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Fly-fishing isn't lmited to standing in a stream
Most people associate fly-fishing with standing in a clear, cold stream catching trout. Jim Laing thinks that's a mistake. "There's a whole other world out there that people just need to discover," said Laing, who is teaching a fly-fishing class at Southwestern Illinois College this month with his fishing partner, Brad Eilering. The pair are on a mission to catch as many species of fish as they can -- from buffalo to muskie to walleye to striper to carp to catfish --within a two-hour radius of St. Louis by using fly-fishing techniques. Laing caught a striper, buffalo, drum, gar, carp and striper on the Big Muddy River below the dam at Rend Lake during a recent trip. His exploits are chronicled in an article on sexyloops.com, the world's premier fly-fishing Web site.
GIANT SEQUOIAS, NO CROWDS
The groves of massive giant sequoias and nearby array of towering granite pinnacles make Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park one of the world's greatest showpieces. Yet, because of the long, circuitous route to get there for almost everybody, it gets a fraction of the visitors who go to Yosemite. Once school starts, and in turn, the fall season in September and October, the numbers drop yet further. I've seen fall mornings there where I even had the Grant Grove all to myself for the half-mile loop walk, and later, the Kings River was like my personal fly-fishing stream. Here are the best of lodging, camping, driving tours, easy hikes, cave tours and fly fishing: Grant Grove: Of the several groves of giant sequoias, the Grant Grove may be the most sensational and easy to reach, with an easy half-mile loop hiking trail that meanders amid the giants.
Fly fishing smallies in the fading summer
It's unbelievable how some years are dominated by certain types of fishing. Some years the surf is hot for stripers or blues. Some years trout fishing is hot in the streams. This year the hottest fishery going in freshwater is the smallmouth fishing in the rivers and streams throughout New Jersey. While most fly fishermen consider fishing for trout the ultimate sport, one day with a good dose of bronzeback with a buggy whip just might make them think twice. If I had to pick one fish that was my all-time favorite to catch, Ol' Mr. Bronzeback would be at the top of the list. Pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, there is no better fighting fish to be found in the sweet water. While smallies are found both in the still waters of a lake or reservoir, they especially are feisty when they are found in the current environment of a river or large stream.
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