Tying the Beadhead Brassie

The Brassie is a great all-around nymph pattern that offers three great features: its wire body imitates the segmented bodies of midges and caddisflies, it’s easy to tie, and it sinks like a stone—which means you can fish it deep. Invented in Colorado in the 1960s by three South Platte fanatics—Ken Chandler, Tug Davenport, and Gene Lynch—the original Brassie had a body of copper wire and a head of. . .

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Join the Save Bristol Bay Road Show

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Cross-posted from the Conservation blog: Since OrvisNews.com launched more than a year ago, we’ve been beating the drum in the fight to stop Pebble Mine. For a full description of the project and the threats it poses to the last great run of wild salmon on the planet, visit the Orvis Bristol Bay information page, and then Take Action. This month, you’ll also have the opportunity to meet up with fellow Pebble opponents and learn more about the proposed mine’s effects on the people and wildlife of the region. The Save Bristol Bay Road Show may be coming to a city near you.

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Ladies’ Bass & Bream Night

Ladies' Bass & Bream Night


On August 25th, the Orvis store in Richmond, VA hosted a Ladies’ Bass and Bream Night as an extension of their FF101/201 program. Twelve women met up at the store for a Q&A session with the Richmond staff before heading to a nearby lake. Here’s fishing manager Duber Winters’ recap of the event: . . .

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Ladies’ Bass & Bream Night

Ladies' Bass & Bream Night


On August 25th, the Orvis store in Richmond, VA hosted a Ladies’ Bass and Bream Night as an extension of their FF101/201 program. Twelve women met up at the store for a Q&A session with the Richmond staff before heading to a nearby lake. Here’s fishing manager Duber Winters’ recap of the event: . . .

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Picture of the Day: Wyoming Whopper

Wyoming Brown Trout

While fishing the Laramie River, OrvisNews.com reader Morgan Ford caught this stunning 27-inch brown trout on a size 16 Wire Baetis Nymph, dead-drifted behind a crayfish pattern.

photo courtesy Morgan Ford

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Tuesday Tip: Untangling Leader Knots

Fly fishermen are masters of euphemism when it comes to tangled leaders. “Oh, look. I’ve got a wind knot,” an angler will say on the even the most flat-calm day.  Sorry, my friend, but the wind had nothing to do with that knot, which was surely caused by a flaw in your casting motion. Such knots are usually caused by tailing loops (an easy-to-fix problem) or an overly violent. . .

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Picture of the Day: September Special Salmon

Restigouche Salmon

Scott McEnaney—director of the Orvis Eastern Endorsed Lodges, Outfitters & Guides program—caught this gorgeous 16-pound Atlantic salmon on a fly called the
September Special. It was one of two salmon he caught in a day and a half
at Restigouche River Lodge, fishing with guide Deering Irvine.

photo courtesy Scott McEnaney

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Fall in Montana: Saving the Best for Last

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After a strange season characterized by high water and late hatches, October looks like a great time to be on the
rivers of southwestern, Montana.

photo by Toby Swank

We’ve been stuck in a lingering Indian summer here in southwestern Montana, which has just added to the irregularity of the 2011 season. Things started off later than usual, thanks to heavy snow last winter, only to be followed by one the wettest springs on record. Anglers and guides across the region were scrambling around parts unknown in search of fishable water throughout most of June and July, only to be treated with some of the best late-season water conditions we’ve ever seen. The season is starting to wind down, and it looks like we will finish up the year on more. . .

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Friday Film Festival 09.30.11

Welcome to another edition of the OrvisNews.com Friday Film Festival, in which we scour the Web for the best fly-fishing footage available. This week’s collection offers super-fast action in the salt for albies, redfish, and snook, as well as great steelhead footage to get Great Lakes fishermen pumped for the season. We’ll also take you to Alaska for an adventurous float trip that features three guys daring each other to eat. . . .

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