Fishing Junk Water
What started as the sketchiest junk lake turned into something much harder to leave behind
3/20/2026Michelle Jarvie
DO
Snowshoeing: Proof You Can Love Winter
A funny, honest take on snowshoeing for the “real you” not the expedition you. Learn what you actually need, how to pick the right size and bindings, and why walking-speed winter can be the season you start to love.
3/2/2026Dun Team
Winter Hiking Safety for Normal People (Not Expedition Athletes)
Winter hiking doesn’t have to be extreme to be safe and fun. This guide gives you a simple system—how to pick the right trail, dress in layers, pack a small safety kit, and know when to turn around—so you can enjoy cold-weather miles with confidence, not stress.
2/3/2026Dun Team
Gradual Untangling
Fly Tying? You want me to tie a fly? No way. I can’t even darn socks. I knew I had enrolled in a fly fishing school, but I never thought about the fly tying aspect that would accompany my studies. School started and there I was, my instructor persuading me to give it a try. Reluctantly I went to the tying area. With a heavy heart, I tried my hand at tying my first fly, and managed to make a large and splendid bug. That disheveled fly went on to startle many fish, but one showed interest; all was
7/20/2018Mari Kitagawa
Latest
Breathe
As I get closer to the river I start to hear her breathe. The birds keep a busy lead as the water thrums a heavy rhythm. Each step, I try to hold a steady tempo. The ballad ebbs as I remember why I am here. This is a new section of river for me and I’ve heard there are brook trout, the only native trout to this region, which grow to the size of sweet potatoes. Brookies have become my passion, for I can’t seem to get their resplendent colors from my thoughts. My connection to the brook trout h
4/1/2016Katie Cahn
The Bad Hair Day
The Bad Hair Day is one of my go to minnow flies. This fly darts and dives and moves unlike any fly before. This fly landed some of the largest Tarpon we hooked in Tabasco. Hook: Favorite Streamer Hook Tail: Craft Fur, Flash Body: Reverse Tied Craft Fur Keys to tying this fly: Make sure you leave a little of the under fur in the Craft Fur, it provides a little bulk giving this fly a little larger profile. Have fun with colors on this fly, don’t be afraid to try something unusual. DUN Magazi
12/15/2015Dun Magazine
Permission Slip
Mozart was composing music at the age of 3. By 3, Tiger Woods shot a 48 over 9 holes. At age 3, I was trying to cut my own hair all the way at the scalp with craft scissors and ate a spoonful of dirt because the neighbor kid told me to. It was evident that I was lacking the composition of a “future child sensation.” To this day, none of my underlying or undiscovered marvelous skills or talents have surfaced. Two weeks shy of my 40th birthday, I have embraced the notion that it’s not just th
12/15/2015Janell Fannin
Taking on Tenkara
A few years back, when I first ventured into the world of fly-fishing, I remember my friend sending me an advertisement for something called a “Tenkara” rod, accompanied by a message that we should check these rods out for our backcountry adventures. I also recall my immediate rejection of the idea of tackling a new style of fishing. My immersion into fly-fishing was still very fresh, and shedding the comfort of my reel not only seemed unappealing, it was out of the question. Easily brushing o
12/15/2015Jenny Sullivan
Household Chores
I shirked my household chores today. First a latte. Then I wrangled the canoe on top of the car. And a second latte. I was ready to go fish. At a lake with plentiful, large and easy Bass. At least that’s what I was told. So a short drive ensues. Unload the canoe. Make sure coffee cup doesn’t tip over as I launch the canoe. And I start fishing. And I catch some fish. Small Bluegills. A Sunfish. But they’re fish. And there are the turtles. The lake is so clear I can see them sever
12/15/2015Carmen Hardin
Fly Fishing at 13,000 Feet
When I was preparing this article and thinking about my first fly fishing experience, I was inspired by a quote by Mahatma Gandhi . “A country’s society can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” My best friend, Andres Vidal, has been my biggest influence through my fly fishing learning process. One day while talking about fishing, he told me “When you feel the vibration of the fly rod for the first time, when you capture and land your first fish on a fly rod, Gandhi’s words will bec
12/15/2015Mayra Angelica Martinez Molina
Fishing With the Big Boys
My first day saltwater fly fishing dawned with promise. Efren, my Captain for the day, pointed our bow east into the rising sun. Small pink and blue cloud puffs and a slight choppiness on the water were the only reminders of the storms that had preceded our arrival. As we gained speed, the salty air rippled through my hair and a familiar calm filled my heart. One of the joys of fishing is often simply being on the water in a beautiful place. We pulled up near a small plastic buoy. Dorado,
12/15/2015Karen Margaret Hall
Zen Fly Fishing
I was recently asked by someone I had just met, “What do you do?” I paused before responding because that was a loaded question. Where do I start? What don’t I do? How to answer this question? A list of optional responses flashed in my mind in that micro-second of a moment. I function as the glue that holds my family together. I’m a mother and do all that motherly stuff –even with a college student. I’m a wife, and although that’s completely different from being a mother, there’s a nurturing, l
12/15/2015Karin Miller
Home Waters
In 2008, Lynn Camp Prong, a stream in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was closed to fishing to restore native Southern Appalachian Brook Trout to their home water. Like the ‘brookies,’ I have always considered it my home water. It has always been a favorite place for our family and only a short drive from our home in Townsend, Tennessee. The end of the gravel road where the trail follows the stream is the place we love to fish, hike and play as a family. Throughout the past seven yea
12/15/2015Charity Rutter
Martini Adventure
Last year some women friends and I took a trip to the Bighorn River in southeast Montana for dry fly fishing. It’s a tail-water river known for a trifecta: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and White Fish. They tend to be large and wily, even the ‘whities.’ While my friend, Terry and I fished our arms off last year for trout, my friends took another approach; a more leisurely approach. Their guide, they announced, was taking them for a day of Carp fishing with Martinis. A picnic they said. All we
12/15/2015Ann Bode Nash
Curiosity
These days, I have to remind myself that I’m still new to fly fishing. From an early age, I was fortunate to be exposed to skiing, hiking, and backpacking. I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, so I’m no stranger to stunning mountains, water, and fresh air. For years, I had a peripheral awareness of fly fishing and a slight curiosity about the sport — but it wasn’t until this year that I finally decided to take my curiosity a step further. In April, just as I was in a solid routine
12/15/2015Claire Topalian
Da Perch
Using hollow tied buck-tail, schlappen and a peacock eye, this fly moves a lot of water and will get the attention of your favorite toothy critter. Smaller than many modern flies of its type, this fly is easy to cast and produces fish. Dun Magazine ~ Tails and Ties ~ Da Perch from Dun Magazine on Vimeo.
9/15/2015Dun Magazine