and technique, or simply thoughts on the state of sport in general.
Here are the 10 Hatch Magazine stories of this 2021 that saw more eyes than all the others. Our team of editors and contributors also compiled their favorites list from last year, so stay tuned for that look back at 2021.
Readers are generally eager to absorb every nugget of wisdom angling scholar George Daniel chooses to pass on, whether it’s dry fly fishing, fly tying, organizing. gear or nymph, the segment of the sport for which George is best known. This year George’s article on when anglers should go for a dry dropper nymph rig instead of Euro and other trendy, fast-sinking rigs, did its appearance in the top 10 of readers’ favorites.
There’s a new tool in the battle to control the invasive populations of brook trout in the West, and it turns out to be the tiger muskellunge – a hybrid of musk and pike – which can reach enormous lengths and is a valuable catch for recreational anglers.
The way each of us views the sport of fly fishing changes throughout our lifetimes, thanks to things like time on the water, individual experiences and the influence of others, never to mention. name a few. Sometimes these changes happen gradually, and other times, like after your first season working as a fly fishing guide, they come more suddenly. New contributor Jacob Friesen shares 5 ways his fly fishing has changed after a summer of guiding trout fishermen.
“I firmly believe that there is a primary reason for choosing fly fishing over the alternatives, and that is because it is more fun and more enjoyable. There are easier ways to catch fish. , of course – bait fishing and cast fishing both come to mind – and it is obvious that these other methods do not require as much skill, or as much persistence, or as much financial investment. If we want to be frank, we must admit that most of us prefer fly fishing despite the fact that it is not the most efficient way to spend our time on the water. . “
Todd Tanner explores how different anglers look for different things as they head out into the water, and we could each find a balance in our fishing pursuits.
Chris Hunt offers an ode to the Slumpbuster, which he calls “a fly that lives up to its name”. More instructions on how to attach it.
Most anglers quickly realize that as a nymph, two flies are almost always better than one. Once we have each acquired the ability to fish for Double Nymph Mounts while avoiding frequent tangles or all-out bird nests, Double Nymph Mounts become the coin of the realm when fishing under the sea. area. But which two pairs of nymphs are the best? Ben Kryzinski offers his choices.
Apparently, an ode to a big fly wasn’t enough for this year’s readers. Chris Hunt is back with a second. This time it’s Norm Zeigler’s Schminnow.
If there’s one thing the virus-tainted 2020 gave us, it was an excuse to spend more time outdoors with friends, even in weather that would normally require us to congregate around wood stoves. and fireplaces instead of outdoor fireplaces and ovens. But we did, and we spent most of it testing a series of fireplaces, wood-fired pizza ovens, and hardwood cooking facilities. The result was Backyard Fire, which details our favorite picks for hardwood cooking and keeping warm outside.
“For most of the five centuries since Lady Juliana’s book, fly fishing was a profession and, in the hands of a few of its practitioners, even an art. It was personal, a commitment to a discipline that could never really be mastered, only studied with great attention to detail and undying enthusiasm. It gave birth to a small group of specialists who made exquisite tools for the pursuit of fish, reels and rods. the pinch of fur and feathers that decorated the hook. Only in my, admittedly, Over the course of its long life, the discipline has become a part of pop culture and a tempting source of income for big business … “
“When a sport becomes an industry, something is lost,†says Chris Madson.
Quality vs quantity, what is most important in your fishing? Are the two mutually exclusive or can fishermen seek both as they head out into the water? The way Todd Tanner sees it, a lot of anglers are wading in opposite directions.
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